Panama Canal line-handler briefing sheet

A briefing sheet for the skipper to go through with the four line handlers the evening before a small-boat Panama Canal transit, built on the ACP handline procedure (form 4352, V.08-2026). Print one per handler. Have the scheduler's boarding time, the four lines, the fenders and the boat's cleat plan 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

Boat name, length overall, transit date and direction (northbound Pacific to Caribbean, or southbound), boarding point and time from the schedulerSkipper at the helm (name); the ACP advisor gives the orders, and handlers answer to the skipperFour handlers and their corners: port bow, starboard bow, port stern, starboard stern; all over 16; volunteer, or licensed and booked through an agent or marinaLockage expected: centre chamber, sidewall, alongside a tug, or rafted with other yachts; what changes for each cornerLines: four of at least 125 ft, 7/8 to 1½ in, 3-ft loop at one end, no knots or splices; flaked where, clear to runFenders: our own plus wrapped tyres (at least four in total), where each hangs, who moves them before a wall or a raftYour cleat and chock: which ones you use, checked well fastened; figure-of-eight turns you can ease, never riding turnsHeaving lines: the wall crew throw a weighted light line; protect heads, hatches and solar panels; tie it to the loop of your big line, never to the boatPositions 1, 2 and 3: first lines to the entrance wall, second set on the chamber side wall, all four made fast before the water movesGoing up (water coming in): take in slack steadily so the boat stays centredGoing down (water going out): ease line out so the boat never hangs from a cleatCalls: one person calls "take in" or "ease" for each end; everyone listens to the advisorRelease: wall crew drop the loops, lines aboard fast and out of the propeller, tell the skipper "all lines aboard"Safety: hands and feet clear of loaded cleats and chocks, deck shoes, gloves, no loose line on deck, life jacket if the skipper asksOvernight: night on a mooring at Gatún Lake or Gamboa if the schedule needs it; where you sleep; quiet on deckFood and water: hot meals for the advisor and handlers, at least 3 litres of sealed bottled water a day for the advisor; who cooks whenGetting home: how each handler returns from the other coast, who pays, and who returns the rented lines and tyresEmergency: person in the water in a lock (shout, point, do not jump); who calls VHF 12 and 16

How to fill it in

Fill in the top three lines yourself, then go through the rest with the handlers on deck, each at their own corner. Hand out the sheet with their corner circled.

The ACP rules behind it

Four and four. Whatever lockage you end up with, the ACP requires every small craft to be set up for a centre-chamber lockage: skipper plus four handlers over 16, four lines of at least 125 ft (7/8 to 1½ in, 3-ft loop, no knots or splices) and at least four fenders. The advisor is not one of your four.
Strength and skill. The ACP expects handlers able to make knots and control lines in turbulence. If someone has never handled a loaded line, give them a stern corner next to an experienced hand.
Paid handlers. Volunteers from your crew or other boats are fine. If you pay someone, use a licensed handler through an agent or marina. An advisor who finds an unlicensed paid handler can stop the transit. Noonsite, a cruiser resource, reports about US$120 per handler per transit.
Meals. The ACP requires hot meals and sealed water for the advisor, or it may supply them and charge you.

Going up and going down

Northbound you lock up at Miraflores and Pedro Miguel and down at Gatún. Southbound it is the reverse.
Going up, the inflow is turbulent. Take in steadily and evenly at both ends.
Going down, lines tighten as the boat drops. Ease smoothly, and keep a turn on so the line never runs free.
If you are rafted, the advisors decide which boats' handlers work the wall lines. Agree the raft lines and fender plan before you come alongside; see catamarans, rafting and centre chamber.

After the last lock

Handlers end the day on the other coast. Settle how they get home before the transit, not on the dock at Balboa or Colón. Rented lines and tyres need a named person to collect them; dumped tyres become mosquito breeding grounds.

Use this with the canal transit checklist.

Read the companion guide

Before using this resource, read Panama Canal line handlers, 125-ft lines and fenders.

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

Panama