Panama Canal crossing (Day 2)

Norm Katz

Mira Flores locks anchored outside Panama City. Good to be cruising again. Day 2 of our Panama Canal transit started with the trip across Gatun Lake before entering the Gaillard Cut—the narrow section carved through the Continental Divide. From there, we passed under the Centennial Bridge and continued toward Pedro Miguel, our first lock of the day. This time, instead of being lifted up like we were at Gatun, we were going down. Pedro Miguel dropped us into Miraflores Lake for the short run to the final locks of the Panama Canal: Miraflores. This was the moment we had been waiting for. As the water slowly drained from the lock chamber and the massive gates opened in front of us, there it was—the Pacific Ocean. We motored out of Miraflores, passed under the Bridge of the Americas, and headed toward Panama City with its skyline in front of us. Just like that, Endless Summer had crossed a continent. From the Caribbean Sea, through the Gatun Locks, across Gatun Lake, through the Continental Divide and finally down the Miraflores Locks to the Pacific.