Cruising the Caribbean from Cartagena to Panama
The idea of sailing on the Caribbean like a pirate was highly appealing to me. I definitely had the moustache and long hair for the role anyway! By the time I got back from Taganga, the girls had already found us a boat for passage. Urvey, a 49 year old French stoner dude owned a large fishing boat which he chartered for trans Caribbean trips. The boat also included his wife/girlfriend Dagney, a wafer thin and sinewy woman from the USA who was prone to massive and abrupt mood swings and their 6 year old son Emani who we were later to find out had a sever case of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder). Now although our ideal situation would have been to go on a traditional sailing boat, our option did include some hefty inboard engines which meant we could make the crossing to the San Blas Islands in 30 hours instead of 40. Coupled with some hefty speakers and a large cabin area we could see a party boat in the making.
The boat was called Metacomet. This was the name of the Indian chief at the time of the first Thanksgiving dinner between the Indians and Pilgrims in the USA. It was called this because the boat was finished on Thanksgiving Day in the 1950s. Initially it was designed for military use, to detect mines in the Atlantic, but a subsequent owner decided to totally overhaul it into a fishing boat and install a large sail mast in the front.
The passage included all food and water. All we needed to do was buy snacks and booze. A quick shopping trip remedied that and we returned to Club Nautico with 4 litres of Rum, 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of Aguadiente... for 4 people we thought this may be sufficient. I also bought a small fishing rod and lures to replace the one lost in Ecuador. Urvey picked us up in his small dinghy and took us to the offshore mooring where we offloaded our bags and met the other passengers.
Urvey taking us on his dinghy to the boat
We had been told a maximum of 10 people would be on board for the trip, so when we discovered 15 people and a large motorcycle we were a bit annoyed. Nonetheless the trip was a cheaper option than most of the others and we weren´t in the mood for looking for another boat. So the boat´s population included the following bunch of scoundrels, misfits and buxom wenches: Hailing from Australia there was Gemma, Peggy, Alice and Jess. A Colombian Tiger whisperer called Luis (Seriously he really was. He worked for a Circus that was in Panama City and was the Tiger charmer), Frank and Masha from New York City, Isaac from Alaska, Rob from Canada, Scott from England, 2 Scurvy Frenchmen called Pierre and Gregory who were acting as deckhands to get through a bit cheaper and finally the saltiest seadogs of the entire crew, Helene, Marie, Riverdance and myself.... YARRRRRR!!!!!!
We spent our last night in Cartagena onboard as we were scheduled for an early 6:30am departure the next day. Early the following morning everybody arrived and we attempted to get underway. Our departure was delayed by the boat´s anchor being stuck on the bottom! After much toiling our French deckies managed to get it up and we moved out of Cartagena and South America and into the Caribbean Sea. I had to exercise a lot of self control to stop myself from yelling "Yarrrrrr!!!!!!!" and "Avast!!!!" as we exited the fortress guarding the bay into Cartagena.
Frenchie, Urvey
Dagney
The Terror of the Oceans, clad in Mickey Mouse Fan Club attire.... Emani
As it was all nice and sunny the girls pulled out the mattresses and tanned on the deck while the guys all enjoyed a nice chilled beer. Emani was just starting to cause trouble... he had a small orange sword which he would use to bash people on the head or alternatively he would find ice or water and put it down people´s backs. No amount of scolding from his mother Dagney seemed to have effect and I could tell some people were getting really pissed off! Luckily Dagney managed to get his drawing book out and he focused on that for the next few hours giving us some respite.
On deck and soaking up the rays
All was going really peachy until we got into the big swell a couple of miles offshore. Girls started sliding off mattresses as the boat swayed and there was a tension in the air of impending seasickness. The ice was broken quite clearly when Masha kicked off the show with some puking off the side of the boat before retiring into her cabin to rest. Others followed suite and it wasn´t long before I felt distinctly uneasy. I quickly popped downstairs into my cabin and lay on my back reading for the next few hours which helped a lot.
