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.

For nearly 16 years, until he retired in 1996, Captain Puckett helped to guide ships through the historic Panama Canal as a maritime pilot on more than 1,400 transits. On the pages of his autobiography, he navigates through tales of his rocky childhood in northern Kentucky; his military adventures in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, where he served two tours of Vietnam; and what it was like in Panama in the 1980s as the Central American country fell into chaos under the dictatorship of Manuel Noriega. Captain Puckett shares what it was like being a maritime pilot on the canal during its turbulent years of transition to ownership by Panama after nearly a century under U.S. control.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the political and economic developments in Panama from 1980 to the present day.