| Embark | Disembark | Vessel | Duration | Voyage No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 26-01-2027, 16:00Bocas del Toro, Panama | Thu 04-02-2027, 11:00Shelter Bay – Near Colon Panama | Eendracht | 9 Nights | EE260127 |
You can sail on Eendracht, (No experience required) a 59 metre three-masted gaff schooner, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, for nine nights of Caribbean winter sun sailing on the most popular of her three Panama voyages.
The first days are spent island hopping in sheltered water, with swimming, snorkelling and shore visits, and nights at anchor. Once you know the ropes, Eendracht heads east on a lively upwind passage of about a day and a half. Every sail is hauled by hand from the deck, no experience is needed, and there are no night watches.
The voyage ends at Shelter Bay at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, with ships waiting at anchor, the Gatun Locks close by and Panama City two hours away.
| Vessel type / Rig | Three masted gaff schooner |
| Guest Berths | 40 |
| Beam | 12.30 m |
| Draft | 5 m |
| Deck Length | 54.05 m |
| Overall Length | 59.08 m |
| Tonnage | 606 GT |
| Year Built | 1989 |
This Panama tall ship sailing holiday gives you nine nights aboard Eendracht, a 59 metre three-masted gaff schooner. It starts among the islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama, and finishes at Shelter Bay, Panama, at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. The first days are spent island hopping in the sheltered waters of the archipelago, with nights at anchor. The ship then turns east for a passage of around a day and a half along Panama’s quiet Caribbean coast, back to the canal.
No experience required – My First Tall Ship Voyage.
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This is the most popular of Eendracht’s three Panama voyages, and spaces are limited. No sailing experience is needed. Every sail is hauled by hand from the deck, and nobody has to climb the rigging. Classic Sailing has matched guests with traditional vessels for over 30 years, and this is one of our Caribbean winter sun voyages.
On this Panama tall ship sailing holiday you help sail a large traditional schooner by day and sleep at anchor most nights. Expect a sea around 27°C, daily swimming and snorkelling in Bocas del Toro, then a livelier upwind passage east to finish at the Panama Canal.
Eendracht sails two styles of voyage on this coast. On the Active Sailing Voyage from Portobelo, guests keep watches through the day and night. This voyage is a Sailing Holiday. There are no night watches for guest crew, the ship sails mainly by day, and sightseeing is part of the plan. You still haul on halyards and sheets, take the helm and keep lookout whenever she is under way.
If you want the full watchkeeping routine, the Active Sailing Voyage suits you better. If you want proper sailing with time ashore and a full night’s sleep, this is the one.
The voyage starts where the water is calmest. Almirante Bay and the Chiriquí Lagoon are sheltered by the islands, so the first days are short hops of a few hours between anchorages, with swimming and shore visits fitted around them.
It is a good way to learn the ship before any open sea. You find out which line does what, and how a big gaff sail goes up with a whole team on the halyards. You also see how the crew handle 59 metres of schooner in close water among reefs and cays. Time on the helm is easier to come by here, and you can watch the crew bring her to anchor and ask how they choose each spot.
Eendracht has no powered winches. Every sail is set, trimmed and stowed from the deck by teams hauling together. With up to 40 guest crew aboard the work is shared, but your hands and arms will know about it after the first day.
The second half of the voyage is the main passage, roughly 140 nautical miles east along the coast to Shelter Bay. In late January the northeast trade winds blow steadily across this coast, which puts them ahead of the beam on the way east. That means sailing to windward, with the ship heeling and her bow working into the swell, and the passage may take longer than the run in the other direction.
It is proper sailing on a big ship, and some guests will feel the motion. The advantage of this direction is that you meet the open sea after several days in calm water, by which time most people have found their feet and know the ropes. If the passage runs through a night, the professional crew keep the watches.
You will see how the captain and officers plan the passage, read the forecasts and decide when to tack, and you can ask about each decision as it is made. Chartwork and passage planning stay with the professional crew, using modern navigation equipment alongside traditional methods.
The itinerary is subject to weather conditions and the captain’s discretion. The joining time in Bocas del Toro and the finishing time at Shelter Bay remain firm.
Bocas del Toro is an archipelago in Panama’s far northwest, close to the Costa Rica border, with nine main islands, around 50 cays and some 200 islets. Bocas Town, on Isla Colón, is small and lively. Its painted timber houses date from the banana trade of the early 1900s, many stand on stilts over the water, and there are cafés and restaurants along the waterfront. Lonely Planet has named the archipelago its top destination for 2027 (VERIFY before publishing).
Because the voyage starts here, it is worth arriving a day or two early. You can hire a bicycle and ride the coast to Bluff Beach, or take a water taxi to Starfish Beach. Weather permitting, Eendracht aims to visit Isla Bastimentos for Red Frog Beach, the Zapatilla Cays for snorkelling, and Sloth Island and Dolphin Bay. You join in the late afternoon and are taken out to the ship by boat.
