Written by:
2/8/2010 7:55 AM 

My transit of the Canal is from the Caribbean side at Colon going to the Pacific side at Balboa. Be aware if you are planning this trip that the agents and locations of offices will be entirely different on the other side. I am writing this mostly because as I began looking for more reliable information on crossing the Canal in my 39 foot sailboat I could find very little detailed info that told me what I was in for or even how to proceed. I hope this helps shed a little bit of light on a canal transit for cruisers wanting to jump oceans without braving a cape.

If your plans are to transit the Canal your first step, and probably the most difficult, is simply to arrive. With the destruction of the Panama Canal Yacht club there is only one commercial operation in Limon Bay at Colon, and that is Shelter Bay Marina. The marina is very nice and they try hard, but it is also brand new and they have a monopoly so prices are high and space is very limited. Two new docks are coming online as I write this, but if you arrive after February don’t be surprised if you are waiting on anchor for a few days for a slip to open up. If you are more adventurous, there is at least one other option.

First and probably the best is the old F anchorage, affectionately known as, “the flats”. This used to be a place to drop the hook then dingy into the Panama Canal Yacht club, but with its demise there is now no longer any safe place to land a dingy. For those not needing to run ashore this is no problem. Enter Tito.

Take this number down, Tito @ 6463-5009. Tito is old hat at this canal stuff and is currently taking boats who enter the bay, anchor in the flats, and transit the canal through the entire process in two to three days. He is not a full service agent, but will walk you through the process, provide lines and tires, and arrange handlers if you need them for around $115 USD. If you want him to handle your checking in and out of the country he’ll include that as well for $60 USD.

The difference between Tito and a full service agent is that Tito will not front your buffer fee of $900 USD for your transit. That means you will have to put this deposit, along with the $600 USD transit fee, in the Citibank before you cross. Assuming no problems the $900 will be returned, but those details will be discussed when I get mine back!

So, the first part is dead simple. Once cleared into Panama simply find the office located at Edificio 1000 at Puerto Ports. The building is down a long drive just past the office where you get your passports stamped in Colon by immigration. Arrive there with two copies of your boats registration (for US boats USCG Registration is better than State registration), two of your crew list, and two of your passport. After a handful of questions they’ll provide you a phone number to call that afternoon to schedule a visit from the friendly ACP (Autoridad del Canal de Panama) admeasurer. NOTE: You MUST tell everyone who asked that your boat is capable of maintaining 8 knots under its own engine power alone. If not there will be another fee around $800 USD. This is faster than my boats hull speed and everyone makes this small lie, but to date, I have not heard of a single boat fined for delaying the schedule. It simply doesn’t appear to be a problem.

Once back on your boat call the Admeasurers office (Laura @ 443-2293) to schedule the day to be admeasured. This was the very next day for me, Friday, and the admeasurer was on the boat by 10:00 a.m. he spoke perfect English and had the boats length measured in five minutes. We than sat for a coke and we walked me through the rest of the paperwork needed to schedule the crossing.

Following the admeasurement, you must return to town and the Citibank with the admeasurers paperwork to deposit your total of $1500 in the bank. ($600 fee + $900 buffer for all boats under 50 feet) This is the step I am off to complete today. This should allow me to confirm my date and time for the transit itself.

Stay tuned for scheduling the transit, picking up my port pilot, fixing lines and tires, and entering the locks. Cheers,

Lee

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