Panama
Panama is the central gateway between the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean and a must-stop for many sailors. In this category, you'll find practical information on entry requirements, cruising permits, anchorages, and experiences around Portobelo, the San Blas Islands, and the Panama Canal.
Guest post by Hanna, who sailed with us to the San Blas Islands/Guna Yala
April/May 2026 Three weeks of sailing adventure in Panama – traveling with Petra and Bernd. At the end of April, we set off for Panama for three weeks – an adventure we had been looking forward to for a long time. Our home away from home: Petra and Bernd's catamaran. Even the journey there was special. We set off together with Toni and Jonah – and indeed...
Caribbean – Diary III – High and Dry
Page 28 - After the sailing season is before the sailing season... 15.05. - 22.05.2026 "Joline" is now ashore, and we are beginning preparations for leaving the boat for the next few months and for the next sailing season, which will take us to the Pacific. Before we set off to cross the Pacific and continue through the South Seas to...
Panama – Shelter Bay Marina – our catamaran is being craned out of the water
A photo documentation... 15.05.2026 First, we maneuver the catamaran into the narrow entrance of the crane basin. We've had plenty of experience with this by now, and the dockworkers pull the boat forward with the lines as soon as we reach the basin. A sense of scale... this gantry crane is wide enough for Joline. The crane's lifting slings are lowered into the water. A diver checks underwater that the slings are correctly positioned...
Caribbean – Diary III – On the way to the Panama Canal
Page 27 - Our 4th sailing season is coming to an end... May 10.05th - May 15.05th2026 After Jonah and Toni started their journey back, we drove with the rest of the crew to Isla Grande, which is about half an hour away by boat. It was bustling with activity; after all, it was Sunday and the locals were enjoying a day at the beach with loud music, jet skis, and plenty of...
Guest post by Miriam, who accompanied us on our crossing from Jamaica to Panama.
A small part of circumnavigation 12.04. - 25.04.2026 As the grand finale of my four-month Latin America trip: two weeks of sailing in the Caribbean with my father. After nearly 30 hours of travel – from Guatemala City via Fort Lauderdale (simply the cheapest route) – I arrived completely exhausted at the Kingston marina. The idea still felt unreal: the next two weeks on...
Guest post by Carsten, who accompanied us on our crossing from Jamaica to Panama.
11.04. - 25.04.2026 The sea, perhaps the greatest thing the earth possesses, I absorbed into my soul. (ADALBERT STIFTER, *Der Nachsommer*, p. 360) With *Der Nachsommer* as an e-book, a paperback by Gerald Hüther, light cabin luggage, and a heavy anchor winch, I was on my way to Kingston, Jamaica, via Hanover and London. The German Federal Police and Jamaican Customs were interested...