| 28th April 2007 Bocas del Toro Panama We arrived in Panama, at Bocas del Toro, on the 8th of March. Our trip from San Andres had been a mixed bag but in general we did very well only resorting to the motor for the last five hours when the wind collapsed as we approached the coast. We managed to find an anchorage just as the sun went below the horizon and slept well in preparation for ‘Clearing In’ and other formalities in the morning. The following morning we went ashore looking for the officials however it was mid afternoon by the time we got everything done. We were a little surprised that we were down eighty-five dollars U.S. by the time all the officials had taken their little bit, we had been given the impression that Panama was still very reasonable for fees but it seems that what we consider reasonable does not apply to everyone. We were immediately impressed with the town of Bocas, it was a little sleepy and laid back but had just about everything the average cruiser needs and the prices seemed to be ‘about right’. The main tourist trust was still the Backpack brigade and the lower end of the market however Property development is taking off as many of the retiring North Americans and Europeans discover they can get a lot more mileage from their retirement income if they move down here. A nice waterfront lot for less than $100,000 is quite attractive when compared to many countries. Another consideration is the weather, this part of the world lies outside of the Hurricane Belt and whilst it can be a little wet and humid at times it never gets life threatening! We hung around in the Bocas town area for a week then decided it was time to explore further and to start moving along. The weather was glorious, in fact the locals were a little worried that it had not rained for almost six weeks and this was quite unusual for this (or any!) time of the year. On the 15th of March we Motor sailed up to Ground Creek on the east side of Isla Colon, where we found a very secure anchorage in a Mangrove Lagoon, we left the boat and explored further in the dinghy going north through Knapps Hole and up passed Starfish Beach to Lime Point and Bocas del Drago. We did a little swimming and some snorkeling on a few of the reef patches offshore however I did not find much in way of either coral or fish to get excited about. After lunch on board we moved off south again exploring Conch Point Creek and Big Bight on the way. These were lovely, well protected and out of the way anchorages where one could get away from everything for a while however there was little to actually see or do in them (apart from be alone!). Thus we moved on and eventually came to anchor off the village of Bastimentos in the late afternoon. We went directly ashore and found the trail from the village across to Wizard Beach on the windward side of Bastimentos Island. It was a lovely little walk but we could see that a little rain would make the going difficult in places; on arrival we found a small bar (which was just closing up) and a beautiful beach. We had passed many young surfers, clutching their boards, whilst on the trail and we could see why; with the Caribbean Swell rolling in this was a perfect place for some armature surfing. We had only enough time to take a few pictures and start our way back, the sun was getting low and we were sure that the No-see-em’s and all their mates along the trail would soon be out in force. It was noteworthy that we met a few young female surfers along the trail, walking alone and wearing little, thus we guess that this part of Panama must be quite safe. That night we had assorted music from the bars ashore which carried on till about 2200hrs but after that it was quiet and peaceful through till after breakfast. The village of Bastimentos had few attractions; there were a few bars and restaurants, which catered for the Backpackers and a couple of shops where basic necessities were available. We had found anchorage in twelve feet of water in a generally grassy bottom however there were some nice clear patches of sand, you just had to hunt around a bit. When the wind died in the evening the swell hooked around the point just enough to give a gentle roll, nice for sleeping but not something you’d want all day. The next day we waited for a little sun then set off down Hospital Bight to the area known as ‘The Gap’, this is a small channel that winds through the mangroves between the Island of Bastimentos and Cayo Nancy. It was fairly strait forward but at the same time ‘navigationally challenging’ enough to make it really interesting! On the southern side one exits into an area studded with small mangrove islands and here the charts are almost useless. The Panama Guide gives the best indication of position but one must proceed with caution throughout. We worked our way through the Buttonwood Cays and round to ‘Twin Creek’ where we noted quite a few masts so did not venture in. Instead we turned west and crossed Bahia de Almirante to Boca Torritos, Porras Lagoon. We noted that the tourist information lists this area as being ‘Bahia las Delphinas’ and we did see a couple of dolphins as we entered via the narrow and twisty channel in the NE part of the lagoon. We thought we would see more dolphin activity but despite us touring the whole area there was nothing much to be seen. We eventually found a nice peaceful anchorage just north of the Boca Torrito Channel where we had seen a local tour boat putting their guests in the water to snorkel; we thought that this must be the best place to be if the tour boats are showing it off. It was a nice lunch spot but the snorkeling was not up to much (maybe we’ve been spoilt!). In the late afternoon we once again crossed the Bahia de Almirante and entered the horseshoe embrace of Johnson Cay where we launched the dinghy and went exploring. Later we sat in the cockpit and admired the beauty whilst pairs of Parrots flew overhead, no doubt going home for the evening and chatting loudly to one another along the way. Saturday 17th March, we decided that we had seen enough of the Bocas Area and move on towards Portobello and the San Blas. There was still much we could have done in the Bocas area but much of it would be similar to what we had already seen. We were ready for a change and thus motored seawards through the Crawl Cay Channel, past the Zapatilla Cays and onwards. We were lucky to find some breeze before nightfall and we sailed along making quite good