Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Kayaks – The Sailing Alternative
As an alternative to sailing throuout the San Blas Islands, you might consider doing what a fellow Canuks from Fernie BC did this past October. Carole Beupre, along with three of her friends and fellow Fernie residents Charity Barkwell, Cheryl Paulson, and Corin Lohman arrived for a two week all you can paddle Kayak holiday experience. We first met up with them during their second week in the San Bals at the Eastern Hollandaise, better known among cruisers as the swimming pool. As they paddled by and noticed our Canadian flag they stopped and said hello and had a visit.
We enjoyed sharing some ice in cold drinks with them as ice was not something they carry in the Kayaks and we all had a few good chuckles at hearing of their experiences to date. We got to know these great kids a little better one day when we towed their kayaks and motor/sailed to Achudup on their final leg (or is that legs, no pun intended) back to the Carti Islands.
The kayaks they brought with them were unique in that they could also be peddled, paddled and sailed and they are inflatable. I even took Doc for a ride and found it to be very stable and a hoot to scoot around in. We also got a real good look at their travelling gear which included some very neat technology in their hanging cocoon tent/hammock, made on Galliano Island, BC as well their water collection systems and marveled at the portability of their unique accommodations which latterly disappeared into a sock for transport. If you are interested in learning more of this type of travel you can contact Carole at South Country Kayak website www.southcountrykayaks.com and email info@southcountrykayaks.com
Mamitupu – Traditional Kuna 09.11N - 077.58W
For those of you interested in the traditional Kuna lifestyle you might find a visit to Mamitupu just the ticket. This island is home to a traditional Kuna village as well a small resort Las Cabanas Waica Mamitupu. The general manager Pablo Perez M. is an extremely friendly English/Spanish speaking host. He along with his wife will take care of you. There is a small airport just across a narror channel on the mainland that flies out of Panama City. Do not expect satellite TV or air-conditioning…but you can expect to enjoy the best homemade coconut oil soap and just bout anything else made with Coconut oil. This is a place to bring a good book, hang back in the hammock and let the world go by. You can contact Pablo at www.waica.com or www.geocities.com/maitupu and by email at waicamamitupu@yahoo.com or mamiupu@hotmail.com.
Summer 2008 – Kaija Finland, Gary & Doc Wally Lodge – San Blas Islands 09.32N 78.54W
It’s that time of year again for us when Kaija returns to Vancouver to see family and travel with her father to Finland. She will be gone two months and has adequately provisioned KaijaSong for her absence so that Doc and I can return to the San Blas and hang out with our Kuna friend, Augusto at the Wally Lodge situated in the Western Lemon Cays on Tiadup. Augusto makes some of the best sour dough bread you have ever eaten and so I made sure that we had sufficient flour and yeast aboard.
Each day for Doc and me would start with Coffee made aboard and fresh bread made by Augusto and he and I and Doc and his two little canine buddies Kimba and Negritta would discuss the weather for the day and world events. Keep in mind I speak no Kuna and Augusto only a few words of English the conversations would have the occasional lapse which was fine and allowed time to really enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Wally Lodge also offers great sand beaches, hammocks under the coconut palms, and some of the best snorkeling we have enjoyed to date.
For those of you who would like to experience Wally Lodge and are not sailors, it is accessible via a short launch ride from the airport at Porvenir. They currently have two cabanas with three more under construction. Typical fare is $70 per person per day. You can find further information at www.kuna-niskua.com and contact email is kuna-niskua@hotmail.com. The general manager is Juan Antonio Martinez.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Colon N 09 20.879; W 079 54.134 -May 21 – June 2008
Gary’s first Canal Transit
We were very lucky to get a mooring at the Panama Canal Yacht Club. Med mooring with a big back yard for Doc. Gary had an opportunity to do a transit with the S/y Skylax with Captain Rod and first mate Lu. It was a great experience and a good idea to do your first transit on someone else’s boat before taking your own thru. And what I learned is that it is all about the timing…and the pilot is late for it all! Making it 1am before completing the first three up locks…it was quite easy, the key is having line handlers who can pull in the line or let it out corresponding with the flow in/out of the lock. After spending the night on Gaton Lake the early morning transit (7am) became more like leaving at 9am ‘cause that’s when the pilot showed up…but no hassle or worry as long as they are well fed. As long as you can make 8 knots (that’s the regulation, the reality was more like 5 kts) but no worries mate! We arrived to brisk headwinds in Panama and the anchorage of Balboa was not inviting in any way. The 2 hour bus ride back to Cristobel/Colon was exciting to say the least…involving a brutal physical attack, the army and police and a screaming woman…to make a long story short… be very careful in Panama!
