Panama Canal

From CruisersWiki

Contents 1 PANAMA CANAL 1.1 Background/History 1.2 Canal Authority 1.3 Radio Nets & Comms 1.4 Preparation of Vessel for Transit 1.5 Documentation Required 1.6 Canal 1.7 Locks 1.8 Current Transit Costs 1.9 Agents 1.10 Marinas & Anchorages (East) 1.11 Marinas & Anchorages (West) 1.12 Forum Discussions 1.13 References 1.14 External Links 1.15 Personal Experiences

PANAMA CANAL

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Background/History

Submit information here.

Canal Authority

Panama Canal Authority Details & contact info.

Radio Nets & Comms

Submit details of HF/SSB Radio Nets and VHF call/operating channels.

Preparation of Vessel for Transit

How should the vessel be prepared for transit?

Documentation Required

Submit information on the documentation required by yachts for transit.

Canal

Submit a general description of the canal transit.

Locks

• Gatun: Description?

• Pedro Miguel: Description?

• Miraflores: Description?

Lock Procedure for Yachts

• Cleats. During your transit your cleats will be used in one of three ways as follows:
  • 1. If next to a tug you will be tied on firmly to the tug when ascending or descending in the locks. The tug is against the wall and you are tied onto the tug – you only let go your lines once the lock doors have opened for the next chamber.
  • 2. If rafted-up to other boats, which appears to only happen in peak yachting season, the outer boats control the lines, similar to the single boat method below.
  • 3. With the single boat mid-lock method the line handlers ashore throw heaving lines to the line handlers aboard. You tie your heavy lines onto their lines and they haul them up and place them on the shore bollards. Your line handlers then take a turn around your cleats and hold onto the lines – make sure you have gloves on – and if going up, everybody takes in line as the boat rises, keeping the boat mid-lock. Going up in the locks is the most turbulent and needs better control of the lines than going down. The reverse is applicable when going down the other side. The lines are fixed to the shore bollards and the line handlers aboard slowly let out line as the boat drops in the lock.
  • NEVER “tie-off” or lock the line on the cleat unless tied next to a tug or another vessel – if you do and the lock starts emptying, say goodbye to your cleat!
  • You will need four line handlers besides the skipper/captain of your vessel. If you do not have sufficient crew to man the lines, get a few yachities to help but I do recommend you also get at least one person that knows the system to do the transit with you. If you are a lass with more brains than brawn, become the official photographer and meals/drinks provider for the transit and get some brawn to handle the lines. Give Rudy a call on 6743-7241. He is a local who has done thousands of transits and two with me – he knows the advisors and the system backwards and can arrange the rent of lines and extra tyres for fenders as well. Remember too that you will have to provide meals to the line handlers and advisors during the transit. (Submitted by member JohnT)

Current Transit Costs

Submit latest costs for transit (quote date)

Agents

Details of agents and costs.

Marinas & Anchorages (East)

Details for east entry/exit.

• Shelter Bay Marina Submit comments please.
• Panama Canal Yacht Club Submit comments please.

Marinas & Anchorages (West)

Details for west entry/exit

Forum Discussions

Links to relevant discussion threads on the Cruiser Log Forum

• Forum Discussion 1

References

Books, etc.

External Links

Links to websites offering information on the Canal.

• Video of Transit Time-lapse video of complete transit.

Personal Experiences

• (Posted on 7th Sept. '07 by member "JohnT") I use an agent where a lot of cruisers do everything themselves and thus save quite a considerable amount of money. The reason for using an agent is time - we are undertaking a delivery and the quicker we can get through the canal the better. I used Stanley Scott and he is kept updated as to the date and time of our arrival in Colon. Within an hour of our arrival we have been measured by the Canal Admeasurer and the relevant documentation completed and our certificate issued. This was done at the Panama Canal Yacht Club, where after I motored across the bay to Shelter Bay Marina as there was no room at PCYC for us. Stanley took care of both our immigration, emigration, cruising permit (needed by all yachts irrelevant if cruising or not), Zarpe and other documentation. I include immigration in this as we have two South Africans on board needing visas for Panama. We are supposed to have the visas before arrival but Stanley has a friend who "disregards" this requirement for, I am sure, a small fee, and just stamps our passports.
  
  So, the cost to us was $1254.00, which included our transit fee, agent fee, immigration, emigration, cruising permit, Zarpe, one line handler with 4 lines and 6 tyres for fenders, two visas and an overtime fee of $20.00 as we arrived on Monday which was declared a public holiday to celebrate the start of work on the new deep-water locking system they want to complete by 2014. We did not pay a deposit of $850 which a cruiser would pay if they were doing all the running around themselves.
  
  We arrived on Monday and started our transit on Wednesday, completing it on Thursday. Other cruisers I spoke to at Shelter Bay, who had done all the running around themselves, told me that they had been waiting for over a week for a transit and could not understand how we get to transit before them - all I can say is that I am sure some third world under-counter exchanges are made to "make things happen".

• (Post experience here)