Lunch was largely unattended even though it was hotdogs. I managed to eat one and then had to rush back below deck. We did manage to spend some time out on deck and it was great seeing the large swells rise up around us. There were also a lot of flying fish that would launch out of the wake of the boat and glide for up to 100 metres! The sun set and we all retired early. The boat motored on through the night while we tried to slept in the incredibly hot and humid cabins and in the morning we were only a few hours away from the San Blas Archipelago. During the night a large amount of flying fish had landed on deck so in the morning I decided to pick them up and save them for fish bait later.
That day, 3 dolphins came to race us as we moved on and everybody sat on the deck watching with excitement as they crisscrossed at the bow of the boat and leapt out the water. It was also at around this time that Emani made another appearance. Spouting one-liners from American movies such as "Get Him!!!" and "I´m gonna kill you!!!" he grabbed a pair of flip-flops belonging to Isaac. We all tell him to put it down but with a maniacal grin he just tosses it overboard! Dagney spots this and sends him below deck for a timeout.
I am quite proud of this shot
The Panamanian coast was first sighted by Urvey and closely followed by the first of the many San Blas islands. The islands are famous as the local Kuna indian tribe were the only people to resist the Spanish invasion. The islands themselves are not under Panamanian law but rather the rule of the Kuna king who dictates what goes on. Luckily for us, US dollars are valued highly by the people so they welcome tourists who buy their fish, lobster and traditional mola craftwork. We cruised through these tiny islands, most only having one small resident hermit living there and admired their largely untouched beauty. No concrete structures or resorts were anywhere to be seen. The motion of the ocean was much less here and all signs of seasickness vanished.
Land-ho! Some of the San Blas Islands
We moored in between 3 small desert islands and jumped into the water to swim to one. I took my underwater camera along too to get some snaps.
The girls were quick to get to shore to enjoy the beach
The island beach was pure soft white sand and the water was clear clear blue. There was only one small hut on the island where a local Kuna indian did his spearfishing. Rob and I explored the local coral reef where we saw some stingray, starfish and a lot of interesting corals.
Rob Braun from Canada
This coral/kelp was really cool as it waved in the current
Trying to coax out a grouper with some flying fish bait
Loads of big Starfish were on the sandy stretches
We saw a few Stingrays too
Once we returned to the boat, we were informed that during the entire journey we had an oil and gas leak, meaning that we were lucky to have arrived at the islands! We were told not to worry as Urvey was going to the nearby yachts and islands in the area to procure some more. This was not a big worry for us as we had ample food and a pretty amazing setting to relax in. I took out the fishing rod and set about catching loads of some type of snapper. Quite a few people got in on the fishing and we managed to get 8 pan-sized fish for Dagney to grill for us later. We even managed to hook a couple of Remora (fish that stick to the side of big sharks for food). It was amusing bringing them in because as soon as they were hooked they would swim to the boat and latch themselves to it until you relaxed your pull. Once unlatched you had to haul them up quickly or face the long boring wait again!
Scott giving his fish a little bit of tongue - dirty Brit
Jess battling with a large Remora
Victory! Check out that sucker! (no pun intended... check it out on the thing´s head!)
That night we ate the fish along with some pasta Dag cooked up, all washed down with several cold beers and Rum n Cokes. This was the life!! I decided to try have my kip in a hammock on the front deck. I managed to get fairly comfortable until the wind picked up. Luis was in the hammock just to my right and we started swaying from left to right- I could feel a collision was inevitable as our swings increased in magnitude. Finally we crashed together and started the process over again. Luis seemed unfazed but I couldn't handle it at all so I disappeared below deck to the sweaty cabin. The next morning we woke up at our leisure. The weather was cloudy and rainy but still around 30 degrees. We hung around for a while and were then told that the oil leak problem had been fixed but the engine on the little dinghy on the boat was now broken. Will disasters never cease! Everytime these issues arose we were treated to some fairly heated "debate" between Urvey and Dagney. She would swing from being hyperactive (clearly Emani gets it from her) and cheery one second to blaming us for the broken motor and telling us we would need to wave down some local Indian to take us to the coast. This still didn´t phase us much and we got underway to Puerto Venir, the Panamanian customs office in the San Blas islands.
