YACHT TRIP TO COLUMBIA VIA SAN BLAS ISLANDS

YACHT TRIP TO COLUMBIA VIA  SAN BLAS ISLANDS

Picked up at 5am Easter Monday and taken out through the Kuna rainforests to the Caribbean. The Kuna people have remained autonomous from the rest of Panama and try to maintain their old ways as much as possible and still have the San Blas Islands pretty undeveloped. At tiny Carti we took a dodgy water taxi out to the Delphin Solo which was to be our home for the 5 days it takes to go to Columbia. Owned by a Turkish couple she was a 45 ft cutter and Tahsin and Rangin welcomed us on board. When I say us, I should tell you that my 2 fellow passengers were Kirby and Kai ,also from Australia and both surfers. Kirby will be known from her days at Lennox Hd where she surfed and worked at the pub while completing her studies in Marine science. Kai is from Old Bar and they both live there now. We set out for Porbenir where we had to complete immigration and we were there after about 1 hours motor sailing. Tahsin had a call saying 2 more people were joining us tomorrow morning so that made the trip much more profitable for them at $350 ea and we settled down to enjoy this spot for the rest of the day.

A 50 year old Pommie couple named Roger and Glenys joined us the next morning and after Tahsin did the passports we set sail for the Hollandaise Group of the San Blas Islands and reached there at 3pm. This sail and the anchorage for a day and a half at the Hollandaise was the highlight of the trip. We were only in open water twice so it wasn’t rough for long and there was plenty to look at as we passed through the various islands.

The water was as clean as crystal where the boat was anchored but I was shocked when I walked around to the windward side of one island and saw huge amounts of mainly plastic debris that’s been washed up. The Plastic issue is one we all have to face as the ocean and land chokes on the stuff. We had great weather during our trip apart from some showers at night and it was picture postcard stuff here.

We were well warned by Tahsin about the next part of the trip, all in open water for nearly 2 days, and I handled the novelty of big seas and a chance to steer the yacht, for the first day, but then I was over it. It was really hard below deck being thrown around all the time and Rangin got sick and the ordinary food of the first few days reduced to hot water noodle packets for the last two. This bought on a dose of the runs to go with the prickly heat I already had and it was NOT fun anymore. Roger and I saw a huge turtle that I originally thought was an upturned dingy on the first bit of this leg, and we were visited by the US Coastguard and shadowed for an hour or so as we approached Columbian waters on the last day.

It got even rougher as we came onto the continental shelf and we were all pretty glad to see the harbour entrance into Cartagena at midnight. It’s a big harbour so it was 3am before we anchored. I must take my hat of to Kai and Kirby who showed true aussie spirit and spent the entire watch with Tahsin as we crossed the shelf and they got pounded by spray and some waves right through till midnight. Tahsin and Rangin are great sailors and my only complaint was the shit food. Quite an experience and my memories of it will grow fonder with time. Don’t think I’ll buy a yacht anytime soon though. Haha!

yacht trip--Panama to Columbia

Ilsa Grande--past Portobelo--Caribbean side Panama

Portobelo Caribbean side south of the canal

CARIBBEAN SIDE OF PANAMA CANAL—Easter Sunday

CARIBBEAN SIDE OF PANAMA CANAL—Easter Sunday

CARIBBEAN SIDE OF PANAMA CANAL—Easter Sunday

This was fabulous value for $30 and an Aussie tour guide to boot!! Adam is through the South American leg of a motorbike trip and taking a break in Panama and really knew his stuff including how to drive a van through the traffic here. We drove across the Gatun locks twice to get to the San Lorenzo Fort. The Spanish had it to guard the entrance of the Rio Chagres. Great to see this in such good condition and you could almost see the way it was in those days of the English pirates like Drake and Henry Morgan. Funny how the British were pirates –from the Spanish perspective-and heroes from the British. Saw a big ship transit the Gatun Lock that raise and lower ships nearly 30 metres and then drove into the infamous city of Colon where we saw a couple of shipwrecks, one of which contained several tons of cocaine.

The coast road to the south was along the shore all the way and we got into Portobelo just in time for a great musical parade of a statue of Christ being taken into the church after a swing around the streets. The drums and trumpets were almost hypnotic and everyone swayed to the Caribbean beat. The sound in the church while they played was amazing and it was in here that I saw the famous Black Christ statue. The Spanish ‘counting house’ where all the gold and silver was tallied before shipment to Spain is like new and a couple forts either side of town complete a fabulous place to visit.

But wait there’s more—At the end of the road past Portobelo we came to Isla Grande and we took a water taxi over to it and had a great walk out to the lighthouse that you can climb, and hang on at the top, till you are over the ‘giddies’ Fabulous views over the many islands here and some possibilities for surfing for sure. Saw the sunset over one of the forts back at Portobelo and then the long drive back to Panama City. Great day!!

Metropolitan N.P. Panama City