By George.Curtis2 - 9 Jan 2016
Flying Fish Articles
Panama Canal – 08°53.00'N, 79°31.00'W [Approximate]
1) Information Submitted by Tanya Leech, Thursday 's Child of Lee
2) Date August 2006, updated by Chris Bates, 25 March 2013
3) Harbour or Area Covered Include Lat & Long
Panama City 8° 55N 79° 34W
4) Suitability and Attraction for Yachts
Yachts transiting from Pacific to Atlantic will invariably spend around 2 weeks at the Panama City end of the canal whilst awaiting transit. Those heading west will probably pass through quite quickly, as we intended to do, but a medical emergency enforced a 3 month stay on us, giving us plenty of chance to assess the facilities! If coming from the Atlantic you despair at the state of Colon, just wait until you reach Panama City which you will find is safe, clean and civilised - a completely different world.
5) Marinas, Berthing or Anchorage
1. Mooring at Balboa YC costs 40 cents per foot per day and includes unlimited trips ashore in launch (you are not allowed to use your dinghy).
2. Anchorage at Flamenco has good holding. Dinghy landing is now at a pontoon inside the little harbour for which a daily charge of $5 is made. You are not allowed to land on the boulders according to a sign on the port captain 's office door.
Both locations suffer from Canal workboat wash which is tiresome, but
tolerable. Both are also exposed in the event of a southerly swell, in
the case of Flamenco, dangerously so. In a southerly swell, head to
the small offlying island of Taboga for better protection in the
northern bay. Some boats were anchoring on the east side of Flamenco
island during our stay, but we never tried this. Dinghy landing then
is at the smart Flamenco marina where we believe a daily charge of $5
is made.
3. Marina berth at the swish Flamenco marina (for those with much
deeper pockets than us!)
6) Entry Ports - Balboa
7) Formal Requirements for Yachts Entering/Departing:
a) from/to same country
Arriving from Colon, you need to check in with the port captain at the Flamenco marina (upstairs in the immaculate, marble lined two storey building). No charge provided you have an up to date cruising permit. If you need to extend your cruising permit you have to go to the Autoridad Maritime office in Panama Ports Authority, a taxi ride away in Balboa near Macdonalds. This office is obscure in a building whose windows are largely bricked up! From the entrance gate, take the first right turn after about 50m, crossing some railway lines in the road. Continue until there is a little stadium on your right hand side and turn left there passing alongside some yellow railings by a car park area. The building you need is now on your right hand side and when you go in the door, you need the office to the right. When clearing out internationally, you need only visit the Panama Ports office and you can leave up to 48 hours after visiting the office. A charge of $10 is made on departure.
b) from/to abroad
Not used in Balboa, but I would start at the Panama Ports office. Note that when we checked in in Colon, we were automatically given a 3 month cruising permit for which we were charged $69. However, on the reverse of the permit, the monthly fees are listed and if returning and only wanting say a one month stay, I would try to insist that only a one month permit be given, and charged for. Each month costs $20 and each permit attracts a charge of $9 for "stamps" no matter how long its validity.
c) visa requirements
On arrival clear immigration/Port Captain [present at Shelter Bay or Balboa Yacht club. Visa required for all stay over 3 days.cost 105 usd.valid 12month. Cruising permit for boat.port captain obtains for a tip. Zarpe from previous port.Numerous copies of crew list boat registration,passports required. easier and safer to obtain visa in Panama city.ie having transited but no escape from having one if you want to leave with zarpe and stamp
8) Location/Existence of:
a) harbour master - See above
b) customs/immigration - See above
c) health authorities - Not required
d) police - Not required
9) Control of Foreign Yachts It is difficult to be precise in one’s description of the canal transit procedures because they never seem to remain constant from one year to the next. In addition to the normal inward and outward clearance requirements of customs and immigration there is a process called Admeasurement which is the first step towards being allocated a transit time.
