San Blas Islands  Holandes Cays
Lat. 9d35.084N-Long. 78d41.581W
Air Temperature 85d - Water 78d

In mid-February we hauled anchor in Portobelo and bashed our way eight miles north to Isla Linton. It was one of the roughest passages we have made, with 25-knot headwinds and eight-foot seas. We sailed in bright sun and the harsh rocky headland and huge surf of the coastline looked angry.  We motored with a double-reefed main and were lucky to average 3 knots.  The narrow channel into Isla Linton looked treacherous with breaking seas on all sides. Once we turned and lined up on the entrance to the harbor, the wind was behind us.  Limerence relaxed and surfed into the protected anchorage.

After a week in Linton waiting for a weather window, the barometer dropped, the winds slackened off to less than fifteen knots and we took the opportunity to run to the San Blas Islands. We caught a favorable easterly current and in seven hours made the forty-plus miles to Chichime Cays. The San Blas Islands are 365 rough, low coral islands and islets strewn across the Panamanian coastline. Each palm island is surrounded by coral reef and clear blue water. The area is a paradise, but a dangerous one. The charts are not always accurate, and the cruising guides can be outdated.

As we approached the two coconut palm-covered islands of Chichime, the entrance looked confusing because an islet on the chart no longer exists. Therefore we miscalculated the position of the narrow entrance channel, and found ourselves suddenly in a field of glimmering coral heads. I was standing on the bow, and Doug was at the helm of Limerence. As soon as we realized our mistake, we rapidly turned the boat . . .CRUNCH! Our keel was against a coral head and we stopped dead. Doug quickly tried to back up. We pulled out the jib sail to heel us over in the light wind, but to no avail. Our friends watching from the anchorage--Double Dragon, Whimsy, and Kumbaya--jumped into their dinghies to help. Fortunately, we were not in a swell or crashing surf, and Limerence sat patiently waiting for a solution. We led the spinnaker halyard out with a dinghy, and also the dropped the anchor 200 feet to starboard to prevent us from dragging deeper into the coral field.

Shortly, a large motorized dugout canoe (ulu) roared up with four Kuna Indian men aboard. Their ulu was full of lobster from a day of hunting. The Kunas sprang into action, tied a line to our bow and began towing Limerence. After fifteen minutes of tugging and pulling, we finally lifted and sailed off the coral head. As we motored away the Kunas began yelling and frantically waving their arms. Thinking they were signaling Doug to drive faster, he pushed down the throttle. Violent yelling caused Doug to turn around and see that he was towing Double Dragon's Boston Whaler dinghy backwards, and the dinghy was nearly sunk. As the engine went under, the Kunas sped over to the dinghy and began bailing like a firehose with large gourds. Soon the dinghy surfaced and the crew aboard signaled that they were safe.  A bit shaken, we slowly motored around an islet into the dark blue water and entered the anchorage. That evening at the cocktail party aboard Double Dragon we rehashed the incident and dissected what SHOULD have happened! We over-relied on the charts.  We have learned some charts in the San Blas are off as much as one-quarter of a mile.

The San Blas Islands are the tropical paradise that everyone dreams of.  Crystal clear water, constant trade winds, and friendly natives are a page from a magazine. We buy lobsters or giant crabs every few days for a few dollars. We snorkel, hike the islands, and interact with the native people. Away from the lights of a city, the night sky is brilliant with stars.

The San Blas or Mulatupo Archipelago is an autonomous Indian reservation for the Kuna Yala. They administer their own territory and have been successful in keeping their original customs. The Kunas may be the last of the full-blooded Carib people who occupied this area before the Spanish conquest. Sitting quietly at anchor off Chichime, we could observe Kuna families living in palm huts, setting out in their dugout canoes (ulus) every morning, and living as they have for hundreds of years. The tiny Kuna Indians are very handsome people. The women are especially striking wearing wrap skirts, floral blouses cinched around the waist with a mola, and their calves and wrists decorated with rows of beads. The mola is an intricate hand-stitched reverse appliqué panel worn on the front and back of the blouse.  Most women wear gold nose rings, and draw a black line from their forehead to the tip of their nose. Aside from harvesting coconuts, the selling of molas is their main source of moneyr. The women are tenacious and approach cruising yachts as they drop anchor, offering molas for sale!

We are "roving reporters" for Jimmy Cornell, yachting writer and founder of the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruising Yachts, an annual event he hosted for many years).   Last year Jimmy started a website called NOONSITE, which contains information on harbors and cruiser services worldwide (see our web link page).  Jimmy contacted us months ago and asked if we would agree to be "roving reporters" for Noonsite as we cruise. We have provided information on the Los Sueños Marina in Costa Rica, and Flamenco Marina in Panama. We got an e-mail last month from Jimmy saying that he would be in the San Blas Islands on March 1 and would like to meet us. Sure enough, on Sunday, March 3, Aventura Tres - Jimmy's yacht - pulled into Chichime. We had a great lobster dinner with wine aboard Aventura, and exchanged stories for several hours. After sizing us up, his advice was to cruise the Caribbean for a little while and then get Limerence to the Mediterranean as quickly as possible!

Early March found us in the Limon Cays and then the Holandes Cays enjoying a different perspective of the San Blas.  I feel a little nervous as we maneuver around the coral heads, navigating in and out of the scenic anchorages. It is essential to travel in midday when the sun is high and visibility is excellent. There are literally hundreds of anchorages - some occupied by other cruising yachts, and many completely isolated. There are also islands to explore with dense Kuna populations, stores, schools, clinics, and even small airports.

The trade winds will continue to blow constantly throughout March, building the outside seas to huge proportions. In the spring, the trades will subside and passages throughout the Caribbean will be tenable.  After enjoying the beauty of the San Blas Islands for two months, we plan to make our easterly passage to Cartagena, Columbia in late May.

        More Travel Logs                                         Home