If you are in Panama more than two days you must obtain a cruising permit, at the Merchant Maritime office. The cruising permit is tied in with the consentimiento de zarpe (consent to clear). Cost $77.20. The zarpe or clearance costs $1.50. You will be provided with receipts from the government and Panama Canal Authority offices. I provide receipts for any service provided. All crew and guests arriving with yacht are required to obtain a visa upon arrival. Make sure your passports are all up to date and have enough space to be stamped. Make copies of passports so that you do not run the risk of losing them. You will need to have the original passport to do immigration and local banking or purchasing with a credit card. Panama’s currency is the U.S. dollar.

Immigration visas can be obtained locally for $10.00 each upon arrival. All crew and guests arriving with vessel must obtain a local visa. Citizens of Africa, Middle East and Asia must apply for a visa prior to arrival. If you arrive with a crew member from one of these countries and do not have a pre-authorized visa prior to arrival, your crew member may be detained. This puts the agent in a very difficult position. Frankly I do not want to have problems with Immigration. Visit your local Panama Embassy or consulate to find out about visa requirements if you are from the countries I mentioned in the checklist.

If you have an Atlantic arrival to Panama, besides the normal checking in procedure, you must be fingerprinted, sign a register and provide two passport photos at the immigration office in Colon. I normally send you with a very qualified driver to assist you during this procedure. Please make sure you have all the requirements I am requesting prior to your arrival in Panama.

If you are arriving in Cristobal (Atlantic), I can be reached on whatever channel we previously agree upon. Usually, we will arrange either by phone or internet to meet at a certain time at the club. You can also reach me on my cellular phone or prior to arrival. The Panama Canal Yacht Club in Cristobal sells Cable and Wireless phone cards and has public phones. You can also call me from your satellite phone (if you have one, but some users have had difficulties on the Atlantic side using their SAT phones, Iridium phones and GPS). Once I have met with you personally, I will provide a cellular phone for local use, free of charge. All you have to do is pay for the pre-paid outbound calls.

If you are meeting me in Balboa (Pacific) side, I can be reached on channel 06 Balboa Yacht Club or 10 Flamenco Marina depending on which Yacht Club you are going to moor at (with prior notice). I usually keep my radio off until I need to use it. I don’t constantly monitor these channels. You can also keep me up to date with your arrival via internet. I check my e-mails daily. Make sure you have filled out a checklist I provide prior to arriving in Panama, this makes my work easier!

I will need the following documents when you arrive:

Ship registration, last clearance (this is a requirement). If clearing from the U.S., you can obtain a clearance from the Coast Guard office. They don’t usually provide this document unless you insist. Please explain you are entering international waters and The Republic of Panama requires it for the transiting the Panama Canal. Please make sure you have current passports, crew list.

*****If your vessel measures more than 65’ LOA, you will be required to pay an additional $150 + for an Automatic Identification System radar that the Panama Canal is now requiring for pilots to use during transiting***** Also, if your vessel can only motor 8 knots, you will be charged an additional $440 + a mooring fee (50.00) and a launch fee ($320.00). The Panama Canal has begun to increase their tolls for small vessels. This happens about every 3-4 years.

When arriving to any of the major ports on either side of the Panama Canal, 5-8 miles from the Signal stations. (Flamenco on the Pacific and Cristobal on the Atlantic), please check in with the Panama Canal Authority dispatcher (VHF Channels 12/16) and give him your vessel’s name and position. The dispatcher will tell you what to do, either to proceed or to stop, depending on the flow of ships in the area. Please tell the dispatcher where you are going. The dispatcher will put you on an arrival list.
The admeasurement office checks this list daily to check new ETA’s. (I send your vessels ETA to Marine traffic prior to your arrival). From that list they make their schedule regarding the inspection of new vessels. At The Panama Canal, large ships have priority. Both Pacific and Atlantic entrances have a lot traffic of very large ships. Please exercise caution when in this area. The Panama Canal Authority dispatcher will put you on an arrival checklist and proceed to send you an inspector to where you are moored or docked . You will not be inspected after 12 noon from Monday to Saturday depending on the availability of personnel.
The Panama Canal is a government bureaucracy, so please try to arrive from Monday to very early on Friday. I cannot guarantee a speedy transit if you arrive on a Saturday afternoon. If it is after 12 noon…you will probably be inspected the next day or if you want to be inspected the day you arrive, the overtime fee for the admeasurer is $150.00
Ships have priority over yachts, if you are scheduled to be inspected and a ship arrives that has not been admeasured, the ship will be inspected first, and then the yacht.

Unfortunately for the Panama Canal, yachts are not a priority. Please let me know in advance where you plan to be moored at before you arrive and after you transit. On the Atlantic side, there’s the Panama Canal Yacht Club (VHF 69) a very small club or the “flats” area. You will have to put your dinghy in the water to bring you ashore. On the Pacific, Balboa Yacht Club, (Vhf 06), Flamenco Marina (VHF10).

