Panama or Overland Mexico / US?

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by ausnp84

That’s some good thinking there... what’d the trip be like from Panama to SD? Looks a reasonable distance and I seem to remember it’s upwind a lot of the way. It’d mean a stopover in HI as well which works for me!

N

Glancing at Windy.com for the next week looks like not much wind, but what there is is mostly coming from the east/northeast, which would be FANTASTIC as you head north/northwest from Panama to San Diego.

Dogs On Deployment is specifically for pets of military personnel. I wonder if there is a service for non-military pets?

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

We found Oz/NZ to be uber first world...everything orderly and efficient...its been a bit of reverse culture shock returning to the colorful chaos of Central America...where problems like this can usually be solved easily & unofficially. [emoji6]

That’s very true - Aus and NZ are both very structured but almost too much at times! Sometimes sorting things out with a bit of $$ and a handshake can be a lot easier!😉

N

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

Glancing at Windy.com for the next week looks like not much wind, but what there is is mostly coming from the east/northeast, which would be FANTASTIC as you head north/northwest from Panama to San Diego.

Dogs On Deployment is specifically for pets of military personnel. I wonder if there is a service for non-military pets?

Nice one! Thanks for that - I’ll have a look around.

[nhschneider]

My wife and I are in the process of ‘sailing’ from Panama to San Diego and we have about 1,100 miles to go. We have had to motor almost the entire way due to very light winds - of course, the benefits of that are very calm seas. Unlike the east coast of North America, calm anchorages on the west coast are fewer and farther apart. Jimmy Cornell, in his book, World Cruising Routes, recommends sailing from Panama to Hawaii and then to North America - a distance of over 6,000 miles.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

Jimmy Cornell, in his book, World Cruising Routes, recommends sailing from Panama to Hawaii and then to North America - a distance of over 6,000 miles.

Of course, that raises the option of shipping the dog from Florida or a Gulf Port to Hawaii and meeting it there. Presumably a much shorter and more doable trip than Florida to Oz. Any option you or others have raised here will cost some significant money. This one is probably no worse. (heaven knows what trucking the cat any significant distance or shipping it by freighter to Oz would cost - a big number anyway )

[Siberian Sea]

Would be cheapest is overland through USA to haul out in West Texas. I was an owner operator trucker for years and I did a lot of oversized permit loads like what your vessel is going to need. First it’s the haul out fees, then the rigger to pull your mast. Then the trucking company is going to charge you 5-6 dollars pe mile, then riggers to put the mast back in and then the cost to be put back in the water. Of course you might as well have a few days in the yard for new bottom paint now that your out of the water.......
If it was me I would go through the Panama. Cheaper, more pleasant experience, checkout Galápagos Islands, French Polynesia too. When you reach Australia you shall have the self satisfaction that you transited trough Panama.

[rthompsona]

In June, I looked into having our cat trucked across Guatemala. It is 30 ft with a 14' 6" beam. Carlos the Welder said he had taken much larger boats and ours would be "a piece of cake". His price was $4K vs $3K at the canal and would be complete in 24 hours. Unfortunately the main east west highway in Guatemala is being totally rebuilt and often goes from a 4 lane super highway to a 2 lane dirt road. He said he could not do it until the worst of the construction is complete.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by Siberian Sea

Would be cheapest is overland through USA to haul out in West Texas. I was an owner operator trucker for years and I did a lot of oversized permit loads like what your vessel is going to need. First it’s the haul out fees, then the rigger to pull your mast. Then the trucking company is going to charge you 5-6 dollars pe mile, then riggers to put the mast back in and then the cost to be put back in the water.

You did note that he said his cat has a 23' beam. Does that not raise a very difficult permitting question? (If this were a mono or a smaller cat, then by all means - ship from Galveston to Long Beach or San Diego)

[JPA Cate]

ausnp84,

HI is rabies-free, like Aus. Some folks we met, from HI, took their dogs to NZ for the quarantine, which is not as long as quarantine in Oz for dogs, then with the clearance from NZ, the dogs were allowed in Oz without trouble. 6 months is just a very long quarantine period. You are allowed to visit your animal, but it is costly.

Ann

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by ausnp84

Brill! Thanks for this - it’s exactly the first-hand info I was after.

