As you all know by now, we arrived in the San Blas Islands totally exhausted after a short, but really sporty, 2 day sail from Santa Marta, Columbia. The crew of Che Figata had very little sleep during those 2 days and the mood was less than festive even as as we approached the islands. But then, as the sun started to rise on March 3, daylight unveiled these stunning tiny islands and we felt like Dorothy stepping out of her wind propelled house and seeing the Land of Oz for the first time. As we briefly mentioned in our last blog post, the San Blas Islands are an archipelago of approximately 400 mostly uninhabited islands that run along the Caribbean coast of Panama, just to the east of Colon. Imagine the quintessential island paradise with pocket-sized islands littered with palms, the occasional small grass hut sprinkled among the them, each surrounded by fine white sand and water that slowly deepens (creating the most glorious shades of blue from a light sky blue to turquoise and finally a deep marine blue) and fans out as the beach turns into ocean. If you’ve got that picture in your mind you pretty much have the San Blas Islands nailed.
What makes theses islands interesting — aside from their beauty — is that they are ruled by an indigenous tribe, the Kuna, as an autonomous region. About 30,000 Kunas still live in the San Blas islands. They have learned to co-exist with and even benefit from visitors though they have a strict set of rules. For example — and this is one of our favorites — every coconut is owned by someone on the islands. It doesn’t matter whether that coconut is on a tree or the ground (or even in the water), it belongs to someone and visitors are advised not to help themselves to any. In addition, foreigners are not allowed to own anything — property or businesses — in the San Blas Islands. Even the tour guides that bring people to the islands must be part of the local tribe. This has (thankfully) limited development in the islands (the few accommodations on the islands are basically small, no frill huts) and has made it difficult to visit them other than by boat. Finally, the Kuna are not allowed to marry anyone outside of their tribe. This has led to consanguine marriages that have contributed to the prevalence of genetic disorders, most notably albinoism. We actually met an albino Kuna when he came up in his dug out canoe to offer us some fish. With his light skin and reddish hair we thought he was a foreigner but later learned about this fairly common genetic condition within the tribe. Today the Kuna self sustain by living off the land and sea while also taking advantage of the tourists, mostly cruising yachtsmen like us, visiting the islands to earn revenue. They sell freshly caught fish and lobsters, fresh vegetables, beer (mucho beer!) as well as beautiful fabrics with intricate stitched designs known as molas. Some also charge you a small fee when you visit their island (e.g., $2-3 pp) or offer lunch and dinner options to those coming ashore.
With about 400 islands to choose from and many boats in our fleet arriving at the same time we chose to make our fist stop Coco Banderas Cays. This island grouping is a bit further to the East than the first cays you reach, Hollandes Cays, when approaching the San Blas Islands from Santa Marta to the west. Most of the boats in our fleet were stopping there. As much as we have enjoyed the company of the other boats in our fleet we thought the tranquil experience you expect in the San Blas Islands would be best enjoyed with a smaller crowd. In the end, we were joined by just a few other boats, Szel, Escapade of London and Zissou, on the eastern end of the Coco Banderas island chain. This lent itself to an informal cocktail gathering on Che Figata our first night in the area as well as a beach barbecue and bonfire on a nearby uninhabited island our second night. During the day we enjoyed some really terrific snorkeling. While the fish were on the small size — though we did spot a pair of the largest drumfish we have ever seen — the coral was healthy and prodigious creating lots of places for fish to swim in and around.
Our second stop in the San Blas Islands was the Los Grullos Cays where we anchored off Kanuidup island, described in our guide book as one of the most beautiful of the San Blas Islands. (We are not sure how you distinguish them — they are all breathtaking!) Though we were still anxious to visit the popular Hollandes Cays, most of the fleet that didn’t stop in Hollandes Cays originally were headed there the third day so we wanted to defer our visit a few days and spend a couple of days in a less populated anchorage. Apparently, we are over achievers because though there were plenty of cruisers in the San Blas Islands during our visit (in addition to our fleet), we were the only boat anchored off Kanuidup and the closest other boat was off in the distance, barely visible with the naked eye. There we enjoyed house made ceviche courtesy of the fresh fish — a red snapper, a grouper and a small fish yet to be identified — we bought from a Kuna who paddled up to our boat in his dug out canoe. When we say “fresh” fish we mean fresh as in the fish were still breathing when we brought them onto our boat! Jill turned our bounty into ceviche loaded with onion, tomato, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and fresh lime juice with a touch of olive oil.