If the vessel has never transited the Panama Canal before, a one-time admeasurement fee of $350 for the first 100 gross tons is assessed. The tolls are based on the Panama Canal net tons as determined by the admeasurer; currently $2.21 ton laden or $1.76 ton in ballast, plus a small buffer fee of $176 minimum. A refund cheque of part of the buffer will probably be received some months later when the assessment has been confirmed. Only cash in US dollars is accepted. It should be mentioned that, providing it is only intended to stay the minimum time, it should be possible to clear in and out of Panama in the one operation at the starting end of the transit. (1997 information)
Detailed procedure and Use of Agents: See section 18 (2000 Information)
10) Attitude of Officials to Visiting Yachtsmen
We had absolutely no problems at all, though allow plenty of time, things happen pretty slowly in all the offices. We found a relaxed attitude - so long as you do the paperwork sometime, there is no urgency required about checking in and so on. Some basic Spanish is very useful as the staff speak surprisingly little English, considering the jobs they are doing and the fact that many Panamanians do speak good English. Many of the forms are also only in Spanish.
11) Repair/Hauling Facilities
We hauled on the railway system at Balboa YC which cost $50 for the railway in and out, including 24 hours on the hard, payable to the BYC office. You also need to pay Tito at the root of the pier $26 for the haulout and $26 for the launch – this is for the linehandlers whom he organises for each corner of the railway, giving a total cost of $102 for a 24 hour in and out. (Any extra days ashore cost $50 per day). Haulout times are dependent upon the tide and on some days of the month it may not be possible at all, depending on your draught. Be aware also, that if a boat in front takes longer than expected, you will be put back a day or two. Its a good place for a quick scrub, but access under the boat is not what it is in a conventional yard and we would have struggled to do anything to our transom as the ground beneath was so rough and uneven that a stepladder was untenable. 240 volts available from a socket alongside the railway. Living on board with the bows 20 degrees up is strange but OK for a short period. (Bear in mind your fuel system might not entirely appreciate it - I wouldn 't haul with an almost empty tank) Bit buggy at night.
Haul out is also available at Flamenco Marina, but at an exorbitant price we believe.
Specific yacht facilities are thin on the ground in Panama, but if you 're desperate, you can probably find someone to help. What businesses there are, are scattered round the city and not concentrated at the waterfront. (Its a windless place and the Panamanians have sports fishing boats instead!). There is no Volvo dealer but we used the excellent diesel mechanic, American Joe Breschers (not sure on surname spelling) whose cell phone number is 6648 2571. Labour $25 per hour. (We briefly used Servicios Morice who advertises in the free Cruisers Directory, but we wouldn 't recommend him.)
We also used electrician Mike on the American yacht Wild Turkey, who got our alternator repaired in 24 hours. Wild Turkey is a ketch with green sail covers and Mike and Winifred have been in Panama for 4 years, so they may well still be there! Labour $20 per hour.
The ICOM shop run by Alberto is also good and helpful. The shop is in the el Dorado area of the city. From the large Rey supermarket there, cross over the six lane Avenida Ricardo J Alfaro and the ICOM shop is in the little parade of shops straight in front of you. Alberto speaks fluent English - phone 260 7144.
We specifically do NOT recommend Electromar Services, who advertise widely. They took our SSB which would receive but not transmit, and by the time they 'd finished with it, it would neither receive nor transmit.....
Outboard repairs by MRC Marine, opposite both the fish market and a large store called Cochez, just off the western end of Avenida Balboa, were also good and efficient.
Machine shop Quijanos is also good and is just round behind MRC.
12) Sailing Directions or Charts - British Admiralty chart 1300.
13) Cruising Guide and where Obtainable. Include Phone and/or E-Mail
Pacific Crossing Guide
(2000 Information) There is a small booklet entitled ‘The Panama Guide for Yachts & Small Craft’ obtainable from Panama Canal commission, Balboa, republic of Panama, Tel. 011/507-272-4211 (in Panama) Fax 011/507-272-7688.
14) Port Radio Services
There is usually a morning VHF net in operation at 0800 on channel 69, which is the yachtie calling channel.
15) Weather Forecasts
From Don on the yacht Camare on 8143 USB. (Alternative frequencies 8137 and 8155) The net starts at 0900 (Panama time) with check ins for vessels on passage, questions, general check ins, followed by Don at around 0910 to 0915. He gives the high seas forecast, surface analysis, tropical waves etc
16) Yacht Club(S)
Since the original Balboa YC burnt down several years ago, it now consists of little more than a bar in a gravel car park with a tin roof, no walls and the stores in a couple of containers out the back - not exactly a yacht club in the British sense of the word!!! Having said that, you can have a drink, a basic meal, get a shower, fuel and water, but not much else.
