Click on an image for a larger view
 |
 |
 | |
| The ship's photographer was given special permission to disembark, and take a series of pictures of ms Noordam as she transited the canal. The two top pictures show the ship in the Miraflores locks. The bottom picture is of a group of passengers standing on the top deck....including yours truly (red arrow - left side of enlarged photo). | |
 |
 |
| (Left) Photo of one of the Miraflores massive lock gates. They weigh up to 750 tons each, but their ingenious design allows a forty horsepower motor to open and close them. A catwalk atop each gate allows employees to cross the lock chamber. (Right) Atop this tower sits a TV camera which is used by the operations personnel, and tour guides at Miraflores Locks. It also provides live pictures of the Miraflores Locks via the internet. | |
 |
 |
| Early morning fog in the Gaillard cut reduced visibility enough to halt ship movement. ms Noordam and five other vessels were held at Miraflores Locks for an hour untill conditions improved enough for safe passage. The photo on the left was taken from the Boat Deck looking aft. The ship is in the upper chamber, approximately 54 feet above the entrance to Miraflores. Hitching a ride with us through the lock system was a sailboat. Small craft and Canal tugboats usually transit the locks behind larger vessels. The photo on the right, taken by the ship's photographer, shows the ms Noordam, and the sailboat in the upper chamber being lifted up to the level of Miraflores lake. | |
Copyright © 1999 by Jim Tejada.
All rights reserved