This article recounts my experience in Panama by sailboat, with a practical focus on logistics, marinas, and boat preparation. In November, a friend asked me to help prepare his boat for the new season. The trip to Panama was an intense and, in many ways, unique experience. It’s one of those countries where you need to know how to navigate, have a good dose of initiative, and a certain mental flexibility: dive in, try, negotiate. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But if you learn to move in the right way, you can make great deals.
Arriving in Panama by plane: the simplest (and probably the best) solution from Europe
Reaching Panama from Switzerland and Europe turned out to be surprisingly simple thanks to Condor, the German airline that connects Zurich and Frankfurt directly to Panama City. There are also flights from Milan Malpensa, always with a stopover in Frankfurt.
It’s a very effective choice for several reasons:
- extremely competitive prices, often much lower than traditional airlines;
- new planes, recently renewed in the long-haul fleet;
- careful and punctual onboard service;
- convenience of departing from Zurich or Milan Malpensa with a transit through Frankfurt without complications.
For those needing to reach Panama from Europe, this combination probably represents the best value for money available.
Entering the Country
Among the entry requirements, besides having $500 with you, Panama requires the presentation of a return or exit ticket from the country. It doesn’t necessarily have to be to the country of origin: it can be a flight, a ship, or any other means that demonstrates exit from Panamanian territory.
Formally, the control is the responsibility of the immigration authorities, but in practice, it is the airline that requires proof already at check-in, as it is responsible in case of rejection upon arrival.
In my case, it wasn’t a problem because I would be returning to Europe after two weeks. However, for those flying to Panama to return to their boat and continue their journey, this requirement can become an obstacle.
One possibility is to get a letter/confirmation from the marina, stating that the boat is in the marina and will leave Panama as it is a boat in transit.
Obviously, this option can create discussions and waiting times for the necessary checks, often difficult for the airline.
To simplify the situation, there are services like Onward Ticket that, for about 16 USD, issue a temporary exit reservation, valid and verifiable for 48 hours, with 24/7 human support. It is a tool widely used by backpackers and travelers without a defined itinerary and represents, in practice, an effective solution when you don’t yet have a definitive exit ticket.
How to get around in Panama
The marinas on the Caribbean side of Panama are far from inhabited centers.
To give some reference:
- from Shelter Bay Marina to Colón it takes about 30 minutes by car;
- from Linton Bay or Panamarina to Colón the travel time increases to about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Public transport is limited, unreliable, and often subject to particular restrictions. A concrete example: on the bus connecting Shelter Bay Marina it is not allowed to transport gas cylinders. If you want to have them filled (for example in Chilibre), this forces you to take a taxi or deliver the cylinder to the marina, which takes care of the transport applying a fee of about 40 USD.
It’s useful to know that taxis are affordable. There are many and they are used daily by Panamanians for short trips, like going grocery shopping.
Nevertheless, if you need to go shopping, it’s not guaranteed to find what you need at the first store. Often you have to visit two or three before finding the right material.
That’s why, even if it initially seems like a significant cost, renting a car is actually one of the smartest choices. Having a vehicle available 24/7 allows for great flexibility and saves a lot, as we will see later with concrete examples.
The car can be rented:
- at Tocumen airport;
- in Colón, reachable by taxi or bus.
The average cost is about 35 USD per day. However, if you rent the car directly through Shelter Bay Marina, the price rises to about 70 USD per day. Not surprisingly, many sailors jokingly call the marina “Shelter Pay”.
An important warning:
the roads have deep potholes and local driving is often unpredictable. A lot of attention is needed at the wheel.
The marinas
The following evaluations are based on my direct experience during the two weeks spent on site and from discussions with people who have been in Panama for a long time.
Shelter Bay Marina
Well-structured marina, divided into:
- water area,
- work area,
- bunkering area.
It has a hotel, restaurant, pool, small market, ship chandler (with limited selection), and sailmaker.
It is generally considered the most expensive marina in the area, but operates with higher standards than the others.
The work area alternates between concrete and gravel zones; in the latter, a durable fabric tarp is normally placed under the stands to prevent pollution but I imagine also to avoid soil erosion during heavy tropical rains. The stands are also connected to each other with chains, increasing safety (something not done in other marinas in the area).