The launch service is raised by blowing the foghorn or using the VHF channel 06. Don 't call "Balboa YC" though, but "Muelle, muelle" (pronounced moo-yay) and you 're more likely to get a response. Some cruisers tip the launch drivers; we didn 't.
17) Other Facilities:
drinking water
From the BYC fuel dock free of charge and excellent quality. Block ice is also usually available at 85 cents per block.
fuel
Diesel and petrol from BYC fuel dock. Diesel $2.75 per US gallon (Aug 06). The dock is subject to wash and in southerly swell or high winds is not to be recommended.
If you 've just transited the canal and want to get rid of tyres, the fuel dock will take them for a charge of $1 per tyre. Otherwise try to offload them for free via the VHF net to someone going the other way.
gas (propane)/gaz
$10 for 15lbs at Tropigas on the NW corner of the junction of Avenida Ricardo J Alfaro and Transistmica. Negotiate a there and back price and get the taxi to wait while your bottle is filled. We have red Calor bottles which were fine and they will also
fill large camping gaz bottles.
chandlers
Centro Marino on Avenida Nacional has most basic things and there are a couple of branches of Abernathy, but we found them expensive and lacking in the things we needed. Charts and books from the Islamorada shop opposite the YMCA building in Balboa. They stock an American pilot atlas of the Pacific for each month of the year
which costs only $32.
Rey supermarkets have basic domestic type hardware and Novey is a mixture of hardware/car parts/builders merchant. There are branches of Novey at Albrook and el Dorado.
Dimar and DiLupa, which is right next door, between them stock a wide range of fan belts, Jabsco pumps, impellers (but not for Johnson pumps!), O-rings, oil, fuel filters and so on. At Dimar you are served at a counter (you can 't browse the stock), so take the part you need or
whatever it needs to fit, or at least take a Spanish dictionary! Dimar is just off the southern end of Fernandez de Cordoba in the Vista Hermosa area of the city. There are many car parts shops in the immediate vicinity who may also be able to help with parts.
Tuercas y Tornillos is an excellent nut and bolts shop on Avenida Nacional, just along from Centro Marino.
bank
Banks and ATMs abound in the city. You can walk to an HSBC ATM from BYC along the waterfront promenade until it meets the road, then turn left and the ATM is in a little cabin by the bike hire shop.
shops/market
We used the Rey supermarkets which were very good. The one at el Dorado has the widest selection followed by the one on Via Espana. The Rey at Albrook Plaza (which is closest to BYC) has much less stock. We also visited the fruit and veg market on Avenida Gaillard. Despite the vast quantities, you can buy small amounts too.
In Panama City there is a large and clean El Rey and Super 99. There is also a Cosco Cash & Carry in Panama city for bulk purchases. Panama city is a long and expensive taxi ride from Balboa.
restaurants/hotels
TGI Friday 's is a two minute walk from BYC but we weren 't that impressed. For much better food, nicer atmosphere, no TVs and infinitely better staff it 's well worth taking a taxi to the Mi Ranchito restaurant at the far end of the Causeway, right by the Flamenco anchorage. Eating out in Panama City is incredibly good value. A good place for lunch right in the centre is Jimmy 's which is directly opposite the Hotel Continental, just off Via Espana and around the corner from the Rey supermarket.
We also used the Hotel Suites Ambassador on Ave 1a A Norte (one street north of Via Espana). Air conditioned, big two room suites with kitchen facilities and en-suite shower rooms. Washing machine available upstairs and swimming pool on the roof. Around $70 per room per night.
post office/telephones including mobile facilities
We didn 't use the post office, but did send packages home via DHL. Take them to the DHL office adjacent to the large HSBC branch in Torre HSBC which is at the west end of Ave 2a Sur (Av Samuel Lewis), not far from Jimmy 's. The office is open til 8pm during the week and is open on Saturday mornings.
