Ep. 72 - How to Cross the Panama Canal Without an Agent (Part 1, Prep)

In this episode, we go over the preparation process on how to cross (transit) the ⛴Panama Canal🚢. We walk you through what we did, how much it cost us, and lessons learned. It ended up being super simple and we are glad we didn't pay and extra $500 for an agent to do it for us. Hopefully the information will help those looking to do the same. Below are some links to things we talk about, as well as the phone numbers we called.

We crossed January 2021 in our 40’ sloop. This should be the same route all boats under 65ft take I believe, and prices may change as this video ages.

💥Cost BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) in USD$$$💥
We did it for just under 💵$2,000💵 total

$2,675 paid to the canal Authority at Citibank
$891 of that is a buffer fee if there are no hiccups during transit. You'll receive that back in 60 days from transit completion
$25 of the buffer won't be returned due to wire transfer fees
$140 (depending on if or who you rent fenders and lines from
+ Food and Fuel Cost

Current prices and all information can be found here: https://www.pancanal.com/eng/index.html

Admesasurement:
1. Fill out admeasurement request https://www.pancanal.com/common/maritime/forms/4405.pdf
and send it to optc-ara@pancanal.com
2. Call to Admeasurement to schedule and inspection
+507 272-4571 (Balboa/Pacific/Northbound Transit) and +507 443-2298 (Cristobal/Caribbean/Southbound Transit)

Payment:
1. Take the Admeasurement form given to you after they inspect and go to Citibank in Colon or Balboa (whichever is closer for your direction of transit) to pay. The Colon location is in the port area, and the Balboa location is by Niko's Cafe. They don't speak English. There is no on site ATM to pull money out, and you must pay in cash. Fees at the bank's ATM a few buildings down from the Colon Citibank location were $5.XX and only let you take out $250 at a time.
2. After you've paid, scan all your documents received for payment from the bank, and send to Customerdeps@pancanal.com to confirm receipt of payment.

Schedule your Transit:
1. After 6pm call +507 272‐4202 to schedule a date
2. On the day before your transit, call the same number to confirm your transit. And to get instructions on where to be and when the following day to pick up your advisor.

To rent lines and fenders we called Marco, the son of Tito who we found in another cruiser's video, at +507 6868-6643 on what's app who came the day before crossing with x4 big blue lines 125 ft in length each and x5 ball fenders for $140. He'll schedule picking them up after you transit.

Make sure you have x1 Helmsman and x4 Line Handlers the day of transit

Transit:

We were told to anchor in "the flats" outside shelter bay at 12 pm but the advisor they assign to come on your boat doesn’t arrive until 4-5 pm.

Your advisor is there to advise only and not drive the boat. Must have bottled water and a good meal for him while he is there until you get through the Gatun locks. Coffee is advised to have on board. The advisor the next day wanted some and got pissy when we didn’t have coffee or tea.

After the Gatun locks, while headed southbound to the Pacific side, you tie to a giant mooring ball that they direct you to, and they take your advisor off for the night. In the morning another advisor comes between 7-9:45 am and you motor to the pacific locks.
(5 knots min required, and our advisor kept trying to push our engine faster and we had issues for a min and almost lost our deposit. Stick to what you and your boat are comfortable with.)

After you pass through the Pacific locks that same day, they will send a boat to grab your advisor off while underway around the Balboa yacht club.

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🎬Edited by: Jason Kruger @krugball🎬

Music (Theme Song): Rudy Willingham - Cali
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DISCLAIMER: We are not professional sailors, mechanics, engineers, etc. We are two idiots that bought a boat and are trying to get it around the world without sinking or drowning. Any advice here is purely for entertainment or broad information. Always seek out a professional in whatever you do. S/V Full Send and its crew are not responsible for anything you do based off what you watch.