Naranjo N 09 25.587; W 079 48.139 - May 14 – 21 2008
This is one of those places that few boats stop at. We were the only boat most of the time here, except the two days that Hocus Pocus stopped by. We walked around the island and not much there, no shells, no beach glass. This anchorage is just 8 miles east of Colon and a perfect anchorage. We had wind from the north and the south and no problems. No bugs and good holding and good swimming for Doc.
Portobelo N 09 33.546; W 079 40.116 - May 12 – 14 2008
When we were last here, it was Black Christ Festival and there were thousands of people here, now it is a quiet relaxed and safe place. We needed some provisions and dog food especially. Stocked up while anchored on the town side and then moved over by the yellow house on the opposite shore. Climbed a couple of the forts and enjoyed great pizza at the Drake restaurant.
Isla Linton N 09 36.689; W 079 35.274 - May 4 – 11 2008
Back to visit the monkeys. Yes they are still there and looking for handouts. I have been told that they are howler monkeys and that the owner of the island, Mr. A Bartel, has in the past introduced many injured animals to this island. Animals that would not survive in nature but do all right here. He is said to have purchased iguanas from locals that were selling them for food. The locals damage their leg tendons and if released would not live long in the wild. The island has spider monkeys also that do not come down from the interior.
On this visit, Kaija actually spotted three scarlet macaws flying over to the island from the mainland. And there is another story here. The gentleman, who owns the home with the terra cotta home and walkways, is also trying to preserve some of the wild birds in the area. You will hear them if you anchor here. He is helping increase the genetic pool of many species and the bird are not caged but do return to the roost he has created for them. He rescues birds that have been confiscated by customs agents and tries to help in many other ways. So, in this small area, two people are trying to help with nature and giving back lives to many creatures that would otherwise be killed to extinction.
West Lemmons N 09 32.685; W 078 54.030 - April 21 – May 4 2008
We were told this was not a place to go, nothing there but mangroves. OK, we will continue to tell that story because it was a perfect spot. S/v Dragonfly, Rick and Cindy were there when we arrived. We had the place to ourselves. No bugs, two beautiful islands to walk around and look for hamburger beans and beach glass. Shells are few. The one island – cay has a lodge on it, Wally Lodge. The two gentlemen working there, Augusto and Sebastian, became friends and Gary’s coffee partners in the morning. They allowed us to use the hammocks on beach, and walk and swim around their cleared area. They cooked for themselves, but when there were guests staying in the cabins, a cook was brought in.
The supply ulu s stops by with fresh fruits and vegetables and other things. We mentioned to Sebastian that we needed eggs and he had his friend stop by and took our order and the next day, we had everything we asked for. Couple of other local Kuna also sold fish.
Eastern Coco Banderos N 09 30.640; W 078 37.100 – April 17 – 21 2008
Again a place we had been before and there were only two other boats here, Wooden Shoe and a power CAT Dedalus. But before we left a few days later there were two more Canadian boats, one from Vancouver and also a Telus employee, the other was out of Abbotsford. Small world. A nice get together was held on shore, and even Peter off s/v Golden and his charter joined us. This was the boat that last fall, had been hit by lightning twice in one month. Doc always enjoys this place because there are five islands for him to swim to and explore. The wind was a steady 14 knots so the water was a little rough but swimming was still good.
Snug Harbour N 09 19 .643; W 078 58.619 – April 13 – 17 2008
This was our second time here. Just as beautiful and quiet as the first time. No sharks this time. The breeze was steady, the snorkeling at the “SEA GLASS” cay was clear and there was glass to be found. Only one or two small pieces of blue were found.
If you need a place to rest, to stage out of, this is the place.
Uastupu and Mamitupu N 09 11.137; W077 58.619 - April 10 – 13 2008
These two cays are very close to each other and the mainland. We first anchored off Uastupu – great coral heads and would have been nice to snorkel, but too rolly.
So we stayed the one night and moved over to the area by the water tower off Mamitupu. The villager that had come out to collect their fee had said this was the better of the two areas to anchor in, he was right.
We watched every morning as the local men went to the mainland to work their “farms”. They would come back later in the day with plantains, coconuts, bananas and sometimes fish. They did not try to sell to us but if we called them over, they were happy to provide things we wanted. – for reasonable fees. One gentleman that came out, introduced himself as Pablo Nunez Perez, and spoke very good English. He had his grandson with him and was promoting coconut soap (nicely wrapped in traditional Kuna fabric) and part of the proceeds went towards the children’s education. This was a person I had wanted to meet and we arranged to meet him the next day on shore. Pablo gave us a tour of the village, introduced us to the second chief, his family and his mother. While at his mother’s home, he had his sister demonstrate how they make the coconut oil and the soap and we were allowed to take pictures, but not his mother. She was very shy.
