Panama Canal

Jessica and students:

We settled on Gnomad for the gnome's name.

He is settling in aboard Carina (see photo with our binnacle compass and the turk's head of the steering wheel).  He decided to check the position of Carina on the GPS (see photo of Gnomad and GPS).  This position is our anchorage, called La Playita, at the very end of the Panama Canal at Flamenco Island just below Flamenco Signal Station and lighthouse where the Panama Canal authority overlooks and directs the dozens of deep draft vessels - container ships, car carriers, "reefer" or refrigerated ships carrying fruits and veggies, etc. that come and go each day transiting the canal.

The Panama Canal connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.  The official site is: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/index.html
There are webcams  on this site which allow you to watch the vessel traffic in the locks.
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/multimedia/index.html

The last photo (click here) is taken with us aboard a sailboat (Zephyrus) that is moored at the Balboa Yacht Club.  Balboa was the first European to discover the Pacific by crossing the isthmus of Panama.  Behind us is the Bridge of the Americas which crosses the Panama Canal just south of the Miraflores Locks, connecting North America to South America.  (Gnomad is in South America.)

Best regards,
Captain Philip and (Admiral) Leslie with Jake the cat
SV Carina
La Playita, Panamá City, Republic of Panamá