What to Expect When Sailing Through The Panama Canal
An ideal way to see the canal and all of its features is a ferry ride down its length, and a handful of tour operators offer such trips.
HISTORY
The grandiose idea to build a canal that connected the Atlantic with the Pacific Oceans dates back to 1503, when the first European settlers recognized its boundless potential. As technology progressed, Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, pioneered an effort to build the Panama Canal, but had only moderate success due to an epidemic of tropical diseases that plagued and killed canal laborers. Soon after, The United States took control over the construction of the canal, and the first journey was made on January 7th, 1914 by a French crane boat called, Alexandre La Valley. Today the canal is operated by the Republic of Panama and roughly 14,000 ships transit through the canal each year.
Vessels from all over the world pass through the Panama Canal
HOW TO TRANSIT
If you are choosing to transit your own private yacht through the Panama Canal, remember this isn’t a sail in the park, there are very important things to be considered before embarking on this rather long journey. Time and money are two of the bigger concerns, as traveling through a system of locks can be extremely expensive, time-consuming and stressful. While stressful, transiting through the Panama Canal is a one-of-a-kind adventure and may very well be the most epic story to be told for the rest of your life. Before making the decision to jump on board, keep in mind the following:
TIME
It can take up to eight to nine ours to transit the Panama Canal, and that is just taking into account the actual transit itself. In order to transit the canal, you will have to go through an intricate system of locks that will guide your private sailboat from one ocean to the other. There are other things to be considered like: paperwork, and vessel screening (to make sure your boat complies with size regulations etc.). In relation to time, you have to consider the time your boat will be docked at either the Pacific side marina or Caribbean side marina to await your turn before transit. Average wait time varies, but expect to wait at least a few days if not more. Yes,…I said Days! First things first, start with paperwork, and get all your payments, deposits and measuring out of the way.
Watertight lock doors are closed by the lock-master and a valve is opened, allowing water from the adjacent second lock chamber, 28 feet above sea level.
PAPERWORK
The Panama Canal Authority demands an advance notification of 96 hours to accommodate the arrival for vessels desiring to transit the Panama Canal. If you are planning on transiting the canal without hiring an agent (doing it yourself) you want to start with the following document: http://bit.ly/2oVfZ4Y
When you are done filling it out, upload it and send it directly to optc-ara@pancanal.com (Atlantic side) or optc-arp@pancanal.com (Pacific side). The form will ask where you are and when you would like to get measured. An official Ad measurer will come out and measure your boat to make sure it complies with canal regulations. When that is complete he will give you a completed form that you will proceed to take to the bank and make your official deposit. Once you are measured and your money is deposited you will call the official schedulers at at +507-272-4202 office and make an appointment for transit. Expect paperwork to take anywhere from three to seven days. Again,..I said Days!
Panama Canal visitor center with exhibits, food & decks for watching ships pass through the locks.
MONEY
The amount you spend on transiting the Panama Canal can vary depending on the size of your boat. When you receive all your paperwork back from the Ad measurer he will dictate exactly how much is needed to transit the canal. Expect to pay between USD $1,875 for smaller boats (up to 50 Ft in Length) to USD $ 4,275 for bigger boats (up to 100 feet in length). As mentioned above, this is not a sail in the park neither in money nor time. Also keep in mind that this expense does not account for any extra transit fees including: long lines (if the boat is not already equipped), car tires and making sure you have line handlers on board. All of these costs need to be considered before making the plunge.
Each lock chamber requires 26,700,000 US gal (101,000 m3) of water to fill it from the lowered to the raised position; the same amount of water must be drained from the chamber to lower it again.
DAY OF TRANSIT
Depending on your appointment time and your port of entry you can expect to leave in the afternoon, between 1pm or 2pm. An official advisor from the Panama Authority will be assigned to come on board and make sure everything is going as planned. You are expected to provide a hot meal and drinking water for your advisor. The advisor will serve as your sailing mentor and will attempt to get you through the canal as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you end up having to stay the night for an unforeseen reason, expect to pay up to $500 dollars to dock. You will go through a series of locks (12 in total) that is a system of levels that lift a ship up 85 feet to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and down again. Each of the locks are 1,000 feet long and can be filled and emptied in 10 minutes. You will transit through all of them before continuing on to either the Pacific or Caribbean side ocean.
ARRIVAL
Once you arrive to your final destination you don’t have to do much except pat yourself on the back for making the grand transit through the Panama Canal. If you are looking for more information you can visit the Panama Canal homepage at: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/
Have you made the journey? Let us know how you navigated through the intricate system of preparation, paperwork and locks!
From The Northeast U.S. to South America – A Sailors Guide (Part 9/12)