When not eating ceviche we could be found snorkeling in the local crystal clear waters. Thanks to our well marked charts we found a great spot In between Kanuidup and another nearby island. There was a shallow reef with a dramatic drop off to depths of about 30-35 feet. All along this drop was a wall of coral that extended the equivalent of at least a few city blocks. Though it was not as magnificent as some wall diving we have done with sheer drop offs going down hundreds of feet (those wall dives make you feel like you are suspended in air) this mini wall was pretty spectacular for a snorkel, giving us lots of coral real estate to explore as we hovered over above and slowly swam across the ocean floor.
Our third stop in the San Blas Islands was finally Hollandes Cays and we understood, immediately, why they are so popular. The Hollandes Cays is a beautiful collection of tiny islands, all relatively close together and largely uninhabited. Once again, snorkeling was the order of the day (both days). We heard from members of our fleet who had already spent time there that they had seen rays so our first day we snorkeled around areas with a sandy ocean floor. The spot we found was so free of sea grass, rocks and coral of any kind that we felt like we were swimming above a pristine underwater sugar sand beach. These conditions create the perfect environment for rays and we were fortunate to spot two large and oh so elegant eagle rays. We were able to hover above them for quite some time, observing them as they gracefully glided through the water and then burrowed into the sand. (Our crew member Mark got some great pictures with his underwater camera.). We could have watched these magnificent creatures for hours. The next day we were back to our aquarium snorkeling, enjoying areas where there was an abundance of every manner of hard and soft coral. Among the coral there was a field of what looked like green underwater hydrangeas which reminded Jill of the bouquets of white hydrangeas that often added that floral touch to our home.
In addition to snorkeling (a favorite Che Figata crew pastime) we also enjoyed dinner at Ivin’s the first night of our two day stay in the Hollanders Cays. Ivin, who spoke some English, runs a “restaurant “ on Bandeup island. Restaurant is in quotes because Ivin is quick to tell you that his restaurant is not legal — meaning that he doesn’t have a license to operate it. Still, he serves a superb 3 course lunch or dinner — including, he is quick to add, one beer and fresh baked bread — for $20 USD per person. For starters he offers smoked fish ceviche and for his main course he offers a delicate filleted white fish with a light creamy garlic sauce sauce. A side of roasted and cubed eggplant seasoned with garlic rounded out the meal. For dessert we were served coconut cream cake. Zack and Mark gave Ivin’s food two highly enthusiastic thumbs up. Though Jill did not eat the fish (or the coconut cream cake) she was thrilled not to be served a plate of white rice (which is what usually happens when we dine at a place like Ivin’s) and thought the eggplant dish was delicious. Of course we had to ask Ivin where we sharpened his culinary skills and he shared that he learned to cook working on some mega yachts that sailed around Panama. Unfortunately, COVID shut down that work but that gave him the impetus to return home and build his own business. In addition to his unlicensed restaurant which is a work in progress he has plans to build a private dining hut elevated on stilts above the water as well as an over the water “honeymoon“ suite accessible by boat or a small dock. We enjoyed eating under a small pavilion with a single picnic table right on the beach. Under construction or not, it was perfect!
