Sunriser

Before we went to the San Blas islands some sailors said to us that if you have seen San Blas, you have seen it all. Of course we were a bit skeptical but after being there for three weeks we found it difficult to tear ourselves from these paradise islands, their friendly Guna inhabitants and the kind sailing community established there. Because, indeed, some cruisers give into the temptation and never leave.

We were happily reunited with old friends from Zinic 2 (Luis and Estefy, who we had met in the Dominican Republic a year ago) and Cloud 9 (Jeroen and Madelon, from two years ago in Surinam). We were also rapidly introduced into the community of local sailors who call San Blas their home. They organize plenty of fun and social activities (beach BBQs, kayak excursions, lobster lunches, game evenings, birthday parties, sundowners…) and provide invaluable information of the ‘ins and outs’ of life in San Blas (when the supplies boat comes, how to bargain, where to burn the trash and were to bring the recycling items, best snorkeling spots, how to navigate the reefs…). When we left we took with us great memories and a bunch of new friends: Hans and Christine (Domicil), Rob and Debra (Avant), Ben and Eliza (Three rivers), Jerry and Dana (Tango), Victor and Debbie (Serenity)…

The friendly Guna indigenous inhabitants of the islands have embraced the sailing community and are making efforts to meet the needs of this particular kind of tourists which move around in their floating homes. They tour the islands in their small canoes offering lobster, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, and artisanal goods to the boats. Some more entrepreneurial Guna have managed to organize delivery of virtually anything from the mainland, including Diesel.

The Guna people inhabit the islands of San Blas and also part of the mainland, known as Guna Yala, or Guna territory. They have a good degree of self governance and independence from the Panama central government, which they earned after the revolution of 1925 when the Panama authorities attempted to impose ‘civilization’ on them. We were so lucky to be able to attend the festivities of Revolution day in Digir island, including an impressive reenactment of the war.

We have often referred in the past to the helpful sailing community, always ready to assist each other and in San Blas we lived an example leading to the rescue of a ship which got stuck in the reef while anchoring. The whole anchorage was ready to help trying to pull the ship out, no easy task. Luckily, with the help of the high tide and a powerful engine the boat was released.

Here is another video of the incident, now viewed from a drone.

After three wonderful weeks, it was time to proceed with our planned itinerary, which involves transiting the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean.

But first we make a short stopover in the anchorage of Portobelo, with our favorite Italian restaurant. Besides serving great Italian food, the owner Francesco asks people to decorate a stone to put on the wall.

We have spent more than 2 years in the Caribbean and we are looking forward to this special milestone on a sailor’s life!