Bringing our Sailboat to Panama

[Patricia Thompson]

My husband and I want to retire in Panama with our two dogs and sail our sailboat over from Florida. We are wondering where the best place to live in Panama is. We would want to be close to a marina where we could keep our 30 foot Endeavourcat Catamaran Sailboat. He would be sailing the boat from Florida with our two dogs and another crew mate. I would fly over to our rental. While I thought I wanted to live in Bocas, the more I have been reading I am not sure that is a good idea. So where is the best place to live that we could be close to our sailboat. Has anyone ever done that before? I don’t read much about marinas and sailing in Panama. Thank you for any insight.

Patty Thompson

[Country Expert Nanette Witmer]

Patty,

I live in Chiriqui. I know people who live on sailboats myself and they are in Bocas del Toro.This area seems to have lots of expats doing what you want to do. In Chiriqui, Boca Chica is on the Pacific side. It has a small town, population less than 200, but they do have a protected marina where there are about 15 boats moored.It is about an hours drive from David, the capitol of the province. Other than that, Chiriqui does not have any other marinas. I think most people who have boats in Panama check into Bocas del Toro or Panama City. Jessica might know more about that area and what is available.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Patty,

Thanks for visiting the PI Forum.

There are also people who keep their boats at Shelter Bay or Linton Bay (marinas on the coast of Colon) and seem to enjoy it very much, but then again Colon is a depressed area with few expats and the main city, also called Colon, is a higher crime area. Bocas del Toro is very popular and with good reason, as the Caribbean islands are beautiful. There are expats living there on boats and on land, many of them on Isla Colon, Carenero and Bastimentos.

There are also marinas in Panama City but if they’re in high demand I don’t know what it would cost or even if space is available.

Perhaps you’d do well to visit the different marinas in your boat and then take some shore excursions to visit different areas that are attractive to expats, and then decide where you’d like to keep your boat and whether to live right there or somewhere else.

There is plenty of information here on your Panama Insider website about different destinations in Panama that are worth consideration.

As for info on the sailing community in Panama we unfortunately don’t specialize in that but I would imagine there are online communities/forums you can join that are tailored to that specific topic. There are also plenty of articles on the IL website that might be of interest though they are older, here are a few links:

Where to Dock Your Boat: Panama’s Best Marinas

Buying a Boat in Panama Could Save You Money

Every Day is a Vacation on This Affordable Caribbean Island

Sun, Sea, and Opportunity in One Country

You might also reach out to expat Rosalind (Roz) Baitel, who has spoken at IL events and owns Linton Bay. Here is her contact info and bio from a recent seminar booklet:

ROSALIND BAITEL

Expat, Panama City
Promises Consignment Boutique
Calle 74 San Francisco, Golf Plaza, 270-7457, Panama City Email: promisespanama@gmail.com
Website: http://www.promisespanama.com

Originally from New Orleans, Rosalind obtained her degree in Secondary Science Education from Louisiana State University in 1983. She moved to Panama in 1985 to teach science at a U.S. Department of Defense Dependents School. She taught secondary science and health at both Cristobal and Balboa High Schools. When the schools closed in 1999, Rosalind opened Promises Consignment Boutique—the first and only consignment boutique in Panama dedicated to charity fundraising.

She married Allan Baitel in 1989, and they have two children—Rachael, 23, is a Princeton graduate now working at Goldman Sachs and Joel, 19, is studying at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Rosalind’s husband Allan serves as president of the Kol Shearith Israel Congregation and vice commodore of the Linton Bay marina. He is also a member of the Colon Rotary Club.

With a lifetime of experience in Panama, Rosalind will share her insights into various aspects of creating a full life in Panama.

Hope this helps and best of luck as you continue your research.

Best,

Jessica

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[Patricia Thompson]

Thank you everyone!! Really appreciate it! We are planning a trip to Panama sometime in September to check out some areas we are thinking of retiring to. I am going to be getting hip replacement surgery sometime in Nov/Dec 2017 so we are not doing much sailing right now. But our goal is for my husband and another crew member to sail our boat over while I fly over and stay somewhere we decide on prior. Will definitely be asking more questions in the future. Thank you so much!!

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