Line Handlers, Panama Canal

[lucashaley]

My wife and I are travelling through Central America, and would love to line handle through the Panama Canal. We will be in Panama City from the 1st of January. Please get in touch if you are in the area!

-Lucas

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by lucashaley

My wife and I are travelling through Central America, and would love to line handle through the Panama Canal. We will be in Panama City from the 1st of January. Please get in touch if you are in the area!

-Lucas

If you have any boating experience at all (or even if you don't), you will have no problem finding a yacht that needs line-handlers. You just need to be able to stand there, hold a line and follow orders. Just go to the bar at the Panama Yacht Club.

The 1st time that we took our boat through the Canal, it was pretty intimidating so we line-handled for another yacht. We actually made 2- trips each way before we took our boat through.

[starfish62]

We were told that we would go through center chamber (four lines) and during the day. We went through side-to and at night. Very scary on the way up, but the guys there are all pros.

[Hankthelank]

what are the costs of going through the panamal canal?

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by starfish62

We were told that we would go through center chamber (four lines) and during the day. We went through side-to and at night. Very scary on the way up, but the guys there are all pros.

Wow!!!! When did they start letting yachts go through after dark??

I've been through the canal more times than I can remember now. It's fun line-handling and I did it every chance I got. I don't remember a single time that any of the boats I was on went through the way they were told. It's kind of a joke. They just stick you in, in a way that is most convenient to them at the moment.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by Hankthelank

what are the costs of going through the panamal canal?

The price and rules are constantly changing.

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by Kanani

Wow!!!! When did they start letting yachts go through after dark??

I've been through the canal more times than I can remember now. It's fun line-handling and I did it every chance I got. I don't remember a single time that any of the boats I was on went through the way they were told. It's kind of a joke. They just stick you in, in a way that is most convenient to them at the moment.

Everyone told us that yachts didn't go through at night, too, but we sure did. That would have been August 2004, I reckon. If memory serves, it was about $1,200 US for us to go through.

[lucashaley]

Thanks for the tips... we're heading to Panama tomorrow, we're drop by the Balboa to see if anyone needs any help. We hope so!

-Lucas

[Fishman]

You can also get a panga guy to take you to either of the 2 anchorages (on either side) were the yachts wait to go through, just ask around, you should have a spot within an hour. If you dont want to get your feet wet, then introduce yourself on the vhf cruisers net in the morning which is on both sides (cant remember the channel). We went through May 2008, at night from the Atlantic side. With two small kids we could not reciprocate w.r.t. linehandling but plenty other cruisers were linehandling for eachother, going forwards and backwards. We were 3 boats rafted together which often happens, so on those 3 boats you only need 4 handlers, when rafting there are often way more linehandlers than actually needed...We left Colon at 7pm, we were through the 2nd lock at 1am. Also a lot of cruisers overdo it with the tire fenders (ourselves included). Put cushions on your solar panels. It cost us about $1500 using an agent. An agent is not really necessary (they charge approx $400) you have time to do it yourself, its made to sound more complicated than what it actually is.

[sail59115]

Three experienced, competent sailors will arrive PC Feb. 19 and look for ride(s) through canal as line handlers. We''ll go to YC and be on the net after that. You can send me email from this forum.

Am interested to know how lucashaley made out.