Proposed cost increase to transit Panama Canal

[Paul L]

[QUOTE=Nicholson58;2918676]

Originally Posted by Rorzech

The amount of of water (rainfall) required is the same for all boats. Only the length X width X depth of the lock is needed. This is the water under the boats. Displacement has nothing to do with it. In the old days, yachts were positioned at the bow and stern of the commercial ships and rode for free. The more vessels you can cram into a lock, the better the efficiency. Making private boats ride without a commercial big daddy paying the fees was a game changer. After the Panamanians took control it became a race for the dollars. My uncle ran the place up till the turn-over and warned of exactly what has transpired.

Except that is not how the Canal is run or was ever run. Handline vessels travel with large ships in the vast majority of cruising boat transits.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by sailorladd

That is unbelievable, when the US controlled the canal, when I went through it in 1986 I payed about $60 as I recall, or it may have been about $160 at max.. my memory is not that clear..if I were faced with that cost I know I would have gone around the horn, the Tierra del fuego route..

Ah, the good old days when you could rely on getting welfare from Washington.

[Captain Kev]

Oh My,

This discussion has been going on for many years.

I went through the canal this spring with no problems, BUT, there are lots of other expenses other than the canal. Plan on about $3000-$4000 including dockage before or after, taxis even if friends fly down to tend lines. There are some unmentionable fees because I will take another boat through some day and don't want to admit my bribes and on and on.

I have hired a truck to haul my sail boat from Seattle to Green Turtle Bay in western Kentucky when they had delivered a boat from Knoxville, Tennessee to Seattle and were going home empty for $3800. It saved about $10,000 including beer on the trip to Florida.

If you want to go through the canal on your own boat, there are few bragging rights as high as a Panama Canal transit. Its worth it if that's what you want. No argument there. If you want to get a boat to the other side and it's less than 14' from keel to top of the cabin, hire a semi.

Captain Kev

[MicHughV]

ok...so you've gone thru' the Panama Canal....and then what ?
Heading west thru' the Pacific....off course..... and then on to New Zealand, Australia...etc....
And then....you have two choices.....around Cape of Good Hope...or...Suez....yet another canal. Think Panama is tough......???

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Captain Kev

Oh My,

This discussion has been going on for many years.

I went through the canal this spring with no problems, BUT, there are lots of other expenses other than the canal. Plan on about $3000-$4000 including dockage before or after, taxis even if friends fly down to tend lines. There are some unmentionable fees because I will take another boat through some day and don't want to admit my bribes and on and on.

I have hired a truck to haul my sail boat from Seattle to Green Turtle Bay in western Kentucky when they had delivered a boat from Knoxville, Tennessee to Seattle and were going home empty for $3800. It saved about $10,000 including beer on the trip to Florida.

If you want to go through the canal on your own boat, there are few bragging rights as high as a Panama Canal transit. Its worth it if that's what you want. No argument there. If you want to get a boat to the other side and it's less than 14' from keel to top of the cabin, hire a semi.

Captain Kev

So you basically slander the Canal Authority by saying you had to pay bribes, but give no info. There is no way you needed to or were asked for bribes from anyone directly associated with the ACP (the canal authority).

As far as your costs, if you choose to stay in the marinas at each end for weeks at a time, sure it could cost that much. Why you would include that in the Canal transit isn't clear to me. Clearing into Panama adds costs, but that you have to do whether you transit the canal or not. The Canal fees are very clearly stated, and in my opinion a good deal. And no where near your $4,000 mark. $850 for the transit and $100-125 for lines and tires. Linehandlers you get form other cruisers, pay lunch and a $100 cab or a bus ride back to he other side, plus meals.

[Tillsbury]

I think the Magellan Strait gives more bragging rights than the Panama Canal. Just sayin...

[pbmaise]

Originally Posted by moctrams

I thought the water goes into a holding pond for the net cycle.

You are correct there is now a system to recycle some of the water into water saving basins.

Instead of allowing all the water to flush down to the next level, they save some of it to raise the water level within a lock back up again.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_project

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Paul L

So you basically slander the Canal Authority by saying you had to pay bribes, but give no info. There is no way you needed to or were asked for bribes from anyone directly associated with the ACP (the canal authority).

...

While small bribes are common practice in Central America, I have never heard of an ACP authority requesting or accepting one in relation to a transit.

[Rumbline]

We never should have given control of the canal back to Panama. Amonst others, you can thank Jimmy Carter for that one.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

You are correct there is now a system to recycle some of the water into water saving basins.

Instead of allowing all the water to flush down to the next level, they save some of it to raise the water level within a lock back up again.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pana...ansion_project

Good image of old and new locks at Gatún attached. You can see the retaining ponds of the new locks on the right.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Rumbline

We never should have given control of the canal back to Panama. Amonst others, you can thank Jimmy Carter for that one.

The historic reasons we chose to return the canal are well documented. What are the reasons that we should not have given it back?

[belizesailor]

Just stumbled across a bit of canal related history I didnt know about. The USA occuppied Nicaragua from 1912 - 1933 to prevent any one else from building a canal across Nicaragua.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...n_of_Nicaragua

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Just stumbled across a bit of canal related history I didnt know about. The USA occuppied Nicaragua from 1912 - 1933 to prevent any one else from building a canal across Nicaragua.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...n_of_Nicaragua

It is harder to find a Central American or Caribbean country that the US hasn't militarily intervened in.

[Sailshabby]

Originally Posted by Rumbline

We never should have given control of the canal back to Panama. Amonst others, you can thank Jimmy Carter for that one.

I wish we’d gone through before it was turned over, when apparently it was free...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Sailshabby

I wish we’d gone through before it was turned over, when apparently it was free...

Wasnt free, but was inexpensive...USA was losing money.