Again the locks were filled and we bade farewell to our friends on the tug, entering the wild jungle and headed into the heart of the Panama Canal.



As we wound our way through the muddy waters, Sergio directed us to shortcuts and alternative routes, avoiding larger shipping lanes and trying to save time. If we couldn’t make the locks at Gatun by sunset, we would have to spend a night anchored in the lake. None of us were particularly averse to this idea. Our surroundings were spectacular. The pilot on the other hand, wanted to get home to his family and with the last light of day; he directed our entrance to the final locks. This time, we were asked to raft alongside a much smaller sailing vessel in the center of the lock. This meant each of the boats having a bow and stern line to one side of the lock and essentially acting as one boat. Jiorgos was not happy with this, having perceived the competence of the other crew in the state of their vessel. He discussed this with the pilot, noting that he had specifically requested to work independently in the locks or alongside a canal tug. Sergio complied with his request and instructed the other pilot to secure his command on its own. All at once the four monkey fists came flying at high speeds from the line handlers on the lock walls. Each one had to be bent onto one of our four long hawsers. Once secured, the line handlers took up the ends and secured them around large bollards. As the water level receded, we had to pay out the excess with four men working in unison to keep the boat centered in the turbulence. We were set in position when the process began. The other vessel had a great deal of trouble in preparing this set up and as the turbulence began, they went out of control. Jiorgos tried to talk the other captain through resolving the problem, even going so far as to explain how to maneuver. The captain of the other vessel was in a frantic state of panic, which had rendered him useless. Instead of regaining control of his vessel, he chose to scream at Jiorgos and blame him for the predicament. Jiorgos continued to speak calmly to him throughout the process.

Kipling described the scene perfectly in his poem “If”.