Desert Island complete with shipwreck. Yarrrr!!
Jemma
Jess, Me and Pierre enjoying some Aguila cerveca
En route, people decided to get into the party mood. The Aussie girls set the trend and very soon the whole boat was rocking (excuse the pun) to some great tunes and rowdy drunk people. Dinner was undercooked hamburgers as Urvey and Dagney had joined the party with us and didn't seem too focussed on the cooking. The Aussies also introduced me to a band called the Presets which I took an immediate liking to and would recommend to anybody who enjoys a bit of funky electro. The burgers tasted pretty good anyway so nobody got upset. Drinking and dancing was mixed with leaping off the boat and the party lasted until the very late hour of 11pm (after having started at 2pm).
Jamming to the Presets
Party People
Riverdance with an empty 2 litre bottle of Rum.
From left to right: Luis, Rob, Scott, Peggy, Masha Me, Gregory and Riverdance in front
Pierre taking the big jump off the top
The next morning was our final leg. We motored off to Puerto Lindo on the Panamanian coast, passing some more beaitful islands like Isla Grande. We moored in Piscina Bay waiting for confirmation the customs clerk was coming through. We spotted the Floating Neutrino "boat" (more like a patched up scrap-catamaran with a tree for a rudder stick) which is famous for being built by a family of circus people who one day just felt like travelling the oceans. (http://www.floatingneutrinos.com/). They are credited as being the first scrap raft to make it across the Atlantic ocean!
A private island owned by a Spanish guy. The latest James Bond movie (Quantum of Solace) had some scenes shot from there.
Once all was confirmed, Urvey and the deckies offloaded the motorbikes onto some water taxis and we boarded shortly after. I couldn´t really say this trip was a dream ride because it wasn´t. Engine failures, fighting captains and their wives and out of control children certainly isn´t what you picture on a Caribbean cruise. But it was certainly interesting and there were some really funny moments. Thinking back about it I really wouldn´t have changed a thing!
Floating Neutrino http://www.floatingneutrinos.com/
Dry land again! Puerto Lindo docks
We checked into hostel "Wunderbar" (run by a German couple) and got our passports stamped there. Later we went down to the dock area and had some of the specialty octopus for dinner.
The next day we were due to be in Panama City
The boat was called Metacomet. This was the name of the Indian chief at the time of the first Thanksgiving dinner between the Indians and Pilgrims in the USA. It was called this because the boat was finished on Thanksgiving Day in the 1950s. Initially it was designed for military use, to detect mines in the Atlantic, but a subsequent owner decided to totally overhaul it into a fishing boat and install a large sail mast in the front.
The passage included all food and water. All we needed to do was buy snacks and booze. A quick shopping trip remedied that and we returned to Club Nautico with 4 litres of Rum, 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of Aguadiente... for 4 people we thought this may be sufficient. I also bought a small fishing rod and lures to replace the one lost in Ecuador. Urvey picked us up in his small dinghy and took us to the offshore mooring where we offloaded our bags and met the other passengers.
Urvey taking us on his dinghy to the boatWe had been told a maximum of 10 people would be on board for the trip, so when we discovered 15 people and a large motorcycle we were a bit annoyed. Nonetheless the trip was a cheaper option than most of the others and we weren´t in the mood for looking for another boat. So the boat´s population included the following bunch of scoundrels, misfits and buxom wenches: Hailing from Australia there was Gemma, Peggy, Alice and Jess. A Colombian Tiger whisperer called Luis (Seriously he really was. He worked for a Circus that was in Panama City and was the Tiger charmer), Frank and Masha from New York City, Isaac from Alaska, Rob from Canada, Scott from England, 2 Scurvy Frenchmen called Pierre and Gregory who were acting as deckhands to get through a bit cheaper and finally the saltiest seadogs of the entire crew, Helene, Marie, Riverdance and myself.... YARRRRRR!!!!!!
