Cruising Notes for the Panama Canal April 2005

Created by doina. Last modified on 2005-05-12 10:55:46
Countries: Panama

by Thomas Müller and Lilly Vedana, Yacht MIZ MAE, www.mizmaesailing.de

Canal Transit

Since mid March 2005 most yachts start their transit in the late afternoon from Colon. After passing the Gatun-locks in last light the yacht is usually moored alongside (!!) on a very large plastic mooring buoy about 4 miles after the last Gatun lock for the night. The line handlers and crew must stay on board, the pilot comes back early morning. Be prepared for the pilot to arrive early, regardless of what you were told the night before. Waiting time in April 2005 was 2-3 weeks.

Requirements for the Transit 4 lines minimum 120 ft or 38 mtr at minimum 22 mm or 7/8 inch; 4 line handlers apart from the skipper/helmsman; Air horn; Clean toilet for the pilot; Strong cleats; Minimum 8 kn constantly (5-6 kn in reality) possible; 5 tyres as fenders per side minimum preferably more or fenders.

Canal Fees Cost as per April 2005: Boats max 50 Ft US$600; Boats max 80 Ft US$850;Boats max 100 Ft US$1100. Additional $850 deposit is paid back by cheque or credited to VISA card after canal passage was finalized without causing damage or delay to the canal. Typical credit time is 6 weeks. Payment only by cash or VISA card. No AMEX, Mastercard etc. Note that this transaction is viewed as a "cash in advance" when paying with VISA. It is NOT a "sale" which means that different credit card limits may be applicable. Check with your VISA office before. Taking out cash from ATM machines is not always easy.

New Cruising directory The company "Marine warehouse" runs a clean, very effective operation in both Balboa and Colon, and they give out a very comprehensive shopping guide, the "Cruisers directory 2005". Copies on both side of the canal.

Security Security in Colon is still very poor. Walking around after dark is not recommended. Balboa is not good, but better. However, even the park on the "causeway" connecting Balboa Yacht Club area with the Flamenco island has seen a few muggings, in spite of all the tourists and police frequenting the recreational area.

Anchorages

In Colon you may anchor on the "flats", anchorage area "F" or ask the Panama Canal YC for a spot on the dock (65 UScent/ft/day incl water). New marina on the northern end of the inner breakwater now operational. To get away you can either sail back to the fantastic "San Blas" islands or just go 6 miles north to the very natural "Rio Charges" which is easily navigated and you may see plenty of Toucans, Parrots, Lorakites and Caymans. A superb place if you like dinghy exploration, want to wash your engine thru with fresh water or just enjoy solitude after all the hassle in town. There is a telephone at the top end of the Rio Charges at a little pub by the waterfront. This is important as you may want to double check your ever changing transit time. Your VHF will probably read the other boats on the "flats".

In Balboa most yachts pick up a mooring from the Balboa YC for 35 UScent/ft/day or anchor free of charge on the bottom end of the Flamenco Island, connected by road/bus/taxi with the town. Park your dinghy at the floating fuel station and prepare for surge. Expensive marina dockings available at Flamenco isl.

If you have some time to kill, there are the beautiful island groups outside Panama City including the "Las Perlas". Calm anchorages with little, friendly villages. Superb fishing! Little wind, water from "the BIG" watermaker.

Chandlery Both Marine Warehouse and Westmarine are well represented and ship mostly from the US by Fedex within a few days. Reliable, well oiled operations at good prices. Local ship chandlers may or may not have what the serious yachtie is looking for.

Medical Care With the US influence and many senior citizens using Panama as their place for retirement, there is a large variety of hospitals and doctors. Ask the club or resident yachties.

Taxi Do make sure you always ask for a price before you enter a taxi and being a "Gringo" don´t expect to get the local rate. Typical charge in Colon is: 10 US/hour or 1 US for max 2 people within city limits. Some taxi drivers will also offer their help to get you through the canal authorities procedures. There are some good guys like i.e. "Dracula", who will charge you under 10 US for the 2 hours required including the short rides and their help to translate the documents in Spanish. But there are also less good examples like Stanley who will charge you up to 40 US for the same job, only presenting you with Spanish forms when there would have been English forms as well and claiming they know where to find supplies and material. In reality, they will give you an expensive tour of the town and make you shop at their cousin´s place. Some of these taxi drivers will even claim they are official "shipping agents", being able to get you earlier transit times and offering all sorts of "package deals". Those deals can even include the repayment of your canal deposit, line handlers etc. We can only recommend to ask other sailors before entering any arrangements.

Balboa Taxis are: 6-10 US/hour but more per trip inside city limits as the town is bigger. The same caution should apply here. If you don´t know the real price in advance, you will most certainly be cheated. Going to the international airport is 15 US, coming back 25 US. For $1 the driver will use the Toll-road. Don´t take it and you will have time for a book in the back seat! The Balboa Yacht Club has a number of steady taxi drivers, who are not the cheapest, don´t always take your shopping, certainly have no suspension, but give you a fair deal and often know where to go for material. Ask at the office on the dock.

Internet/Email At the Panama Canal YC in Colon, and several places downtown. Fast and inexpensive. Companies like "Claro.com" let you bring your own laptop, but hang on to it in town and have it disguised! All shops have armed security guards. Balboa offers several Internet places downtown, often conveniently placed in shopping centres.

Tipping In Panama you can put 100 US in your pocket and spend it easily on tipping and backschisch during that day wondering in the end what you did with it! Carriers, taxi drivers, copies and little charges and services seem to follow the efficient skipper like a blue healer after a run away bull. Cost control is the hard thing in this country. Many prices have to be negotiated. Taxes and service charges are often not included in the prices marked and shown. Not even in the supermarkets.

Documentation and bureaucracy Visiting Panama and passing the canal is going to be a good test for even the most patient skipper and crew. We stopped counting at fifteen (15) documents. When being asked what the document would actually serve as, officials and employees equally shake their heads, receive the charges and will rarely have change to the next five dollars. We were absolutely mystified by the amount of documents, their purpose and the attached cost. People who know Panama better than us claim that it is all a sort of tax. The canal is Panama´s biggest single income reporting 660 Mill US income in 2003.

Weather April is the official start of the wet season in Panama. Some boats got seriously rained out and floods were reported by the end of April in the San Blas isl.

Tom´s political incorrect comment: With a bleeding credit card, a very dirty boat and a successful passage through the canal we were very happy to head west. But in spite of its taxi drivers, sleeping pilots and burning garbage dumps, we did enjoy the wild life, the companionship with the other sailors and the evening beers to wash down frustration. After all, Panama is an experience and makes for a few good stories down at the local pub!

Liliana Vedana, Thomas Müller

Yacht MIZ MAE, April 2005