A Hobo Canal Transit

This is Captain Morgan preparing for his first transit of the Panama Canal. Morgan (that’s what his friends call him) owns the Krogen 42 trawler Hobo, out of the Pacific Northwest.

Hobo dressed with her Sunday best tires.

Morgan’s assistant, Capt. Larry on the left and our first days Canal advisor lining up the first lock. Now I know that my blog reader is probably getting bored with Canal Transit stories. But it is my blog, and I’m just not getting bored going through the Canal. This thing is just a marvel of 100 year old engineering. Taking a boat through the modern shipping cross roads of the world just can’t be boring. And risking body parts while you do it adds to the rush.

Lining up for the first lock. With a tourist boat in front and behind him a Sportfisher.

The bulk carrier Nord Taipei went into the lock next to us at Mira Flores. We kept hearing her name on the radio and were surprised when we saw the actual spelling. Lena was sure it was the Nord Type-A. Some hyper, Viking crew.

  The Canal walls do get slammed on occasion by the big ships. Here’s a little repair work going on.

Steve, Larry’s brother, tending the bow lines with me.

Another Lake Gatun sun rise, perfect for waking the howler monkeys.

Captain Morgan, with assistants' Larry and Lena, extremely proud of the present he left on Canal property on the shores of Lake Gatun.

Captain Morgan watching the port wing, Captain Howard, our advisor for the second day, and Captain Captain, aka Larry, setting up to go into the last set of locks.
Fun crew, good food, no drama, and we ended the trip with the same number of fingers as we started – a good transit.
Paul