View from our port side balcony

[TechKnowBabble]

I was wondering if there was any way to tell in advance what view we will have in the canal. It is an Eastbound (LA to Ft Lauderdale) trip. Will that indicate which lane we will be in? I would love to be able to enjoy the experience from our balcony instead of jockeying for position on deck. We will be port side approximately midship. I appreciate any input

[mii]

After reading many reviews on that subject I have found out that you have no idea which lane your ship will be put in. We were on a partial transit, but had a starboard cabin and naturally we were on the right lane so we just went out on the promenade deck on the port side and saw all we needed to see. We were going east to west. Now we are doing the full transit this coming May on the Coral Princess and again have no idea. I frankly have not heard of a site that would have that information.

 

Marilyn

[eldercruser]

Depending on the time of day the canal may be operating one way traffic. Thus there could be two ships in the locks at one one time each going the same way.

[rivi]

recently returned from the arcadia (dec/Jan) panama trip & was also on the port side. can also confirm that you will not know which lock you will be going in , but would suggest that you take up a good camera shot position at the front of the ship whilst it is entering the locks, once in the lock return to your cabin & look down on the "mules" that pull you through the locks-its a facinating sight, get it all on film & enjoy.

[eldercruser]

rivi - I had always thought the "mules" pulled the ship through the locks as well. However their job is to steady the ship in the locks so it doesn't hit the sides of the lock. Strong crosswinds make this a busy job for the pilot. The ships actually move in and out of the locks on their own power - also an exciting job for the pilot and captain!

[TechKnowBabble]

rivi - I had always thought the "mules" pulled the ship through the locks as well. However their job is to steady the ship in the locks so it doesn't hit the sides of the lock. Strong crosswinds make this a busy job for the pilot. The ships actually move in and out of the locks on their own power - also an exciting job for the pilot and captain!

 

Wow I was always told the mules pulled the ship as well. I guess you learn something new everyday :) I am very excited to see how it all works.

[eldercruser]

I and a few others had a great vantage point when we made our transit - right above and a little behind the Bridge so we could hear the pilot talking to the mule operators via radio - giving them positioning and tension instructions. We could also observe - not always hear - the discussions between the pilot and captain. Everyone earned their paycheck that day as we had a direct crosswind of about 20 knots.

[SailAways]

Would an aft cabin be good? I know that we would need to stand on deck during the transit, but do you believe the aft cabin would be an advantage while leaving the locks?

What time of year do you believe to be the best for this cruise, since you all have done it previously?

Thanks - All of your info here is very interesting.

[wanda1101]

rivi - I had always thought the "mules" pulled the ship through the locks as well. However their job is to steady the ship in the locks so it doesn't hit the sides of the lock. Strong crosswinds make this a busy job for the pilot. The ships actually move in and out of the locks on their own power - also an exciting job for the pilot and captain!

 

You're 100% correct. In the conversations you overhead from the bridge, you probably heard "#1 tighten" and such. The pilot was telling the mule operators to tighten or loosen their cables to hold the ship steady in the center of the lock. The pilot also controls the ship and it's engine speeds. I believe the Panama Canal is the only place in the world where a pilot actually takes command of the ship from the captain. It is a very precise and exciting job.

[BillB48]

Originally Posted by eldercruser

rivi - I had always thought the "mules" pulled the ship through the locks as well. However their job is to steady the ship in the locks so it doesn't hit the sides of the lock. Strong crosswinds make this a busy job for the pilot. The ships actually move in and out of the locks on their own power - also an exciting job for the pilot and captain

 

 

You thought right! The "mules" do "pull" a vessel into and between chamber of the locks as well as 'breaking" to stop the ship.

 

 

The "mules" are quite capable to take a vessel through the locks without any assistance from the vessel's engine or rudder. This is done when the lockage is a "dead tow." A vessel that has extremely good handling characteristics, (like some passenger vessels) may use the mules more to fine tune the movement of the vessel in the locks and to steady it when the chamber is being filled/emptied. Most lockages however, are a blend of the use of the mules as well as the vessel's engine. Using the engine in conjunction with mules speeds up the lockage enormously as well giving the pilot more control of the vessel.