It was two o’clock in the afternoon on the fourth of October, a Thursday, not normally a weekend but this week it was. The shuttle to pick me up to take me to the port was surprisingly on time, the driver and I quickly got my bike and gear in the back of the van. There were already two others in the van, a German woman named Vanessa and an Argentinian guy who was re-upping his sailing certifications in Panamá City. The van took us into old town and began picking up the strangers who were to become my family for the next five nights. As the van started to fill up we we began to get to know each other a bit better, Vanessa it turns out is on a different boat and is only along on this part for the ride. I am sitting next to a woman named Charlotte, she is a very kind and wonderful woman from the Netherlands (If I have this wrong Charlotte please correct me) who has an endless supply of cookies she is willing to share. The woman in front of Charlotte and I plugged in her headphones about halfway into our trip, wanting a bit a nap perhaps before we left shore. As we are riding to Puerto Lindo there is quiet music playing in the background with a subtle hint of two tracks, Charlotte and I just assume it’s part of the song and ignore it for the rest of the ride. As we approach the dock and restaurant Nina, the woman listening to her headphones takes them out of her ears and gets a bit red in her cheeks realizing that her music has been playing on her cellphones speakers the whole time as she didn’t plug her headphones into her phone, but we assured her we all liked her music taste. We met Captain Erwin, known from now on as Capi, at the restaurant where we had drinks and dinner furthering the get-to-know each other process we started in the van until it was time to board. The first night was very indicative of what was to come, Grace coming up with fun games to drink to, and the rest of us choosing Tim as the winner more or less regardless of what we actually thought and got him to do more shots.
We woke up motoring to one of the San Blas Islands where we would officially leave Panamá behind by getting our passports stamped. Breakfast was delicious, Robin is a phenomenal cook and every meal he prepared for us was some of the most delectable food I have ever tasted. About an hour later we stopped off at the first island we would be able to get ashore and explore. We didn’t think of it until too late to bring beer so Marc volunteered to make the swim back to the boat to quench all of our thirsts, a trip most all of us would be making that day. The island was as picturesque as an island can be; clear water of different shades of blue, palm trees offering the only shade around as
there were no clouds, soft sand beneath our toes, a wooden hut where Robin was preparing the meal of the trip… fresh lobsters and a giant crab. The sky remained clear and we were graced with a beautiful array of stars above and the Milky Way showing her colours in a splendid display of purple, reds, and orange. But the night really took off when Capi came over and made a circle in the sand and placed some tiny hermit crabs in the centre to see which would make it to the edge the fastest. This really got Charlotte’s attention and made us think she is a sports gambler or a bookie, just kidding.
The next morning we sailed to another group of islands and anchoured in the small straight between two of them. We spent the day swimming and snorkeling around the both of them. A large group of us swam to the second island a bit further than the main one to check it out and Phil, aka DJ Basement (his last name is Keller) brought his GoPro to take photos and it seemed like we spent more time trying to get and underwater photo of all of us as opposed to actually looking at all the coral and marine life. After numerous tries and strategies like “Go deep and touch Phil” we got a few photos that had us all in them. After cleaning up and rinsing the salt water off of us we relaxed on the bow of the boat and watch the sun go beneath the horizon. The sunsets on this trip were all surreal and we could not have asked for better weather. Normally this is the rainy season but we were lucky to avoid rain and clouds for most of the trip.
After dinner we spent the rest of the night drinking and playing more games that Grace came up with such as Fives, what are the odds, best part of the day (this is the one where we vote at the end and always choose Tim), and probably a few others I am forgetting. This was to be our last night at an island, since the following day we would be spending the night on the open seas after a day spent at a gorgeous reef and island for most of the day.
We got to the island not long after breakfast the next morning and set anchour, Capi warned us that barracudas were often around this reef and that shiny objects might attract them to you. Nina and I were the first to jump in and go snorkeling around and seeing lots of fish and other marine life. I did see a barracuda swimming near where the bottom drops but it swam away from me. Because we are a modern group of people our attention spans are quite short, but luckily we were able to entertain ourselves.
At four o’clock we pulled anchour and set sail for Cartagena, and just because the islands are now behind us that did not mean the party stopped. Once the sun set in another spectacular manner a group of us spent much of the time on the bow deck looking up at the stars, talking, playing games, and relaxing. One by one, people started to peel off and head to bed leaving DJ Basement, Grace and I alone on the deck. My head resting on her bosom getting the gentlest of head massages. I could have fallen asleep there if the deck wasn’t so uncomfortable but alas I too left and went below deck to my bed.
Our final day on the boat we were graced by a pod of dolphins swimming along with our sailboat Wilson (it had the Wilson hand print panted on the sides) which made all of us happy. We pulled into port around ten o’clock that night and Robin went ashore to get us some beer since we had run out. We had made it to Colombia and to the start of the next phase of my journey south. My time in North America had officially ended. So much more happened during the trip to Cartagena but I don’t think I can ever fully capture the whole experience in words on paper or via keyboard. The bond I have with this group of people is great, so much so that we continued hanging our for two more days in Cartagena before beginning to go our separate ways. All I can say is if you have the opportunity to sail the San Blas Islands do yourself a favour and do it.
For more photos click here to see the rest on my flickr page