Yachting Tourism - No Room at the Inn?

Created by doina. Last modified on 2005-11-25 22:23:19
Countries: Panama

There are not sufficient “Approved Mooring Areas” or yacht club facilities at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Until new marinas are built there must be areas for yachts to anchor. Unless a safe, approved anchorage area is designated for yachts, there will be “No Room at the Inn”.

Impending Problem

Forty-two cruising sailboats are currently waiting in El Salvador to continue their slow journey of adventure to Panama. There are also a similar number of vessels in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Guatemala. All of these vessels would normally come to Panama and either go through the Panama Canal or continue on south to Ecuador and out to the South Pacific. Similarly there are boats in Trinidad, Venezuela, Columbia and numerous other smaller places in the Caribbean basin waiting to come to Panama, again possibly to transit the Panama Canal and arrive in Balboa. In a typical season about 1,500 yachts pass through Panama often spending from one to five months in Panama waters. While here they will reprovision, refuel, and recreate spending between four and twenty thousand dollars on goods and services of all kinds. The marine service providers, restaurants, hotels, taxi drivers and travel agencies are awaiting them.

Unfortunately there may not be anywhere for them to stay, “No Room at the Inn” so to speak.

The major yachting season begins in December and continues through May. These yachts need a place to moor while they check in with the port captain, customs and immigration; and if they, like most, are going through the Canal, to arrange their transit.

On the Caribbean side there is Panama Canal Yacht Club, the new Shelter Bay Marina and anchorage F otherwise known as “The Flats”. Panama Canal YC is losing 45 slips to Panama Ports expansion, Shelter Bay Marina will have 38 slips available for this season and the rest will have to anchor out in “The Flats”, total capacity; about 200 transiting yachts.

What about on the Pacific side?

Flamenco Marina is full but may add another 20 slips, Balboa YC has just lost at least 11 moorings, but might be able to accommodate another ten or fifteen guests by the time the season starts for a total of about 30 or 35 berths. The rest, at least one hundred, will have to anchor out.

Anchor out, where? There is no Anchorage F on the Pacific side. The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) has recently told the yachts that are currently anchored out that they must leave and go to one of the Approved Mooring Areas. In addition to the Approved Mooring Areas mentioned above the AMP lists:

Facility/Status

Pedro Miguel Boat Club: Closed Diablo Spinning Club: Trailer Boats Only Gamboa: Small Fishing Pangas Only Gatun Yacht Club: Closed Club Nautico: Full - Two Boats

There is “No Room at the Inn”. During the peak of the season about 300 visiting yachts will need a place to moor at any given time, some on the Atlantic side and some on the Pacific side. The preferred location is around Fort Amador and the Causeway. Here the yachts visit the marine stores, the restaurants and reprovision. Many would like to have a safe place to leave their boats so that they can travel around Panama to see the wonderful sights that Panama has to offer. For years this has been the custom in Panama and resulted in further expenditures by these yachts on airlines, railroad and hotels. Remember, these are slow moving tourists, doing what all tourists do, in addition to maintaining their “floating home”.

A need for an anchorage on the Pacific side like “The Flats” exists.

There is no question that it would be best if all the yachts could go to a marina. While there are some that can’t afford it most would prefer a marina. A marina is a welcome respite for cruising yachts: a chance to wash off the accumulated salt, plug into the electricity and not have to worry about the boat when they are ashore shopping or dining in one of our great restaurants. Since the marinas aren’t available yet, Panama must have an approved anchorage on the Pacific side. Actually two are necessary. The yachts must have an anchorage that provides protection from the prevailing winds and seas and a safe way to get ashore. Anchorage F in Colon is inside the breakwater. However, there is no enclosing breakwater on this side that provides protection from all wind directions so, depending on which way the wind is blowing, they must anchor on one side or the other of the Causeway. If they are caught on the wrong side they must up anchor and move to the other side, night or day, they must move. If they don’t their boat may drag onto the rocks.

Requirement: Two anchorages with a place to get ashore. For decades yachts have anchored either northeast of Isla Naos or west of The Causeway between Islas Perico and Flamenco, depending on the prevailing winds. Other areas that would be satisfactory are west of the causeway between Balboa YC and the Mine Dock, east of the Flamenco marina breakwaters and northeast of The Causeway nearer Balboa.

There are many concerns to be accommodated, like security and the day-to-day operation of the Panama Canal. I recommend that representatives of the Panama Canal Authority, the Panama Maritime Authority and the yachting community coordinate to designate suitable anchoring areas.

Something must be done. Many of the Caribbean Islands have found that Yacht Tourism contributes more to their economies than the cruise ships, if sufficient facilities are provided they will in Panama too! If there is “No Room at the Inn” the yachts will pass Panama by.

first published in Caribbean Compass by David Wilson

Since this article was published, representatives of Panamanian Tourism, Canal Authority, Maritime Authority, Panama Coast Guard, Smithsonian Institute, have met with yachting representatives to discuss these issues and possible outcomes. It will now depend on government approval as to whether new areas for anchoring can be agreed upon.