N

You don't really need an agent. The Canal is run very professionally and they all speak english. The costs are about $850 for the transit and then rent lines and tires from local taxi drivers for another usd$100. Get other cruisers to line handle for you. You will have a much better transit if you line handle on another cruisers transit to learn the system before you do yours.

[MickB]

Doing a web search there is nothing about being able to import a dog to Australia from Panama/Tanzania/Ghana/South Africa at all, which confirms your comment about Rabis infected countries. If from the USA you must have a Vet record stretching back 6 months and the required shots at the required time. If you want to import into NZ you can do it with a 6 month quarantine in country and then into Australia (I think) without quarantine. Where is the dog presently? Has he/she/it got a sufficient vet record (6 months) even if he/she /it is still in the UK. I have friends that imported a beautifully healthy Boarder Collie from Tanzania back to Canada but involved flying the dog to Greece then to Australia for unknown periods (but I think it was longer than 6 months) prior to getting the pooch to Canada. Good luck with this exercise, I imported two Rottweiler pups from a Swedish breeder 11 years ago AUD5K each, just for the flights and import costs. My advice is if you are still in the UK send the pooch from there if you have the required vet/vac history, and have someone in Oz that will look after it until you get here after the 10 days in quarantine, leave it with a friend who will get the Vet/Vac thing done and send it to Oz once you are here. Or re-home he /she/it before you leave the UK don't abandon in some third world port to starve to death. My 2 x 11 year old arthritic Rotty pups are now head butting my office chair away from the desk to get fed, good luck.

[GrowleyMonster]

Could sail East, around The Cape. Keep dog with you, avoid Panama. West via Cape Horn or Straits of Magellan if you feel blessed by Neptune.





From SEA-DISTANCES.ORG


Port of Departure

Country
United States

Port

Jacksonville


Port of Arrival

Country

Australia

Port
Sydney




Result

Way #1

Distance 9217 nautical miles VIA Panama Canal Vessel speed 7 knots Time 54 days 21 hours

Way #2

Distance 12636 nautical miles VIA Strait of Magellan Vessel speed 7 knots Time 75 days 05 hours



Way #3

Distance 12703 nautical miles VIA Cape Horn Vessel speed 7 knots Time 75 days 15 hours

Way #4

Distance 13389 nautical miles VIA Cape of Good Hope Vessel speed 7 knots Time 79 days 17 hours

Way #5

Distance 13967 nautical miles VIA Suez Canal Vessel speed 7 knots Time 83 days 03 hours

[ausnp84]

Ta guys - so everything is pointing towards doing all the injections here in the UK, then sailing back via Panama and potentially doing an extended quarantine in either Fiji or Aus. Unfortunately animals can’t be visited in quarantine so that rules out a long stay in there, plus the costs are extortionate.

I could indeed do Cape Town and head east, but before going home I’d like a month or two in the Bahamas....

N

[jdazey]

Originally Posted by Paul L

You don't really need an agent. The Canal is run very professionally and they all speak english. The costs are about $850 for the transit and then rent lines and tires from local taxi drivers for another usd$100. Get other cruisers to line handle for you. You will have a much better transit if you line handle on another cruisers transit to learn the system before you do yours.

No, you don't really need an agent. Our agent fee was $350 including lines and fenders. Those can be rented. Three line handlers cost another $300. Sometimes you can find other cruisers to handle lines; sometimes you can't. So subtract $650 from our total of $1875 and you still have $1225 for all Canal fees. In addition to that, you'll need to rent lines and fenders.

Cheers,

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by jdazey

No, you don't really need an agent. Our agent fee was $350 including lines and fenders. Those can be rented. Three line handlers cost another $300. Sometimes you can find other cruisers to handle lines; sometimes you can't. So subtract $650 from our total of $1875 and you still have $1225 for all Canal fees. In addition to that, you'll need to rent lines and fenders.

Cheers,

Subtracting what a Panama agent says he is charging from what you paid him to get the Canal fee might not be too accurate. The ACP publishes their tolls online.
Handline vessels to 50ft are usd$800
50ft to 80 $1300
The canal doesn't charge any extra fees.

Line and tire rental from taxi driver is another $100.

I've done 6 transits, in both directions, and never had any trouble getting cruisers and friends to line handle. I have also seen some wildly incompetent hired local linehandlers.