Our fourth stop on our tour of the San Blas Islands was the Lemon Cays where a dozen or so small islands dot the ocean. Unlike Coco Banderas Cays and Hollandes Cays which were comprised of small, largely uninhabited, islands many of the islands in the Lemon Cays were inhabited though generally by only only or two families living in a hut. Our feature photo for this blog entry captures one of these islands. We enjoyed a day of island hopping, meeting the Kuna families who lived there and “shopping” for souvenirs as a way to give back to this community that allowed us the enjoy their special part of the world. We enjoyed beer on the beach, walks along the shore taking one picture after another and our conversations with our hosts. These were conducted somewhat successfully through gestures and pantomime since most of the Kunas do not speak English — they speak their tribal language as well as some Spanish — and we do not speak either of those languages. While visiting one of the islands we learned that the local family served lunch or dinner on the front porch of their home. This front porch was a U shaped patio built on short stilts over the water, almost like a covered dock. Unlike Ivin’s, this restaurant was licensed as the home owner proudly displayed his certificate. The license notwithstanding, this restaurant was a much more rudimentary and local affair — no three course meal with a beer and bread thrown in. The simple traditional fare consisted of a baked fish served whole, coconut rice, plantain cakes and a shredded cabbage and carrots served in mayonnaise. (Jill was served the coconut rice, plantain cakes and naked (dry) shredded cabbage and carrots in a pile — yes it was an appetizing as it sounds but the setting made it all worth it!).
After a day of island hoping we were ready for some more snorkeling so the next morning we picked up our anchor and headed over to Chichime Cays. It was another beautiful anchorage for our last day in the San Blas Islands. Our plan was to spend the day there and leave at 10:00 PM that evening for the the approximately 10 hours sail to Colon, Panama. We could not have picked a better spot for out final day. First, the islands were particularly stunning. Again, that quintessential island paradise look. Second, we found a great snorkel spot around the tiniest speck of an island. Though there is not complete agreement among the Che Figata crew about the island’s actual size, and we didn’t bring a tape measure along for our snorkel, we’d say that the diameter of this island was somewhere between 30 – 40 feet. At any rate, healthy coral encircled the island and we had a great time snorkeling around the island among the coral and watching the many schools of fish that made that spot their home. And, finally, we had a somewhat close encounter with dolphins, albeit in the dark. After dinner aboard Che Figata, as we were savoring our last few hours of solitude in the San Blas Islands, we heard splashing in the water. At first we thought that someone on a nearby sailboat had decided to go for the swim. The moon was full making the evening sky relatively bright. But then we heard more loud splashes, right near our boat, and that unmistakable swish sound that you hear as sea mammals release air through their blowholes. We were pretty confident that dolphins were very nearby and after quickly retrieving and shining our spot light (sorry dolphins!) we were able to confirm our suspicions. Though they didn’t stay around long, it was great fun to watch the dolphins pop up out of the water, release air and dive back down. We don’t know for certain but we believe they were catching their evening meal.
Before we knew it was just before 10:00 PM and time to hoist the anchor and set sail for Colon. The plan was to arrive by 8:00 AM so we could give Che Figata the cleaning she desperately needed after a week in the islands and also begin preparations for our Panama Canal transit and beyond. We had lots to do to get ready for the transit as well as our passage to and stay in the Galápagos Islands which was next on our itinerary after a very brief visit to the Las Perlas islands on the Pacific side of Panama. We will cover all of this — because what you have to do to transit the Canal as well as be permitted to visit the Galápagos Islands by private vessel (something most people do not do) is actually quite interesting (really) — in our next blog entry. Despite the fact that we knew we had to leave we couldn’t help asking ourselves whether we could stay just a little bit longer. Our inner adult (darn that maturity) kept us from derailing our Panama Canal transit by extending our stay.
We arrived in Colon at Shelter Bay Marina very close to our desired arrival of 8:00 AM. It was an uneventful evening sail. (Well, really a motor sail because the winds were very light). Thankfully, the winds remained calm as we approached the marina — we didn’t experience the usual squall that seems to appear out of nowhere every time we have to pull into a slip. The trickiest part of the journey was actually the channel we navigated as we approached Colon. Largely because Colon is an entry and exit point for transit through the Panama Canal, Colon is a very busy commercial port. That means lots of large ships coming in and out of the shipping lanes. They expect a sailboat to avoid them (the first unwritten rule of seamanship is that the large boat that can destroy you has the right of way) and Captain Zack did a masterful job navigating around the shipping lanes avoiding any close encounters with a freighter. That would definitely have marred what was a wonderful week in paradise. By the way, he also effortlessly steered Che Figata into a narrow slip, doing a perfect pirouette in a narrow channel, in order to enter our assigned slip stern first. Of course, this is what Jill has come to expect from Captain Zack!
Now off to prepare for our upcoming adventures! Did we mention that we have lots to do?