Shelter Bay Marina lies on the western side of the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, on the site of the old US Army base at Fort Sherman. Arriving under sail after the passage east, you come in past the anchorage where ships wait their turn to transit, from car carriers to container ships. It shows you how much of the world’s trade passes through this one gap.
The Gatun Locks are close by, and the Agua Clara visitor centre overlooks the newer locks, where you can watch ships being lifted towards Gatun Lake. Fort San Lorenzo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands on a headland at the mouth of the Chagres River, west along the coast. Howler monkeys are often heard in the forest around the marina.
Shelter Bay is about two hours by road from Panama City, which makes the journey home simpler than from Bocas. If you can, stay a night or two. The old quarter, Casco Viejo, is worth a day, and the Miraflores Locks at the Pacific end complete the picture of the canal.
Tall ship Eendracht was built in 1989 for sail training and is one of the largest sailing ships in the Netherlands. She belongs to a Rotterdam sail training charity, and most of her year is spent sailing with young people and community groups. Voyages like this one help fund that work.
She takes up to 40 guests with up to 20 crew. Alongside the professional officers, bosuns and cooks, many of the crew are volunteers who come back year after year, and it shows in how patiently they teach. The working language aboard is English.
Each day begins with breakfast and a briefing: when the anchor comes up, where the ship is heading and what there is to do ashore. Under way, you lend a hand with the sails, take turns at the helm, keep lookout and help with the jobs that keep a ship running, from serving meals to tidying the deck.
At anchor in Bocas del Toro, afternoons are usually free for swimming, snorkelling or a trip ashore in the ship’s boats. Evenings are spent on deck in the warm air. The last night traditionally brings an evening of songs, sketches and speeches put on by guests and crew.
The ship’s cooks prepare all meals, a mix of local and international dishes, and guests regularly single out the food in their feedback. On average, guests rate their Eendracht voyages 8.6 out of 10. Water, tea and coffee are always available.
Guest cabins sleep two, three, or four to five people. Each has bunks, a washbasin with hot and cold water, storage and a porthole. Every cabin has air conditioning, which matters at 9° north. Showers and toilets are close by in each compartment, and every bunk has USB charging. A two-berth cabin costs a little more than sharing a larger one, and cabins are allocated before the voyage. Bar bills and souvenirs can be paid by card.
Ages aboard range from 12 to 80, with a mix of nationalities. Many guests return to sail with her again, so there is usually someone who knows the ship and is happy to show you. Sharing a cabin quickly becomes part of the experience, and by the time the ship reaches the canal, people who met as strangers in Bocas Town are working as one crew.
Eendracht is classed with Lloyd’s Register and holds SOLAS, ISM and ISPS certification. She carries a rescue boat and seven liferafts, each for 25 people, far more than her normal complement, and a watermaker that produces 8 tonnes of fresh water a day. Every voyage begins with a safety briefing and drills, including lifejackets and man overboard procedures.
Much of Isla Bastimentos and the Zapatilla Cays lie within Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, Panama’s first marine park, created in 1988. The reefs hold hard and soft corals, reef fish, rays and starfish. In late January the sea is around 27°C, so you can swim without a wetsuit. Strawberry poison dart frogs, bright red and no bigger than a thumbnail, live in the forest behind Red Frog Beach. Sloths hang in the mangroves around Sloth Island, and bottlenose dolphins feed in Dolphin Bay.
On the passage east, look for flying fish skittering away from the bow, and dolphins sometimes ride the bow wave. Brown pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds work the coast. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the crew know where to look. Please bring reef-safe sun cream, and leave shells and coral where you find them.
Columbus anchored in Bocas del Toro on his fourth voyage in 1502. The coast you sail along on the way east was part of the route that carried Peru’s silver to the Spanish treasure fleets, and British sailors left their mark here. Henry Morgan took Fort San Lorenzo in 1671, close to where the voyage finishes. Bocas Town grew with the banana trade in the early 1900s, and today it mixes Afro-Caribbean, Ngäbe-Buglé and Panamanian cultures, with an English-based Creole heard alongside Spanish. At the other end of the voyage, the Panama Canal opened in 1914 and still carries a large share of the world’s shipping.
No previous sailing experience is required, as the professional crew will teach you everything from basic rope handling to sail handling at a pace that suits you. However, it might be sensible to know you enjoy being at sea before setting off on this long voyage.
The physical demands are moderate, with tasks suited to various fitness levels, and you’re always free to participate as much or as little as you choose. Hauling is done in teams and nobody goes aloft. Getting in and out of the ship’s boats for shore visits needs reasonable agility. The passage east can be bumpy, and some guests feel seasick for a day, so it is worth asking your pharmacist about tablets or patches before you travel.