During our visit, I asked about Senor Martinez, who carved small ulu replicas. Pablo located him and we visited with the 83 year old man, who no longer carves as his eyesight has failed him. We learned how the village had been moved from the mainland 72 years earlier and that he had lived here all his life. On first moving from the mainland, there were 10 families with a total of 60 people and now there were about 1200 souls living on the island.
We were able to purchase eggs, and Kuna bread, and the coastal trade boats stop here to buy the coconuts and they also purchase aluminum cans – pop or beer. So if you go here, save your cans to give to the Kuna instead of throwing them away.
Pablo and his wife run a small hotel at one end of the island and here is the web site:
The airport is a short walk on the mainland side and comes every day at 7 am.
Suledup / Caledonia N 08 53.716: W 077 41.412 – April 08 - 10 2008
This was a lovely stop just east of the island of Caledonia. We anchored outside of one of the many cays here and just missed the channel that would have taken us into an inner bay. But great anchorage and the scenery was marvelous. These cays are just west of where the first Scottish settlement was established in the 1700’s. It did not survive and many souls were lost. Also a point in history, Caledonia is where the first American expedition to find a ships channel was started in 1853. It is hard to believe that by looking at the profile of the mainland here, that is all mountains, it was thought that they could build a canal. We enjoyed exploring the many cays by dinghy – great places for Doc to explore and Kaija to look for shells, hamburger beans and sea glass. Not a lot of success but good times.
The Kuna village at Caledonia sent out a representative to collect a small fee and explain some of their rules. We were not to be approached by the villagers and they asked not to give candy to the children. There was also a fee if you went into the village.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Puerto Perme, Panama – N08.44.231;W077.32.695 – April 6 to April 8 2008
This great key hole anchorage is a short distance west of Sapzurro in Panama. The local Kuna village is Anachuna and altho we were not solicited by the villagers as in most Kuna Islands, we did pay our $10 visitors fee. We were joined in this beautiful bay by one of the coastal trading boats.
It was here that Doc learned to tow the dinghy. He is a source of constant joy. Well almost constant!
Sapzurro Bay – Columbia, N08.39.593;W077.21.829 March 30 – April 6 2008
At 4pm, on a dark and gusty afternoon, with reefed main set for the night passage we departed Isla Fuerte. Planning a 14 hour passage across the 83 miles of open water to arrive at the sleepy little bay of Sapzurro on the Columbian/Panama border. We could not slow down! We let out the sails until almost flogging and still we were doing better than 8 knots over the ground. At this speed we would arrive at 3 am…on a lee shore, in the dark, trying to navigate unfamiliar water into an unfamiliar reef ringed bay.
Short of sailing backwards and putting out an anchor to slow our passage, we arrived two hours ahead of schedule off the rocky cliff lined shore of the Columbia/Panama border. Hove to in the dark ahead we could just make out three large fishing trawlers hauling their long nets passing in front of us. We made our way thru and saw the faint harbour lights of Sapzurro Bay.
Passing by the lights into the bay there was not a light anywhere. We slowed to a crawl and almost ran broadside into one of three coastal trading boats at anchor. Luckily, it was not long before enough of the dawn allowed us to find our anchorage and we settled in. Arriving in the dark is not recommended!
Sapzurro Bay is inaccessible by road. It is lined with jagged hilltop jungle vegetation. It is also a border town for Columbia and Panama. There is a steep well-worn path up thru the jungle and Kaija and Doc trekked to the top of the hill. The two guards, one from each country welcomed them and registered Kaija’s visit. Doc settled into the coolest place he could find after the long hot ‘grind’ up the hill.
The Bay is lined with beautiful white sand beaches. On the windward swept side, the constant rolling waves are filled with fresh flotsam from lands afar. The opposite side of the bay is a ‘mui tranquil’ setting and an ideal place for locals and visitors to gather in the cool sands and clear calm waters. Here we met Carlos and family, dog and pet pigs.
In between these sandy beaches lies the quite well organized small village of Sapzurro. Each house is well turned out and many have quite architecturally pleasing accoutrements. Here we met Chile speaks better English than we do Spanish and a good friend of our friend ‘Dennis the Wild One’. Chile was ever so gracious during our stay. We purchased a small piece of local art from ‘Miriam’ and enjoyed a wonderful dinner complements of the sea prepared at a local restaurant where we chatted with a Cindy and Bob from Walla Walla We. They were visiting their son and so impressed with the people and the place, as were we.
