written and photographed by Mary L. Peachin
Dec 2002, Vol. 7 No. 3
Motoring along the Chagres River, the skiff passed under a historic bridge used by the railroad to build the Panama Canal. Elercido Parazo, a native of the nearby Chocoe village, headed the skiff to Lake Gatun where we planned to fish for peacock bass known as Sargento. As we rolled over wakes from freighters approaching the Pablo Miguel locks, we passed the infamous Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal. It’s the narrowest section of the canal (800 feet wide), and its excavation proved to be deadly.