Barro Colorado Island
Sea Voyager spent a calm night on the anchor in Lake Gatun, the huge artificial lake that stores the lifeblood water that fuels the Panama Canal. A bit before six a.m., a Panama Canal pilot came aboard and we sailed to our anchorage just off of Barro Colorado Island. This is the site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, our morning’s destination.
Countless shades of green created a tropical forest mosaic, broken up by jacaranda trees laden with purple flowers and guayacan trees teeming with yellow blossoms. Whether by foot or by Zodiac, our explorations were rewarding. Snail kites, anhingas, crested guans, keel-billed toucans, chestnut mandibled toucans and lineated woodpeckers were but a few of the bird sightings. Mammals included howler monkeys, spider monkeys, capuchin monkey and agoutis. Crocodiles collected solar energy along the shore. A black and green dart frog sat conspicuously on the forest floor.
Our Panama Canal transit continued in the afternoon. While sailing through Lake Gatun and awaiting our turn to descend the Gatun Locks, we enjoyed looking back at our week as Sarah shared the Video Chronicle of our voyage. Great memories and some laughs were shared.
By late afternoon, we were at the head of the queue to enter the top of the three Gatun Locks. A cooling breeze kept us comfortable as we spotted some capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. Sharing our journey from lake level to the Caribbean was the Panama Canal tug Harding ahead of us in the lock chambers, and the freighter, the Golden Orchid aft of us. As the sun approached the horizon, we emerged into the ocean to complete our journey.
Sea Voyager spent a calm night on the anchor in Lake Gatun, the huge artificial lake that stores the lifeblood water that fuels the Panama Canal. A bit before six a.m., a Panama Canal pilot came aboard and we sailed to our anchorage just off of Barro Colorado Island. This is the site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, our morning’s destination.
Countless shades of green created a tropical forest mosaic, broken up by jacaranda trees laden with purple flowers and guayacan trees teeming with yellow blossoms. Whether by foot or by Zodiac, our explorations were rewarding. Snail kites, anhingas, crested guans, keel-billed toucans, chestnut mandibled toucans and lineated woodpeckers were but a few of the bird sightings. Mammals included howler monkeys, spider monkeys, capuchin monkey and agoutis. Crocodiles collected solar energy along the shore. A black and green dart frog sat conspicuously on the forest floor.
Our Panama Canal transit continued in the afternoon. While sailing through Lake Gatun and awaiting our turn to descend the Gatun Locks, we enjoyed looking back at our week as Sarah shared the Video Chronicle of our voyage. Great memories and some laughs were shared.
By late afternoon, we were at the head of the queue to enter the top of the three Gatun Locks. A cooling breeze kept us comfortable as we spotted some capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. Sharing our journey from lake level to the Caribbean was the Panama Canal tug Harding ahead of us in the lock chambers, and the freighter, the Golden Orchid aft of us. As the sun approached the horizon, we emerged into the ocean to complete our journey.