 Panama
and San Blas Islands Yacht Charters.
Recently I received a postcard from the yacht charter
company, Crewed Charters, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands,
offering the 52 foot Catamaran, Tamarin, for charter in
the San Blas Islands in Panama. My wife, Beth and
I along with our friends have chartered yachts in the
Virgin Islands, Fiji, Tahiti and taken Windjammer Cruises.
As I had never heard of these islands, I did some research
on the internet, encyclopedia, and a world atlas.
I was amazed to find that they are hundreds of islands
protected by a large barrier reef off the coast of Panama
in the Caribbean, inhabited by the Cuna Yala Indians.
This was enough information excite us so I called the
charter company for more  information.
The experienced Australian born Captain, John (Whitey)
White and his wife and first mate, Maxine (Max) also
sent a reply. We made bookings and soon received
a descriptive brochure of the boat along with a questionnaire
requesting our preferences in activities, food and drink.
We liked the large 25 foot beam which affords a steady
platform that feels like being on land. The two
of the four staterooms contained king size beds with
private bath. The other two, one with a double
and a single bed, and one with two single bunk beds,
shared a bath. Amenities included a dive compressor,
snorkeling equipment, two zodiac dinghies, two ocean
kayaks, water skis, fishing equipment, skibob, underwater
camera, as well as a library, TV, stereo hi-fi, VCR
and
satellite radio and e-mail communications.
In Panama City we were greeted by Julia Arias, who would
provide connections to the yacht. We were driven
from the airport to a hotel in the city for an overnight
stay before an early departure by air taxi for the 45
minute flight to the San Blas Islands the following
morning. Her arrangements, bilingual ability and
personal service proved indispensable.
Leaving Panama City, we flew through fluffy clouds over
the jungle and mountains, landing on a short runway
on an island that appeared as a small speck in the sea.
We were greeted by Whitey and Max who promptly took
us to the Tamarin anchored off the tiny airport.
Looking around us we could see a number of small islands
or Atolls covered with coconut trees and tropical vegetation.
The islands are small, some so tiny that they support
only a single coconut tree. The sea surrounding
them is flat and calm and visibility through the water
is over 40 feet. The place is reminiscent more
of the exotic south pacific islands than something you'd
expect to see in Central America.
It was now late afternoon and we were lounging on the
after deck. Two dugout Canoes, each paddled by
Cuna Yala women and children, approached us. It
seemed to me to be a page out of National Geographic.
Appearing in brightly colored costumes, covering their
arms and body, but barefoot with long bracelets of beads
wrapping their ankles, they were welcomed aboard
by Whitey. He explained that they were offering"Molas"
for sale. Molas are hand made tightly hand sewn
pieces of cloth of various designs, some geometric,
others depicting turtles, birds, cats and animals, all
of bright colors with embroidery. They can be
used to
decorate blouses, t-shirts, etc., and are suitable for
souvenir wall hangings or pillows. Molas, along
with coconuts and fishing, are an integral part of the
Cuna economy and provide the necessary income for their
existence so far from the Mainland.
After breakfast on deck the following morning, we got
underway and after a short time, anchored a few yards
away from a reef facing a small island. We easily
slipped into the lagoon from the ladder at water level
from one of the boat's pontoons that made donning our
fins and snorkels an easy task. The clear water
beneath us was 85 degrees and revealed multicolored
reef fish darting about over the coral beds that begged
to be explored. One area contained dozens of large
red starfish spotting the sandy bottom which was labeled
"Starfish Alley."
Before departing for the islands farther off shore that
were mostly uninhabited, Whitey suggested we take the
large zodiak dinghy for a 5 mile trip up the Diablo
River to see first hand the fresh water supply source
for the Cuna villages. As only brackish water
is obtained from shallow wells on the low lying islands.
Entering the river's mouth we passed under vine covered
trees that overhung the river and viewed herons and
other birds perched on snags in the water or on tree
branches. Exotic flowers, clumps of thick bamboo
and lush tropical growth lined the river banks.
We passed occasional landing places on the river with
trails that led to small plots of land that the Cunas
cleared from the jungle and tilled for
their supply of vegetables etc. We passed a few canoes,
carrying bottles and jugs to be filled, heading upstream
to where the river would run clean and fresh.
We continued on a little farther and soon arrived at
a likely place to take a dip and escape the hot sun.
The current ran slowly and was only 3 to 4 feet in depth
but clean, clear and exhilarating when we leaped into
the water. Nothing could feel as good as this.
Again we were at anchor in a blue green lagoon that
can only be described as paradise. We swam and
snorkeled and  paddled
the kayaks until exhausted. Not expecting to find
Cunas here, we spotted a large canoe approaching.
This one contained a young male and a teenage boy.
We bartered fresh water, a sack of sugar and cokes for
their lobsters, crabs and fish which Max expertly prepared
for dinner. Whitey threw in a few dollars extra
and we gave them some tennis balls and trinkets.
One
bright starlit night Whitey and Max led us on a night
snorkeling session. Everything looked a little
different than during the day. I spotted an octopus
and a school of squid with the underwater torch provided
for my use. I found a beautiful shell but Max
advised me to return it since separating the shell from
the animal is a long and smelly job. I replaced
it upright in sand to prevent it from dying.
Both Whitey and Max, certified scuba diving instructors,
are able to offer certification courses to beginning
divers. Whitey subtly talked me into taking another
dive but first I had
to preview the video he uses for instructional purposes.
My previous training and experience returned somewhat
and I am glad to report that I possess a video of my
dive of one of the finest coral reefs in the Caribbean
taken by Max and Whitey.
Upon returning to Panama City before our return home,
Julia Arias arranged a sightseeing tour to the Canal
where we viewed ships entering and leaving the Locks.
This finish to our trip was like Napoleon Brandy after
a gourmet feast. We will long remember Whitey,
Max and the Tamarin.
The six in our group, were Lloyd and Beth Olson, Al
and Mel Hausrath, Marian Hand and Val Slasor from
the Los Angeles area of southern California.
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