Cost of Panama Canal Transit

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by John A

Slightly off topic question about conditions on each side of Panama. Why is the tideal range 15 feet on the Pacific side and 2 feet on the Alantic side?

John

Based on zero knowledge, I mean a hunch. Would it have to do with the vast difference in the size and depth of the Oceans? More area, deeper, gravity and momentum?

Guessing,
Extemp.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Martinini

How many keel boats out there can do 8 knots---------not many?

previous transitor told me 5 kts--pannama canal site says 5 kts---wha tis this 8 kts--has it been magically changed???

[edsailing]

Originally Posted by John A

The rules appear to change from time to time making it difficult to give informed information.

Slightly off topic question about conditions on each side of Panama. Why is the tideal range 15 feet on the Pacific side and 2 feet on the Alantic side?

John

Why do tidal ranges vary around the world - it's all to do with how water is funnelled or restricted by the surrounding land masses.

Gravitational forces cause tides but how much it affects any given place is variable.

In the Med, the straits of Gibralter limit the tidal surge whereas on the coast of Brittany the tidal range is 15 metres.

If you think of it as a bulge of water moving around the earth, it gets in some places and not in others.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by zeehag

previous transitor told me 5 kts--pannama canal site says 5 kts---wha tis this 8 kts--has it been magically changed???

Go read the site again.

Its not magic and has been the same for years. Slow boats pay a higher amount.

[John A]

edsailing,

Ok, that sounds ok.
BUT

the entire west of California has tides of 7 to 8 feet, The west side of Mexico and Central America has tides above 12 feet. While the east coast of central America, the Caribbean, and the Bahama's have tides in the 1 to 2 foot range.

I think it has something to do with the way the world spins as higher latitudes generally have higher tidal ranges .

I've posed the question on answer.com and am using Google to research the answer.

Incidentallly the water in Miraflores lake, within the Panama canal, rises and falls almost a foot twice a day. This is caused because the ship traffic travels one-way at a time and changes direction every 6 hours, and the amount of water used in the locks creates the difference. The docks at Pedral Migual yacht club were siltted in so bad that movement of boats was done at 'high tide'.

[fishwife]

Mark, tis all to do with the conservation of energy, I'll be happy to explain it over a few rum and cokes

Paige

[tager]

So why isn't there an alternative? It seems economically viable for a YC to own a barge, crane yachts onto the barge, and hire an agent to tug the barge through periodically. Would it make sense to pay to have your yacht shipped through on a larger shipping vessel?

It just seems absurd that the cost is so high. I am thinking about a 26' just for reference.

[John A]

I thought the rates were fair and I'm a rather cheap person.

The barge idea was almost put in place by the canal authority when the robust economy was causing an 18 day delay for pleasure craft. The problem was that the barges would need to be loaded/unloaded at rhe container yards which are run on contract by companies from thr Far East.

Thr canal will be building a third set of locks and upgrading the old locks to recycle some of the water. They need all the money they can get to repay the bonds that were approved by the citizens of Panama.

Large commericial ships pay a six figure amount per passage.

[tager]

Well I guess that it's reasonable. It just seems kind of steep, it would almost be viable to trailer smaller boats over the land and pay to have them splashed at yards on either side!

[John A]

Jessie has the perfect solutions!

[tager]

I guess I will just have to pay my $1000 when I get there.

[fmastin]

Folks...I am a retired Panama Canal pilot...and no one really cares how fast you go. Just fib about the 8 knots. The concern is that the yacht (or any slow vessel) can't make it through Gatun Lake in the same day. That would need another advisor. But as has been mentioned above, more often than not, you will be waiting for the lockdown at the other end.

[John A]

fmastin
Very true, and the two shortcuts taken by smaler boats will insure that you're acrossed the lake in ample time.

tager
Most of your $1000 fee is a deposit and will be returned to you as a debit to your credit card, which is mandatory.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by tager

So why isn't there an alternative? It seems economically viable for a YC to own a barge, crane yachts onto the barge, and hire an agent to tug the barge through periodically. Would it make sense to pay to have your yacht shipped through on a larger shipping vessel?

It just seems absurd that the cost is so high. I am thinking about a 26' just for reference.

26 ft boats are trailerable--lol--much less expensively than are 40 ft boats---go figger--ye can even haul a 26 by yourself---whereas a 41x12x6'6" boat must be hauled by a pro......there is always an alternative--even to the cape...or the northwest oassage..lol

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by zeehag

26 ft boats are trailerable--lol--much less expensively than are 40 ft boats---go figger--ye can even haul a 26 by yourself---whereas a 41x12x6'6" boat must be hauled by a pro......there is always an alternative--even to the cape...or the northwest oassage..lol

There was talk a few years ago about a guy who would truck your boat across lower mexico, mast up, but never heard from anyone who did it..