Suggestions for Safety of Yachts in Canal Transit

Created by doina. Last modified on 2002-11-20 11:00:21
Contributors: Antoine Muraccioli, s/v Banana Split
Countries: Panama

Antoine Muraccioli sent noonsite the following report:

I have had the pleasure to transit the Panama Canal about half a dozen times as the owner of 3 successive sailboats; I would like to suggest strongly that, coming DOWN (i.e. in Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks when coming from the Caribbean), it would be much safer and simpler for ALL boats to transit sidewall and not center chamber or alongside a tug : when a lock is full, a small sailboat can very easily enter peacefully well ahead of the ship that will come in behind it, and can tie up very easily as the wall then is not high. If you ask the yacht(s) to wait for a tug (that has helped direct the large ship towards the lock and slipped inside at the last moment, as is usually done), if you ask the yacht to wait for the tug to be tied, then it is getting late, and the movement of water pushed by the ship makes maneuvering tricky. The movement of water going down is minimal, so I am sure the down-lockings would be much simpler and safer for the company and for the yachts if they were done sidewall. Yachts should never be asked to enter and maneuver "rafted" in those down-going locks, as they can maneuver much better and be tied up and ready much sooner individually.

I also think the up-locking should be sidewall for most boats except the smallest and less protected ones. Rafting up 3 boats is very clumsy especially with three pilots giving opposite instructions, and tying alongside a tug is convenient, but has led, as is well known, to one of the worst incidents in years.

Jimmy Cornell replied: Many thanks for your information on transiting the Panama Canal. The last time I transited was in March this year, and generally I do agree you but the main problem is that one does NOT have the choice of lockage - you are only told by the pilot what to except as you are heading for the first lock, and even that may not always be correct. One can request a sidewall lockage, but from what I saw and heard, it is finally the pilot who decides, on the day of the transit, what possibilities are available.

Antoine Muraccioli: It's true that it's the pilot's choice, eventually to make you transit sidewall... but maybe the people ruling the Canal should understand that it would be safer if it were made more simple! I remember my last crossing: three boats rafted, and that day for some reason, there were two advisers to each boat; that was altogether 15 crewmembers belonging to 6 or 8 nationalities, plus 6 advisers, each one with his own ideas, shouting "forward" "backward" "slow", "fast"... They eventually realized that I, in the middle and sailing a catamaran with two powerful engines, was in the best position to manoeuvre, and they more or less let me do the steering of that clumsy raft. On the way down, the advisors wanted the rafted boats to enter the lock together, although a strong wind was making it dangerous... I finally convinced them to let each boat manoeuvre independently and then tie up, and it was much safer.