Crossing the Panama Canal

Time flyes in Colon thanks to the many boats that we meet : Bernick on which sail Jean-Pierre and Josy since 25 years, Ca Va with an american couple on board, Endelig with 2 young english: Noel and Jo who will be our liners for crossing the canal. There is as well Jean and Sylvana on Najelys, Marietka and her friend Morten and her dog and her cat on Little Mermaid (8m!), Magwen, Blaatur, Jupiter...

Our crossing date approaches. Florence, a friend from Hamburg, comes to visit us for one week. With us she will help transport, in 20 hours Cephee from the well-known Atlantic to the mysterious Pacific.
Everything seems ready on the 28thof March. The sky is black and produces rain and lighting. However, we are quiet relaxed since we already experienced a crossing with SKYE, and it didn't seem that complicated.
50 miles from where we are starts a new ocean. 50 miles is nothing! Bernick is as well ready and we are happy to cross with them since we like them a lot.
At 18h30, we leave the Colon anchorage (no regrets) with 6 people on board: Florence, Noel, Jo, Enrique the pilote, Helene and Thomas.
Going towards the first lock, the Gatun Lock, the engine makes wierd noises. It slows down and then goes again, and suddenly stops... We are right in the middle of the chanel, with huge cargos around us, onbe mile to go to the first lock. It is the first time the engine does this to us... What is the matter, Céphée ? Don't you want to go in the Pacific ? Ok, the engine starts again... but not for long: it stops 200m further. We can now see the lights of the first lock!
We do not understand and we can not answer anything to our pilot who is starting to look suspicious. Fiddling a little, Noel and Thomas make the engine start again and we maintain it running by manually pumping te diesel. Come on engine, it is not the time for this! We will go in the Pacific whatever it takes, so you will have to work and come with us!
200m, 300m, the lock is there. All of a sudden, the engine, insead of stopping, speeds up like crazy! Now he is making a terrible noise, speeding like he never did before and we can't do anything to stop it... For more than a minute, we wait and watch until he gets tired and stops again, All the lights are red, the engine is so hot! No one believes it but the engine at this point seems dead. Do it is the end? The Pacific, the deposit, Colon... You should see our faces.
Enrique, our pilot, encourages us. He says it will be OK... No one believes but it will start again!
However 100m further, it does it again. Everything goes crazy again, but this time, thereis oil, diesel and smoke everywhere. And once again, silence, it stops.
Our last chance is Bernick. He is there, he turned back, since he didn't see us coming. In accordance with both pilots, he will tow us through the locks. The pilot accepts even though in the canal rules, all boats should be motorised while going through the locks. Thanks Enrique.
It is still risky because if can not repair on the lake during the night, the costs are going to be extremly high!
So, tied to Bernick, we finally go through the 3 locks and here we are on the Gatun lake.
Some explainations given by the mecanic of a big ship, Jean-Pierre's know-how, Noel's experience and a short night for Thomas will get us out of there. During the whole night, metal noises, diesel odors are on the Gatun lake. At 5 in the morning, we hear the engine live again!
2 hours later, our pilot arrives. In 5 hours, the Pacific ?
1 h, 2 h, 3 h, the quick repair seems to hold well. We all feel better, and soon, much better since we can see the Miraflores locks.
1, 2, 3 locks ! We are in the Pacific ! The bridge of the Americas is there, link between Sothern America and Northern America, seperated since 100 years by this canal that we will never foreget.
Thanks to everyone who helped us, to Flo for all the pictures, Noel, Jo for their precious help, To Enrique, and of course Bernick!

We stay 10 days in Panama city, repairing the engine, visiting the city, and preparing the boat for the Pacific. Florence caught a bad bad sunburn, her feet are all swollen !

Panama is not a very good place to stay for us, it is time to leave.
Flo goes back to Europe and we leave for the Galapagos for new adventures!