(1990s information) International & local facilities available at INTEL offices in Cristobal & Balboa. Fax No for the British Embassy, Panama, is 00507 69 0866.
internet cafes
The best and most convenient we found in town was diagonally opposite Jimmy 's (see above) and the charge was only 50 cents per hour. Closest to BYC is an internet cafe ($1 an hour) in the YMCA building which is a walkable distance away. If you have an American plug (buy one at Rey) you can plug your laptop in at the BYC
bar to recharge it. Wireless internet at BYC too.
best mailing address
We had parcels delivered to the BYC office successfully. The address for couriers (but not regular mail) is Balboa Yacht Club, Parcela 15, Lote 13,14, La Calzada de Amador, Panama, Republic de Panama, Yacht in Transit: Yacht name, Mr Bloggs
(owner). The yacht club office will give you the address for regular mail if you want it.
showers
Cold water showers at BYC, either up by the bar or below the office (with a key obtained from the fuel dock)
laundry
None at BYC. Take a taxi to Freeway Lavamatico at Balboa. With your back to the YMCA building, take the second left turn, signposted towards Shamrocks restaurant. Freeway is 200yards along on the right. 75 cents per load to do the washing yourself or you can leave your laundry for a service wash and dry ($2.50 per load I think).
transport/air services
Bike hire from here is $2.50 for an hour (take ID with you) and cycling the waterfront is very pleasant and flat!
If you spend any time at all in Panama City, you will inevitably take a lot of taxi rides. Several taxi drivers hang round BYC and you 'll often be offered a taxi the minute you get to the root of the pier. These guys speak pretty good English and are more likely to know where some of the more obscure places yachties might want are, but they do charge a premium price. If you just want to get into town, it will always be cheaper to walk out to the road and hail a taxi there. They are plentiful and cheap, but they don 't have meters. Agree a price in advance. The minimum fare is $1.50 and we paid $3 to get to Via Espana from BYC. Most drivers won 't negotiate but if you think a price is too high, just thank them and then wait for another taxi, which invariably will be along in a couple of minutes. The only time we had difficulty was on a Friday evening in the rush hour trying to get a cab in Via Espana back to BYC.
You can also take a collectivo minibus from the road just outside BYC for just 25 cents. This will drop you at Plaza Cinco de Mayo, from where you can then take a slightly cheaper cab ride to the centre of town. Most people linehandling for a canal transit will use the major new bus station at Albrook to take the express bus back to Colon. Buses are also available here to all parts of Panama.
Panama places a surprisingly low priority on signs, whether it be for street names or to tell you where the port captain 's office is, for example. They also don 't seem to use maps much, so whilst we found the one in the Cruisers Directory booklet invaluable, you might as well show the average taxi driver a page of Chinese for all the recognition they show when presented with a map! Some of the taxi drivers know the city well, many know the central areas and major landmarks sufficiently, whilst others frankly haven 't got a clue. Judging whether a driver genuinely knows where it is you want to go before you get in is not easy. Some will simply drive for a while and then stop, shrug and ask you for directions....! But they try to please and they 're almost all very pleasant. You can often arrange a there and back price and most will agree to an hourly rate if you have lots of brief calls to make.
When returning to BYC ensure they understand that you want Balboa Yacht Club and not the (completely different) Club de Yates y Pesca which is (confusingly) on Avenida Balboa. Most drivers understand where you mean if you say "causeway", "Amador" or "frente (opposite) Friday 's restaurante"
(2000 Information) Good internal air services but must be booked in Panama. Wonderful train journey from Colon to Panama in “old fashioned” carriages. Excellent travel services from Margo Tours, Email: ecocircuito@cwp.net.pa Tel: +507-264-8888 /264-4001 Cel. 507-617-6566 Fax: 507-264-5355.
medical facilities/hospital
For a quick basic consultation with a doctor, there is a tiny walk-in surgery (open til 10pm even on a Saturday) in the shopping centre adjacent to the Albrook bus station (right by the buses, not in the smart mall opposite). For $6 I had an almost instant consultation and was prescribed anti-biotics for a minor infection. If suffering from something more serious though, I would seek more substantial facilities.
All the Rey supermarkets we visited had 24 hour pharmacies and there are many branches of Farmacia Arrocha around the city. The pharmacies never take or stamp your prescription, so if needs be, you can always return for more drugs without further prescription (a strange anomaly!)
For an opthamologist visit Dr Calvo in his surgery above the American Airlines office on Avenida Balboa (about two floors up and adjacent to the multi storey carpark). $40 initial consultation. If you have any problem with your retina, then Dr Arcacha at Retinologos Associados in Urbanization San Gabriel, just off Calle 50 (turn right at the Delta petrol station) is excellent. Both doctors speak fluent English.
Thankfully we didn 't have cause to use more general facilities, but in general medical services in Panama seem to be of a very high standard and the country is beginning to attract "medical tourism" from the USA, which must in part reflect its quality.
