Crew first-day orientation checklist (Panama)

A checklist for the captain or operator to work through with a new marinero, stew or mate on their first day aboard a boat in Panama. Allow an hour at the dock before any guests arrive. Have the crew member's licence, the contract, the day's Amador tide times and the boat's safety-gear list ready.

Fill in the fields below, then print the worksheet or download your entries as a text file. Entries stay on this page until you leave unless you download them. Don’t enter passport, card or medical details; keep copies of those separately.

Your working copy

Crew member's name, role and start date; captain giving the orientationPapers seen and copies on file: AMP licence grade and expiry, safety course, medical certificate date, MITRADEL work permit for foreign crew (no numbers on this sheet)Employment paperwork: written contract signed (three copies, one for MITRADEL), probation clause if any, CSS registration started, pay day and tips policyHours: shift pattern, the 8-hour day and 48-hour week, how overtime is logged and paid, breaks, water and shade in the heatSafety walk-through: life jackets (count against certified capacity), extinguishers, flares, first-aid kit, EPIRB or DSC radio, bilge pumps, fuel shut-offs, seacocks, battery switchesEmergency roles: person overboard, fire, flooding, abandon ship; muster point; who calls VHF 16 and 911Radio: watch on VHF 16; marina channels (Flamenco VHF 10, La Playita VHF 9); Flamenco Signal on VHF 12 near the canal approach; how to give a positionToday's tide: Amador high and low times and heights; fender heights at low pontoons; lines in a 4–6 m range; the set along the causeway at mid-tideLines, fenders and anchor: knots shown back (bowline, cleat hitch, clove hitch); anchoring on sand, never on coral; windlass and chain safetyTender: who may drive it, kill cord, slow speed near swimmers, divers and anchored boatsGuests: boarding at the gangway, bilingual safety briefing, head count against the SENAN manifest, alcohol and swimming rulesWeather: rainy-season squall and lightning plan (May to November), who decides to head back, hatches and cushionsTurnaround duties: fuel log, trash ashore, freshwater rinse, head check, restock against the par listSENAN or AMP boarding: where the papers are kept, who speaks to the officers, crew carry their own licenceWildlife and environment: whales 250 m, 4 knots, 30 minutes (DM-0144-2022); nothing over the side; protected-area rules on the day's routeConduct: no alcohol on duty, phones, harassment policy and who to report a problem toInjury at work: who to tell, nearest clinic or hospital to the base, CSS claim stepsSign-off: crew member and captain signatures, date, items to repeat at the end of week one

How to fill it in

Go top to bottom. Tick each line only when the crew member has shown it back: found the seacock, tied the knot, made the radio call. Both of you sign, and the sheet goes in the crew file with the contract.

Papers before work

Licence. Paid crew in national waters need an AMP licence from Gente de Mar, usually marinero. SENAN and the AMP check operators on the water, and an unlicensed hand is the operator's problem, not only the crew member's. Note the expiry and diary the renewal.
Contract and CSS. The Código de Trabajo expects a written contract in three copies, CSS registration, paid overtime, the décimo tercer mes and 30 days' vacation for every 11 months. A probation clause counts only if it is written in. The detail is in crew contracts and pay.
Foreign crew. Each needs a MITRADEL work permit and must fit inside the 10% cap (15% for specialists). A tourist stamp is not a permit.

What is different about Panama boats

Tide. The Pacific range at Amador runs 4 to 6 m. New crew from Florida or the Caribbean underestimate it: a fender set at high water can sit above the pontoon at low water. Show the tide table and walk the dock at both heights if you can. See docking with Pacific tides.
Ship traffic. Ships use the canal approach and anchor off Flamenco. Crew should know to cross the channel only at right angles and to listen on 12 and 16.
Squalls. In the rainy season, squalls and lightning build fast in the afternoon. Agree who calls it and what gets closed.
Language. Run the orientation in the crew member's strongest language. Teach the guest briefing in both Spanish and English.

Week one

Repeat the emergency roles at the end of the first week and on the first rainy-season trip. Keep injury reporting simple: tell the captain, get care, then deal with the CSS paperwork. For rest hours and conduct, see fatigue, conduct and harassment rules.

Read the companion guide

Before using this resource, read Yacht crew jobs in Panama: where the work is, what pays.

Fernando Yemail is the owner of Feeling Yachty and is not a lawyer. Yachty Guide provides general educational information and practical recommendations, not legal, tax, insurance or individualized professional advice. Panamanian rules depend on the vessel, flag, activity and location and can change. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority (AMP, ACP, SENAN, ATP, ARAP, MiAmbiente, Migración or Aduanas) and consult a qualified professional in Panama about your situation. Full disclaimer.

Use it alongside these guides

Yacht careers

Crew first-day orientation checklist (Panama)

Your working copy

How to fill it in

Papers before work

What is different about Panama boats

Week one

Read the companion guide

Use it alongside these guides

Yacht crew jobs in Panama: where the work is, what pays

Hiring yacht crew in Panama City: law, where, how

Captain and crew requirements for paid trips in Panama

Deckhand skills that matter in Panama

Guest safety briefing, English/Spanish (Panama)