Location: Colon, Panama (Atlantic Ocean side)
Duration: 3 nights (29th September – 2nd October 2019)
Cost: $73.50US/day includes water, power and tip, excludes taxes.
Wifi: $10.00US per user for 7 days
Overall this is a great marina with a number of key facilities onsite that will please cruisers and local yachties alike. The marina complex offers both long and short term berths and mooring. Berths aren’t tightly packed so there is a lot of room to manouvre into the dock (though this may change during high season).
There are also a range of facilities onsite including a small hotel, restaurant/bar, shop, chandlery, immigration and port office, pool with spa and a free bus service to Colon shopping centre. The marina offers a range of activities including aqua aerobics, yoga and a weekly BYO barbeque. A greater range of social activities are offered in high season.
The main disadvantage of this marina is its location, it is quite isolated and the centre of Colon is approximately a one hour drive away. A range of empty buildings and residential houses line the only road leading into and out of the marina, remnants of the US military base that was here at one time. An airfield is also nearby, but only used occasionally by small light planes.
Staffing
The marina is well staffed with a manager, office staff, and maintenance staff who double as security. Staff at this marina were friendly and helpful with great local knowledge, and spoke fluent English.
When we arrived at the marina, staff were on hand to guide us to our berth and assist with docking. Great service.
Amenities
Secure access: No, a flimsy chain stretches across the dock entrance overnight. Though security (maintenance) staff are onsite and patrol the marina during the day until late.
Secure parking: Parking is available but it is not secure.
Swimming pool and spa: YES! Onsite and awesome. Would you believe aquarobics is also held here once a week. Check the notice board at the entrance to the restaurant for the daily social and other activities on offer.
Bathrooms: The facilities of the marina are open to guests staying at the onsite hotel, and the public who use the restaurant/bar. Mens and ladies showers and toilets for hotel guests and pool users are available next to the pool. There are additional facilities for cruisers. Four individual unisex bathrooms/toilets (combined) are available up a short flight of stairs behind the restaurant. These bathrooms were poorly maintained and unclean. Flushing of toilet paper is disallowed, and open bins sit next to the toilet piled with used toilet paper, often smeared with faecal matter. Ugh! And then there is the flies and other bugs !
Laundromat: Located near and to the back of the pool on the ground floor. The laundry is staffed by an attendant. Whilst you can use the washing machines and dryers in a self serve way, the preferred marina option is to drop your laundry off, and the attendant will do the laundry for you. Charges for this service are based on weight. We didn’t find out the cost of the self service option, as every time we went to do our laundry, we were told all machines were full and unavailable. We ended up using our onboard washing machine to wash essentials.
Fuel Dock: Petrol and diesel available. You will need to organise a time to fuel up the day before it is required. You will also need to estimate the amount of fuel required in gallons and pre-pay. As is our standard procedure, we fueled up just prior to vacating the marina. The guys were waiting at the fuel dock as scheduled, and on completion of re-fuelling filled a plastic bottle with fuel which they handed to Peter to check for colour, cloudiness, sedimentation etc. This was the first time this had happened and we were impressed by this service.
Gas: There were no gas refill facilities available at this marina. Just as well that our Carrefour bottles, purchased in France, were still going strong.
Pump out: No.
Wifi: Yes, but it is not free, and requires payment of $10.00US per user via the marina office.
Chandlery: a small chandlery is located on site at the marina. A lift out, repair and service facility is also available.
Noise: No problem, though it was off season.
Restaurant/Bar: A fully serviced restaurant and bar is located on site. There was a good range of menu options from club sandwiches through to main courses and desserts. All our crew ate here quite a bit, and everyone enjoyed their meals and the banter with the wait staff.
Shop: A grocery shop stocking fresh bread, a limited range of frozen goods including meat, canned and packaged goods, fruit and vegetables, beer, wine, spirits and sodas is available within the marina complex. Carol, who runs the store, is delightful and has a fountain of local knowledge. Carol also organises the weekly barbeques at the marina. Payment for purchases can be made in cash (US or Panamanian), credit or debit card.
Transport: The marina offers a free mini bus service to and from a large shopping complex in Colon. You will need to put your name on the ‘Bus List’ which is located next to the marina office. Travel time: 30 – 45 minutes. Other transport options are hire car, taxi and Uber.
Port Captain and Immigration clearance: You are required to check in with the Port Captain and Immigration Officer on the day of arrival or the next available working day morning. Both offices are located in front of the marina/hotel building (marina staff will provide directions).
The Port Captain collects details of your boat, crew and any passengers. If you are intending to transit the canal or remain in Panamanian waters for 3 days or more you will require a Cruising Permit. Cost for the permit is $235US. Interestingly we paid the full amount in cash, but received a receipt for $185US. Not sure where the other $50 went or what it was for?!?. The Port Captain will provide you with a series of completed forms and together with passports and crew, next stop is immigration located in a small office next to the Port Captain’s office. Here you will present the completed forms and passports and each crew member will be electronically finger printed and passports stamped for entry into Panama.
The Cruising permit can take up to three days to be provided to you by the Port Captain.
Note: The Port captain has to travel from Christobel, if it is raining heavily the roads will often flood and he will not be able to make it to the marina, as occurred in our case. It is best to contact the Marina office staff to confirm the Port Captain’s availability and arrival time.
Last but not least, we welcomed our newest crew member, Gifford, onboard just in time for the canal crossing.
Overall we rated this marina 7.5/10 (the unhygienic bathrooms really let them down).
For our thoughts on the town of Colon click here http://seagoddessadventures.com/sailing-to-australia-colon/