Crazy question - NW Passage vs. Panama

[IT_Mike]

You have to get a boat from Northwest U.S. to the Carolinas.

Which do you choose; the Northwest Passage or the Panama Canal (and why)?

I've never transited the canal, and it seems a little overwhelming. Not that the NW passage seems any easier.

The other question would be; which is quicker if everything goes well?

[Pete7]

Cambridge University UK keep some stats on boats that have successfully made it through the NWP. Seems the odds in the last few years has been a 50% chance.

Think I would be taking the canal route. Just a small matter of 600m slog to windward after the canal.

You might keep an eye on Alluring Arctic who I think are going to try the NWP.

[psk125]

If it's small enough to fit, trucking would be cheaper and faster. Less wear & tear. Spoke with a skipper who did the NW passage. Weather uncertainties still make it iffy.

[Don C L]

Never thought I'd hear the NW passage might be preferable to the Panama canal.

[Pete7]

I borrowed this from a library perhaps 35 years ago. Fascinating but he had to leave the boat twice through the winters when he couldn't make progress.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northwest-P...rmat=4&depth=1

[AiniA]

If you have to ask this question you really should not be contemplating either option. Either truck or sell on one coast and buy on the other. Also, you left out an option that makes more sense than the NWP - head west about.

[Cheechako]

NWP too unpredictable.
Panama a LONG ways.

TRUCK for the win! Or is the container ship boat transport still operating? BC to the E Caribe?

[SailingHarmonie]

Just a dumb question. The ONLY reason for even contemplating the NW Passage is you want an extraordinarily difficult challenge to overcome. Boats passage Panama literally every day. If that is “overwhelming “ to you, you are not ready to take a sailboat out in the ocean.

[BlueH2Obound]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

NWP too unpredictable.
Panama a LONG ways.

TRUCK for the win! Or is the container ship boat transport still operating? BC to the E Caribe?

Ships go from BC to Florida all the time carrying boats. Short hope up from say Miami to the Carolina's

[jdazey]

What kind of boat? That makes a huge difference. Getting down the west coast to Panama isn't that bad. Getting from Colon across the Caribbean to the Carolinas presents some challenges. A 50'er will be more comfortable than a 27'er. With either, you'll want to time it carefully.



The Canal transit itself is not as daunting as it seems from the PNW, is in fact is quite interesting, and that alone would make the trip worthwhile.


I agree with earlier posters that the Northwest Passage is a whole different league of adventure. It's on my bucket list, but not at the top.



If you have the time, Ainia's suggestion of west about is worth considering.

[mvweebles]

Canal. No risk of getting iced-in. More flexible timing. Availability of parts if needed. Easier to reprovision. Tacos and beer along the way. Availability of fuel. Doesn't require ice-capable boat. Doesn't require mittens and mukluks.

Attached video is interesting. If I remember, they mention meeting someone who was on a second attempt and had lost their boat to ice on prior attempt.

https://youtu.be/APUP23_uKck

[IT_Mike]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

Just a dumb question. The ONLY reason for even contemplating the NW Passage is you want an extraordinarily difficult challenge to overcome. Boats passage Panama literally every day. If that is “overwhelming “ to you, you are not ready to take a sailboat out in the ocean.

Thank you for your welcoming, supportive, and informative perspective.

I'm grateful you don't set the standard for those who are growing and learning, stepping out from coastal cruising to blue water and asking questions rather than learning the hard way. You have demonstrated why people are reluctant to ask for advice or input.

[grantmc]

It's a legitimate question raised by the OP. Asking it doesn't necessarily mean a genuine interest to do a Northwest passage. So why jump on him. He's included the word crazy in the subject line and that should be a hint even to those of you endlessly looking for your village.

I can't imagine sitting in a pub with some of you. So terribly boring as the moment any one else spoke you'd be all over them like a bad rash, giving them abuse. Words/phrases like mono, lithium, steel, in-mast furling, gun, engine-less, kevlar, anthropogenic climate change, deviation and now northwest passage are triggers to cut conversation off at the ankle.

But as other posters have mentioned the number of yachts using that route is minimal, and most travel east to west.

The following lists might give an idea of just how rare such trips are, particularly if you exclude the ship passages listed.

Cambridge University
Northwest Passage Info

Also worth keeping in mind some trips may be kept prvate.

[IT_Mike]

BTW, a little background (although I think the discussion is helpful)

Experienced East coast, coastal, sailor looking for his next boat. Lots of great boats on the west coast, but that adds the complication of getting them east. Looking in the 40-50' range, so shipping across to Texas is a challenge (I think, never shipped a boat this size).

The NW passage seems like a bucket list kind of thing, but I don't know anything about it, i.e. time, difficulties, etc. I've done the Erie Canal, but not Panama. I've heard some tales, and figured this group probably had a wide range of feedback.

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by IT_Mike

BTW, a little background (although I think the discussion is helpful)

Experienced East coast, coastal, sailor looking for his next boat. Lots of great boats on the west coast, but that adds the complication of getting them east. Looking in the 40-50' range, so shipping across to Texas is a challenge (I think, never shipped a boat this size).

The NW passage seems like a bucket list kind of thing, but I don't know anything about it, i.e. time, difficulties, etc. I've done the Erie Canal, but not Panama. I've heard some tales, and figured this group probably had a wide range of feedback.

I have trucked boats a few times. Yes, many boats in the 40-50' range are wider than 12' and taller than 14', those two details make trucking very expensive.
On the other hand, I also sailed a 25' cutter from the West coast to the East coast by way of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is not really any different than the Erie, just bigger, but with far fewer locks. I have also done the Erie, St. Lawrence, and 30 some locks from Chicago to the Gulf; the Panama Canal is easier than a lot of those others.
Also, the whole trip down one coast and up the other is all favorable winds. Despite what a previous poster claimed, when you leave Colon you head north, if your destination is the US East coast, and the winds are easterly at least as far as the Chesapeake.