Sailing from Panama to Colombia

It seems that crossing over to Panama is nearly impossible by land (and very very dangerous) due to a giant patch of jungle known as the Darien gap...so to cross over to South America you have to either fly, or take a boat. With time not being too much of a constraint, the 6 days and 5 nights on a boat seemed not only the most adventurous mode of transport but it also allowed us to enjoy 3 heavenly days in the island paradise known as the San Blas archipelago.

So finally, on a Monday afternoon, after a full day of bus travel to get to the Caribbean coast where the boat was moored, I found myself kicking back with a drink and meeting my fellow sailing buddies, on board a 50 foot sailing boat called the ¨Seeadler¨, bound for Colombia....

We had a really great group of people on the boat, and we immediately bonded by sharing stories of a notorious traveller called Luis that almost all of us had has the misfortune of bumping into at some point on our trip thus far! My most memorable Luis moment was when I was waiting behind him in the line for customs at the Panama Border (and Panamanian customs officials are not the friendliest at the best of times) so I was quit nervous dealing with them after he had just yelled out ... "Why would I want to stay in this god forsaken country for longer than 3 days anyway? You know, it's not even a country, it's actually part of Colombia ..." Needless to say this didn't go down too well with the officials and hearing news of his expulsion from Panama would not suprise me in the least!

So .. what did we do on the boat for 5 days??

Swim, snorkle and hang out on the islands ...
The first 3 days were heavenly and we spent our time swimming and hanging out on various islands in the San Blas Archipelago. While the boys entertained themselves building fishing spears out of sticks and plastic forks (lucky we weren't relying on them to catch dinner) , us girls were happy lounging in the warmest water on close to the islands and disovering that star fish can move along the sea floor pretty quickly when you place them away from their favourite starfish partner!

We also had a big party on one of the islands on our last night in San Blas where we were joined by the passengers of another sailing boat as well. About 20 whole fish had been purchased from a passing fisherman and along with quite a few bottles of wine and beer, we had a great time eating and drinking the night away around the campfire, only having to jump in the dinghy to head 'home' when the festivities were over!

Follow German rules ...
The boat crew comprised the captain, Guido and his wife Sylvia, also the owners of the boat, their faithful dog Charlie who has always lived on the boat and an old French dude, that soon started answering to 'Frenchie'! Although Guido and Sylvia had a great sense of humour most of the time, it was quickly apparent that they were textbook German and their strict rules for the boat were not to be tested! Although we all had a fun time on the boat, there were definitely rules for EVERYTHING and I for one was not willing to challenge what had been laid down. For example when we were at sea for the last 2 days of the trip and sailing non-stop we were forbidden to as much as hover at the back of the boat, and definitely not sit down. We were relegated to the centre section of the boat where it was challenging trying to squeeze 9 people comfortably as the boat rocked and swayed over the big waves. It was also interesting to note that being as German as she was, Sylvia although being 45 and pregnant, did not follow the usual pregnancy rules of not drinking copious amounts and smoking!!

Play 'Lier'
Sarah introduced us all to the infamous dice game of strategy and deception, called 'Lier' ... The game is quite addictive and needless to say it entertained us all for hours, especially during our travel between the islands. There is a photo of this game in action, with everyone adopting the necessary pose of covering the dice with both hands.

Eat...
Eating was a big part of the trip with the day seeming to revolve around food times. We ate lots of fish, my favourite being the day when, out at sea, Guido managed to catch not one, not two but three massive tuna fish in one afternoon from a rod that was just cast out while we were sailing along. Frenchie then achieved the great feat of being inside the boat marinating and cooking the fish whilst we were travelling along and the boat was rising and falling in the rough seas and I was doing my best just to lie horizontal so as not to get sea sick. Frenchie earned bonus points for that meal!

Lounge on deck...
As I mentioned above, for the last 2 days of the trip, we were sailing in the open sea to Colombia, no landmass in sight and only horizon as far as the eye could see. Pointing out dolphins and flying fish filled in the days, although I do remember Andy asking as neared Colombia ... 'Are we still pointing out flying fish or are we over that?' ... I spent most of this time lying downstairs in bed, it seemed to feel better to be horizontal. This part of the trip I was quite happy to end as the constant feeling of queeziness was getting a little too much!



Seeing the Captain naked and arriving in Cartagena
On the 6th day, I woke up to find Guido walking around naked on the boat, not really what I want to see at anytime of the day or night, but definitely not first thing in the morning! (just in case you were wondering he had been diving under the boat to remove something stuck in the propeller .. but still!!).

So our adventure was coming to an end as we calmly sailed into the port of Cartagena. Having read the guide book which described Cartagena as a quaint colonial city, I really wasn't expecting to see a skyline of highrise buildings! Guess the guidebook was a little out of date!

Patrick's Final Trick
As we packed our bags and prepared to head to immigration, Patrick decided to entertain us one last time. He was at the front of the boat checking out the view when the, already cracked, wooden board underneath him suddenly gave way. After hearing a scream, we found Patrick clinging on for dear life and his feet dangling under the bow. It was definitely not funny at the time as it could have been quite serious, but Patrick was quick to see the funny side of the situation after the boys had rescued him and he'd recovered with a few icepacks on his behind!!

So ... here ends my adventures in Central America as I once again return to South American soil ... so until my Colombian instalment ... Hasta Luego, Tamara :)

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