Sailing Central America

The Panama Canal – from ocean to ocean

No structure defines Central America like the Panama Canal. From Colón on the Caribbean side a chain of locks lifts ships up into Gatún Lake, across the continental divide and down again to the Pacific off Panama City, whose modern skyline rises behind the colonial old town of Casco Viejo. At the mouth of the Chagres stands Fuerte San Lorenzo, a Spanish fortress from the age of the treasure fleets and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The slow daylight transit, often watched from the deck, is the dramatic highlight of any sailing cruise or cruise through Central America.

Panama’s island worlds – San Blas, the Pearl Islands and Coiba

Off both of Panama’s coasts lie archipelagos reached only under sail or by tender. The San Blas Islands in the Caribbean are the autonomous home of the Guna people, hundreds of palm and coral islands where indigenous culture still sets the tone. In the Pacific the Pearl Islands, with Saboga, scatter across the Gulf of Panama, once famed for their pearl fishing. Further west the Isla de Coiba national park – a former prison island and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – protects one of the richest marine areas of the eastern Pacific; the Isla Iguana reserve and the Isla Paridas round out the cruising ground for snorkellers and divers.

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast – rainforest to the waterline

In Costa Rica the rainforest reaches the beach. The main gateway is Puntarenas with the nearby cargo harbour of Puerto Caldera; from here ships work along the green Pacific coast. Off Quepos lies Manuel Antonio National Park, where capuchin monkeys and sloths live above white coves. Further south, Drake Bay opens the way to Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula, the wildest rainforest in the country, with Puerto Jiménez and the Golfo Dulce near Golfito as further anchorages. In between, the Refugio Nacional Curú reserve, Isla Tortuga and bays such as Playa Panama, Playa Mantas and Del Coco Beach invite you to swim and anchor.

Gateways to Central America – Cartagena and the ABC Islands

Many ocean-to-ocean crossings begin or end beyond the Central American land bridge. On Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Cartagena welcomes ships with its fully walled colonial old town (UNESCO World Heritage), while nearby Santa Marta sits before the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada. Further east, the ABC Islands – Bonaire, the World Heritage centre of Willemstad on Curaçao and Oranjestad on Aruba – form the Caribbean prelude or finale of a voyage through Central America.

Which ship for Central America?

Central America suits ships small enough for island anchorages yet seaworthy enough for the ocean passages. You arrange and book all of these voyages with ivent-sailing:

• Sailing cruise aboard tall ships (Royal Clipper, Star Clipper) – true sailing under full rig, from the Caribbean through the canal into the Pacific.
• Windjammer luxury (Sea Cloud Spirit) – hand-set sails and grand-hotel atmosphere aboard one of the finest tall ships in the world.
• Boutique cruise (Le Bellot, Le Bougainville, Le Lapérouse) – French elegance on intimate expedition ships that anchor off Coiba, San Blas and in Drake Bay.

So the canal passage becomes, in one case, a sporting adventure under square sails and, in another, an expedition cruise with Zodiac landings – from atmospheric sailing to refined boutique luxury, entirely to your own picture of Central America.