Heading for the equator

The Panama day was rounded off nicely with a last minute booking for La Terrazza – the first on this voyage. Diva had her usual 9 starters (all tiny).

The butler and the butler manager part-rescued the reading situation by lending TSH some reading glasses from the staff store. He still needs to buy some soon but there is a plan for that.

Early morning Tai Chi on the lifeboat deck, which seems to be the only outside space which doesn’t form part of a thoroughfare or a public area such as the pool.

The first highlight of the day at sea was the sight of a school of dolphins swimming alongside the Silver Spirit, leaping in and out of the water.

The second highlight was another lecture from a Professor of Archaeology. One of the best speakers ever experienced on a Silversea ship. Diva wants to visit all the Peruvian sites and museums he is describing but it will be possible to visit only one.

Excellent sweet and sour pork for lunch made a change from TSH and Diva’s usual choice of lots of salad with fish or cheese.

Diva and TSH have been presented with small holdalls with the Silversea Circle Voyage logo.

Not many other cruise ships spotted so far. Only Celebrity Summit and Crystal Serenity.

This photoblog hopefully gives some impression of the spectacle which is the Panama Canal.

Continental divide

Early morning

Flight of pelicans

Going In

Leaving Panama

The lake

Ocean to ocean

At 5:50 in the morning, when TSH and Diva switched on to look at the ship’s webcam, they expected to see the usual darkness ahead. Instead, there was an exciting cluster of extremely bright lights. By the time they were washed, dressed, shaved and made up, dawn was arriving and they were on deck to see Silver Spirit enter the first lock of the Panama canal.

A series of locks raised the ship up to the level of the middle section, after which the ship sailed through the extensive artificial lake whose water is used to operate the locks. Millions of gallons of this water enters the oceans every day. The lake has many small islands and is very picturesque. There is no sign of human habitation or of local boats because the land around the canal is private property.

After the lake comes a (relatively) narrow cutting over which is a modern bridge which links North and South America. Towards the Pacific there is an older one – Bridge of the Americas. The area is wooded and has more and more rolling hills as the approach to the Pacific is made.

A train runs parallel to the canal and one (with 52 wagons) was spotted and photographed. At each set of locks, a visitor centre provides an opportunity for hundreds of local people to watch the fun.

New locks are under construction to provide wider and deeper access for ever larger ships. They also recirculate water so that there is less waste. Some of these are in operation and it was weird to see a large ship nearby apparently crossing the fields at the side of the older Canal.

Silversea joined in the party throughout the day by producing a range of breakfast nibbles, hot and cold drinks and compulsory rum punch. There was commentary over the intercom at all the significant points.

It was after 15:00 before Silver Spirit left the last lock, passed Panama City and entered the open water of the Pacific Ocean. There had been flights of pelicans and frigate birds throughout the day, with the occasional glimpse of flying fish.

Cost of Silver Spirit’s transit: $175, 000.