This Panama tall ship sailing holiday suits people who want real sailing on a large traditional ship without night watches, and with plenty of time in the water and ashore. It works well for first-timers, for partners who sail at different levels, and for experienced sailors who want to sail a big schooner to windward. If you want round-the-clock watchkeeping, the Active Sailing Voyage from Portobelo is a better fit. Voyages and people vary; we are here to help you find the voyage that best suits you.
Solo travellers are common on these voyages, with shared cabins available and a naturally social atmosphere developing among the crew. Sharing keeps the cost down and gives you company from day one, and hauling, helming and going ashore together means you soon know your shipmates.
Solo Travelers Welcome.
All meals and accommodation, all safety equipment, and instruction and guidance from the crew are included. Travel to Bocas del Toro and from Shelter Bay is not included, and nor is travel insurance, which is required. Bar bills are extra.
International flights land at Tocumen Airport, Panama City, with connections from London and UK regional airports via Amsterdam, Madrid or the USA (transiting the USA needs an ESTA). Domestic flights to Bocas del Toro take about an hour from Albrook Airport, on the other side of the city from Tocumen. Allow time to cross between the two, and plan to arrive in Bocas at least the day before you join.
At the end, Shelter Bay is about two hours from Panama City and Tocumen by taxi or pre-booked transfer. The voyage finishes mid morning, so a night in Panama City before flying home is the safer plan. UK passport holders do not currently need a visa for a short stay but may be asked for an onward ticket. Check the latest FCDO travel advice before booking flights.
Late January and early February fall in the dry season on most of Panama’s Caribbean coast. Bocas del Toro has no true dry season, though, and short tropical showers are likely there. Expect about 30°C by day and 24°C at night, a sea around 27°C, and steady northeast trade winds. The sun is strong at 9° north, so bring a wide-brimmed hat, light long sleeves, reef-safe sun cream and a light waterproof for spray on the passage. It is a long way from a grey British February.
With nine nights aboard, the voyage fits within a standard two-week holiday allowance, leaving time either side for the islands, Panama City or the canal. Compare the cost per day with a good Caribbean hotel, then add all meals, a 59 metre schooner and a crew who teach you to sail her. You come home with practical skills and stories worth sharing.
This voyage links with Eendracht’s other Panama voyages. You can sail the Sailing Holiday from Shelter Bay to Bocas del Toro first and stay on, joining this voyage the same day, for an 18-night round trip from the Panama Canal. Or start with the Active Sailing Voyage from Portobelo and sail all three. Ask us about the discount for booking two voyages.
See available dates and cabin options below, or call us on +44 (0)1326 531234. If you are not sure which Panama voyage suits you, use Ask a Skipper and we will talk it through with you.
Late June and early July are excellent times to explore the Scottish Highlands, with long daylight hours and generally mild summer temperatures. Daytime temperatures around Inverness and Oban typically range from 14–19°C, although conditions can feel cooler on the water.
Much of the voyage takes place on the sheltered freshwater lochs and canal sections of the Great Glen, where conditions are generally calm. Once the ship reaches Loch Linnhe and the west coast, there may be fresh breezes and some swell, although the surrounding islands and mountains provide considerable shelter.
Scottish weather can change during the day, with sunshine, cloud and occasional showers all possible. The long summer evenings provide plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, while warm layers, waterproof clothing and suitable footwear will keep you comfortable on deck and ashore.
This is one of the more sheltered voyages in Eye of the Wind’s programme and an excellent choice for first-time sailing guests. The professional crew will guide you throughout, whether you’re helping with the sailing or simply enjoying the journey.
On a sailing voyage we never use the word itinerary, as skippers will always be aiming for the best and safest sailing routes for the forecast. They are as keen as you to include some of the highlights described above, but when it comes to sailing, you have to go with Mother Nature, not fight her. The description provided is based on what we think might be possible, based on past trips, or prior experience, but nothing is guaranteed on a sailing voyage. As such, the scheduled joining ports, routes, activities and/or destinations may be altered. Due to the complexities of weather systems, this may be at very short notice.
Whether you are an experienced sailor or a complete beginner, the professional crew will train you to be guest crew from the moment you arrive, with the intention that everybody works together to sail the ship. The common thread to all Classic Sailing holidays is ‘Hands on’ participation on ships that use ropes, blocks and tackles and ‘people power’ to set sail. For more on this, see our article ‘What is a Hands-On Sailing Holiday?’
We cater for a wide range of ages and physical abilities and how much you are expected to do varies a bit between vessels. See the vessel tab above which explains all about the ‘sailing style’ and what to expect in terms of hands on participation. There is a lot of information about day to day life, the ships facilities and accommodation on the vessel pages.
Concierge TipYOUR PASSPORT! Along with any other required travel documentation. Please read the joining instructions you receive from the Ship carefully to ensure you have everything you need.
N.B. BOATS HAVE LIMITED STORAGE SPACE SO PLEASE PACK AS LIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE. Don't use a rigid suitcase or a bag with a rigid frame. Soft bags are much easier to fold up and stow.
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