Almirante - General Info
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CloseShelter Bay Marina and Boatyard, located at the entrance of the Panama Canal and only 50 minutes away from Panama City, offers a prime destination for boat owners.
Positioned just a day's cruise away from San Blas Island and Bocas Del Toro and outside the Hurricane Belt, it is an ideal choice for various boating needs.
- 200 wet slips enclosed in a cove
- 24/7 security
- Long-term secure storage space to accommodate up to 120 vessels
- Boat Yard with an enclosed 5,000 square feet sheltered space for refits
- 100-ton travel lift
- Sail loft
- Chandlery
- Hotel and Restaurant
Shelter Bay Marina and Boatyard in Colon, Panama, offers a comprehensive solution for boat owners, with a yacht-friendly environment, experienced staff, customized services, and excellent facilities, making it an attractive choice for various boating needs.
Visit us at www.shelterbaymarina.com
CloseDescription:
While this is a commercial port and not really suitable for yachts, it is the haulout destination for Bocas del Toro and the only one in the region.
A new haulout facility opened here in 2013 (http://www.bocasboatyard.com) just a quarter of a mile outside of town (10 minute water taxi). Reports on the cruising forums are positive in respect of safety, management, price and service. The management of the facility is, in fact, the same management as Bocas Marina, a short ferry ride away and is reported to be friendly and personable.
Almirante town has shops and markets and it’s a twenty-minute water taxi ride to Bocas Del Toro where you can get a flight to Panama City, or San Jose, Costa Rica. Alternatively catch the bus across the mountains, four hours to David on the Pacific side.
Position:
09° 17.31’N, 82° 23.70’W (harbor)
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Almirantes is the haul-out facility for Bocas del Toro. Not a destination location for visitors but it is the location where work on your boat. It is the loading dock for Chiquita Bananas and the only boat yard in the Bocas del Toro region.
We hauled out there to do some bottom work and Luso, the yard manager, was wonderful. Prices were very affordable for labor and stay as well. We had some fiberglass work done and it worked out really affordable. If you are 55 foot or less, I would recommend this haulout location. The only drawback is that the location is a 10 minute boat ride from town so be prepared to take a water taxi to get to the yard. The town is relatively safe (for Panama) and the yard is safe. We had no security problems whatsoever while there.
When we were there, we stayed at the Hotel in Almirante for $25/day. Food was cheap and there are 3 eateries by the hotel. We launched our dinghy and we took it into town when we needed supplies. In town, there are 3 chandleries that provided all we needed as far as screws, bottom paint, paint, impellers, rollers, etc.. The boatyard also offers a “workshop” with a heavy duty table, electricity, vise, and other items needed when you are doing work on your boat.
If your goal is to do fiberglass, bottom work, some mechanical engine work, the yard has resources to help you. There are no resources for Stainless Steel work nor for carpentry. The work we had done there was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone needing to haulout.
We’ve hauled out at 5 different boatyards in the Caribbean and I’d say, the Almirante boatyard was wonderful. It is small, personable, out-of-the-way so you don’t get lots of traffic, and the service provided by Luso and workers was great.
We stayed for 2 weeks, launched and headed to Colombia.
Almirante is not a town you really want to visit. It has NO tourist facilities and is generally dirty and poor. Other than the haulout facility, there is nothing to recommend Almirante. There is not really any place to anchor (other than at the haulout). You can, however, catch the bus here to go to David, but you would be far better to go to Bocas, leave your boat there and take the water taxi to Almirante if you want to go to David.