The shipyard is supplied directly by its own ship chandler, which results in much higher prices compared to the market.
Returning on board after the rainy season may not be immediate, both due to the high humidity rate and because it’s necessary to restore onboard services and tidy up what was carefully stowed before leaving the boat. It may therefore be a good idea to initially sleep off the boat, working during the day to make it habitable again.
One option is to take a room within the marina, at a cost of about 130 USD per night. Alternatively, Airbnb often represents a more convenient solution: well-kept apartments can be found, even with a pool, at 30–40 USD per night.
Once again, renting a car and the independence of being able to move around pays for itself.
Shelter Bay Marina is ideal for those seeking high standards and safety.
Website: http://www.shelterbaymarina.com/
Linton Bay
Lower prices, more informal atmosphere, and generally younger community.
It probably has the best-stocked ship chandler in the area, with a wide availability of Victron products (not exactly cheap). It has docks and buoys to keep the boat in the water and a yard for working on the boat.
It is 25 minutes from the town of Portobelo and 1h30 from Colón.
Linton Bay Marina is suitable for those who prioritize lower costs and flexibility.
https://www.lintonbaymarina.com/
Panamarina
Even more basic marina, suitable for those seeking low costs.
It has a small ship chandler and a sailmaker. Limited lifting capacity by weight.
This marina is also as distant as Linton Bay.
Panamarina is a basic solution for reduced budgets.
Savings and organizing purchases
One aspect to keep in mind when working on a boat in Panama is that most local ship chandlers are primarily oriented towards fishing and commercial boating, while the offer for leisure boating is often more limited. This means that, especially for specific materials or important equipment, it is essential to organize in advance, plan purchases, and, when necessary, order the material before arrival.
Buying directly in the marina is certainly convenient, but often involves significantly higher prices and not always short waiting times. Moving towards Colón and the Free Zone, it is possible to find greater availability of material and more interesting conditions, provided you dedicate time to organization.
To give two concrete examples:
-
Sea Hawk 44 antifouling
-
300 USD/gallon if purchased at the shipyard
-
150 USD/gallon at Max Industries in Colón
-
-
ISO 9650-1 liferaft for 6 people
-
3300 USD at the marina’s ship chandler, with at least a week’s wait for the certificate release
-
1260 USD in the Free Zone, with the certificate issued immediately
-
In a single day of shopping — three gallons of antifouling and a liferaft — the total savings was about 2500 USD.
This is a concrete example of how, with a minimum of planning and moving outside the marina, it is possible to significantly optimize the budget during a stop in Panama.
The Colón Free Zone: a vital resource for sailors
One of the aspects that makes Panama particularly interesting for those traveling by sailboat is the presence of the Colón Free Zone, the largest free zone in Latin America and second worldwide. It is an area where numerous importers and distributors operate and where you can find a huge variety of nautical materials, tools, spare parts, electronics, and safety equipment, often difficult to find in one place elsewhere.
The main advantage of the Free Zone is not only the availability of material but the fact that it is a free zone, therefore with a simplified tax regime and no VAT or internal duties. For sailors with boats declared as “vessel in transit”, this translates into easier purchases and reduced bureaucracy, provided the documentation is correctly set up.
Compared to purchases made directly in the marinas, the Free Zone often offers more choice, greater flexibility, and generally more interesting prices, especially on technical items and important equipment. For this reason, it is worth planning a dedicated visit, organizing purchases in a targeted way.
Keep in mind that there are often no shops and these importers are inside anonymous warehouses. It is therefore essential to search for them and contact them first, then go on site.
Once again, having a car greatly facilitates movements and allows you to make the most of the opportunities offered by the Free Zone, making it an almost obligatory stop for those who need to work on or equip a boat during a stop in Panama.
https://www.zolicol.gob.pa/
The Panama Canal and the role of the agent
For those arriving in Panama by sailboat, the Panama Canal often represents a central stop, whether you intend to cross it immediately or consider it as a preparation point for the Pacific. It is important to clarify that the canal crossing can also be organized independently, without necessarily resorting to an agent. In this case, however, you need to account for a certain amount of bureaucracy, appointments, forms, and checks to manage personally.
