Loyal It’s Irie blog readers might have noticed that
there was a bit of a time gap between New Year and canal blogs, earlier this
month. Mark and I were so busy with a family visit, boat projects and canal
preparations, that – before we knew it – the date of our transit came and went.
And, afterwards, I had to report about it, of course. J So, let’s back up about a
month, back to the time we spent our last weeks (ever?) in the gorgeous San Blas
islands. This time, my cousin and her husband got to enjoy it with us.
Griet and Wim arrived on Irie from Belgium on January 4th
and were in for a very diverse and special Panama vacation. The first ten days
of their holiday, they received a good taste of the San Blas islands, followed
by a great sail to mainland Panama, a short stay in Portobelo, and a totally
different “chores” stop in Colon Harbor, with a side trip to the ruins of Fort
San Lorenzo and its marvelous view over the Chagres River. Then, they transited
the canal with us, to conclude their vacation with two days Panama City. We
called their experience the “Best of Panama”!
In Kuna Yala we sailed around and stayed in different
anchorages between sandy islands dotted with palm trees. Our guests arrived in
the East Lemmons, where they explored three of the four islands. A record
amount of over 30 anchored boats made us leave the following day. Yansaladup had
us remove and re-install one of the emergency hatches (thanks for helping us
clean all the old caulk of, guys!) while in 5 feet of water, and do laundry on
shore with water from the well. We also managed to relax one afternoon in the
hammock and have a fire on the beach, accompanied by drinks and snacks, a gecko
and our German friend Stefan, who we had to say “goodbye” to.
A highlight for many visitors to the San Blas islands, is
the river tour with Lisa, a – locally – famous master mola maker and transvestite.
Mark and I had never done this daytrip before and figured that having family over
was a good opportunity to go. We were accompanied by Vicky and Larry from SV
Rocinante. Lisa and a helper picked us up in the anchorage of Salardup for a
day of fun. With her motorized boat we drove up a pretty river, where we
disembarked into the jungle. She showed us her Kuna family’s traditional
cemetery and led us through the dense rainforest, crossing the river a couple
of times. While she charged ahead, we - the tourists - lagged behind to have a
good look at fauna (Griet, Mark and I spotted some howler monkeys) and flora.
After an hour or so and a short climb, we reached a pretty
waterfall with refreshing pools underneath. We all jumped into the gorge, some
from a bit higher up than others, and had a chilly swim around. After lunch, it
was time to really get wet. Walking stick in hand, stumbling over and – sometimes
– falling onto the slippery rocks, we followed the river for a good way back to
the jungle trail. Once in a while a jump off a cliff, a short swim, or a slide
through the water was needed. It was an interesting and enjoyable experience!
Irie’s freshwater tank was empty, so we stopped briefly in
Rio Azucar, to fill up with fresh water from the mountains and to buy a few
odds and ends, like freshly baked bread. It was Griet and Wim’s first encounter
with an authentic Kuna village. The process went quicker than expected and we
managed to sail all the way to the Coco Bandero Cays – another pretty setting
of four palmy and balmy islands - the same day. More beaches were explored and refreshing
swims were had. The wind had picked up a lot, and so had the amount of visiting
sailboats. As a result, we had to skip two favorite anchorages and the morning
turned into one of sailing and motoring instead of relaxing and snorkeling. We
stopped in the East Lemmons again, where we did have a wonderful snorkeling
experience on the reefs in the afternoon.
Then, we started planning our trip to the mainland, so we
headed for the Chichime Cays. The first night, we anchored “inside” behind the
impressively breaking reefs in 10 feet of incredibly clear water. Diving in was
a delight; as if you were in a swimming pool, but with over a knot of current. Showering
was a bit challenging to say the least, but we had fun being swept towards the
beach, snorkel mask on our heads, then walking back past Irie on the beach and
floating back again. The island we were anchored off also had an easy trail, a
beautiful beach and some kind of bar. Griet collected many shells and sea
beans. The 16 foot waves in the ocean might have been the cause of all the
extra flotsam and jetsam.
Our last night was spent on the “outside” of Chichime, from
where we staged ourselves for the 55 mile sail to Portobelo, mainland Panama.
We had our last Kuna Yala snorkel and our last cocktail in our – so far –
favorite island group. To make the evening even better, Becky and Denny from SV
Kokomo joined us in the anchorage and for dinner, drinks and great stories.
More friends we had to say goodbye to. L
And then, we moved west… to keep moving west!
Griet and Wim filled their suitcase with Belgian goodies for us!
Fixing the emergency hatch: Mark inside, me outside in 4.5 feet of water
Doing laundry with well water on Yansaladup
Pretty surroundings of the East Lemmons
Carrying Mark across the river to keep his shoes dry!
Lisa shows us her family's cemetery
Lunch near the waterfall, before we follow the river back
Sometimes walking, sometimes swimming, sometimes jumping and sometimes sliding...
And sometimes falling...
I finally used my hammock, the way it is supposed to be used! :-)
