Here are a few quick tips:
Call ahead for info, research heavily, and read the forums! For instance, we read on one forum about serving good food to the adviser/pilot. If it isn’t acceptable, they may deny your transit!
Find dock lines acceptable to the Canal Authorities. We rented some from a guy the handler found for us.
Line handlers are also required. If you don’t have enough crew, you’ll need to pay for them. We had four line handlers (Gary, Gary, Patty and Yayoi) in addition to the captain (Chris) so we were self sufficient.
You will need to maintain a minimum boat speed of 5 knots. No sailing allowed. However, we spoke with one boat who was barely making 5 knots through Lake Gatun and the adviser bent the rules, letting them throw up the sails to increase speed.
Once the boat is near the staging area, call for a transit date. You cannot reserve a spot until the boat is physically on location. Shelter Bay is a good marina on the Pacific side, near Colon. We paid $180 taxi ride for 4 people in a van, but that could probably be negotiated down. $35 to Panama City from the airport, or do what we did and buy a $10 bus card. Load it with money and it’s $1.50 into the city. Nice, clean bus, friendly driver. Fun experience.
Chris paid a handler to help with the process. Everything from payment, scheduling, staging and immigration, plus a fountain of knowledge and advice to make the transit smooth. The handler fee was $350. The transit fee is around $2200, including the handler. If your boat is over 65 feet of length including all gear hanging off, they provide you with a pilot. Less than that, you are provided a handler. If you want the experience and quality of a certified pilot but you are under length, you can hire one for another $2200.
We got our staging time and place from our handler the day prior. Erik Flats, 5:30 am. Be ready to board your handler when they motor up in the morning. They will probably toot their horn when they arrive. Sometimes they are very late, but be sure you are ready and waiting when they do come.
The locks have crazy currents. Have roaming fenders ready! We were pushed heavily into another boat causing a bit of crunched fiber-glass, luckily above the water-line.