Can you pick up Pacific cruising guides in Panama?

[simonpickard]

Hello all,

We'll be heading to Shelter buy soon and need to pick up the last of our guides for getting back to Australia.

Can you buy them in Panama does anyone know? Just asking as if not we need to get them shipped out asap.

Regards,
Simon

[boatman61]

I think you'd be better off getting them shipped yourself.. anyone there will be doing that with your order..
Are there no online downloadable ones..?

[Steel sails]

I didn't see much of that type of thing anywhere for sale in Panama. If you are in the marina at shelter bay for a while you may be able to trade with someone traveling East. There's a notice board in Shelterbay with all sorts for sale, local trades, people looking to crew or line handle etc.
Regards
Paul

[boatman61]

Apart from these below there's places like noonsite with free downloadable guides..
Yahoo is your friend.. (Y)

http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/South_Pacific

Cruiser Guide Vava'u Islands, Tonga, South Pacific

Cruising guide vanuatu, cruising vanuatu, complete sailing and yachting information for the South Pacific islands of Vanuatu

[gentlerain]

Supplies of any kind in Panama don't exsist. Everything has to be ordered and shipped in. You can also get most things done/ordered and delivered, by anchoring in Portobello so avoiding the great expense of using Shelter Bay Marina.

[simonpickard]

Great links thanks!



Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

[conachair]

this one might be worth a look on kindle..

Amazon.com: Pacific Crossing Notes: a Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run (Rolling Hitch Sailing Guides) eBook: Nadine Slavinski, Markus Schweitzer: Kindle Store

[SVNeko]

The only cruising guide Shelter Bay will have is the Bauhaus guide. This place in Panama City may have something.

Islamorada - Admiralty Chart agent Panama Canal

You won't find them anywhere else. Get them before going to Panama if you can. Otherwise, if you are there for a while, Marine Warehouse can get them to you relatively cheaply.

[Gerrycooper56]

I would think it likely you'll do the Galapagos-marquesas (Nuku Hiva) route with a run down to Papeete. Lots of cruisers there and you should be able to pick up guides for the rest of the journey west


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[Paul L]

As SVNeko mentioned, Isalmorada Balboa has a few. You can e-mail them and asking specifically for titles and they will usually get back to you if they have it in stock.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by gentlerain

Supplies of any kind in Panama don't exsist. Everything has to be ordered and shipped in......

You must have been in a different Panama City than I've been. PC has probably a 1/2 dozen chandeliers, machine supply shops, injector shops, hydraulic shops, many large hardware stores, welders..... It is one of the better places to get boat items anywhere south of San Diego or perhaps Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific side, and it holds its own to some places in the Carib (not St Martin or T-dad). It is also easy to get things shipped in and through customs.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by gentlerain

Supplies of any kind in Panama don't exsist. Everything has to be ordered and shipped in. You can also get most things done/ordered and delivered, by anchoring in Portobello so avoiding the great expense of using Shelter Bay Marina.

While it is sometimes more convenient just to ship it in, there are quite a lot of goods/services in Panama...you just have to find them! ;-)

For example I've recently bought solar panels (and had a frame fabricated for them), good quality cable to install them, a new helm seat base, SS shackles, SS thimble, 5/16 Spectra, lots of different o-rings & oil seals, fuel filters, oil filters, a replacement LED anchor light bulb, 3-strand nylon...

Proprietary stuff, yes likely to need to ship it. Marine Warehouse is a great resource in that case.


OP: Cruising guides I expect you will need to ship in. I've seen Bauhaus' Panama Guide randomly in stock a few times, but nothing else (though I wasn't looking).

[simonpickard]

Thanks everyone.

Found that amazon.com will ship to Panama so got the guides shipped via that directly to Shelter Bay marina. Should be there by the time we turn up in a few weeks.

It's all getting very exciting! Can't wait to start this pacific leg of the trip back to Sydney.

Thanks again,
Simon

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Hello all,
We'll be heading to Shelter buy soon and need to pick up the last of our guides for getting back to Australia.
Can you buy them in Panama does anyone know? Just asking as if not we need to get them shipped out asap.
Regards,
Simon

I was in Shelter Bay a year ago. I checked the little store there and did not find any useful guides for planning the Pacific crossing. Unless you cab get second hand stuff from cruisers going the wrong way, I would recommend you have them shipped to you rather than trying to find them in Panama.