118) Recommendations or Warnings
We were in Panama in the rainy season from May til August. It didn 't rain as much as I feared it might, though when it did, it was torrential but not usually for too long. But the humidity is incredibly high and we felt the boat suffered as a result. Even though we reckon to have a pretty clean dry boat, a bloom of mould appeared on the woodwork down below for example, even as we were living on board. At the BYC moorings, you are just downwind of the major road bridge, the Bridge of Americas, and the decks soon had a thin layer of black grime on them. Lightning is also a major issue and is an almost daily event. We were unlucky enough to suffer a side strike which damaged some of our electrics and electronics.
The following information from reports filed prior to 2000:
Security
Some areas in Panama City are considered quite safe to walk about –others not so. Take advice and if in doubt, go by taxi.
Agents:
(2000 information) .) Do not use an agent. We did and it cost us $500 . We gained nothing and actually went through later than other yachts who had arrived the same day as us. We saw no sign of ‘bumping’. The agent recommended in the OCC notes should be deleted. Phone the office every day to check your position in the queue. You may go through in a few days but we waited two weeks and this seemed to be normal.
(1999 information) You can transit the Canal without all the hassle of checking in and out and without the risk of being bumped. Employ an Agent to do the work. They charge between $300 - $800 depending on boat size and their ability. These fees are on top of the check in and out and transit costs. Agents get priority for their clients and it is they who create the situation of scheduled yachts being bumped to make way for one of their clients! One agent is Tina McBride, Tel 507 441 4177, Fax 507 441 5078, who has offices at both ends of the Canal and speeds the time of booking a transit. She is also a mine of information and drives you to the bank to collect money.
Guides
There are also local “guides” who will walk with you from office to office and prompt when a little contribution will speed things up. If well recommended by another yacht, these chaps can be well worth their fee. Experience has shown that with the right man two days of trudging from one office to another and back again can be reduced to one. Taxi driver, Rudi Whittaker, Cab No 35, at the P.C.Y.C. and Luis Enrique, Cab No 2577 at the B.Y.C. act as guides as part of their service and are highly recommended. Rates in 1997 US$8 per hour.
Transit Dates
Do not arrive just after carnival (we did and it took a week before things were back to normal). I believe the Canal will now take credit cards, but this only came in after our transit. Otherwise you need to draw a lot of cash (US $1,250) and that is dependent on Bank opening hours. The ‘transit clock’ stops until you have paid the cash. The deposit was refunded to our home address in three months with no problem.The busiest time for yachts to transit the Canal in February and that is the time when the round the World Rallies come through. In 1999 there were 36 on one and 25 on the other and there 2-3 weeks apart. They totally distorted the transit schedules and people were being bumped or held up for up to 10-14 days.
Cruising Fee
In theory there is a cruising fee payable per day for Panama (the country). This would be applicable until one departed from Balboa. It would be a lot of money. We heard rumour that boats checking in at Porto Bello were being charged this, but no mention was made of it in Colon. We checked out and got our clearance document at Colon, which is easier than waiting until Balboa.
19) Other Information
Our prolonged stay in Panama was an enforced one and we certainly don 't normally choose to spend much time in cities when we 're cruising, but we concluded that there are many far worse places to have been stuck in! Specific yacht facilities are surprisingly lacking for such a
major cruising crossroads, but most things can be found with a little perseverance. More "domestic" facilities such as food shopping, laundrettes, broadband internet connections etc are excellent and the cost of living is significantly less than in the UK or USA, especially eating out. Stock up here for the Pacific with as much as your waterline will withstand!
The Panamanians are friendly and helpful and many speak good English. We felt completely safe walking around the main downtown areas of the city during the day. Despite the heat and humidity, few people wear shorts in the city, so a pair of very lightweight trousers is a good idea.
The following information from reports filed prior to 2000:
A visit into Panama City on the bus is a pleasant day out. The canal museum is fascinating and is a must before you transit. There are good restaurants and you can walk around freely. There is a tolerable chandlery and we also managed to get a new gas cylinder with USA fittings at TropiGas.
Transit: I would strongly recommend having at least one (we had two) professional line handlers. They know the system and speak the language. It is also well worth going through on another yacht before your turn to see how things worked. Tyres (wrapped in plastic) are available (we had eight), also the long lines required can be hired from them. Check your cleats, several yachts had very poor fittings and some pulled out. You will be holding three yachts on your line! When the admeasurer comes on board you can choose the method of transit. We had heard of several horror stories about yachts going through with tugs and so opted out of that system. Agents are available who for a fee do all the paper work and the running around.they also provide ropes tyres and for an extra fee ropre handlers.Ask for an all in price.