Relying on an agent is therefore not an obligation, but a practical choice. An agent allows you to save time and energy, taking care of the transit organization, date planning, and document control. This allows the crew to focus entirely on the preparation of the boat for the Pacific, which often requires important work, supplies, and checks.
An additional advantage is that the agent knows in detail the updated procedures and ensures that all documents are correct and complete, reducing the risk of delays or problems during the process.
I talk about it later, but within the downloadable PDF from the Cruisers at Shelter Bay WhatsApp Community there are several agent contacts available. In our case, we chose Stanley, who proved to be a great professional, very competent, and particularly attentive to the documentation part.
For a 41-footer, the total cost (canal, line rental, agent work, etc.) was around $3,700.
Sending material to Panama
Be careful if you bring material in your suitcase: importation to Panama is a delicate issue. Authorities may decide to treat the material as commercial importation, greatly complicating the procedures.
Some reports mention requests for value declaration and “informal” payments to let the material through. Essentially, bringing material by plane is a lottery.
Couriers
If you decide to ship material (for example, sails from Asia), be aware that not all couriers operate the same way in Panama.
- DHL seems to be able to operate with the status “Vessel in transit”, if the package is correctly addressed (e.g., Vessel in transit – SY Boat Name).
- UPS, on the other hand, generally treats the goods as commercial, relying on a local courier for delivery. This involves:
- high customs costs,
- complex bureaucratic procedures,
- need for bank payments,
- very long delivery times.
Logistics companies (forwarders)
A very effective solution is to rely on forward logistics companies like:
- Shopline Panama
- PTY Shipping
By registering online, you are provided with a personal address in Miami. You can order material (for example, from Amazon USA) and have it delivered there; the forwarder then takes care of forwarding it to Panama (e.g., offices in Colón).
- delivery in 3–5 days;
- no customs clearance fees;
- batteries only by sea (cost by volume);
- the rest of the material by air (cost by weight).
https://shoplinepanama.com/
https://ptyshipping.com/
Useful ship chandlers
- Fermarine – Colón | WhatsApp +507 6218 7466
- Abernathy – Colón | www.abernathypanama.com | WhatsApp +507 6852 0055 (Spanish only)
- Suminapa – Linton Bay | suminapa.com | WhatsApp +507 6009 8579
- Shelter Bay Marina Chandler | WhatsApp +507 6383 1636
Cash and payments
Cash is often the preferred payment method and allows, in many cases, to obtain additional discounts, always requesting the related invoice.
However, it’s good to keep in mind that ATM withdrawals incur high fees.
Discounts
Always ask if there are discounts as a customer of a specific marina or as a vessel in transit.
Well-known stores offering agreements:
- Sobeys (grocery – Margarita)
- Abernathy (Plaza 4 Altos)
- Fermarine
- Max Industrias (Millenium Plaza)
- Novey (depends on the cashier, always ask)
230V Appliances
In Panama, the power supply is 110V. If you need to replace any appliances or electrical tools, keep in mind that it’s not easy to find those that operate at 230V.
Regarding dockside power, Shelter Bay Marina also provides 230V connections. I imagine other marinas are equipped as well.
Mobile Subscriptions
Among the providers with unlimited data tourist plans:
- Tigo
- Más Móvil
WhatsApp Groups
There is the Cruisers at Shelter Bay WhatsApp Community, managed by Debi and Kelly.
Inside, there are various thematic groups and a crucial PDF: “Shelter Bay Marina & Colón FAQs”, full of practical information that saves time and money.
Access is moderated, and to join, you need to write to them indicating:
- name,
- boat name,
- current location.
There are also groups for Linton Bay, Panamarina, and San Blas.
Do you need support to prepare your sailboat for the next season?
I handle sailboat transfers for private owners, brokers, and shipyards. Additionally, I assist new owners with personalized coaching sessions or simply as navigation support when sailing solo.
I can also help with shipyard work and managing technical interventions, with the ability to travel anywhere in the world.
Tell me about your project and your needs: I will be happy to listen and find the most suitable solution together. Contact me here.
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