Miami to Colón is roughly 1,200 to 1,450 nautical miles, depending on whether you go east through the Bahamas and the Windward Passage, west through the Yucatán Channel and the Western Caribbean, or offshore with few stops. Leave Florida after hurricane season ends on 30 November, plan to reach Panama between January and March, and clear in with Panamanian officials at your first port. A US-owned pleasure boat does not need a CBP clearance to leave.
The three routes and their distances
Cuba sits between Florida and Panama, so there is no straight line. The great-circle distance is under 1,000 nm; every real route is longer. The figures below are planning numbers measured along typical waypoints, not official distances.
| Route | Typical stops | Approx. distance Miami to Colón |
|---|---|---|
| East: Bahamas, Windward Passage, Jamaica | Bimini or Nassau, Exumas, Long Island or Great Inagua, Windward Passage, Jamaica | 1,250–1,300 nm |
| West: Yucatán Channel, Western Caribbean | Key West, Isla Mujeres, Belize or Roatán (Bay Islands), Providencia, San Andrés, then Colón or Bocas del Toro | 1,250–1,450 nm |
| Offshore, few stops | Old Bahama Channel or Exumas, Windward Passage, then non-stop | 1,200–1,250 nm |
The east route starts with the familiar Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas (Miami to Nassau is about 160 to 185 nm by the usual route) and works south-east down the island chain to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti. From there it is about 720 nm to Colón, or about 540 nm from Kingston if you stop in Jamaica.
The west route runs to Key West, across to Isla Mujeres in Mexico (about 340 nm), then south along Belize and the Honduran Bay Islands, out to Providencia and San Andrés (Colombian islands), and finally about 200 nm to either Colón or Bocas del Toro. Longer, but with shorter legs; each country stop needs its own clearance.
The offshore option is the shortest practical line and the one delivery crews use most: through the Bahamas or the Old Bahama Channel, out through the Windward Passage, and straight for Colón. It needs a crew comfortable with a week at sea.
Seasons and weather windows
The window is roughly November to May. Two seasons shape it.
Hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, and every route above crosses the hurricane belt north of Panama. Panama itself sits south of the usual storm tracks, though the Caribbean coast can catch the tail of tropical systems. Most boats leave Florida from late November onward.
Christmas winds. From about December to February, and often into March, the trade winds in the south-western Caribbean are reinforced. Cruisers report sustained 20 to 30 knots and steep seas, worst off the Colombian coast and in the open water between Jamaica and Panama. The east and offshore routes take this on the beam or quarter for days. Waiting for a lull in Jamaica, or in Providencia on the west route, is normal.
A practical rhythm: cross to the Bahamas in late November or December, wait out fronts there, and pick a three-to-five-day forecast window for the long leg south. On the west route, leave Isla Mujeres when a northerly front has passed and the wind has settled east. Once in Panama, see Panama boating seasons for what to expect on arrival.
Leaving the US and the Bahamas permit
Under US Customs regulations (19 CFR 4.60), a documented vessel with a pleasure endorsement or an undocumented American pleasure vessel is not required to clear out with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as long as it is owned by US citizens and not engaged in trade. There is no exit stamp. A foreign-flagged yacht in the US on a cruising licence is a different case; confirm your obligations with CBP before you go, and see foreign-flagged yachts in Florida.
What you do need before leaving: the vessel's documentation or state registration, passports for everyone, and a clear record of who is aboard. Panama will ask for your last port's clearance papers on arrival; boats leaving straight from Florida without a US zarpe usually present the documentation they have, and the Bahamas, Mexico or Jamaica issue outbound papers if you stop there.
Bahamas. If you stop, you clear in at a port of entry through Bahamas Customs' Click2Clear system and buy a cruising permit. Bahamas Customs lists 30-day, 6-month and 12-month permits priced by length, and an outbound clearance (form C28A) when you leave for a foreign port. Check current fees on the Bahamas Customs site before you go. The first leg is covered in Florida to the Bahamas by boat.
