The Panama Posse is a private cruising rally that links boats sailing from Mexico down Central America's Pacific coast to Panama, and on into the Western Caribbean. You pay to join and get marina discounts, route information, a canal agent, group nets and events. It has no official standing: you still clear in and out of every country yourself. The other rally that passes through Panama is the World ARC circumnavigation, which transits the canal in late January or early February.
What the Panama Posse is
The Panama Posse was founded by Captain Dietmar Petutschnig and started as a rally from Barra de Navidad, Mexico, to the Panama Canal. Press coverage of the 2019–20 season described a roughly 2,000 nm route through seven countries, with the fleet starting in early December and the season ending at Vista Mar Marina in Panama at the end of May. Later seasons widened the route: coverage of the 2020–21 rally described a loop from California to Florida and back through Central American Pacific and Western Caribbean waters, about 4,500 nm, with boats from 32 to 225 feet.
It is not a race and, as Noonsite puts it, there is no set schedule or route. Boats join where they are (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and other points) and move at their own pace, in both directions. The season is framed by hurricane season: boats move south and east after it ends and are somewhere safe before it starts again.
What members get
The benefits listed in press coverage and on Noonsite are consistent across seasons:
- Marina discounts at sponsor marinas in Mexico, Central America and Panama.
- Verified anchorages and digital chartlets for the route.
- A dedicated Panama Canal agent as part of entry.
- Customs and immigration guidance for each country.
- Radio nets, chat groups and weekly calls on weather and navigation.
- Seminars and events: kick-off parties, provisioning and route-planning talks, land excursions.
For the 2019–20 season, Panama sponsor marinas named in the press included Vista Mar, Shelter Bay and Red Frog. Sponsors change from season to season, so check the current list on the Posse's own site before you plan around a discount.
Fees are not published in the coverage we could find. Ask the organisers for the current price and exactly what it includes, especially whether the canal agent's fee is covered or only arranged.
World ARC and other rallies through Panama
World ARC is World Cruising Club's round-the-world rally, about 15 months long. Its 2026–27 itinerary starts in Saint Lucia on 10 January, sails about 1,100 miles to Panama, transits the canal between 30 January and 7 February, meets at Las Perlas on 10 February and leaves for the Galápagos on 12 February. Canal legs are listed as independent stages, so each boat handles its own transit. The better-known ARC transatlantic rally ends in Saint Lucia, not Panama.
Pacific Puddle Jump. Long associated with the sailing magazine Latitude 38, the Puddle Jump is a loose rally for boats crossing from the Americas (principally California, Mexico and Panama) to French Polynesia. Press reports say it is now managed by Sail Tahiti, with free and paid support packages. Most Panama departures leave between February and April; see leaving Panama for the Galápagos and the South Pacific.
What a rally does not do
No rally changes the rules. In Panama you still clear in with Migración, the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP), Aduanas and health, buy your own cruising permit, and book your own canal transit with the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP), directly or through an agent. A rally agent is a convenience, not a fast lane: the ACP schedules small craft by its own rules. See arriving in Panama by boat and canal agent vs doing it yourself.
Group travel also brings its own pressure: a fleet that wants to leave on a date, whatever the weather. The skipper stays responsible for the go or no-go decision.
Is it worth it?
It tends to pay off for:
- First-time cruisers in Central America who want route knowledge and company.
- Boats that will spend several months in sponsor marinas, where discounts can add up.
- Crews who want a canal agent arranged as part of the package.
It matters less for:
- Experienced crews comfortable doing their own clearances and canal paperwork.
- Boats moving fast on a delivery schedule; see hiring a delivery captain.
- Anyone who mostly anchors out and rarely uses marinas.
A middle path many crews take: skip the membership, but join the free morning nets and cruiser chat groups, read Noonsite and recent cruising blogs for each country, and hire a canal agent only for the transit itself. You lose the discounts and the parties, but keep your own timetable.
Do the arithmetic: the fee against the discounts you would actually use, plus what the agent and events are worth to you.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide where you will join and which direction you are going; the Posse lets you join along the route.
- Ask the organisers for the current fee, the sponsor marina list and exactly what the canal agent service includes.
- Add up the discounts you would really use against the fee.
- For a circumnavigation, compare World ARC dates and entry requirements on World Cruising Club's site.
- Plan your own clearances and canal booking regardless; a rally does not replace them.
- Keep the weather decision with the skipper, not the fleet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Panama Posse?
A private cruising rally for boats sailing between Mexico, Central America, Panama and the Western Caribbean. Members get marina discounts, route information, a canal agent and group events.
How much does the Panama Posse cost?
The fee is not published in the sources we checked. Ask the organisers directly and confirm what it covers, especially the canal agent.
Does joining a rally speed up my Panama Canal transit?
No rally can override the ACP's small-craft scheduling. A rally's agent handles the paperwork, but the transit date comes from the canal.
When does the World ARC go through the Panama Canal?
For the 2026–27 edition, between 30 January and 7 February, after leaving Saint Lucia on 10 January.
¿Qué es el Panama Posse?
Un rally privado de cruceros que recorre México, Centroamérica y Panamá. Ofrece descuentos en marinas, información de rutas, agente para el Canal y eventos. No reemplaza los trámites oficiales de entrada y salida.
The next question to answer
What an agent actually does, with or without a rally. Read Canal agent vs doing it yourself.
Timing and paperwork for the westbound season. Read Leaving Panama for the Galápagos.
The Caribbean-side staging marina most fleets pass through. Read Shelter Bay Marina.
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.
- Noonsite: Panama Posse Rally listing — secondary ↗
- PassageMaker: 2019 Panama Posse Rally (route, sponsor marinas) — secondary ↗
- The Log: Panama Posse 2020–21 kick-off (benefits, 4,500 nm route) — secondary ↗
- World Cruising Club: World ARC 2026–27 itinerary ↗
- Boatnews: Pacific Puddle Jump now managed by Sail Tahiti — secondary ↗