A small-boat transit covers about 80 km (roughly 43 nautical miles) and three sets of locks. Southbound, your advisor normally boards at the Flats inside the Cristóbal breakwater in the late afternoon, you lock up through Gatún, spend the night on Gatún Lake, then cross the lake and the Culebra Cut next morning and lock down through Pedro Miguel and Miraflores in daylight. Northbound starts in the morning at Balboa and can finish the same day.
The day before
You get your date and time from the Marine Traffic scheduler, by phone on (+507) 272-4202 after 18:00. Confirm your line handlers, the rented lines and tyres, the advisor's food, and that the boat can hold the speed you declared. Monitor VHF 12, 13 and 16.
Southbound, Caribbean to Pacific: a typical timeline
The ACP schedules southbound small craft to start in the evening and transit over two days, with the second part usually in daylight. A typical pattern, not a timetable:
Day 1, afternoon and evening
- Late afternoon: wait at the Flats, the small-craft anchorage inside the Cristóbal breakwater, fenders out. An ACP launch brings your advisor. Times slip; stay ready.
- Approach: motor down the channel towards Gatún behind or alongside the ship you will share the lock with. The advisor tells you whether you are centre chamber, nested or on a wall.
- Gatún Locks: three chambers up, about 26 m in total, to the level of Gatún Lake. Locking up is the turbulent direction, because the water boils up from below. Your handlers take in slack steadily, and the ship ahead's propeller wash hits you as it leaves.
- Night: tie to a mooring or anchor at the Gatún anchorage. The advisor leaves by launch. Nobody else goes ashore and dinghies are not allowed.
Day 2
- Early morning: a new advisor may board. You cross the lake along the buoyed ship channel, the longest motoring stretch.
- Gamboa and the Culebra (Gaillard) Cut: about 13.7 km through the Continental Divide, the narrowest part of the canal, with ships passing close.
- Pedro Miguel Locks: one step down into Miraflores Lake. Locking down is calmer; handlers ease line.
- Miraflores Locks: two steps down to the Pacific, with the visitor centre watching.
- Bridge of the Americas and the Balboa reach. The advisor is picked up by launch near Balboa, and you go to Flamenco, La Playita or the Balboa Yacht Club moorings to return lines and tyres.
Northbound, Pacific to Caribbean
The advisor boards at the Balboa anchorage near buoys 2 and 6. Northbound transits start in the morning and, depending on lockage availability and your speed, may finish the same day: Miraflores (two steps up), Pedro Miguel (one up), the Cut, the lake and Gatún (three down) to the Flats. Slower boats stop at Gamboa or Gatún for the night. See the Balboa canal entrance for the Pacific approach.
Speed, distance and how long it takes
The ACP plans a standard small-craft transit at 8 knots and will not accept less than 5. At 6 knots the 43 nautical miles alone take over seven hours, before waiting for locks and ships. Boats that hold 8 knots or more are more likely to be given a one-day northbound transit, or to reach Gamboa rather than Gatún on a southbound first day. Sailboats and slower boats normally take two days in either direction.
If you cannot keep up, or ask to stop, the ACP can charge a $550 delay per advisor. See transit costs.
Working with the advisor
Boats under 65 ft get a transit advisor; 65 ft and over get a pilot. The advisor handles radio with the locks, other ships and Marine Traffic and tells you where to be. You remain the skipper and responsible for the boat. Give them shade under the awning, a seat, sealed water and a proper hot meal. The ACP's procedure is clear that if equipment is defective or the boat is mishandled, the ACP is not responsible for damage.
What to have ready on deck and below
- Lines: all four flaked down, loops at the bow and stern corners, free to run through the chocks.
- Fenders: tyres and fenders on both sides, because you do not know your lockage type until the advisor tells you.
- Engine: oil and coolant checked, fuel for the whole transit plus reserve, spare impeller and belts within reach. A boat that cannot hold its speed costs everyone time.
- Anchor: ready to let go. The ACP requires it.
- Radio and phone: VHF on 12, 13 and 16; a charged phone with your agent's or the scheduler's number for problems in the lake.
- Galley: hot meals planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner as the schedule demands, sealed water bottles for the advisor, snacks and plenty of water for the crew.
- Flag: Noonsite notes that boats in Canal waters are expected to fly the Panamanian flag from dawn to 18:00.
- Awning up over the cockpit; rain or sun, the schedule does not stop.
Your practical starting checklist
- Call the scheduler after 18:00 for your boarding time and place.
- Fuel up, cook meals in advance and stow sealed water for the advisor.
- Lay out the four lines with loops ready and hang fenders on both sides.
- Be at the Flats or the Balboa anchorage early, fenders out, VHF on 12 and 16.
- Brief the crew on corners, taking in going up and easing out going down.
- After the last lock, return rented lines and tyres and confirm your buffer refund details.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a sailboat to transit the Panama Canal?
Usually two days. Southbound transits start in the evening, stop overnight in Gatún Lake and finish the next afternoon. Fast boats going north can sometimes do it in one day.
How long is the Panama Canal?
About 80 km (roughly 43 nautical miles) between the Atlantic and Pacific, according to the ACP.
Where does the advisor board?
On the Caribbean side, at the Flats small-craft anchorage inside the Cristóbal breakwater. On the Pacific side, in the Balboa anchorage near buoys 2 and 6.
Can we go ashore in Gatún Lake overnight?
No. Only ACP personnel go ashore, with Port Captain permission and on ACP launches. Dinghies and rowing boats are not permitted.
¿Cuánto dura el tránsito del Canal en velero?
Normalmente dos días. Hacia el sur se empieza por la tarde en Cristóbal, se pasa la noche en el lago Gatún y se termina al día siguiente en Balboa. Hacia el norte, los barcos rápidos pueden terminar en un solo día.
The next question to answer
The full step-by-step, from ASEM to the Pacific. Read How to transit the Panama Canal in a yacht.
Four handlers, four 125-ft lines, enough fenders. Read Line handlers, lines and fenders.
Lockage types, nesting and fender plans. Read Catamarans, rafting and center chamber.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- ACP: Procedures for securing a handline transit, form 4352-I, V.08-2026 (requirements, ASEM/VUMPA steps, charges table, transit hours, lockage types) ↗
- ACP: The Panama Canal (length ~80 km, Gatún Lake 26 m above sea level, Culebra Cut 13.7 km) ↗
- ACP: Maritime Services Tariffs, February 2026 (small-vessel tolls 1010.0910–0940 effective 1 Jan 2025; TVI 1080.RIN1; security 1081.RSE1; scheduling 1050.IPB1; delay 1060.IPD2; launch 1800.ILA1) ↗
- Noonsite: Panama Canal transit guide for small craft, updated Aug 2025 (secondary) ↗