I am very glad that the plane option was out of our budget because we would have missed out on this amazing boat ride through the San Blas islands. These islands make up part of the southern area of Panama and consists of over 300 tropical islands.
After 2 days on the open water we awoke to a beautiful sunrise in the San Blas islands. We had breakfast as the sun rose and were eager to jump into the clear warm water. Everyone grabbed snorkling gear and explored around the islands the Catamaran was anchored near.
Colin and I decided to try our hand at spear fishing. We both set off to the shallows to hunt for some barracudas. There was an abundance of tropical fish swimming around and the barracudas were amongs them in the shallows. We swam around for awhile trying our hand and spearing a few. The Aussie, Rossy and Kiwi, Adam made it look easier than we thought. After shooting at a few barracudas and missing lots we were defeated and made our way back to the boat for some dinner and relaxing while the sun set. The inside cabins of the catamaran were hot and humid so we decided to sleep on the trampolines at the front of the boat. We had the tropical clear water below us and beautiful moon lit starry night above us as we slept.
The next day we headed towards another small island and set up anchor once more. Around this tiny island there was a ship wreck which Jose, our chef/crewsman, worked upon. Long story short apparently the captain was addicted to cocaine, sank the boat, and took out another captain stealing his boat. For our last dinner Jose cooked up the fresh fish speared by Adam and Rossy.
Colin driving the boat under the sea.
El Capitain, Rolly, diving down to take a closer look.
Around the island we bumped into this fella swimming around.
Eduardo doing what he does best. Locals would come up to our catamaran in these canoes and tried to sell their goods.
Our new Aussie friend, Rossy, checking out the kitchen.
The next morning we woke up on the trampolines to Rolly firing up the engines. The sun was just peaking above the horizon and we crept forward between two islands. Next thing we know we hear Jose yelling the captains name out and we came to a halt. We had ran a ground onto the reef. The right side of the catamaran was stuck and the engines werent getting us anywhere. Rolly sprang into action. He tried first pushing the cat on the side with the zodiac with no luck. Next he with Jose´s help grabbed the catamarans anchors and plopped them down behind a rock several yards from the boat. Jose then began winching the ropes connected to the anchors which eventually unlodged us from the coral below. Free flowing we headed towards the coast of Panama to unload the bikes and ourselves.
We highly recommend taking Fritz the Cat if you are planning on travelling between Colombia and Panama. Loading and unloading of all 5 motorcycles was easy and they were secure the entire ride. We also recommend covering your motorcycle when onboard to keep the salt off the bike as much as possible. Greasing the electrical connections is also a good idea.
