A CANAL TRANSIT THE PACIFIC ENTRANCE These three islands are on the right side of the channel and are landmarks for the channel entrance. Originally used by the U.S. Army as a shore battery for defense, the island to the right is used for the canal pilot boats and marine traffic control for the Pacific anchorage. The middle island had a Panamanian prison and the island to the left now has a major resort. They are connected to the mainland by a long causeway.

A CANAL TRANSIT

Left: The Pacific Cruise Ship Terminal is at the furthest island. It was built here because the water was deep enough not to require significant dredging. Below: The tall part is a resort hotel. This was built after I left. When I was here, this was the location of one of Manuel Noriega’s mansions. It’s obvious the Panamanians felt there was a better use for the land

A CANAL TRANSIT In the foreground is the causeway that links the islands to the mainland. It is over a mile long and was built entirely from spoil from the canal excavations. The French failed to build a canal for many reasons, and dumping spoil near the cut was one of them. The Americans used the spoil to build things and fill malarial swamps. The building at the far right with the curved top is Panama City’s Trump Tower.

A CANAL TRANSIT

The causeway joins the mainland at what used to be Ft. Amador which is also predomin- antly made from landfill from the canal. Part of this base was a Naval Base and the rest was Army. From 1979 until 1989 it was also a Pana- manian Army Base. It is now a major shopping area and site for resort hotels. The multi-colored building is the new Museum of Bio-Diversty which won an architectural award.

A CANAL TRANSIT The long pier is the Balboa Yacht Club where Panama plans to build another cruise ship terminal. The boats are so far out because the rest is mud flat when the tide is out. The large building sits on the site of my former quarters.

A CANAL TRANSIT Left: My quarters in 1992 – actually its off camera to the immediate right although the white car was mine. Above is the view which was worth far more than the building. No wonder the Panamanians wanted it. (Acquisition of Ft. Amador was a top priority during the turnover.)

A CANAL TRANSIT

The Bridge of the Americas Completed in 1962, until 2004 it was the only permanent bridge across the canal. Prior to then, vehicles had to use ferries or swing bridges that would open for all shipping.

A CANAL TRANSIT The Bridge of the Americas marks the entrance to the Port of Balboa.

A CANAL TRANSIT

THE PORT OF BALBOA

PANAMA CANAL OVERVIEW Panama Lock System Pacific Atlantic The Panama Canal is 85 feet above mean sea level

Frequently Asked Questions and Misconceptions: 4. Is Sea Level different between the Atlantic and Pacific? Mean sea level is the same all over the world, a fact discovered by U.S. survey parties at Panama in the 1870’s. Naturally, at any one place the precise level o the sea might be higher or lower than mean depending upon air pressure, winds, wave heights and tides, but it is all measured from the mean sea level. What is very different between the Atlantic and Pacific entrances to the Panama Canal are the tides.

PANAMA CANAL OVERVIEW TIDES

MeanExtreme Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia38.4 ft.56 ft. Ungava Bay, Quebec32.0 ft.55 ft. Bristol Channel, UK31.5 ft.43 ft. Cook Inlet, Alaska (Anchorage)30.3 ft.N/A Inchon SK27.5 ft34.3 ft Normandy Beaches21.6 ft.29.9 ft. Balboa Harbor PM (Miraflores)12.6 ft.21.8 ft. Limon Bay PM0’11’’2’8” Bur Suez Egypt5’4”7’4” Bur Said Egypt1’2”2’4”