147 Nautical Miles to San Blas, Panama--Part I

We have company! Friends “Inspiration Lady” & Jackster arrived in Rosario yesterday afternoon. We were invited to Inspirational Lady for Sundowners and mentioned we were leaving tomorrow morning for San Blas. They also will leave in the morning. Some of us will go to the South Eastern Islands while others will head for Hollandes Cay. We figure our trip will take 24-30 hours at 5-6 knots.

0500…We’re up, getting last minute chores done for a 0700 departure.

By 0645 we’re out of the anchorage, foresail is out full and we’re doing 4.5 knots. By 0800 hours we decide to put up the main as we don’t have enough wind which increases our speed to 7.1 knots. We decide to cross the shoal on the north side.

Before dark we reef in the main as the seas are really confused and the winds are anywhere from 20-30 knots. Inspiration Lady off our starboard.

Sure enough by 1710 we’re already half way to our destination and need to slow down. By 1820 we had to bring the head sail in even more and we are still flying along anywhere between 6-10 knots---the 10 knots being our “surfing” the waves which are between 7 and 12 feet with the largest swells occurring every 20-30 seconds.

We make contact with TARA and INSPIRATION LADY every few hours.

0600 hours we’re “laying a hull” off Isla Pinos awaiting more light. We’re tired and wet from the sea crashing us broadside.

Twenty five hours later we are anchored off Tupbak, which means whale in Kuna, Isla Pinos. There are two other boats in the anchorage along with HIGH STATES & TARA and it’s naptime for us. Waking up at noon we noticed the boat that was in front of us has left and NEVERLAND has arrived. With the weather deteriorating we decide to move up for a bit more protection and when we’ve got four feet under the keel we re-anchor.

The next day we go ashore to discover the village of TUPBAK which has a population of 241.

With Erno and Frieda (TARA) we found the village very clean.

The pigs are kept in self cleaning cages along the shoreline as are the outhouses.

The scenery is magnificient.

We meet up with Sheila and Bob (NEVERLAND) and all decide to go on a hike.

HIGH STATES

This is a cane press used to extract sugar cane juice for the intoxicating drink “chichi” used for spiritual events.

We’ve met David the “tourist operator” for Isla Pinos who invites us to his mother in laws home for a traditional Kuna lunch of rice, beans and a local sea snail.

Kuna are prohibited from either settling or intermarrying with non- Kuna people. In fact, theirs is a matriarchal society with men marrying into the females’ family.

We are so excited----we are in San Blas….A vast archipelago of more than 350 islands along over 200 miles of the Panama Caribbean coastline. San Blas is home to the indigenous physically small Kuna Indians; second in stature to the Pygmies. We have read the Kuna’s in fact do not like the name San Blas, preferring Juna Yala, as San Blas was the name given by Spanish Invaders.

The population of approximately 55,000 is only 1/10th of their original populace of 550,000 prior to the invasions by Spaniards.

The Congreso is the town hall, usually the largest straw roofed hut in the village. The majority of the inhabited islands have a very strict hierarchy. Each village has three Sailas (chiefs) who lay in hammocks inside the Congreso surrounded by wooden benches. Each evening a meeting takes place with everyone expected to attend. Grievances are aired; decisions are made for the good of the whole community. The Sailas also have medicinal knowledge, are oral historians and spiritualists. Kuna’s are officially part of Panama yet retain themselves as an autonomous nation. Next; Part II

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM CARTAGENA

Friends are a very special jewel----
We appreciate every one of you.
Cherish the time you have together,
Living in a High State....

We wish you all fond memories during this Christmas Season that will warm your hearts for years to come with Health, Wealth & Happiness in 2010. We miss you all, Love Lynn and Randy

Here are our first impressions of Cartagena, wondering the streets of the Historical Centro.

Centro is full of Museums, Cathedrals & Restaurants.

Centro is full of Plaza's

Fabulous door knockers.

A beautiful private home.

COLOMBIAN COASTLINE--PART II

We've had enough of the Five Bays Williwaw's, so we'll head 15 miles down the coast to the resort town Rodadero.

Trying again to catch fish---Almost caught a bird ....Thank goodness he did not get hooked...He sure did a lot of head shaking though.

We were the entertainment for the locals who circled our boats in kayaks and peddleboats. We would have to go inside for a bit of privacy. We enjoyed swimming however, the water is not clear.

Found a great beach bar with our Dutch friends.

A local vendor came by with excellent beef kabobs for $1 US.

Taking the weather window to cross the Rio Magdelana.. This is Baros (Linda and Hans)

The Rio Magdelana looked like landfall. It is so brown. We stayed approximately 4 miles out from the mouth of the river. It's important to make this crossing as early as possible, before the wind,seas, and currents pick up. We constantly watch for debris.

Closing in on Hermosa where we will anchor for the night we adjusted our coarse by 20 degrees west from Pizzaz's waypoint to get further away from the shore line.

Anchored off the small fishing village at Hermosa. Hermosa was renamed Puerto Velero after all the stopping sailboats. We spend the morning cleaning HIGH STATES. We can not believe how dirty she is inside and out from the spray/water crossing the river. Even inside we have a thick layer of grit.

Linda and Hans suggest we all go in to shore for Cervesa.The locals wanting our business help bring in the dinghies.

Before Cervesa we take a two hour hike. We are attacked by no-seeums.

I am assuming these small fish will be used for bait.

Now it is time for Cervesa. And we are thirsty.

It's the end of another great afternoon. We all lend each other a hand to get the dinghies back in the water.

The next morning we say adios to Baro. They are going to spend an extra day at Hermosa while the rest of us have decided we will head for Cartagena....50 miles away....

We've decided to head more W than SW to try and find some wid, We keep in contact with TARA who have decided to motor closer to shore. Twenty five miles later we find wind but we are averaging only five knots.

We are pleasantly surprized when we're hailed by APPLESEEDS who we have not seen since last July in Grenada. They are only about 15 miles behind us.

Off Cartagena---the skyline looks like Florida.

Approaching the opening in the underwater wall to Boca Grande (Big Mouth)... We've got seven feet under the keel. We've still got a few miles to get to the anchorage...but we have arrived in Cartagena; four and a half months after leaving Grenada. The whole trip has been such a great experience.