We crossed northbound last Dec. I also did 4 crossing before as crew in the last half of last year. The canal personnel are all very professional. They all speak english and have straight forward rules. You can rent lines from one of the taxi guys for $60. Wrapped tires are $2 each. For $85 the same taxi driver will pickup the lines and bring your crew back. You should get a local cell phone so that you can make calls to the scheduler to get your sometimes changing times. After you get measured you will need to pay at a specified back in cash the transit fee plus the buffer(deposit). You get the deposit back about 10 days after you transit as long as you don't cause any delays. Not being ready to leave at your assigned time costs $471. The total cost at the bank is $1,500, with the transit part being $650 for a boat under 50 ft.

Agents can sometimes make the setup more complicated. You end up calling the agent. The agent calls the scheduler. Then the agent calls you.. It can be like playing the kids telephone game to get a simple answer.

Paul L