Our Crew ready for action.

Boomerang, the catamaran we made the transit with.

On the Boomerang a few nights before. Tito, who helped
us with paperwork among other things, is on the far right.

Leaving Shelter Bay...

...heading for "The Flats" anchorage to meet the advisor.

Felipe, our Saturday transit advisor, comes aboard.

Taking in the stern line in a Gatun lock (boat is
moving up in the chamber as the water rises).

Night lights in one of the Gatun Locks

We took this picture from on top of the Visitors
Center at Miraflores Locks

Larabeck (left) and Boomerang (right) raft together in the Miraflores Chamber.

Sharon's Dad captured this picture from the hi-resolution live web cam at Miraflores Locks. He watched us "sink" out of sight as the water lowered us down in the chamber.

The gates open so we can pass from the first to the
second Miraflores chambers.

Another photo from our trip to the visitors center. You don't
get this view from inside the lock : )

Here are the locomotives called "mules" that pull the 
big ships into position.

In between lockage we had time to take a picture of cadets
Vicente and Franco.

The Miraflores Visitor's Center as seen from the Larabeck stern.

The next few shots are of ships we met in the canal. We 
stayed out of their way...

This is an example of "sidewall" lockage. If this crew boat were to do "center chamber" lockage it would need two more line handlers on the port side to hold the boat in the center of the chamber between the walls of the lock.

This is a huge drill. It's used to deepen the canal for the larger ships that will travel through the canal after the expansion program has been completed.

Vincente, Nidia and Franco, Larabeck linehandlers.

Staying dry during the rain under the Larabeck's bimini canvas.

Young people are cell phone experts in Panama too : )

At the foot of the Bridge of the Americas is the Maritime University of Panama, where the Vicente, Nidia and Franco study.

At the center of this photo is a target. We heard that the canal workers who throw the "monkey" lines to the small yacht linehandlers use this for target practice. 

A canal employee secures our line to the bollard at the top of the lock.

Rafting up with the Boomerang. Michael (left) ties off the Larabeck, and Marcus, Tito's son (center), secures the Boomerang.

Nidia at the Larabeck's bow.

Ricardo, Sunday's advisor, gets picked up at the end of our transit.

The Larabeck Panama Canal Transit Crew disembarks at the
Balboa Yacht Club.