We also met S/v Enata from Norway, Lucky and his wife and their 6 month old baby, as well S/v Ahnri from Sweden with Heidi and husband. So with Kaija being from Finland we pretty much had the ‘Scandahoovians represented.
Along with all this good news and fun, of course there must be a little pain. Gary insists on a clean engine compartment, and after each run he makes sure it is. Upon checking the engine compartment we discovered a large amount of transmission fluid evident throughout the engine compartment. What a mess!...We cleaned it up and checked everything and double checked and couldn’t find anything evident. We restarted the engine and immediately saw this ‘jet’ of transmission fluid spraying from the gearbox cooler. We shut down and Gary grunted and groaned and finally got the unit off the engine block. It was upon closer inspection we realized that over time a small hole, the size of a pin, had developed in the casing. This was not good news, and we were facing a major dilemma as we are already nursing our tranny along, and this meant turning around and sailing back into Cartagena with a non-functioning gearbox cooling system. With not many options in store, Gary invoked the ‘dremmel’ rule. When nothing else will do, get Dremmel!. He pretended he was back at the dentist and performed a dental procedure of some sort, enlarging the hole from the inside enough to provide sufficient space for the bonding material we carry aboard called Marine-Tex (this stuff is good!). Long story short, when re-installed, it all worked, and as Capt G is fond of saying…”It’s Alllll Good!”.
This is a place less travelled. We heard about it from fellow cruisers and as we prepared to leave this wonderful little bay and both agreed that this is a place you could spend a lot of time.
Isla Fuerte - N08.39.593; W077.21.829 – March 30 2008
Islas Fuerte is located 20 miles off the Columbian coast 40 SW of San Bernardo. It makes for a good sail with the NE trades.
Along the way we saw only two other boats. One was a fishing trawler anchored in deep water and just covered with birds. It was an interesting site. The other boat first seen on the horizon was coming straight toward us, exactly on our reciprocal course. There was something familiar even at a distance, Gary recognized S/v Pangea with our friend Captain Tristan whom we met months earlier in Cartagena. We had lost contact with him and as luck would have it, here we are, miles from anywhere, sailing right past each other. It was a ‘grey poupon’ moment.
After abandoned attempts at ‘rafting’ due to the afternoon swell, we settled on radio contact. We used the VHF and ‘caught up. After a great chat, we set sail and watched Tristan sail in our wake into the horizon.
Two hours later we arrived at Isla Fuerte. This anchorage was pretty much as Tristan had just described, having just spent a ‘rolly’ night. We confirm his findings.
We were greeted by a ponga with a group of local fisherman. They saw that we carried a spare outboard motor. They wanted it!. Over the next couple of days they tried to ‘acquire’ it. It was friendly enough and some cash was offered. It was yet another good reason to have our chief of security ‘Doc’ aboard to discourage any ideal hands of those passing close in the night. A few days later another vessel in the anchorage was boarded and ‘lost’ their outboard. This is not a place we would recommend.
Punta San Bernardos – N09.42.191; W075.41.658 – Mar 27-29 2008
This is an ideal quiet water anchorage with good breeze tucked in behind a breakwater peninsula that extends a mile south and requires a good safety margin to get around. Once inside along the white sandy beach you will find a delightfully quiet anchorage. A great place to rest after a long passage or use as a staging point.
Isla Tintipan – N09.47.322; W075.49.749 – Mar 26 & 27 2008
This is a picture postcard anchorage located at the east end of Isla Tintipan. With its white sandy beaches stretching westward ending at a small resort where you can find a cold drink and plenty to eat.
Baru – N10.09.659; W75.39.857 - Mar 23 – Mar 25 2008
After a lovely 4 hour sail along the Columbian coast, we entered Baru Bay. Thru a narrow entrance past a unique ‘in the water restaurant’, with an overflow of happy bathers splashing and enjoying themselves, we found our friends Sonny & Kay on S/v Valentina, along with Gene & Brenda, S/v Queen Mary and Steve & Mary, S/v Barefoot. They were awaiting a weather window to Cartagena and left the following morning from whence we came.
We spent a few wonderful days in this bay and Doc and Gary soon met Roberto & family who kindly permitted access to their land. He took them to the top of a neighbouring hill and introduced them to his friend Robinson who was the caretaker of a stunning modern home with a 360 degree panoramic view that was priceless.
Roberto’s wife was able to use some galley/kitchen items that Kaija had recently replaced in Cartagena. These wonderful people are kind, humble and generous of themselves and it is a joy to be with them.
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