Once you have been inspected by the admeasurer, I meet with the Captain of the vessel at the Club. I coordinate with him/her the payment of tolls, cruising permit, visas and clearance and required paperwork. Club fees, fuel, provisioning etc, are all extra fees to be paid by Captain of vessel unless otherwise specified. The Captain of the vessel either accompanies me to the bank to pay for the transit with a VISA credit card or gives me the cash to pay for the permits and the tolls and the company guarantees the transit with funds provided by customer.. We discuss how many line handlers the vessel needs, lines, fenders, and (if needed), any repairs or needs required prior or after transiting. After paying for the tolls, permits, coordinating the line handlers, lines, fenders, and any other requirement, I arrange your transit with the scheduler.

If you need to take on provisions, internet, banking, repairs, medical assistance, laundry, fumigation, airline reservations, etc. I can recommend a reliable taxi to help you with this. These are all extra services with additional costs.

Most transits happen this way:

1.The vessel arrives and checks (by radio VHF 16/12) in at either Balboa or Cristobal. Contacts agent via telephone or internet prior to arrival.

2. Agent arrives after inspection by the Panama Canal Authority admeasurer. Please mention to the admeasurer that I am your agent. I am familiar with most of them and they know what I expect, most of all a quick inspection!

3. I usually ask the Captain of the yacht to meet me at the Club. We coordinate paperwork and details for transiting. Payment for services provided is due prior to transiting and in cash. (Captain might have to cash traveler’s checks or make cash from credit card at the local bank to pay for these services). If you want to wire the funds prior to arrival, let me know so I can send you the required information.

4. The vessel waits one day or two and transits the following day. (Depending on the amount of yachts ahead of you waiting to transit…during high season…the wait can be from 7 days to 12 days). You can expect to wait up to a week if one of the international rallies is in town during your visit, especially if you are less than 65’ and require a mate. Most out of season transits can be arranged in two days.

5. My recommendation is to provision, repair, sightsee and shop on those extra days while you are waiting for your transit date. Your transit should begin as early as possible. The later the advisor or the pilot arrives, the higher your possibility of spending the night on the lake…(which is a wonderful experience if you have the time and money). If you want to stop at Gamboa, there is an additional transit delay fee of $450/USD…please check with me regarding this. (Yachts over 125 are obliged to use locomotives and soft lines…please check costs in chart on the fees page. Yachts over 125 ft. fall into a different category regarding inspection and fees. Check with me regarding this prior to arrival).

When waiting to transit, in most cases, the advisor or pilot arrives late much to the chagrin of the client. Be patient…and always monitor channel 12 in case the Panama Canal Authority wants to contact you. There are cases in which a transit has been aborted or there is a slot available so please keep your radio on. The scheduler’s number is 272-4202 in case you need to verify your transit or if you have any questions regarding your particular transit. You can also verify your transit on channel VHF12/16.

Try to obtain a fumigation/deratisation certificate from your last port, prior to arrival. On both Pacific and Atlantic sides you will be inspected by an official of the health department. He will ask you questions regarding meat products, etc. He will ask you some simple questions. There is a charge to this …but I have found that the inspectors on the Pacific side are much more thorough than on the Atlantic side.

So….This is what usually happens….there are many details involved in the transit…but anything can happen….usually delays are due to maintenance of the locks, lack of personnel, mechanical problems or accidents. These are all commonplace. Be sure to give yourself enough time for your transit…..you cannot arrive at the Panama Canal and expect to transit immediately…it is just not possible….there are too many variables involved…so make sure you arrive with plenty of time to do all the arrangements and leave an open window for any unforeseen complications like mechanical breakdowns, crew changes, illness and other situations.

During high season, expect delays from 7-14 or more days if you are on a small sailboat…up to 4 days if you are on a larger yacht and use a pilot. These occur quite often and mainly during late January, February, March and April. Traffic slows down quite a bit due to the amount of small sailboats waiting to transit. This year has been a boom year for yachts transiting the Canal. There have been many delays due to the fact the Panama Canal did not have enough advisors. Try to read as much as you can about the transit itself…there are many publications regarding transiting the Panama Canal….The Panama Guide by Tom Zydler, From California to Florida via the Panama Canal by John Rains, Transiting the Panama Canal by David Wilson (a small, concise booklet). The internet is full of articles on transiting the Panama Canal. Cruising World, Blue Water Sailing, Latitude 38 also have articles pertaining to transiting the Panama Canal.

….Well …this is what I have compiled so far….my wish is to provide the best personalized service for yachts available in Panama…this has been my dream for 14 years…..Let me make your Panama Canal transit an unforgettable experience for you!

Sincerely,
Tina McBride – agent and owner
Tina McBride Yacht Services, S.A.