Panama City – Where can you keep your boat on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal?

It can be a bit daunting figuring out where to stop on the Pacific Ocean side when you transit the canal. If your transit is similar to ours, you can arrive on the Pacific side of the canal well after dark. If you have crew and supplies to drop off, you will need to find somewhere to stay for a night. If you need to stock up, or find a part, Panama City is at your door step.
So where can you stop?

I will list them closest to furthest.

Balboa Yacht Club

As you exit the last lock of the canal, and duck under the bridge of Americas, Balboa Yacht club is easy to pick up on the opposite shore. The long jetty, terminating in the fuel dock, is well lit and stands out easily at night. Call up on the VHF 06 and the water taxi drivers will give you a hand picking up a buoy for your vessels draft.

$40/night for a mooring ball. Includes free water taxi, showers, and WiFi. A fuel dock and free water. Short walk to main road where you can catch air conditioned city buses (25c).
Good points: It is the pickup point for Canal Advisors, crew (if you hired line handlers) and supplies (if you hired lines and fenders). Free water taxis. Fuel dock that is 7m, even at low tide, and offers free water. Although you do not need to stay in the Marina to use the fuel dock.
Bad points: Everyone and his brother uses the fuel dock, so it very busy. The wake from passing ships and those using the fuel dock can make it a bit rolly at times. Good for getting your sea legs!

La Playita Marina

A short distance further up the canal, is the well hidden marina of La Playita. You will see the vessels anchored in the bay in front of the Marina, and well lit shops and restaurants that line the peninsula here, before you see the entrance. Come around the point and back on yourself to reach the entrance at the NNW corner of the bay.

$150/night side pontoons. Includes basic marina facilities including WiFi. There is a chandlery on site, but prices are cheaper  a short walk away on the promenade. Regular bus service on main road short walk away.
Bad points: Expensive, WiFi only good outside office and no pool or bar on site. Only diesel at fuel dock.
Good points: No wake from the Panama Canal traffic, security gates and close to lots of bars and restaurants.

La Playita Anchorage

Easy open anchorage with lots of space. $0/night (but there is a dingy dock fee of $50/week).

Bad points: Unless you want to dingy all the way around the point there is no free dingy dock here. I went ashore on the kayaks, but it would be ruff on a dingy bottom and the big tides here make it unwise to leave on ashore here. La Playita Marina is happy to take $50/week to let you use their lovely dingy dock. Their weekly dockage fee runs Monday to Monday, but they will pro-rate it depending on the day you arrival. The anchorage can get a wake from boats passing in the Canal, but has less traffic than Balboa Yacht Club. Anchorage can also get rolly if the winds come strong from the south.
Good points: Seems like a nice group of boats just taking a short stop before heading off. Short run to Marina. Nice dingy dock with the addition of a metal frame for locks. Water, rubbish disposal and WiFi (outside office) included in fee. Good restaurants right around the corner.

Flamenco Marina

Come around the peninsula and on the other side is the full service marina of Flamenco. This place has it’s own complete infrastructure, restaurants, bars and chandleries. Both diesel and petrol available at the fuel dock.

$150/night again for basic marine facilities including showers and WiFi.
Bad points: Besides expensive, I am least familiar with this Marina so it is difficult for me to comment.
Good points: You are on the same peninsula, so you have all the same good shops, restaurants, bars and access to the buses. The yard looked very busy with lots of hard working tradesmen. There also appeared to be lots of well appointed workshops on site.

Las Brisas Anchorage

Outside Flamenco Marina and stretching all along the NE side of the Peninsula is an extensive mooring and anchoring field. With a great view of the city, and a new dock cruiser can tie their dingy to, this anchorage is becoming more popular. You will want to try and get reasonably close to the dockage, but you will need to watch out for the vessels moored on buoys as they will not swing the same as you on anchor.

Huge open area to choose to anchor. $0/night Free dingy dock, but you may be putting your dingy in God’s hands here.  For $21 you can visit Flaminco Marina and use their facilities including shower and laundry (one stop only).
Bad points:  It is a much longer dingy ride and the chop, from across the bay, can make it wet. The new dock is a big improvement for the anchorage, as it is a lee shore. Unfortunately everyone is complaining the small area is overcrowded and the commercial hard dingys cause damage.
Good: Great view of Pamana City’s impressive sky line. Access to all shops, restaurants and amenities of the peninsula. Good air conditioned bus service in and out of the city (25c).  No wake from the Panama Canal traffic.  Much more settled except when the wind comes from the north.

A little extra information

Taxi service
Taxi’s are very reasonably priced in Panama. Most trips are only a few dollars, but they are happy to charge unaware tourists more. Uber taxi service is a great upload to your phone as it takes all the ‘haggling’ out of the process and you get a good price. Most taxi drivers are happy to drive you all around the city ($10-12/hr).
Public Transport
Cheap, clean, efficient and air conditioned. Regular buses (25c) run up and down the peninsula (Amador). All go to Albrook Mall, the transportation hub of Panama City. From there you can catch onward bus, the subway under the city (35c) or a coach to anywhere in and out of the country.
WARNING
Most of the city comes to a stand still at rush hours. If you find yourself still in the City Centre at rush hour may I suggest you give up. Take the subway to Albrook Mall or find a local restaurant to it wait out.

What did we do?

We stayed the first night in Balboa Yacht Club.
We took advantage of their water taxi and restaurant to entertain our guests (line handlers). Having WiFi aboard the boat was nice.

Then we headed up the canal to give La Playita anchorage a try.  We liked it and dropped the hook there.

We have stayed here for a bit despite the occational wake from the big canal boats.  We put up with the wake because of me!  I want to go ashore for a run.  The water at La Playita is a little cleaner and there is a small beach that is sandy at low tide.

The humans were happy with the safe dingy dock and the WiFi access.

But then some southerly winds swept in and our lovely anchorage became a ‘bit’ choppy.  It was a simple matter to lift anchor and motor around the point to Las Brasis anchorage.  We ‘parked’ right behind some old neighbours from Shelter Bay Marina.

We now have a great view of Panama Cities sky line.

The area here is a bit too ‘urban’ for my liking.  But the humans like the shops, restaurants and easy access to the bus to do their running around.

So for now we are going to hang out at anchorage waiting for parts.  The vain of many a sailor.  Unfortunately our new forward looking sonar, by Echo Pilot, failed.  The company is sending us out a brand new one by FedEx.  Should arrive today.

But then we discovered that the SSB radio is broken?!?!  And the dive compressor is shredding its belts?!?!  We have to see if we can sort them as well.  Hopefully get those sorted this week.

Then we are off to the Las Perlas islands to wait for a weather window to cross the GREAT BIG Pacific Ocean.

Better get in the last of my walks.