A provisioning list for a boat stocking up in Panama City or Colón before Las Perlas, San Blas, the western Pacific coast or an ocean passage. Fill in the trip line first, then shop by store. Have the number of people aboard, the days until your next reliable resupply and your fridge and freezer space measured.
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.
How to fill it in
Work out quantities from people × days, then add a margin for weather days. Shop dry goods and bulk first, produce last, and fish on the morning you leave.
Where Panama City boats provision
- PriceSmart is a Costco-style bulk store with an annual membership (about US$30). Boats often share one card for meat, oil and dry goods before a Pacific crossing.
- Riba Smith has the widest range of imported brands, deli and wine, and is the most expensive.
- El Rey and Super 99 are everyday supermarkets with many branches and fair prices.
- Mercado de Abastos in Calidonia for produce, and the Mercado de Mariscos on the Cinta Costera for fish.
- On the Caribbean side, cruisers use El Rey at Cuatro Altos in Colón. The Colón Free Zone sells wholesale to registered buyers, so go through an agent or ship's supplier.
Water and fuel
- Tap water in Panama City is generally drinkable, and marina water there is usually fine for the tanks. Use a hose filter. In Bocas del Toro and San Blas, boil or treat it. San Blas has nowhere to fill.
- Fill fuel before you go. Flamenco and La Playita take reservations; Shelter Bay has no fuel dock, only delivery. San Blas has no fuel dock we could find. Details are in Panama City fuel docks.
Heat and humidity
- Repack dry goods into sealed containers to keep out damp and weevils. Take cardboard off in the dock, not aboard.
- Freeze meat flat in portions, and pre-chill the fridge before loading.
- Buy fruit green. It ripens fast at 30 °C.
Parts and spares
Chandleries in Panama City include branches of Abernathy and Centro Marino. A foreign yacht in transit can usually bring in parts duty-free through a customs broker or agent, with fees. Cruisers warn against shipping by UPS. Confirm the procedure with Aduanas or your agent first; see in transit vs imported.
For San Blas costs and cash, use the San Blas cruising budget.
Read the companion guide
Before using this resource, read Fuel, water, parts and provisioning in Panama for cruisers.
Use it alongside these guides
Fuel, water, parts and provisioning in Panama for cruisers
Where cruisers get fuel, water, food and parts in Panama: fuel docks by region, why marina diesel costs more than the capped road price, and supermarkets.
Boat ramps and fuel docks in Panama City
Fuel docks at Flamenco and La Playita (reserve ahead), the Club de Yates y Pesca ramp for members, SNE price caps, and how the 4–6 m tide sets your window.
Shelter Bay Marina (Colón): canal staging, yard, costs
Shelter Bay Marina at Fort Sherman is the Caribbean-side base for a Panama Canal transit: about 200 slips, a 100-ton Travelift, dry storage and a shuttle to Colón.
San Blas (Guna Yala) cruising budget worksheet
Printable San Blas budget: Guna Congreso fee, island anchoring fees, Porvenir clearance, provisions and cash to carry, using cruiser-reported figures.
Panama Canal transit checklist for small boats
Printable Panama Canal handline checklist: ASEM steps, SIN, form 4614 payment, four 125-ft lines, fenders, line handlers, advisor meals, horn.