9d35N - 78d40 W 
Air temperature 87degrees  Water 84 degrees  Humidity 82%
Eastern Holandes Cays,  San Blas Islands PanamaSan Blas Islands  Holandes Cays

Cruising in the San Blas Islands is to essentially join an eclectic group of international yachts. . . mostly sailboats in the 35-50 foot range. Some have passed from the Pacific through the Panama Canal. Other yachts have crossed from Europe and cruised the Eastern Caribbean down to Trinidad, then toward the Canal.   Finally, some have made this area their cruising grounds, simply exploring the islands and rivers up and down the Panamanian coast for many seasons. We have friends from Holland, Colombia, Venezuela, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. We are usually anchored with 3 to18 boats, and quickly become a community. Learning about the politics and cultures of many countries and their perspective on American habits is very interesting.

We have been cruising in these remote islands for over three months.  The trade winds started howling in early January and continued to blow at 20-25 knots for months around the clock.  The good thing about that is the boat feels cooler below, there are no bugs, and the wind generator continually feeds power to our batteries. The bad part is the seas build, the currents run strong, and everything on the boat feels sticky from the salt breeze. Passages between the islands can be daunting as one leaves a protected anchorage behind a reef, and suddenly the boat is rolling along in an eight to ten foot confused sea. Moving ten miles requires buttoning up the boat and stowing everything as if to cross the Atlantic! We both pictured idyllic afternoon cruises from one tiny coral reef to another.  However, that is not the reality.  It is necessary to make passages in mid-day when the sun is high to spot pesky coral heads that suddenly pop up. We have charts, cruising guides, and electronic charts. None are accurate all the time. It is essential for one person to be perched on the bow reading the colors of the water, to carefully thread Limerence into the next anchorage safely. It is a great relief to set the anchor and nestle behind a protective reef. We are lulled to sleep by the constant roar of the surf breaking on the coral.  We have cruised many of the remote and lovely islands, and also visited the village of Rio Diablo-Corazon de Jesus, also called Nargana.

The Kuna Yala Indians live traditionally in the San Blas Islands and have their governmental seat at Naragana. The Kuna Yala won their independence from Panama in the 1920's. Nargana is a compact village of huts interspersed with small concrete buildings and streets of sand. There are several churches, a small bank, a police station, school, clinic, and tiny airport. There are small stores or tiendas scattered throughout the village located in private homes. The people live very simply in huts with tin or palm roofs. They have almost no furniture and sleep on hammocks strung across the width of the huts. They have no running water or plumbing. Outhouses are built from bamboo and sticks perched out over the water on short crude docks. Nargana has limited electricity from a central generator that runs 18 hours a day. A few huts have small propane stoves, and several tiendas have freezers. Water is fetched from the Rio Diablo River everyday for drinking, cooking and bathing. The island people are almost completely autonomous from Panama, with the exception of the school that is operated by the Panamanian government. The handsome Kuna people are friendly, helpful, and the children exuberant.

The Kuna Yala government maintains the 365 coral islands that dot the NE Panamanian coastline. Families rotate the duties of harvesting and maintaining the coconut crops on each island. An extended family group will move onto an island and "camp out" in palm huts for several weeks while they tidy up the island and harvest the coconuts. Later, they haul coconuts in their ulu canoes to the islands near the mainland to be sold.   Every day trading boats come from Colombia to take on coconuts and leave potatoes, bananas, rice, beans, and root vegetables. The Kuna Yala are not interested in developing an independent agricultural economy and depend primarily on the Colombians for commerce. They raise a few pigs and chickens and fish the local waters. The women earn the bulk of the family income selling beautiful handcrafted molas, which are reverse appliqué panels and part of their traditional dress. The layered sewing has become an art and excellent molas can cost from $15 to $100 dollars.

 In the small towns basket ball and soccer games are organized frequently. Town meetings are an important part of Kuna life, and missing meetings results in a $5.00 fine. The Kuna Yala maintain their ancient customs but are usually polite to foreigners. We have enjoyed chatting with the families, especially the friendly children who shout "Hola, hola!!" and clamor to hold our hands as we walk. Marrying outside of the Kuna race is forbidden and the high incidence of intermarriage has resulted in a disproportionate percentage of albinoism.

We love the outer islands of the San Blas because they are very private. Away from the rivers and the mainland, the outer waters are extremely clear and the snorkeling is fantastic. We dive and explore the exotic reefs every single day.  Each small island is surrounded by coral reefs - some dotted with the wreckage of wayward yachts that have been drawn into the surf and lost on the craggy rocks. The beauty of the sea is stunning, however the beached wrecks are a sober reminder of the danger of these waters.

The outer islands lie over ten miles from the mainland and visits from ulus selling fish and lobster are less frequent, as well as the women selling molas. We have purchased about 20 molas as souvenirs to be eventually made into pillows or wall hangings. Several Kuna men who are transvestites have build quite a business posing as women and selling excellent quality molas. These men have set themselves up in ulus with engines and therefore have a wider geographical range. It is interesting when they pop over the horizon perched on the bow of their ulu - in full make-up, ready to sell molas!

Today we motored to a quiet deserted island and built a small fire for our burnable trash. After the "burn" we waded into the crystal clear water and swam. This is the Paradise in everyone's dream. No telephones, no traffic jams, no newspaper headlines, no business meetings. On the other hand, there are no restaurants, no grocery stores, no mechanics, no gas stations, no laundries, no museums, no libraries, and no shopping. These are islands. . .if you don't bring it here. . . you won't find it here. We have learned to carry a three-month supply of provisions, and not count on fresh fruit or vegetables.   Soon one learns how to cope in Paradise, and there are ways to get supplies by taking the small shuttle plane back to Panama City. We will tell you that adventure in our next update.

Fair winds friends, 
Doug and Judy

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