Panama Part I - San Blas

The wild ride from Aruba to Cartagena fresh in our minds, we were eager to test the waters on the last leg of our Caribbean cruise.  As a precaution, we hoisted the main sail with one reef, as it doesn’t slow us down more than a knot of speed, and is safer and more stable until we know what’s really in store for us, sea condition-wise.  The general consensus, from those who have sailed that stretch before us, is that a dip to the south will lend some shelter from the high winds and seas on a rhumb line (straight line, point to point further north) and that is exactly what we did.  It wasn’t nearly as dramatic as our previous passage, but we were making great speeds and soon found ourselves at the entrance to Colon and the Great Panama Canal exactly one day and eighteen hours later, minus a mighty tuna which valiantly flung itself off the gaff last minute replaced by a tasty Wahoo we managed to keep!

The excitement of the Panama Canal was instantaneous.  Surrounded by ships of all dimensions and destinations at anchor or in a waiting pattern for the canal, we darted into the breakwater timing our entrance between the transiting vessels.  We had finally arrived!  Destination Panama after fourteen months of research, acquisition, refit, planning and shakedown was successfully achieved!  Now for the transit to Phase II of our adventure, the Pacific Ocean!

After a good nights sleep, we bounded into Shelter Bay Marina the next morning to get a measure of the process.  Clearing customs and immigration was a breeze once convinced that checking into the Marina provided many advantages.  The Aduanas Officers are on site for their clients and it is easy to get the first step for a Transit Permit accomplished there which is the Admeasure.  For some reason, that’s what they call it, but basically an official comes to the boat, fills out the application and requirements checklist and explains the process (somewhat) and then physically measures the boat.  Once completed, our next step was taking a taxi to the city of Colon to pay our transit fees.  Colon has held a position in the top most dangerous cities for some time.  It is a dark and crumbling place with some downtrodden barrios and bustling markets where it looks like an ammunitions deal might go down at any moment, certainly no place to wander around looking like an unsuspecting Gringo.  We went straight to the Canal Bank and back and that was all we needed to see.  Once the fees registered as paid, we called the main scheduling office who allowed us to pick a date, which we had already discussed with our incoming crew from Charleston, the auspicious date of February 20, 2020.  Many cruisers hire agents for this process, but we saw no advantage to it.  This left us three weeks to go play in Guna Yala while our friends and future line handlers booked flights and picked up the never ending supplies we order to bring down to us.

Puente Atlantico

Our Transit Permit

Guna Yala, or better known as San Blas Islands, is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, mostly uninhabited, off the north coast of the isthmus of Panama.  We passed them on our way to Colon, about where we caught our fish, but needed to clear customs and immigration and arrange our transit first before backtracking the 80 miles to get there.  It is one of the most remote places in the world and few people have ever heard of it.  I happen to have met someone from that heritage in my former life and now had a chance to see it.  The islands have maintained their autonomy through a counsel of indigenous Guna people and offer a generous glimpse of their lifestyle, mostly unchanged over hundreds of years with the exception of a few modern electronics and regular exchanges with visitors.  Most of the islands are small and sometimes populated by whole families who live simply and modestly in their natural world.  The Guna or Kuna Indians are not shy but friendly, very polite and we were delighted by their curious visits to our boat.  They typically want to sell their handicrafts in the form of beautifully hand stitched Molas or bags and adornments which they offer at a fair price and then cunningly extract other items to sweeten the exchange like pens, toys, books and makeup, some of which they are not allowed to have!  We gave away some ledgers, sunscreens, toys and pens and privately some kids movies to our new friend, Gustino.  He came out to the boat later just to thank us profusely for the films.  Imagine the delighted Kuna children of the tropical isles watching March of the Penguins!  From Gustino, we learned many things, including a story about fisherman taking advantage of an unattended yacht which was promptly dealt with by the counsel who demanded that the “borrowed” items be immediately returned.  And the fact that the counsel regulates the amount of boats and yachts that are allowed to charter here.  It is a safe haven on the otherwise treacherous Darien coast.  Guna Yala is very protected to conserve the indigenous way of life but has clearly been discovered by cruisers.  The more popular anchorages can have 20 to 40 boats at a time but it thins out the further east one travels.  We found some beautiful places on and off the beaten track and could have spent months here exploring.  One of the nice features of this area are the fruit and vegetable boats that deliver fresh produce from the mainland to the many anchorages a couple of times a week.  They will also bring meats and other market requests, fuel and propane eventually if it is ordered in advance.  And then there are the local fisherman who provide fresh caught fish, lobster, crabs and even octopus for a reasonable price.  All the negotiations are done in Spanish, though not the local language, and we found them very willing to bargain.  All of this lends to the ability to remain in the islands virtually uninterrupted on a yacht, which is the best way to visit.  There are also a few hippie campsites and accommodation options hosted by the Gunas and regular small passenger launches from the mainland in Porvenir and inter-island routes for those who seek this unique outpost as an add-on to the Panama experience.  There is also, at least one, restaurant.

Our first anchorage at Chichime

Our first visitors!

Gustino on his sailing skiff

Buddies

Date night restaurant

Fresh Produce!

Limitless coconuts!

My coconut!

It was the perfect place to relax and unwind for David and I aboard india.  We were able to play in the water for the first time this year.  The sea was warm and inviting, protected by great shoals and the beaches were a quiet splendor laden with coconut palms. The SUPs were launched, the new snorkel gear was tested along with the lobster sling for David’s first big catch, and the colorful hammock we bought in Colombia hung perfectly on the foredeck.  We took time to prepare the boat for our imminent guests which was largely about finding new places to store our considerable gear.  Both of our guest cabins have been used as closets for,… well everything since the beginning of our venture.  Tools and dive gear especially needed permanent homes other than our guest beds.  As magical as any place we’ve been so far, Guna Yala was a superior location for us to wait out our forthcoming transit, but there was always an underlying excitement knowing that the Grand Canal and doorway to the Pacific was waiting for us.