We spent our last night in Cartagena onboard as we were scheduled for an early 6:30am departure the next day. Early the following morning everybody arrived and we attempted to get underway. Our departure was delayed by the boat´s anchor being stuck on the bottom! After much toiling our French deckies managed to get it up and we moved out of Cartagena and South America and into the Caribbean Sea. I had to exercise a lot of self control to stop myself from yelling "Yarrrrrr!!!!!!!" and "Avast!!!!" as we exited the fortress guarding the bay into Cartagena.
Frenchie, Urvey
Dagney
The Terror of the Oceans, clad in Mickey Mouse Fan Club attire.... Emani
As it was all nice and sunny the girls pulled out the mattresses and tanned on the deck while the guys all enjoyed a nice chilled beer. Emani was just starting to cause trouble... he had a small orange sword which he would use to bash people on the head or alternatively he would find ice or water and put it down people´s backs. No amount of scolding from his mother Dagney seemed to have effect and I could tell some people were getting really pissed off! Luckily Dagney managed to get his drawing book out and he focused on that for the next few hours giving us some respite.
On deck and soaking up the rays
All was going really peachy until we got into the big swell a couple of miles offshore. Girls started sliding off mattresses as the boat swayed and there was a tension in the air of impending seasickness. The ice was broken quite clearly when Masha kicked off the show with some puking off the side of the boat before retiring into her cabin to rest. Others followed suite and it wasn´t long before I felt distinctly uneasy. I quickly popped downstairs into my cabin and lay on my back reading for the next few hours which helped a lot.
Lunch was largely unattended even though it was hotdogs. I managed to eat one and then had to rush back below deck. We did manage to spend some time out on deck and it was great seeing the large swells rise up around us. There were also a lot of flying fish that would launch out of the wake of the boat and glide for up to 100 metres! The sun set and we all retired early. The boat motored on through the night while we tried to slept in the incredibly hot and humid cabins and in the morning we were only a few hours away from the San Blas Archipelago. During the night a large amount of flying fish had landed on deck so in the morning I decided to pick them up and save them for fish bait later.
That day, 3 dolphins came to race us as we moved on and everybody sat on the deck watching with excitement as they crisscrossed at the bow of the boat and leapt out the water. It was also at around this time that Emani made another appearance. Spouting one-liners from American movies such as "Get Him!!!" and "I´m gonna kill you!!!" he grabbed a pair of flip-flops belonging to Isaac. We all tell him to put it down but with a maniacal grin he just tosses it overboard! Dagney spots this and sends him below deck for a timeout.
I am quite proud of this shotThe Panamanian coast was first sighted by Urvey and closely followed by the first of the many San Blas islands. The islands are famous as the local Kuna indian tribe were the only people to resist the Spanish invasion. The islands themselves are not under Panamanian law but rather the rule of the Kuna king who dictates what goes on. Luckily for us, US dollars are valued highly by the people so they welcome tourists who buy their fish, lobster and traditional mola craftwork. We cruised through these tiny islands, most only having one small resident hermit living there and admired their largely untouched beauty. No concrete structures or resorts were anywhere to be seen. The motion of the ocean was much less here and all signs of seasickness vanished.
Land-ho! Some of the San Blas IslandsWe moored in between 3 small desert islands and jumped into the water to swim to one. I took my underwater camera along too to get some snaps.
The girls were quick to get to shore to enjoy the beach
The island beach was pure soft white sand and the water was clear clear blue. There was only one small hut on the island where a local Kuna indian did his spearfishing. Rob and I explored the local coral reef where we saw some stingray, starfish and a lot of interesting corals.
