# The Panamaw Canal



## maru657 (Aug 4, 2007)

Anyone with recent information and advice on transiting the canal?


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

This and the links on the page may be of some help.
http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Panama
also...
SSCA Discussion Board :: View topic - Panama Latest
SSCA Discussion Board :: View topic - Through Panama Canal


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## hphoen (Apr 3, 2003)

From Yachting Monthly:

_"More than 150 yachts are in a marine 'traffic jam' on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, awaiting transit to the Pacific Ocean. Many have been told it will be 'weeks' - in one case two months - before they will be able to get through."_

Bottleneck at Panama Canal


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

*Trucked across Panama?*

It would seem to me that there would be enough demand from smaller and mid-sized boats for someone to offer a trucking service across the country. Would seem to me that it would be cost effective since you also could get bottom-painting done and do mast-out maintenance. Also would be faster than waiting for your turn when they don't really care about getting you through.

If anyone likes the idea and goes into business - reserve one free trucking job for my boat when I come there.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

There is a truck that now crosses Guatamala at the Rio Dulce to the other side at Puerto Quetzal since 2004. I found info on them in the "Cruising Ports the Central American Route" by Capt. Pat Rains, pg 183. 

Rio Dulce Boat Transport. It's very interesting and we've been thinking about it as an alternative to the canal. His # (Per this book) is 502-5240-9104 (cell)


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

This has been an ongoing topic at noonsite.com:

http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2008-05-01-1


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## bobwebster (Jan 25, 2005)

How long is the wait on the Pacific side?


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## artbyjody (Jan 4, 2008)

bobwebster said:


> How long is the wait on the Pacific side?


From the reads of things - its a two month delay...

I really like how it is explained that it takes 30 minutes or more to get yachts rafted together. So is one to assume a tanker or commercial shipping vessel ties up in 2 minutes ?

There is also the piracy deal going on in the western side Panama - I wonder if that actually has anything to do with. However, when said and done - this is the issue that happens when a "third world" country, inherits the rights of passage as designed by a leading country. Carter never should of relinguished the control over so quickly (Carter or was it Reagan?).


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## bobwebster (Jan 25, 2005)

artbyjody said:


> From the reads of things - its a two month delay...
> 
> I really like how it is explained that it takes 30 minutes or more to get yachts rafted together.


I think two months is the wait on the Caribbean side. The Pacific side's wait is probably less.

Even if it does take 30 minutes to raft up (which it doesn't), it does not delay the ship much. You raft up, wait on a ship to go in, then pull the rafted boats in behind the ship.

Water moves, the ship leaves, then the rafted boats move together into the next lock behind the ship. There is not much delay at all (unless someone makes a mistake.)

After the last lock of the group, the ship goes on and then the boats unraft and go on independently.


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

*It was Carter*



artbyjody said:


> Carter never should of relinguished the control over so quickly (Carter or was it Reagan?).


It was Jimmy. I was in Panama a couple of years ago and he is much loved there. They are, of course, rebuilding the canal for larger ships but are very worried about the impact of global warming - travel through the Arctic will be shorter and cheaper and could have a big impact on the Canal's traffic - would cut wait times though.


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## retclt (Nov 7, 2006)

Yep . . . thanks Jimmy.

Teddy is rolling in his grave.

Didn't Panama turn around and lease control of both sides to the Chinese the week they had it givin to them years ago?


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Primer on the economics of yachts vs commercial ships in the Panama Canal:

- 1 @ 45 ft yacht = US$600 revenue for the Canal Authority
- 1 @ Panamax container ship = US$125,000 +/-

Now guess who gets to go first, second, third and.....etc.

Also, yachts transit with "advisors". Advisors are usually Canal Authority tug captains or mates, dredge captains, etc. When they're working their "day jobs" they can't be escorting yachts through. Only when the "advisors" aren't needed for their primary duties are they assigned to help small boats make their transits.

In short, they fit yachts in when they can. From the perspective of a voyaging sailor, it sucks. From the perspective of the Canal Authority, it makes sense.

An aside: The bit about it taking 30 extra minutes to raft up yachts is nonsense -- the rafts are made up underway before entering the first Gatun lock and they stay together until exiting the last lock. If the advisor is doing his job there is no delay in the operation of the lock.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

BTW, just reading the documentation over at the Panama Canal Authority, and they say *the minimum full ahead boat speed is EIGHT KNOTS.* This is going to be difficult for most smaller sailboats to meet.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have read both so I am not sure which is correct, 8 knots or 5? I read if you can't make min. 5 knots, you lose your delay deposit. But I've heard 8 knots too, which is insane for a lot of cruisers. It seems like getting accurate, _current_ and detailed info about the canal is tricky.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

It is EIGHT KNOTS... as seen in this PDF from the Panama Canal Authority *website*. From the PDF:



> k. *Minimum Full Ahead Speed*: The ACP has determined that the minimum full
> ahead speed required for vessels in order to complete transit in *standard times is 8 knots*.


My guess is that if you can't make a sustained EIGHT knots, you'll lose the delay deposit...


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

sailingdog said:


> My guess is that if you can't make a sustained EIGHT knots, you'll lose the delay deposit...


Ouch. Any idea what that amounts to?


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

> Minimum Full Ahead Speed: The ACP has determined that the minimum full ahead speed required for vessels in order to complete transit in standard times is 8 knots.


I think everyone is missing something. Ships are "towed" by 4 small railroad engines that are mounted on tracks. Perhaps that is where the 8 knots comes from ?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Towing a small boat at speeds higher than hull speed is at best unwise...and at worst going to cause a lot of damage to the boat. IIRC, small sailboats generally make their way through the locks under their own power.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> Towing a small boat at speeds higher than hull speed is at best unwise...and at worst going to cause a lot of damage to the boat. IIRC, small sailboats generally make their way through the locks under their own power.


That wasn't my point. It was that in towing the big ships, perhaps the railroad engines can only get up to 8 knots, hence the quoted speed.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

From the Noonsite.com website:


> *Fees*
> _Transit_
> $500 up to 50'LOA; $750 up to 80'; $1000 up to 100'; $1500 up to 125'.
> 
> ...


If you can't make eight knots, you'll probably be charged the fees in bold, since you'll have to overnight in Lake Gatun.



JohnRPollard said:


> Ouch. Any idea what that amounts to?


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## XTR (Feb 28, 2007)

Freesail99 said:


> I think everyone is missing something. Ships are "towed" by 4 small railroad engines that are mounted on tracks. Perhaps that is where the 8 knots comes from ?


You are only towed by the mules in the locks. Once you enter Gatun Lake you transit under your own power till you get to the locks on the other side.


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## bobwebster (Jan 25, 2005)

The upped the minimum speed to 8 knots, but boats don't really have to go that fast. I think the common practice is to claim 8 knots even if you can't do it. Then, if you block traffic, you pay a fine.


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