Sailing through history aboard Capone’s yacht

I’ve just returned from an overseas trip and, unlike a few brain-addled Kiwis, I didn’t attempt to smuggle illicit substances into the countries I visited.

However, I do admit to having taken advantage of the scene of one such crime. I plied the Panama Canal in a boat once owned by notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone that was used for smuggling liquor into the United States during the Prohibition era.

It’s now nearly 90 years since Capone used the wooden luxury yacht, Isla Morada, on high speed voyages smuggling rum from Cuba to his speakeasies in the Windy City. Nowadays the boat moves at a much more leisurely pace as it ferries tourists through the canal on $200 sightseeing trips.

And you don’t want to be in a hurry if you want to view one of the world’s engineering marvels close up. Priority is obviously given to seafaring vessels that can pay close to half-a-million dollars to take the short cut between the Atlantic and the Pacific, thus avoiding the lengthy and sometimes hazardous trip around Cape Horn.

Consequently, we had to wait for more than an hour before we could board the Isla Morada for our partial transit of the canal. But there was plenty to keep us occupied, spotting the various species of tropical birds that frequent the trees in the surrounding area.

And the wait is well worth it because a cruise on the canal in Capone’s old yacht is an amazingly memorable experience.

To pass through the canyon-like locks, with their granite aggregate walls towering above you, while they in turn are dwarfed by the massive container ships transiting the canal, is truly breathtaking.

It’s hard not to be in awe of the creators of this engineering feat as the ferry’s tour guide explains the intricacies and the hardships involved in the construction of the canal.

It was the French, who had just completed the Suez Canal in 1869, who decided to tackle the daunting task of cutting through the narrow isthmus that connects North and South America – and their efforts were a disaster.

More than 22,000 workers died, mainly succumbing to yellow fever or malaria transmitted by the myriads of mosquitoes that were breeding in the swampy terrain.

The French engineers had also made the mistake of believing they could build a sea-level canal similar to the one they had constructed at Suez, ignoring the fact that there was a 110-metre land bridge between the two oceans.

In 1902 US President Teddy Roosevelt persuaded Congress to buy the failed French project for $US40 million with a view to building locks to ensure the scheme’s success.

The American politicians might have had second thoughts if they had realised the proposed canal was going to cost $10 million a mile to construct and require the shifting of 100 million cubic yards of material.

There were political obstacles for the US to overcome, too, but they were solved in a fashion that was to become a blueprint for American dealings in Central America.

Panama was at the time part of Colombia and when the Colombians rejected America’s plans to build the canal, the US supported a rebellion that led to the formation of the nation of Panama in 1903.

A treaty was negotiated that allowed the United States to build the canal and have perpetual control of a zone eight kilometres wide either side of it, a decision that separated Panama’s territory into two parts. The controversial Canal Zone caused tension well into the 20th century.

However, in 1977 President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty that led to the canal area eventually being returned to Panama in 1999.

Over recent years the advent of supertankers and giant cruise ships has meant that some vessels were too large to fit through the canal and a $US5 billion expansion project was begun in 2007 and completed seven years later.

Now passengers on cruise ships can sit in comfort and view the engineering miracle as they pass through the canal (a ship carrying more than 2000 passengers will pay roughly $US1800 a head for the privilege).

Personally, I preferred the cheaper and historically more captivating option of Capone’s old yacht. The rum may no longer be stored in the bathrooms and it’s Coke (the drink) that’s supplied to passengers but the journey is intoxicating enough in its own right.