Wrapping Up in Panama: Final Projects Before the Big Leap
Panama has been a whirlwind, but we’re down to our final two major projects before setting sail across the Pacific. First, we’re replacing the standing rigging—a critical upgrade for safety on such a long passage. Second, we’re installing a new solar panel arch and adding an extra panel to boost our electrical supply.
The bottom of the boat is also getting a much-needed cleaning today from a diver. If all goes according to plan, by next week, we’ll be ready to start charting our crossing based on the latest weather reports.
The Great Visa Chase: A Test of Patience
One of our biggest challenges here has been securing our long-term visas for French Polynesia. Since the standard stay is limited to three months, we had to apply for an extended visa as we want to spend two sailing seasons there. This process involved an in-person meeting in Panama City, a four-hour round-trip drive from Vista Mar Marina. After paying our fees and filling out stacks of paperwork, we were told the wait would be six weeks instead of the expected four.
During this waiting period, we kept ourselves busy with boat projects—though we ran into a frustrating delay waiting for missing fittings for our standing rigging. Of course, in true sailor luck, the fittings finally arrived on the exact same day we got the call that our visas were ready at the French embassy in Panama City.
We rented a car, rushed into the city, and dropped off our passports. The embassy staff informed us it would take one to two days just to staple the visas into our passports. This meant an unexpected hotel stay, and we could only hope the process wouldn’t stretch into multiple nights. Thankfully, the next day at precisely 2:00 PM, we got a call instructing us to be at the embassy by 2:30 to collect our passports. We made it just in time, received a short speech, and were officially free to go.
Panama’s Exit Tango: A Frustrating Goodbye
With our visas secured, we turned our attention to the next bureaucratic hurdle: checking out of Panama. Every country has its own process, and Panama’s is… let’s just say, not the easiest. To officially leave, we needed to visit two offices: customs for the boat paperwork and immigration for our personal exit stamps. Some countries combine these tasks into one office, but not Panama.
The good news? Both offices were on the same second floor of a mall. The bad news? The customs office closed at 3:00 PM. We arrived at 3:04. Locked doors. Darkness. Another night in Panama.
Dan took it hard, but I reminded him that we are always exactly where we need to be. With no other choice, we booked another hotel—this time, cheaper and closer to the offices.
Traffic Nightmares
On our way to the hotel, we got caught in gridlock traffic. At one point, we attempted to cross a four-lane highway. We made it three-quarters of the way when the light changed, and the lane in front of us refused to let us pass. Suddenly, we were stuck in the middle of the road as traffic surged around us. It was terrifying. The light changed again, and we still couldn’t move. This cycle repeated for ten agonizing minutes before a break in traffic finally allowed us to escape.
The hotel itself came with another challenge: navigating the world’s most terrifying parking garage. A steep ramp with blind, hairpin turns and just enough space for one vehicle. I truly thought we were going to meet our end in that parking garage. I told Dan he’d have to drive down it without me in the morning—I had reached my parking garage terror limit.
A Surprise Meeting with an American Legend
That night, we met an incredible fellow traveler—Steve Austin. Not the Six Million Dollar Man, but an American with stories even better than ours. We spent the whole evening talking, sharing adventures, and laughing. At the end of the night, I told him, “Steve, you are the reason we’re still here.” Meeting him made the delays feel almost worth it.
The Final Hurdle: A Battle of Wills
The next morning, we returned to the customs office, completed our boat paperwork, and then moved on to immigration. Here’s where things got messy. We had been told by fellow sailors from our marina that we could check out at this office, but the woman behind the desk had other plans. She passed us off, saying we needed to go to a different office closer to our marina.
We drove back to Coronado, where our marina is located, but the only official-looking building we found was a police station. After some confusing conversations and multiple phone calls, even the police couldn’t give us a clear answer on where the immigration office was. Finally, out of desperation, I pulled out Google Translate, typed “POINT TO WHERE IT IS ON THE MAP!” and handed it to them. Turns out, the office was in a tiny, unmarked building down a sand road.
Once we arrived, we found three officials sitting at an outdoor table. They examined our paperwork, then asked for a copy of one document. I glanced inside their office and saw a copy machine. “No electricity,” the man said.
Enough was enough. Dan offered to leave the original copy, but they refused. My patience snapped. I took out my phone, snapped a picture of the document, and declared, “This is my copy—THAT is your copy!”
The man stared at me for a moment… then nodded. “Okay.”
And just like that, we were officially checked out of Panama. I immediately updated Google Maps with the location and photos of the office, hoping no other sailors would have to endure what we did.
The Next Chapter: Preparing for the Pacific
With our final projects wrapping up, we now turn our focus to provisioning for our biggest crossing yet—we may be 40 days at sea. The Pacific is calling, and we can’t wait. Thanks to Starlink, we plan to do live video updates daily so you can follow along with our journey!
If you’d like to support our adventure, please consider purchasing our newly released book, The Seven, and leaving a review on Amazon. Every little bit helps refill our cruising kitty!
Thank you for your prayers, your well wishes, and for being part of our journey. Stay tuned for launch day updates!
Fair winds,
Dan and Alison
S/V Equus
