Ship’s Journal from Mallorca to Fiji

Update 13/03/25 16:56 GMT-5 Cayos Chichime San Blas 

Since November I have been in contact with the agent who will organise our canal transit. He told me that once were physically in Colón, it could take 3 to 4 weeks to go through.

When we arrived at Shelter Bay Marina, on Sunday 2 March, he told us it would now be 4-5 days from the moment we’d say we’re ready to go. This meant we wouldn’t go to the San Blas islands which we were already eyeballing to sit out the waiting time. 

We required a few parts and had to get a few jobs done to commit to a departure in less than 5 days. We arrived in the middle of the Carnaval festivities and, until Wednesday, only the major supermarkets were open. A taxi driver told us most of the Carnaval festivities had been cancelled because there had been too many gunfights! So we cancelled our plans of joining in with the local folklore!  

To our amazement, the chandelier in the marina, which was open during Carnaval, stocks next to nothing. They couldn’t even order a flag! Unbelievable as they have a completely captive audience there. It takes a 30 minute bus or taxi ride to make it out of the jungle, over the canal bridge and into the wild and rough town of Colon. So, sourcing parts was an adventure in itself. For example, we had to bribe a guard to enter an industrial site where a hardware wholesaler had the screws we needed to keep our genoa foil together. Only caveat was, we had to buy a minimum of 1000 of them. On the flip side, that only cost us $17,5$. If only we could take over the chandlery, we would do very well and the cruisers would be much less frustrated!

During the rest of the week we got a lot of jobs done while the kids were running around the marina with the other cruiser’s kids. They also explored the jungle. At a 2 minutes distance you can spot cappuccino- and howler monkeys, vultures, eagles, and amazing flora. They didn’t spot the two crocodiles that supposedly live in the area but they did see a python!

On Friday 7 March I told our agent that we’re ready to leave in 4-5 days. He replied that the next slot is the 20th! I reminded him of what he had told me 4 days earlier and pressed it upon him that we wanted to go earlier. Over the weekend he didn’t react of course. We went to visit Panama city. Jan and Sara stayed in Casco Viejo for two nights for a well deserved break from us! After a long conversation with the agent on Monday it was clear that it was unlikely that we’d now transit before the 20th so we made him lock us in for that date and made plans to go to San Blas the next day. Of course it would be a great use of our time and it would save some budget on mooring fees.

Tuesday night we anchored in the bay of Portobello. Columbus found refuge here on his early voyages and it became an important port to load South American gold onto the Spanish galleons. The fortresses, built out of coral, serve as a reminder of that era. Before our anchor was properly set, a man in a small dugout canoe, powered by his wooden carved paddle, approached us with a very big bunch of bananas which we bought for a few dollars. We explored the jungle river with the tender. We saw 3 more locals in another canoe fishing for pargo and other fish. We entered the mangroves to see what lived there but it was the absolute silence that made the biggest impression upon us. A tree full of Ibis and the absence of construction as far as we could see were the signs that we were far from home. 

The next day, yesterday, we moved further along the jungle coastline to the first San Blas island. Porvenir is not much more than a sandbank with an airfield on it. The tarmac has recently collapsed at the far end so it’s now out of use. However, we still have to visit the island to check in and obtain a cruising permit here. The indigenous Guna people have maintained a level of autonomy. They are not entirely subjected to the rules and regulations of Panama. Half a mile next to Porvenir is Whichubhuala where a community of Gunas live together in straw huts with thatched roofs. They too rowed out to us as soon as we dropped the hook. This time to sell bracelets and “Molas” which are stitched artwork. 

This morning we visited the village. The clock ticks very slowly there and life is simple. But we were saddened to see the garbage, mostly cans and plastic bottles, that lined their beautiful shore. Out of curiosity we asked to enter the largest hut, which was clearly the village meeting place. We listened to the Spanish conversation between the villagers and a South American man and an American woman. Very quickly the subject of recycling came up. Oceaan and Charlie’s eyes lit up with hope and relief. After the meeting we spoke with Kimberly and Milton from www.kaminando.org. They explained that they were doing research on jaguars on the mainland but found more pressing issues here in the islands and their communities. From our side we’re going to look into what we can do to support them and their cause. It would be great if you all had a look too. 

We moved just about 3 miles over to the next islands and here  it is truly paradise, as one imagines paradise. I have written this report from the hammock on a perfect day, from a perfect place. We bought lobster and a crab from the fishermen so we have beautiful and delicious evening plans ahead of us!