Panama Experience Welcome...

[Syserenity]

Hello
Soon I will be heading south in order to arrive at Colon and to cross to Miraflores, Panama. I am looking at a Marina Shelter Bay? Who has experience there or some other place. I´ve heard some nasty stories about unsafe Marinas? Who has actually a knowledge of some good Marina at Miraflores side before departure to South America?

Tks for your help

[Kettlewell]

Shelter Bay is very nice, very safe, and fairly expensive, and hard to get a dock space I hear. They have good facilities for haulouts and repairs, and contacts with people who can do good work. It is a fairly long bus ride to Colon itself, but comfortable and the Shelter Bay folks will help you arrange everything. I don't believe there is any other marina option on the Atlantic side of Colon itself. The yacht club is gone as is the one that was in the canal.

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by Syserenity

Hello
Soon I will be heading south in order to arrive at Colon and to cross to Miraflores, Panama. I am looking at a Marina Shelter Bay? Who has experience there or some other place. I´ve heard some nasty stories about unsafe Marinas? Who has actually a knowledge of some good Marina at Miraflores side before departure to South America?

Tks for your help

Shelter Bay is an excellent place, with a nice pool, decent showers, and edible food. Just spent a week there in February, and a fair amount of thime there last February as well. Friends are presently moored there.

Now you can reciprocate: if flying though PTY, check out this post <http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f19/flying-out-of-pty-99703.html> and report, please.

[andreas.mehlin]

Im there now...
safe marina
ok restaurant
haul out
a little bit expensive

it´s all good but wouldnt been bad having some more competition

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by andreas.mehlin

Im there now...
safe marina
ok restaurant
haul out
a little bit expensive

it´s all good but wouldnt been bad having some more competition

We just hauled a 50-footer, stashed it on the hard. IIRC, it cost $500.

[Syserenity]

IIRC, it cost $500.

What is IIRC????

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by Syserenity

IIRC, it cost $500.

What is IIRC????

If I Recall Correctly.

[boatman61]

Shelter Bay is fine.. frustrating if waiting to go through but I did enjoy my time there and the staff in all the facilities from the laundry to the marina manager were very pleasant and helpful.
Security is good with 24hr marinheiro's on duty patrolling the pantalans.
I have heard of a place called Portobello down the way but know nothing about it.. may just be moorings.
Jedi... come in on this..?

[Kettlewell]

Portobello is fairly close, but there are only a few docks in there and in certain conditions there is quite a swell in both the anchorage and at any docks--not sure you would call it a marina, unless something has changed. Nice little town, but not much to keep you there for long. There is also Panamamarina further to the east towards Linton. They used to be all moorings, but maybe they have docks now.

[Jimbo485]

Portobelo is an excellent, 300* protected bay to anchor while you wait your turn to transit the canal.

Captain Jacks in Portobelo can get all boat stuff down from the USA. Much better than the chandlery at Shelter Bay Marina and ends up costing the same as West Marine but delivered to little Portobelo in the jungle. Jack is a character and sells beer for $1 and rums for $2.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Jimbo485

Portobelo is an excellent, 300* protected bay to anchor while you wait your turn to transit the canal.

Captain Jacks in Portobelo can get all boat stuff down from the USA. Much better than the chandlery at Shelter Bay Marina and ends up costing the same as West Marine but delivered to little Portobelo in the jungle. Jack is a character and sells beer for $1 and rums for $2.

Thanks Jimbo... will put that in my grey matter marked 'Stay'...
Be nice to take a break from the set of 'The Prisoner'...
Sorry SB...

[Hermanns]

I stayed at Shelter Bay Marina for over a week before transiting the Canal in 2011 (Caribbean >> Pacific)..

Shelter Bay was awesome, cold beer, good food and a pool! The prices aren't cheap for Panama, but compared to the US it was a good deal. Lots of cruisers waiting to transit, so it's a great place to meet people and strike up some fun conversations.

I would recommend always having a buddy while in Colon, that city is a bit 'wild west'. Also, be very careful visiting ATM's at night, one fellow cruiser was mugged while alone at night in Colon (not shelter Bay Area). Great staff too!

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by boatman61

{snip}
I have heard of a place called Portobello down the way but know nothing about it.. may just be moorings.
Jedi... come in on this..?

Portobelo (one 'l') is just a tad east of Shelter Bay, and is the place from where the Spanish shipped all the gold from the New World. Well-fortified (but not from behind, so Henry Morgan just sent his men over the hill & walked off with the gold).

The best place to anchor is on the opposite side from the town, for close to town it can get a bit rolly. Look for the pretty yellow resort (El Otro Lado) on the E shore and park near there.

The town is best described as "scruffy". There's a shop ("el chino", of course), a couple of tourist restaurants ("El Restaurante" is better & hard to find), and Captain Jack's (up the hill) has food & drinks & a nice mix of locals/cruisers/backpackers to jaw with. Chicken busses to Sabanitas, Colon, & Other Places stop there as well.

[MarkJ]

Another way to do it would be to clear in, do the canal paperwork and then head to Rio De Chagros until you need to be back in town. It's only 4 nms north of Colon (OK, north west, but you know what I mean) its truly a beautiful river you can anchor anywhere up till you hit the dam. No one goes there as its in the buffer zone for the canal. It's full of monkeys, Howler Monkeys, fish, small crocodiles. We were there for a week and LOVED it!

The enterance is a little tricky but everyone has the coordinates of the passage in. Then it's fine. Just stick VERY close to the fort on the way in.

The walks through the south side are well made and beautiful, especially if you are into jungle vegetation and flowers.
The North side has some waterfalls up small creeks you can dinghy into.

It's so close to Colon but a world away!

I can't get you the Lat and Lon as I am on the children's toy of a stupid, dumb, moronic iPad. What a waste of money but its small....

BTW if you don't know what howler monkeys are the during your fist night at anchor you will wake terrified thinking the seven horsemen of the Appocolypse are heading your way. By the second night you will be moving to get closer to them

[Syserenity]

I´m a bit confused? The other day I checked a website that goves information about Panama and almost wherever in the world and it was announced to be the most reliable on information and it said to be very, but very carefull in Panama since assault with machine guns had taken place. That I should look up for a very well safeguarded Marina, otherwise they empty the boat of SSB, GPS, Radar etc...????
I have the impresion you guys anchor wherever you like, so it sounds like a very safe place?