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"More than 150 yachts are in a marine 'traffic jam' on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal, awaiting transit to the Pacific Ocean. Many have been told it will be 'weeks' - in one case two months - before they will be able to get through."
It would seem to me that there would be enough demand from smaller and mid-sized boats for someone to offer a trucking service across the country. Would seem to me that it would be cost effective since you also could get bottom-painting done and do mast-out maintenance. Also would be faster than waiting for your turn when they don't really care about getting you through.
If anyone likes the idea and goes into business - reserve one free trucking job for my boat when I come there.
There is a truck that now crosses Guatamala at the Rio Dulce to the other side at Puerto Quetzal since 2004. I found info on them in the "Cruising Ports the Central American Route" by Capt. Pat Rains, pg 183.
Rio Dulce Boat Transport. It's very interesting and we've been thinking about it as an alternative to the canal. His # (Per this book) is 502-5240-9104 (cell)
From the reads of things - its a two month delay...
I really like how it is explained that it takes 30 minutes or more to get yachts rafted together. So is one to assume a tanker or commercial shipping vessel ties up in 2 minutes ?
There is also the piracy deal going on in the western side Panama - I wonder if that actually has anything to do with. However, when said and done - this is the issue that happens when a "third world" country, inherits the rights of passage as designed by a leading country. Carter never should of relinguished the control over so quickly (Carter or was it Reagan?).
Primer on the economics of yachts vs commercial ships in the Panama Canal:
- 1 @ 45 ft yacht = US$600 revenue for the Canal Authority
- 1 @ Panamax container ship = US$125,000 +/-
Now guess who gets to go first, second, third and.....etc.
Also, yachts transit with "advisors". Advisors are usually Canal Authority tug captains or mates, dredge captains, etc. When they're working their "day jobs" they can't be escorting yachts through. Only when the "advisors" aren't needed for their primary duties are they assigned to help small boats make their transits.
In short, they fit yachts in when they can. From the perspective of a voyaging sailor, it sucks. From the perspective of the Canal Authority, it makes sense.
An aside: The bit about it taking 30 extra minutes to raft up yachts is nonsense -- the rafts are made up underway before entering the first Gatun lock and they stay together until exiting the last lock. If the advisor is doing his job there is no delay in the operation of the lock.
BTW, just reading the documentation over at the Panama Canal Authority, and they say the minimum full ahead boat speed is EIGHT KNOTS. This is going to be difficult for most smaller sailboats to meet.
I have read both so I am not sure which is correct, 8 knots or 5? I read if you can't make min. 5 knots, you lose your delay deposit. But I've heard 8 knots too, which is insane for a lot of cruisers. It seems like getting accurate, current and detailed info about the canal is tricky.
It is EIGHT KNOTS... as seen in this PDF from the Panama Canal Authority website. From the PDF:
k. Minimum Full Ahead Speed: The ACP has determined that the minimum full
ahead speed required for vessels in order to complete transit in standard times is 8 knots.
Minimum Full Ahead Speed: The ACP has determined that the minimum full ahead speed required for vessels in order to complete transit in standard times is 8 knots.
I think everyone is missing something. Ships are "towed" by 4 small railroad engines that are mounted on tracks. Perhaps that is where the 8 knots comes from ?
Towing a small boat at speeds higher than hull speed is at best unwise...and at worst going to cause a lot of damage to the boat. IIRC, small sailboats generally make their way through the locks under their own power.
The upped the minimum speed to 8 knots, but boats don't really have to go that fast. I think the common practice is to claim 8 knots even if you can't do it. Then, if you block traffic, you pay a fine.
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