What if the advisor is vegetarian? Has celiac disease? Is allergic to garlic? Are they REALLY going to want to eat “dinner” at 3 pm? Is it lunch? Do I need to have 2 meals ready for both days?

My mind during the days leading up to our recent Panama Canal transit wasn’t filled with worries about lines, fenders and treacherous swirls of water, all of which had been well-documented on the various blogs and YouTube videos we’d obsessively stalked before our own journey. No, my mind was focused on food. Specifically, what to feed our canal appointed advisor.

Provisioning for your Panama Canal advisor

Among the requirements for a cruising boat going through the canal is to provide sealed, bottled water and hot meals for the advisor. No tank water or sandwiches, apparently. And it had been stressed, more than once, both by our agent as well as dockside lore, that if an advisor isn’t satisfied with the food (or water) on hand, they were absolutely within their rights to place an order for said food to be delivered, by a pilot boat, all at the expense of the boat owner. Friends had talked with another cruiser who had had their advisor not happy with the provided meal and instead chose delivery from a favorite restaurant, delivered within Lake Gatun. Total cost? Over $700!

Was it any wonder why I was worked up about this seemingly minor detail? Feeding people is usually part of my nature, though normally there’s a bit more clarity around things like food preferences and allergies, to say nothing of numbers of people and meals. This transit was already a budget buster though, and I had no desire to add another line item to that expense.

Money stresses aside, it wasn’t just the ambiguous “they need to like it” and “it needs to be hot” parameters. A Panama Canal transit for cruising boats is either a one day or a two day jaunt, and an advisor, possibly accompanied by an apprentice, is delivered by pilot boat each day. They don’t sleep on board, which is a relief from a space perspective. But still. Are we dealing with two additional people or just one? One day or two? You get final confirmation on the transit time just 24 hours ahead, likely long after the plans, provisioning, and even prep has begun. But you have no idea who the advisor is, let alone if there’s a second one, until the moment the pilot boat drops them off.

Deciding the menu

Those blogs and YouTube videos were remarkably light on details or advice around the food thing, especially considering how large it loomed in my mind. Time to get serious. I asked friends what they had done and messaged in the local WhatsApp group. Some helpful responses came back, with detailed menus and general words of encouragement. A few replies didn’t do much to quell my nerves, like the one that said this was an outdated requirement that needs to change. The fact remained that we were traveling on a far smaller boat than most people with a far smaller refrigerator.

I took a deep breath, planned (and then provisioned for) 3 meals with alternatives if needed, and got to work.

Black beans and rice. Pulled pork sandwiches. Grilled cheese. Chili. Chicken curry over rice. Spaghetti with meat sauce. Lasagna. So. Many. Options.

I needed meals that could be prepared either ahead of time or that could easily be made last minute with minimum fuss. We were looking at a lunch and dinner on the first day, and then breakfast and lunch on the second day. What our advisor ate would be what we ate.

Many cruisers opt for paper plates and plastic silverware, to limit washing up duty and water use during a busy time. Our choice was to limit garbage. This meant a lot of extra work but our large galley sink could easily be used as a safe containment area. Water usage wasn’t a worry as we were essentially going from marina to marina, where filling tanks is painless and inexpensive.

Day 1 of the Panama Canal

Our advisor for Day 1, Alfredo, arrived on board at 3 pm. I had made a lasagna after breakfast and put it in the oven to be ready on arrival (or soon thereafter), since it could stay in the switched-off oven until it was needed. I’d worried that good manners would mean we all needed to eat at the same time, but this turned out not to be an issue. Both Alfredo and Guillermo (our advisor on Day 2) wanted to eat when they wanted to eat, and were not concerned about the rest of us. Whew!

I watched Alfredo eat, trying not to be obvious. Did it pass muster? Was he going to reject it outright and use his ubiquitous phone to call for DoorDash? He cleaned his plate. That must be a good sign, right?

“How was it?” I asked in Spanish.

“Delicioso!” he replied.

And then he confirmed the story. If he had not been happy, he would have ordered food to be delivered.

Yikes!

Day 2 of the Panama Canal

Breakfast is a tough one when “hot” is a requirement. Ideas thought about and discarded included cold fruit and pastries (not hot), pancakes (too individual), make-ahead breakfast burritos (not enough fridge space), granola and yogurt (not hot). The BOGO deal on brioche rings at the grocery store clinched it; I’d be making French toast casserole for breakfast with pineapple and Canadian bacon, topped with Vermont maple syrup of course.

For lunch I’d see what our advisor preferred; a black bean and corn salad with chips, or pasta with garlic and beans.

The food on Day 2 was no less of a success than on Day 1. Guillermo was delivered to the boat about half an hour before we’d expected him, but I started the coffee as soon as I saw the pilot boat and he was content with just coffee until the casserole was out of the oven. We all ate around the same time, people spilling onto side decks and foredeck with plates balanced on knees. There was plenty of time while motoring on Lake Gatun for leisurely cups of coffee and washing up.

He opted for the pasta lunch, wanting it around noon before we got into the Pedro Miguel locks. He asked for seconds. Success!

That pasta with garlic and beans is a family favorite. It’s good hot, cold, or in between, which felt pretty perfect for the uncertain timing of when anyone might want to eat. The rest of us disappeared down below to grab a bowl on and off during the afternoon, and by the time we’d finished tying up at the marina in Panama City, the huge pot was empty.

No Uber eats required!

Tips for provisioning the Panama Canal

Looking back on my experience, here’s some tips to help you provision for your own Panama Canal transit.

• Having food prepared in advance, especially for the first meal, can be a lifesaver as you’ll likely be busy with the transit.
• Don’t feel like you all need to eat at the same time.
• If you want to serve food that isn’t hot then giving your advisor the option to have something warm instead might be a good idea, but don’t feel obligated to cook to order.
• Snacks are always welcome; think cold pineapple or other fruit, nuts, cookies and maybe some chips.
• Our advisors weren’t proactive in asking for food or drinks (aside from the water that was easily available at their feet) but appreciated being offered. If I did it again I’d make a point to offer more often.
• There’s plenty of downtime between lock chambers, especially when you’re on Lake Gatun, so you can always use that time to prep, eat or clean up.
• From the advisor’s perspective, a key consideration may simply be that their food doesn’t feel like an afterthought.
• I strongly advise getting any dishes cleaned up and put away before arriving at your final anchorage or marina—you’ll want to kick back and relax, not deal with a messy galley.
• Having a simple meal prepped ahead of time for your arrival at Lake Gatun or your final destination, will be a gift to yourself. I can’t even imagine having the energy to go out to eat!