Cartagena, San Blas and Panama

After the enormous heat of Cartagena we were more than ready for a bit of sailing again. A day and a half in advance I told the agent we wanted to leave at 0600 in the morning. So his assistant came by that morning to pick up the passports. I could get used to having an agent like that. On the last evening we went to eat at Sr. Miyagi once more. We were welcomed very enthusiastically by the owner (who, incidentally, came across as very European) and the head waiter. The food was even better than on Friday, so that was absolutely fine.

After a quarter of an hour a Dutch mother and daughter came in, and of all places they were seated right next to us. It turned out they were also sailing to Panama: a 5-day trip for $600. With 15 (!) people on a 50-foot monohull. We had a quick look on our way back to the boat; during the briefing 5 of them had to sit on the coachroof because the cockpit couldn’t hold 15 people. Well, backpackers with one stray mother. We were curious how they got on, but never saw them again.

So the three of us left the next morning, nice and relaxed. For the first few hours there was no wind at all, but at some point it picked up and we had a lovely sail to the San Blas. That’s a group of islands that officially belongs to Panama, but the indigenous people (the Guna) are very attached to their own way of life and would prefer to have nothing to do with the national government. Clearing in there was a lot of hassle, so we took advantage of the fact that you only have to clear in after you’ve been in Panama for 72 hours. So we arrived at a small island in the morning and didn’t leave until the following evening. On arrival we were warmly welcomed by a dolphin swimming slowly alongside the boat, something I’ve only experienced once before.

Sadly, the San Blas is no longer the idyllic “uncivilised” island paradise it used to be. The number of sailing boats was enormous and there were even small cruise ships around. Judging by the AIS, I estimated there were at least 400-500 sailing boats at anchor, about 20-30 of them at the island where we were. The area is very poorly charted by the big chart providers. There is a cruising guide with detailed charts, but apparently those aren’t always accurate either, and since we were only there briefly we didn’t buy it. So I wanted to go to an island that was safe to approach. Visually it’s exactly what you imagine a tropical island to be: sand, palm trees. Only with more huts and, blimey, even a little resort with loud music. A karaoke bar made it “complete”. In the evening we went ashore for a bit and bought nice cold Panamanian beers for $3 from the one Guna guy who was still open. We had to drink up quickly afterwards though, because he wanted to go home to the mainland…

The next day was another lovely day of lazing about / working on board, the swimming was divine and the temperature very pleasant with a nice breeze through the boat. Even Sander went for a swim here; apparently he has a reputation for not being much of a swimmer, but we thought he did just fine. In the evening it got busier and a rather shabby sailing boat with guests started anchoring right in front of us. Excuse me sir, you’re lying on our anchor… After a quarter of an hour we just left early. Since we would now arrive in the dark at Panama’s northern port (Cristobal), which is when it’s at its busiest because the freighters head for the canal then, we motored into a little bay I’d spotted on the chart for the night. In the morning it turned out to be actually quieter than the San Blas and very beautiful. Pity, we’d have been better off spending a day here. But our minds were already on Panama, and we’d already notified the marina, so up came the anchor again and off to the marina.

I’d visited Shelter Bay marina by car once before with Damaris and Rudolf, and it’s very nice. Sturdy pontoons, individual water and power hookups, a good restaurant, little shops, a big swimming pool. Just a light breeze off the sea. Very safe but rather remote, being half an hour’s drive from the nearest house, and these days the Panamanian army is back at the old US Navy base surrounding it. All perfectly fine. Checking in was a bit confusing, and then the truth came out: the officials only speak Spanish and are used to the agent doing it for you. You need one (it’s mandatory) for the canal anyway. So ours came to the rescue and it all worked out. We immediately put in a request to transit the canal as soon as possible on or after 30 April.

The day after we had a good rest and celebrated with the guys that we’d reached the final destination (theirs, anyway). We rented a car, which we can also use to get to the airport on Wednesday. On Sunday we drove to the canal, where there’s a visitor centre at one of the locks. It’s been given a serious makeover since six years ago; there’s now an IMAX theatre showing a film about the different construction phases of the canal and how it works. Impressive! Afterwards you can go up and watch the locks, but by the time you get there the ships from one direction have already gone through. We didn’t fancy waiting another hour and a half, so we drove on. Luckily we passed the first ships near the entrance of the complex, and got to see the famous “mule” locomotives in action.

Then over the two bridges across the canal to Panama City, where we first had a look around the next marina, drank beers and Coke Zeros at pavement cafés and then had a fancy dinner in the old town. The food was by far the best we’d had this whole trip, fantastic. Not exactly cheap, but good value for money all the same. Afterwards Jesse and I dropped Sander off at a hotel near the airport; he flew to Curaçao early this morning to do some things with a business partner there.

Today was very hot, so apart from the laundry and some laptop time we just went for a swim, and Jesse went for a little walk. Oh yes, we pickled the watermaker with chemicals so it can safely sit idle for a month in this heat. Tonight the couple from the Grutte Pier are coming over for a beer; I met them in Cape Verde and since then we’ve crossed paths twice without actually seeing each other. Tomorrow perhaps some shopping, a few more small boat jobs, and then on Wednesday we fly home again. I’m coming home for 5 weeks for the birthdays of Arnold, Marion and my mother… and then on 27 April back to Panama, to transit the canal on 2 and 3 May.