I had no idea what to expect from my 3 night sailing adventure in San Blas. I hoped the weather would be fair and the snorkeling good. This was something new that I hadn't yet experienced in Panama.
We flew into Corazon de Jesus, and met our Australian Captain Pete Rippingale. Yes, his real name. Right off the bat I knew this would be fun. Pete has an infectious sense of humor peppered with dry wit and sarcasm. My kind of guy. His boat, and ours for 3 nights, is the Golden Eagle. She is roomy, with a spacious outside covered deck. The covered deck is very important because of the relentless Panama sun, and the intermittant showers. Most of our time was spent on the deck, when not swimming or snorkeling. The food and drink (we had rum and lots of wine) were plentiful. As was the excellent music mix Pete had put together. Our theme song became Beds are Burning, by Midnight Oil. ROCK ON to lyrics supporting environmental concern for our planet
I enjoyed the snorkeling, although saw lots of dead coral amongst the live coral, sponges and sea fans. Pete was good to point out where to go so we weren't just looking at sea grass. Most memorable were the spotted eagle rays. I flapped my arms to imitate the way they fly through the water, and intrigued more than one ray. She/he stayed with me, flying close and in circles under me. It felt like a good connection with another creature.
There's lots of trash in San Blas - as I've come to expect every where on our planet now. The garbage that people throw into the ocean finds itself washed up on beaches and submerged underwater. I wish more people had incentive to collect and dispose of it properly, but I imagine the Kuna don't have the resources.
Another sad note is the lack of sea birds - we speculated perhaps there weren't enough fish in the sea for them to eat.
On an up note, I highly recommend sailing in San Blas, and sailing on the Golden Eagle (She is currently in the Med.) Our three nights here were a highlight of my trip. Have a look at the other boats we can arrange for you in San Blas and Bocas on our Panama Cruise page.
