I think this is the Atlantic Range Middle Light - looking back from the Gatan Locks



Gatun Locks Upper Northbound Range Light



This one was a range and what looks like two lights between Gatan and the next locks - There is a grey one in back and two white ones in the front.


And this one is the Miraflores Northbound Front

These lighthouses have been identified by Russ Rowlett as the Peña Blanca Northbound Range Lights.

He says: "These lights are missing from my page, because Google has no satellite image from their location and I was unable to verify their continued existence."

I told him that I saw them out of my stateroom window and ran out on deck quickly to take their picture.

Impressive, you gave Russ Rowlett a lighthouse picture he didn't have! You are fortunate to get to travel so much.

Nov 29th - going through the canal again but this time in the other direction, and in the rain. I had scoped out the plugs on the promenade deck and also in the crow's nest, but thinking about it I decided that I'd better be under cover, but NOT (because of the rain) under/behind glass like in the Crow's Nest. So I stayed on the promenade deck which is outside, but under cover, and just went from one side to the other at the stern.

They gave us a map of the canal this time which showed the lighthouses, and with that and with the list of lighthouses from the Lighthouse Directory I was pretty much able to keep track of things.

We had a lady commentator this time and she was MUCH better than the guy we had last time. She said it had rained continuously in Panama before our arrival for several days.

Around 0600, she started her narration about a large rock, and then Flamenco, Naos and Perico Islands. My original plan had been to snag a chair near a plug and plug in the computer and sit there, just getting up for a picture. But there was only one plug and I didn't like the look of it, so I just wandered the deck.

I did get two Panama buns - one for Bob - but he wouldn't eat it.

Anyway, Flamenco had the signal station on the top. I saw what appeared to be a top of a lighthouse sitting halfway up the hill, and that's what it proved to be - a lighthouse with no tower, just mounted directly on the bluff with a stairway down to it




We were passing Amador where we had gone ashore last time, and then we came to the Bridge of the Americas where I had not gotten a good picture of before. This is that section of the map.


There was supposed to be a lighthouse on each side of the west end of the bridge. These were actually the Balboa Range.

I found both lighthouses which were formerly a range - painted black with the new white range markers (Pacific Entrance Range) next to them.



Back marker



Front marker



Back range marker with old lighthouse peaking over the trees

Other side of the front range marker

Another picture of these markers


Whole bridge



Range markers



and the arrow pointing to the lock



About 8:30 we went to breakfast, where one of the specials was Egg FuYoung (i.e. an omelet with bean sprouts etc. in it). We did not order it. We were going through the Miraflores locks, and after breakfast I got a picture of the black side of the Balboa (Miraflores) Northbound Front light.




The map had a light on each side of the Miraflores Locks


I have a picture of Northbound Front light,



and a picture of the other side lighthouse just visible through the mist.

We did the single lock at Pedro Miguel. I got some pictures of the locks, and also as we went across the Continental Divide and went by the old swing bridge and the new suspension bridges.



Another picture of a range marker



We went up to lunch about noon. While we were eating a black lighthouse and a black and white lighthouse (one color on each side) went by on the other side of the dining room - it looked as if we could reach out and touch them almost, but I didn't get a picture. I did get a photo after that through the rain spotted glass on our side of the Peña Blanca Northbound Range Lights that I saw last time.

Map for the canal portion



The guide said that the ranges with crosses were for one size of ship and the ranges with just a line were for a smaller size ship. About 1330, I went out onto the deck again and saw two white lighthouses which I assume are a range, and the front light was in the water.



Map of Gatun Lake area


Then I missed getting a picture of another lighthouse up an arm of the lake, and then there was another range where both white lighthouses were up in the mountains.

In the other direction there were two white triangular easel type items - probably also a range.



Most of the rest of the day we watched on the bow camera, although I did get a distant shot of tapirs playing on the bank.

I didn't bother to take many of the Gatun Locks but as we left the area (during dinner) I tried to find the lighthouse listed on the map as Sherman



I think I found it - it was a tower with a light on the top that was on for about 6 seconds and off for about 10. It was at the far end of the west breakwater.


I didn't get a good picture of either of them, as it was too dark and the boat was moving. This was the best I could do since I couldn't get outside - that would involve going out of the dining room and down one flight.

I also saw the Limoa Bay West Breakwater light (the red one). With this one, all I had to contend with was raindrops and reflections on the glass.