Miraflores lock photo

rgranger · Mar 22, 2016

That's intimidating....

Kermit · Mar 22, 2016

The sign on the stern says, "I may be slow but I'm ahead of you!"

lee oakley · Mar 22, 2016

WOW!!! Braver than me no way getting in a lock with that behind me!!!!!

shemandr · Mar 22, 2016

Since reading David McCullough's The Path Between The Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal..., I've need to do a canal crossing. For those interested the book is overly detailed but very complete. It is an incredible story.

BlowMeAway · Mar 22, 2016

I'd be thinking that I don't have enough fenders, and take down the flag that says "Honk if you love Sailing"

Benny17441 · Mar 22, 2016

Joe A said:
The sailboats were there first. The big boat is pulled in and through by the locomotives on each side.

The sailboats have lines in the water leading outside the picture frame, I thought they were also being pulled but not they are just tied down in the center of the canal to both sides.

lee oakley · Mar 22, 2016

Well I know it's different than the locks on the erie canal but still intimidating with that thing behind ya

Jalepeno · Mar 22, 2016

The locomotives do not pull the ships through the locks they only control the lateral position. The ships power at almost full power to move the water from ahead of them to behind them. Look it up on the web.

BudGates · Mar 22, 2016

Jalepeno said:
The locomotives do not pull the ships through the locks they only control the lateral position. The ships power at almost full power to move the water from ahead of them to behind them. Look it up on the web.

Okay, that's even more intimidating.

BlowMeAway · Mar 22, 2016

Good thing to be first out then? I can only imagine that being last out, behind the freighter, that my boat would struggle moving forward in its backwash at our maximum RPM. I can only assume that's why they pass the smaller boats inward to the lock first. Hell, I'd like to try though. Thanks for the pic, that's awesome and intimidating.