Thanks very much. How do I contact them before arrival to `sbm

This is advice to everyone who thinks about a stop in Cristobal – Colon: My advice does not stop there. We knew before we go how dangerous city it is, but this out of the question.

We stop there as we need fuel to continue our trip towards Bocas. We refuelled in the only marine still alive there: Shelter bay. The other one was already closed, good situated and reasonable prices… but there is instead a cargo terminal. Club Nautico do not allow us even to get in through the doors…

After getting refuelled, we set sail to Bocas. After a night our injection pump stopped to work. We asked for refuge in Colon bay returning back as our only chance at this moment, asking to get into the bay with sails.

Very bad decision. They refused to allow me to get in with sails, and after I had to remind them there is an old custom to help any boat from the sea looking for refuge with problems in the engine, they finally accepted.

They command me to anchor in “la playa”. The worst place in the city, close to the worst slum among the bad slums. There is no possibility to go ashore from this place, as there is a private dock and they don’t allow you to use it, as other guys paid for that exclusive business to carry with people from/to the boats.

The only way is to pay 20 dollars to some guys in a dinghy each time they pick you-you up and back, using the same dock forbidden to your dinghy. Do not trust in them. If you have a problem better go out, even you are in a bad position.

The whole city is surrounded by a breakwater with big stones, so it is impossible to disembark with the dinghy. Any facility to cruisers. Only a small beach, in the north of the city, very far from la playa. Anyway, the place can scare on this own. It is close to club Nautico, that’s why I reached it, but they refuse even to let me in. I asked them to go inside and they told me “I don’t have problems!!”

After a few days sleeping in my cockpit as a sentinel, I move the boat towed to shelter bay anchorage, before asking for authorities, trying to find a little more kindness within my pains… Just a few days after that, some yacht was boarded by thieves in la playa. It was in the local newspaper, they were captured.

In Shelter bay, anchored outside, we wanted to go ashore to the marina to have a drink, use their bus or buy something we needed in their shops, as we were still working on the broken engine. We didn’t go to use the facilities without pay. We know everything has a cost and someone should support that, but we are surprised that cost, in my opinion, was too much expensive.

They asked us for 25$ every day we go there, every day of a week, or 35$ if it is for a single day. This is my first time in my cruiser days, I was anchored outside a marina and I should pay half the price of dockage. In all the rest of marinas

I visited before, they understand you are going to make expenses surely so they will profit on it, so they don’t have this thinking.

But the key point is I was there not because I wanted to, but because of a problem, I hadn’t before I went to this place… So I can’t prove the fuel for shelter bay is bad but I have some facts to say here:

– Last time I refuelled in Cartagena, full tank. After that, I make about 200 miles at engine without problems. I checked filters and they were ok in Portobello.

– I take fuel from Shelter Bay, and in about 15h of working the engine it stops to work, my filters dirty and full of water.

– I went to pump mechanics. The pump was full of debris, mud, sand and water. More than 500$ to fix it.

– I picked up some of that fuel to a jerry can, out of the fuel tank, and filter again with a funnel filter, and I could see (I have a video)that there was debris at the end, more than the normal case.

– Afterwards, I bought other fuel outside the marina, in a petrol station, in Colon. I did the same check with the funnel. There wasn’t debris. Very clean.

– Some guy living in the marina said me he never refuel there as in his opinion that fuel comes from big boats and it is not so good as small boat needs. Maybe it is the only gossip…
but the fact is in shelter bay they don’t have a petrol station itself, they use a patrol boat, an external company, not always there.

Anyway, I´m not stating again, the problem is or not is in the Shelter bay fuel station. It could be debris and water already inside my tank and mixed with old fuel and with bad weather and big waves this night. I just give this info to you, to know what happened to me, to be cautious,
take care and use pre-filters funnel or somehow, and check your filter at your engine before and after refuel.

Even it could be also Club de Pesca in Cartagena, the previous refuelled place. But sure one out of the two gives me the bad fuel.

I haven’t submitted an official complaint because I have not firm evidence about the issue.

This is not a revenge, only advice for others, you should keep an eye and in the event, they have the same problem can help me to know more. Also, for the company to have more test or procedures to avoid such situations. I have already spent 1000$ dollars in the problem, and still not finished.B besides the money waste, the time and money not earned, and our… lifetime.

I have more and more things, most of them bad, to say about Colon and what happened to us there… just one thing more: better not go to AMP in Colon to make papers: in our case, a corrupt civil servant asked for extra money as I wanted the paper that Friday and he blackmailed me refusing to do it, or if not pay, I should wait until Monday. So better not go on Friday and with the rush…

My impression is they are Lahore a river of gold “cruising” close to their noses, but for any reason, they don’t care about us.

BR

We would like to recommend Thorsten Boehnke and his girlfriend Laura. Thorsten is a thorough and competent person who will help you with most boat repairs. He helped us A LOT with fibreglass work and refitting our keel after a grounding. Thorsten does things right and in a professional manner.

Thorsten Boehnke

Shelter Bay Marina – liveaboard We had an excellent experience with Thorsten and Laura who are multilingual, talented, helpful and have a real ‘can do’ attitude. Really nice people who care about doing a good job and go that extra mile to get things sorted. The main job was fitting a hydrovane but they also help sort a few other issues too. Can highly recommend them.

October 2014: New Ferry Service Begins Operating Between Panama, Cartagena, and Bocas del Toro. Full details at:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/707aaa_1e18aa1f23084dcf90032d8fdbbcd651.pdf
Phone: (507)380 0909 in Panama.

Our crew are departing in Panama and flying home. The boat is being shipped to Canada. Is it required / advisable to have airline tickets? One member is waiting until the boat is loaded before coming home and does not yet have a ticket.

Comment from SV Gentle Rain: Jan 11, 2014
I stored my boat at Shelter Bay Marina from April 2013 to Dec 2013.
Arriving back I found my new 9.9 hp Yamaha 4 stroke engine and one of my solar panels stolen.

The boat was in their “secure” yard surrounded by an electric fence.
We checked the fence and it is NOT connected to the electricity – I have photos to prove this.
Not a great recommendation. I don’t want to leave my boat there again.
Catherine, S/v Gentle Rain

Reply from Shelter Bay Marina:
We acknowledge that we have a serious issue to deal with to ensure that vessels are properly protected. The electrical fence is fully functioning once again with additional measures to avoid tampering.