Arriving in Panama
Most boats from Florida make landfall at Colón on the Caribbean side, either at Shelter Bay Marina or the anchorage near Cristóbal, because that is where canal paperwork starts. West-route boats sometimes clear in at Bocas del Toro instead; some stop in San Blas first and clear at Porvenir. Each office handles Migración, the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) cruising permit, Aduanas and health checks slightly differently.
The full sequence is in arriving in Panama by boat, with port-by-port detail in Panama ports of entry for yachts and the permit itself in the Panama cruising permit. If you plan to go through, start the canal process as soon as you arrive: January to April is peak season for small-boat transits.
Insurance, crew and the boat
Insurance. Many Florida policies have navigation limits that stop at the Bahamas or exclude named-storm cover in the Caribbean during hurricane season. Ask your insurer in writing for a navigation extension covering the Caribbean and Panama, the dates it applies, and whether they require a minimum crew or an approved captain for offshore legs. See boat insurance exclusions for the clauses to read.
Crew. Plan for at least three people on the long legs so watches stay sane. Check that every crew member's passport has six months left and that their nationality does not need a visa for Panama; see visas for boat crew.
The boat. Fuel range matters on the offshore route: there is no fuel between the Windward Passage and Colón unless you divert to Jamaica. Carry spares for anything that stops the engine, a liferaft, an EPIRB registered to the boat, and an offshore weather source (satellite or SSB).
Coming back to Florida
If the plan is a round trip, the return is the harder direction against the trades. On arrival back in the US, a pleasure boat that has visited a foreign port must report to CBP straight away. CBP accepts reports through its free CBP ROAM app for most travellers, or in person at a designated reporting location. The detail is in returning to Florida by boat.
Your practical starting checklist
- Choose the route by crew size and experience: offshore for a strong delivery crew, west route for a couple who want short legs.
- Get a written navigation extension from your insurer covering the Caribbean and Panama for your dates.
- Check passports (six months' validity) and Panama visa rules for every crew member.
- Leave Florida after 30 November; cross to the Bahamas or Key West and wait there for a settled forecast.
- Pick a three-to-five-day window for the long leg south and avoid the peak of the Christmas winds south of Jamaica.
- Clear in at your first Panamanian port (Colón, Bocas or Porvenir) and buy the AMP cruising permit.
- If you are transiting, contact the canal or an agent the week you arrive.
Frequently asked questions
How far is it from Miami to Panama by boat?
About 1,200 nm by the shortest practical route through the Windward Passage, around 1,250 to 1,300 nm via the Bahamas and Jamaica, and up to about 1,450 nm via the Yucatán Channel and the Western Caribbean islands.
How long does it take to sail from Florida to Panama?
Non-stop at 6 knots, about nine days of sailing. Most cruising boats take three to eight weeks with stops and weather waits; delivery crews running the offshore route usually allow two weeks.
Do I need to clear out with CBP when leaving Florida?
Not for a US-owned pleasure boat that is not engaged in trade; 19 CFR 4.60 exempts it from clearance. Foreign-flagged yachts should confirm with CBP. You must report to CBP when you come back from a foreign port.
When is the best time to sail to Panama?
Leave Florida from late November and aim to arrive in Panama between January and March. Avoid June to November north of Panama for hurricanes, and plan around the strong December to February trade winds near Colombia.
The next question to answer
The first leg: Gulf Stream crossing, Bahamas clearance and permits. Read Florida to the Bahamas by boat.
Reporting to CBP and what to declare when you come home. Read Returning to Florida by boat.
Migración, AMP, Aduanas and health clearance at your first port. Read Arriving in Panama by boat.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare Florida to Bahamas Boat Trip Planning.
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.
- 19 CFR 4.60: pleasure vessels not required to clear (Cornell LII) ↗
- CBP: US recreational vessel and fisherman clearance procedures ↗
- CBP: pleasure boat reporting procedures and CBP ROAM ↗
- Bahamas Customs: pleasure vessel clearance, cruising permits and fees ↗
- Noonsite: Panama weather (Caribbean coast and tropical storms) — secondary ↗