World ARC 2026-2027 transit safely through the Panama Canal

The World ARC 2026-2027 fleet has successfully transited through the Panama Canal, marking a significant milestone in their circumnavigation voyages. 

The Panama Canal, is one of the world's most iconic pieces of maritime engineering as it is the link point between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, connecting shipping routes between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. 

Naturally, transiting through such an important passageway requires a lot of planning and organisation, so as part of the World ARC experience, World Cruising Club provides significant assistance to the fleet to help them make safe passage. 

Thanks to long-standing relationships with the local authorities in Panama, this year, the fleet were able to transit through the locks of the canal without any other boats. This helps to ensure a smoother transit where boats remain away from larger vessels. On top of this, each boat had guidance from the team of World Cruising Club ‘Yellow Shirts’ based on the ground in Panama. 

You can check out video highlights of their crossing here. 

The steps of the Panama Canal crossing

Crossing the Panama Canal for the World ARC sailors was a two-stage process and the fleet made the transit in two groups. On January 31, ‘Group A’ transited through the Gatun Locks next to city of Colón. They were assisted by a series of line handlers and advisors who came on board the boat to help with safe transit. 

Following this, the fleet motored through Gatun Lake to the Miraflores Locks at Panama City, where once again they were assisted by line handlers and local advisors to make their crossing to the Pacific Ocean on February 1. 

‘Group B’ entered the Gatun Locks on 3 February and crossed to complete their transit at the Miraflores Locks on 4 February.

Next steps for the World ARC 2026-2027 fleet 

Now that the fleet have made it through the Panama Canal, some participants have taken the opportunity to take their boats out of the water to carry out small bits of maintenance. It is important to check for general ‘wear and tear’ ahead of a Pacific Ocean crossing, but it was also an opportunity for participants to remove algae from the underside of their boats as they look ahead to their stop in the Galapagos Islands in March. 

The environment in the Galapagos Islands is highly protected and boats entering the area are checked to ensure they are not carrying any wildlife from other regions on the underside of their boats. For many of the participants, the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands makes it a ‘bucket list’ stop, so complying with regulations and preserving the beauty of the region is very important to them. 

Before the stop in the Galapagos Islands, sailors will make landfall in Las Perlas which are a beautiful set of Pacific islands belonging to Panama. It will be a chance to ‘take stock’ after their Panama Canal transit before they look to their journeys ahead. 

If you would like to track the World ARC 2026-2027 fleet, you can do so by clicking here.