NFORMATION FOR YACHTS SAILING FROM PANAMA TO
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (ARCHIPIELAGO DE COLON):

Area Eastern Tropical Pacific: Equator to 9 North and Pacific Coasts of Panama/Colombia/
Ecuador to 92 West, including Golfo de Panama. Galapagos Islands 845 Nautical Miles from Panama.

Yachts sailing from Panama to Galapagos, or to mainland Ecuador, have to pass the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) on this voyage. The ITCZ is an area of disturbed unsettled weather surrounding the earth a few degrees north of Equator where the northeast and southeast Tradewinds converge and where the sea temperatures reach their maximum.
It is an area with moderate to strong convection interspersed with areas of calm (the doldrums).
There is frequent torrential rain with thunder and lightning and often squally with winds from all directions. In the area between Panama and Galapagos ITCZ generally moves north and south around 5 degrees North and the area is about 3 Degrees wide. Constant movements and change of co-ordinates for ITCZ should be anticipated, which at times can be op to several degrees even within a 24 hour period.

Yachts leaving Panama should proceed towards Isla Malpelo (03-59 N & 81-36 W) as first waypoint. Leaving Panama, north of ITCZ the wind will generally be from the north or northeast, light to moderate, until reaching ITCZ. A course directly towards Galapagos can be maintained as long as being north of ITCZ, even after passing Isla Malpelo, depending of the location ofthe Zone. Just south of ITCZ the wind will often be from southwest, light to moderate, and yachts should continue on a southerly course to such time the wind shift more towards the south and eventually to southeast catching the Southeast Trade Wind, which normally happens around Equator. At that time yachts bound for Galapagos can hold a westerly course directly to Galapagos. Yachts bound for mainland Ecuador normally will be able to steer directly towards their destination after Isla Malpelo.

Where the wind will shift in the area south of ITCZ depending of the location of the Zone, and the Marine Weather Fax Charts published by NOAA/NWS several times daily are showing the co-ordinates for ITCZ. Due to the often southwesterly winds south of the ITCZ that part of the Zone is also frequently referred to as a “MONSOON TROUGH” in the eastern Pacific.

Due to ITCZ yachts should calculate a fair amount of motor sailing on this passage.

The prevailing Ocean Current is the Humboldt Current (also called Peru Current) becoming the Equatorial Current towards the west. The Humboldt Current comes north along Peru’s coast and turn towards northwest and west around Galapagos and is present both north and south of the Islands. North and east of the Humboldt Current, in the area between Panama and Galapagos, a counter current coming from the west and going southward can also be experienced.

NOTES:

1) Yachts leaving Balboa, Panama directly towards Isla Mapelo, without calling Islas Perlas,should keep well clear of Punta Mala in the western part of Golfo de Panama. The areaaround Punta Mala is known for some adverse weather conditions.

2) Yachts should also keep well clear of the coastal area near the Panama/Colombia border,as well as the pacific coast of Colombia in general. Reports have been received coveringpiracy activity in the border area, and even no recent reports are recorded from thepacific coast of Colombia, the area must be considered unsafe.

3) On Isla Malpelo a Colombian Navy Station. It is required that passing vessel, inclusive yachts,call to the Navy on VHF Channel 16 reporting their position if they are within 20 Nautical Miles of the Island.

4) Yachts enroute are likely to meet small fishing vessels far off shore from the Colombian andEcuadorian coasts. They are often approaching yachts to warn them of their nets or to dosome trading, and no problems reported. Also close to the northern coast of Ecuador yachts have reported large areas with poorly marked floating nets.

5) Piracy: Some infrequent Piracy Activity reported in the area, in 2004 a yacht was attacked enroute Panama to Galapagos and during the past years several yachts reported being pursued by suspicios crafts, but escaped. Last year a attack reported close to the northern coast of Ecuador. Prudent measurers for a safe transit should be taken.

6) Weather:
- Marine Weather Fax Charts covering eastern tropical Pacific from NOAA/NWS via US Coast
Guard Stations at New Orleans, La. - Honolulu, Hawaii - Pt. Reyes, Ca.
Schedule and Charts also available on NOAA/NWS Web-Site:
http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marine.shtml
- High Seas Text forecasts from NOAA/NWS Web-Site:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm#dissemination
- Passage Weather: www.passageweather.com
- Global Sailing Weather: http://globalsailingweather.com/index.php
- Marine Weather on Line - sailing: http://weatheronline.co.uk (go to Pacific Routes)
- GMDSS Marine Weather forecasts (METAREA XII) via Inmarsat or Web-Site:
http://weather.gmdss.org/index.html
- NOAA’s OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analysis): www.oscar.noaa.gov/index.html
- Yacht Net: Panama Pacific Net at 14:00 UTC on 8.143 Mhz. USB (SSB)


Links:

General Information, World Crusing Club’s Web-Site: www.noonsite.com (founded by
Jimmy Cornell)
World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell



Compiled by Karsten Staffeldt, Panama City, Panama R.P. January 2009 and last up dated February 2016
E-mail: karstenpanama@hotmail.com or karstenstaffeldt@yahoo.com
Sources: Cruising Guides – Monitoring Marine Weather information and
forecasts for more than 10 years covering the area - Contacts/Reports from
yachts making the voyage Panama – Galapagos.