We were fortunate in having an excellent Pilot (Adviser) and went through in one day with no problems. If possible delegate one member of crew to look after drink & food (minimum of six people to be looked after). A high standard is expected by the Pilots. This person can also be photographer as you will not have time for that. The only damage we suffered (and we were not alone) was from the pilot launch hitting our stanchion. There is not much you can do to avoid this problem.
Preparation
After using a taxi to pay at the Treasurer’s office it is well worth asking the taxi to drive you to the locks and spend a little time in the Viewing Gallery watching the locks working. Visitors’ hours 0800 - 1600 daily - no charges. It is worth knowing that if your yacht has ever transited previously, under the same or different ownership, and the measurement number is known then the cost and time and trouble of measurement may be saved. Admeasurement is the first step towards being allocated a transit time. Call the Admeasurers office from the Yacht Club as soon as possible for an appointment, even before clearing in. At Balboa take your form to the P.C.C. HQ Balboa. The Treasury closes at 1500. You must phone the Scheduler 272-4202 after 1800 on the day of payment to arrange your Transit day. If you wish to transit asap your priority is dependent on this phone call as allocations are made on a first call first scheduled basis. You will be given a provisional day and told to call back for a ‘Pilot time’ after 1000 hrs on the day before your provisional transit.
Transit
I would strongly recommend having at least one (we had two) professional line handlers whom the taxi drivers can arrange. They know the system and speak the language. It is also well worth going through on another yacht before your turn to see how things worked. Tyres (wrapped in plastic) are available via the taxi drivers (we had eight), also the long lines required can be hired from them. Check your cleats, several yachts had very poor fittings and some pulled out. You will be holding three yachts on your line! When the admeasurer comes on board you can choose the method of transit. We had heard of several horror stories about yachts going through with tugs and so opted out of that system.
We were fortunate in having an excellent Pilot (Adviser) and went through in one day with no problems. If possible delegate one member of crew to look after drink & food (minimum of six people to be looked after). A high standard is expected by the Pilots. This person can also be photographer as you will not have time for that.The only damage we suffered (and we were not alone) was from the pilot launch hitting our stanchion. There is not much you can do to avoid this problem.
Smaller craft and sailboats take a transit advisor while larger vessels use a pilot. It is necessary to have four line handlers and a skipper as well as the Canal Advisor. Four 125ft strong warps are required. When negotiating for your line handlers, one obviously chooses crews from other yachts first but, if it is necessary to use locals, then do make sure that you negotiate for the whole trip right through the canal and not just by the day (in case it takes more than one). In 1997 the rate was $50 per head per trip. There are 8 regular line handlers at the P.C.Y.C. who provide a good service. in 1997 the services of Otilio Chong and his team were secured and proved thoroughly professional At the time of writing ships and yachts are once more mixed up in the same lock. A minimum speed under power of 5 knots is required but it may be possible to use your sails across the Gatun lake. It would be wise to check water pump impellers and alternator belts before the day of the transit to ensure the engine will not object to a long period of sustained effort.
Start the incredible bureaucratic paper chase early in the morning, so if you arrive late morning start the procedure next day. First clear in at Immigration in the last office. Next stop is to the Customs and Port Captain’s office. In Balboa the taxis are exorbitantly expensive at the Yacht Club, much cheaper from the street nearby.
You have to obtain Government stamps for your Cruising Permit (necessary even if you are only going through the Canal) and Zarpe from a bank next door but they close at 1330. Make sure you obtain your exit Zarpe when you check in as you will then have your form and stamps ready to check out at any time to meet your transit schedule without being controlled by bank hours Monday to Friday. This whole procedure with cost you about $75 in the Port Captain’s office. No payment at Immigration or Customs. Telephone the Admeassurers Office ( number on wall above phones) immediately. Ask them to come and Admeasure your boat for the transit. They will give you a day when they will come. It is a fairly long procedure taking about 1½ hours, but is mainly form filling. Make sure you have sufficient fenders for both sides of your boat and 4 x 125ft lines. (Taxi drivers will supply old tyres) Every yacht needs a helmsman and 4 line handlers, usually these come from other yacht crews, ask on VHF 72 on the 0730 Cruisers’ Net. Locals charge $60 for one day or $75 for a two day transit.