progress. The next morning however we were confronted with a series of squalls from the NE and this put a stop to our easy progress. After a while the wind settled in at NE 18-20knots and the seas increased from four to six feet. Portobelo was now about thirty miles of hard beating to windward so we decided to bear off slightly and take a break in Colon (at the entrance to the Panama Canal); As this was just two hours away we motor-sailed it in quick time. I wanted to get in before the ‘afternoon honk’ came up and the weather deteriorated further. The anchor went down on ‘The Flats’ just after noon and we soon welcomed aboard Geoff and Merel from Sifar who we had not seen since the Bahamas and whom we thought would by this time be well on their way to Galapagos. We had a couple of beers, a long chat and were invited over for dinner that evening. It’s really great to have friends in an anchorage when you arrive and better people than Geoff and Merel are hard to come by. We were extremely lucky to bump into them again as they were just about to transit and had a ton of information to give us; this saved us much running around and unnecessary worry. This visit to Panama was for us just a break whilst waiting for better weather, thus we were not involved with the transit procedures and could stand back and watch whilst others scurried madly about making their preparations. We spent our time between the local supermarket and The Panama Yacht Club, either supporting the bar, the restaurant or the Internet Computer! Well, so it seemed…. The situation in Colon is not too bad but one has to be careful with ones personal security, it is wise to take a taxi where ever one is going and to be guided by the people in the Yacht Club as to where it is safe to walk in the downtown areas. Taxi’s were cheap fortunately and readily available outside the Yacht Club. The shopping was in general quite good and not expensive but you had to factor in your four dollars taxi fair to get there and back. Thus you wouldn’t want to trip to the shops every day! We made a visit to the “Free Zone” and were not very impressed. It’s a grubby area and a tourist trap for the people from the Cruise Ships. Maybe it was a good place to buy a couple of bottles of drink but that was all, we returned empty handed! We watched the weather forecasts closely each day and whilst we did, so the wind seemed to howl across the anchorage each day relentlessly, causing us concern that we would never get out and along the coast to the San Blas. However after four days of this we seemed to have a window so on the 23rd of March we stuck our nose back outside the breakwater and promptly found it still blowing and rough out at sea. Instead of turning back we decided that we would bash and crash our way over to the first available anchorage just eight miles distant. This we did and arrived off Isla Naranjo Abajo at 0830, about three hours after we left the anchorage in Colon. This was quite a good anchorage and quite well protected from the sea and swell. We were however able to see better what was going on just across the other side of the reef and vowed that we would not leave until things had calmed down a bit. In the afternoon we noted that the wind had decreased and the sea was no longer crashing on the reef so we prepared to get away early once more. Friday the 23rd March, after a good nights sleep, we agreed that the ‘outside situation’ was much improved and moved off a 0700hrs in the direction of Portobelo. I cheated and motor-sailed the remaining twelve miles with the intention of getting there before any change to the worse happened. We anchored off Portobelo at 1018hrs having lost a little time motoring around the bay looking for a spot with a suitable depth of water. I don’t like anchoring in deep water as it gives me a lot of hard work when it comes to hauling all my gear back on board without the aid of an anchor winch. Ashore in Portobelo there is a Fresh Water Tap at the head of the dock so we took some more water, as we knew there would be a shortage in the San Blas. There was Internet in the Library and an assortment of small supermarkets. We were very impressed and vowed to spend more time in the quaint little town on the way back. The main draw of Portobelo is its rich history and all the old fortifications, which still stand in testimony to the Conquistadors and the Spanish occupation when this was the bridgehead through which most of the gold from Central America flowed to Spain and where battles were fought, won and lost over the decades. The next day we were off at 0400hrs and motored out between Isla Drake and the Salmedina Reef in the pitch black. It was a little nerve racking for Paula at the helm, plugging away into an increasing wind and sea at some speed and unable to see a thing however I had all nav-aids and the Radar going so we were always quite safe. The wind was funneling around Pta Manzanillo from right on the nose and a northerly swell was rolling in, however, when we stopped the motor and set off to the north under reefed main and staysail we were quite comfortable, not making a great deal of speed but not digging our nose into the lumpy sea either. After getting a few miles offshore and as dawn broke, we tacked to the east finding the ride was easier and we were able to go to full Genoa improving progress. As the day progressed the wind dropped from eighteen or so, down to ten and less but we were still making good progress, as there is an inshore current that runs strongly to the east. We did have to motor for a couple of hours along the way but that was OK as we needed to maintain speed to arrive with enough light to read the water (avoid the reefs). Thus at 1630hrs we eventually arrived in the San Blas and were welcomed into the anchorage by our great friends Ellen and Ed with “Entr’acte”, the boat they had been sailing when I first met them in the Caribbean in 1982. It was a great reunion and more so for the distances we had each sailed to make this rendezvous; whilst on our passage down from the Bahamas, Ed and Ellen had been slogging it out from Trinidad to The Grenadines and then the long haul over the Columbian Low and down into San Blas. Since we had last seen them they had crossed the Atlantic twice and spent time in our own country of residence, Spain; now we were together again in Chichime Lagoon in the San Blas Islands of Panama! John & Paula |
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