Through the eyes of the author who spent many exciting years as a pilot responsible for guiding American and foreign vessels through the treacherous waters of the Panama Canal, the reader sees life as it truly was along the most famous canal in the world. Along the way, the reader will meet the famous, as well as the more notorious people who moved through this intriguing land, such as Noreiga. The reader will be introduced to the Americans living and working the waterway, referred to as “Zonians.” The job of the pilot was to guide ships through the Panama Canal. It was a challenging, but essential job that called for great expertise. With the job came respect and close working relationships with captains of ships from around the world. A good paying, but dangerous duty on board ship meant for a fast life in the Canal community. In this book, the author shares with the reader the intimate details of the life he lived while plying his trade in one of the most exotic spots to be found on this Earth.

Preface 2012 edition: The United States Code is the official codification of the general and permanent laws of the United States. The Code was first published in 1926, and a new edition of the code has been published every six years since 1934. The 2012 edition of the Code incorporates laws enacted through the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Second session, the last of which was signed by the President on January 15, 2013. It does not include laws of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First session, enacted between January 3, 2013, the date it convened, and January 15, 2013. By statutory authority this edition may be cited "U.S.C. 2012 ed." As adopted in 1926, the Code established prima facie the general and permanent laws of the United States. The underlying statutes reprinted in the Code remained in effect and controlled over the Code in case of any discrepancy. In 1947, Congress began enacting individual titles of the Code into positive law. When a title is enacted into positive law, the underlying statutes are repealed and the title then becomes legal evidence of the law. Currently, 26 of the 51 titles in the Code have been so enacted. These are identified in the table of titles near the beginning of each volume. The Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives continues to prepare legislation pursuant to 2 USC 285b to enact the remainder of the Code, on a title-by-title basis, into positive law. The 2012 edition of the Code was prepared and published under the supervision of Ralph V. Seep, Law Revision Counsel. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the contributions by all who helped in this work, particularly the staffs of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel and the Government Printing Office. -- John. A. Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., January 15, 2013--Page VII.