Next go to the Treasurers office and pay in cash the $500 up to 50ft or $750 up to 75ft. After 1800 on the day that you have paid the transit fee you can then start the never ending telephoning the scheduler. You will find that you have been scheduled for a particular day which will very possibly match the day you said you will be ready. You must phone daily to make sure that it is still scheduled and, as the day approaches, at least twice a day. The day before phone every three hours to make sure the pick up time of the Pilot has not changed. One yacht did not check and the time had been brought forward from 0700 to 0600. He had an aborted transit with a £450 fine.
Before you transit you must have gone back to the Port Captain and Custom offices to check out! That is another repeat of the 1½ hour entry procedure and will cost you about $25 in fees. It is best to check out now all the way to the Galapagos, if that is where you are going. The Pilot or Advisor (who is a Pilot in training) comes aboard the yacht and you begin what is likely to be a most enjoyable and memorable experience. Most of the Pilots are competent and extremely pleasant but unfortunately there are one or two who are not and they will make for a frustrating time. More worry than the Pilots are the other yachts going through with you. You will normally go through in a raft of three with the largest yacht in the middle. You will raft up at the entrance to each set of locks and then disengage afterwards. Unless you have a very early start time or are able to maintain 7 knots plus you will have a 2 day transit.
The most frustrating time of all occurs if you get ‘bumped’ from your scheduled transit. This happens VERY OFTEN. It can happen right up to the morning of departure. There is no redress. Those boats assigned Advisors and not Pilots get bumped the most.
LOCAL SERVICES.
We have received the following e-mail from Panama Yacht Services but have no information from OCC members on whether to endorse these services or not:
From: "Panama Yacht Services", INTERNET:pys@mavclex.com
To: [unknown], INTERNET:hon.sec@rnyc.org.uk
[unknown], INTERNET:hon.sec@cycc.org.uk
[unknown], antheajc
Date: 06/11/2003 5:49 PM
RE: Panama Yacht Services
Dear sir:
The aim of Panama Yacht Services, is to ensure that chartering or cruising in Panama is as pleasant and trouble free as possible for both crew and guests.
At Panama Yacht Services, we take great pride in our well deserved reputation for our friendly service, efficiency and integrity and our willingness to "go the extra mile" for our clients, be they crew or guests.
Our guests services range from receiving guests at Panama 's Tocumen International Airport, booking hotel accommodations, providing ground transportation and local flights - to buying post cards and mailing home left behind personal effects.
Non spanish speaking guests are usually quite relieved to be assisted by our bilingual staff thus not having to struggle with language difficulties.
Our myriad yacht services can range from provisioning and seeking out that elusive yet vital ingredient to arranging Panama Canal Transits and obtaining all local permits and licenses.
Given the remoteness of Panama 's prime cruising grounds and lack of inrastructure in those areas, the yachts we have assisted have found our services invaluable and indeed indispensable.
YACHT SERVICES
In view of the lack of infrastructure in Panama 's remote cruising areas, we offer the following services to cruising and charter yachts:
- Provisioning, carefully selecting ingredients and produce of the highest
quality available.
- Delivery or forwarding of provisions.
- Receiving, sending and forwarding of fax commuunications
- Receiving, sending and forwading of mail and packages.
- Receiving, sending and forwarding of courier packages.
- Ordering, receiving and forwarding parts.
- General consulting on where and how to obtain items and services.
- Assistance with Panama Canal Transits.
- Renting of lines for Canal transit.
- Obtaining permits and licenses.
- Problem solving in general.
GUESTS SERVICES
To ensure the guests as trouble free an experience as possible while in Panama City, we offer the following services, both at the beginning and end of charter:
- Collection from and drop off at Tocumen International Airport in Panama
City, Panama
- Ground transportation
- Hotel reservations when necessary
- Local flight reservations and assistance with check-in
- Reconfirmation of homeward flights.
- Assistance with local sightseeing tours
- Problem solving in general.
In you need any further information, please don 't hesitate to get in touch with us.
Thank you,
Ingrid Ollar
PANAMA YACHT SERVICES
Tel: (507) 270-7840 Ext. 214
Cel: (507) 637-5833
Fax: (507) 270-7848
E-mail: pys@mavclex.com
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