Rob Braun from Canada
This coral/kelp was really cool as it waved in the current
Trying to coax out a grouper with some flying fish bait
Loads of big Starfish were on the sandy stretches
We saw a few Stingrays tooOnce we returned to the boat, we were informed that during the entire journey we had an oil and gas leak, meaning that we were lucky to have arrived at the islands! We were told not to worry as Urvey was going to the nearby yachts and islands in the area to procure some more. This was not a big worry for us as we had ample food and a pretty amazing setting to relax in. I took out the fishing rod and set about catching loads of some type of snapper. Quite a few people got in on the fishing and we managed to get 8 pan-sized fish for Dagney to grill for us later. We even managed to hook a couple of Remora (fish that stick to the side of big sharks for food). It was amusing bringing them in because as soon as they were hooked they would swim to the boat and latch themselves to it until you relaxed your pull. Once unlatched you had to haul them up quickly or face the long boring wait again!
Scott giving his fish a little bit of tongue - dirty Brit
Jess battling with a large Remora
Victory! Check out that sucker! (no pun intended... check it out on the thing´s head!)
That night we ate the fish along with some pasta Dag cooked up, all washed down with several cold beers and Rum n Cokes. This was the life!! I decided to try have my kip in a hammock on the front deck. I managed to get fairly comfortable until the wind picked up. Luis was in the hammock just to my right and we started swaying from left to right- I could feel a collision was inevitable as our swings increased in magnitude. Finally we crashed together and started the process over again. Luis seemed unfazed but I couldn't handle it at all so I disappeared below deck to the sweaty cabin. The next morning we woke up at our leisure. The weather was cloudy and rainy but still around 30 degrees. We hung around for a while and were then told that the oil leak problem had been fixed but the engine on the little dinghy on the boat was now broken. Will disasters never cease! Everytime these issues arose we were treated to some fairly heated "debate" between Urvey and Dagney. She would swing from being hyperactive (clearly Emani gets it from her) and cheery one second to blaming us for the broken motor and telling us we would need to wave down some local Indian to take us to the coast. This still didn´t phase us much and we got underway to Puerto Venir, the Panamanian customs office in the San Blas islands.
Desert Island complete with shipwreck. Yarrrr!!Some of the peoplpe onboard worked out how to highlight certain colours in their pictures so we messed around a bit and got some pretty cool shots!
Jemma
Jess, Me and Pierre enjoying some Aguila cerveca
Helene with an awesome shot
En route, people decided to get into the party mood. The Aussie girls set the trend and very soon the whole boat was rocking (excuse the pun) to some great tunes and rowdy drunk people. Dinner was undercooked hamburgers as Urvey and Dagney had joined the party with us and didn't seem too focussed on the cooking. The Aussies also introduced me to a band called the Presets which I took an immediate liking to and would recommend to anybody who enjoys a bit of funky electro. The burgers tasted pretty good anyway so nobody got upset. Drinking and dancing was mixed with leaping off the boat and the party lasted until the very late hour of 11pm (after having started at 2pm).
Jamming to the Presets
Party People
Riverdance with an empty 2 litre bottle of Rum.
From left to right: Luis, Rob, Scott, Peggy, Masha Me, Gregory and Riverdance in front
Pierre taking the big jump off the topThe next morning was our final leg. We motored off to Puerto Lindo on the Panamanian coast, passing some more beaitful islands like Isla Grande. We moored in Piscina Bay waiting for confirmation the customs clerk was coming through. We spotted the Floating Neutrino "boat" (more like a patched up scrap-catamaran with a tree for a rudder stick) which is famous for being built by a family of circus people who one day just felt like travelling the oceans. (http://www.floatingneutrinos.com/). They are credited as being the first scrap raft to make it across the Atlantic ocean!
A private island owned by a Spanish guy. The latest James Bond movie (Quantum of Solace) had some scenes shot from there.Once all was confirmed, Urvey and the deckies offloaded the motorbikes onto some water taxis and we boarded shortly after. I couldn´t really say this trip was a dream ride because it wasn´t. Engine failures, fighting captains and their wives and out of control children certainly isn´t what you picture on a Caribbean cruise. But it was certainly interesting and there were some really funny moments. Thinking back about it I really wouldn´t have changed a thing!
Floating Neutrino http://www.floatingneutrinos.com/
Dry land again! Puerto Lindo docksThe next day we were due to be in Panama City
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