Panama to Colombia - Looking for Captain & Boat

lampltr says on Feb 13, 2008, 17:24:

Mike,
Read an earlier post about that region and the latest kidnappings. I believe it was in the NW region, but I hope someone can correct me if I am wrong here. There is a lot of great detailed information and costs associated with this trip you speak of here in PBH, but again please check for update information before traveling.

Another option, check a few Panamanian lawyers in the city there for connections. I do know there are boats leaving Colon once or twice weekly for Colombia, but they do make a fuel stop at one of the Caribbean islands. The best to you

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adrimm says on Feb 13, 2008, 17:35:

Go by boat, have you checked at the Marinas?

I know of someone who did the trip in early March a few years back, I think it took about 10 days to find a boat that would take him.

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RAAAY says on Feb 13, 2008, 17:36:

Check out the world travel motorcycle board... www.horizonsunlimited.com go to the HUBB....there is tons of info there on boat crossings........

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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august says on Feb 13, 2008, 21:02:

Mike from Australia, I've done the trip, last June I think it was. I understand there are varying levels of elegance by which this journey can be made depending on what you're lucky enough to find. My personal experience was on a very modestly sized cargo boat going from Colon to Puerto Obaldia (just on the Panamanian side of the Panamanian-Colombian border). I've mentioned this trip in previous postings, so you might search for that, but basically you must be very resourceful and not accept the word of the "main hostel in Panama City" (Probably Voyager? Friendly, but they just told me to go to the yacht marina by the Bridge of the Americas. Bad call, few options there ). Instead, I found a card on the bulletin board in my hostel (I want to say Hostel Casco Viejo or something of the like. Right across the street from this church by Parque Herrera - I believe the park was called, definitely on Carrera 8a in Casco Viejo, Panama City) for this "tour" company ("San Blas Tours" maybe?) run by an indigenous guy in Panama City and his brother, Elogio, in San Blas/Kuna Yala. Well things were certainly less structured than was put on, but the brothers did hook us up with a ride (jeep) across the isthmus to San Blas/Kuna Yala, set us up for a night or two on their island and semi-arranged for us to stowaway on a cargo boat headed to the Colombian border. Now, I would recommend that a) you have a good handle on Spanish if you're going to do this and b) you learn to haggle with sailors/pirates. Turned out the price of the voyage (40 dollars) was a bit higher than that quoted to us by Elogio and the voyage lasted a business week instead of 2 days, as quoted, but it was a helluva an experience and I think we stopped at every single island in the entire archipelago of Kuna Yala (to deliver gasoline - which we slept over every night, coca cola, concrete and propane, among other apparently legal goods). Final note, do bring a hammock.

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diabloblas says on Feb 14, 2008, 18:10:

GO to san cristobol yacht club in colon...ask for dock master...his name is wolf & his boat is the papillon which can be seen from the bar

....buy him a beer

...put you name on the bulletin board by the laundromat with where you can be reached...check out the bulletin board as skippers leave their messages there as well

...while your waiting ask around to be a line handler through the canal...super fun job...

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