Hanging out in Las Perlas

Bruna, Louise and Stuart joined us for a day tour

Since we got back from Europe we have been trying to decide where to go next! Panama really is a crossroads but having come from the north and already crossed the Pacific from the west it leaves east into the Caribbean or the south down the west coast of South America. Strong easterly trade winds make sailing in the southern Caribbean difficult before the end of March and then the hurricane season kicks in at the beginning of June, leaving us only couple of months to enjoy cruising there. We kicked around the idea of sailing south down to Equador but beating against the SE trades and the Humbolt Current did not really appeal and the few people we know who have been there were not terribly enthusiastic about it. So after mucho deliberation we have decided to stay here on the Pacific coast of Panama for the next few months . . . Da . . . Daaa!

A remnant from one of the Survivor series filmed in the islands

There were a couple of other factors which weighed in: firstly we thought we’d set up shop doing BnB/sailing tours on the boat. Contadora is easily accessible from Panama City and Islas Las Perlas is a beautiful archipelago with plenty of sheltered bays  for kayaking and beachcombing and reefs for snorkeling and fishing; great for 4-5 days tours. We figured it would be fun to show people our lifestyle, it motivates us to explore more of the islands and it will replenish our dwindling boat fund. We’ve had four groups of guests this month, it’s been a pleasure having them on board so it’s all going well so far.

The colourful pangas of the local fishermen brighten up the anchorage

We are also keen to get involved in cleaning up the islands beaches in some way. Although the beaches look pristine most of them have plastic debris scattered along the high tide line. Exposed to sunlight the plastic breaks down into smaller plastic particles which are washed back out to sea and are easily ingested by various forms of marine life. The best way to break this cycle is to stop putting plastic into the oceans, the next best way is to remove the plastic when it is trapped on the beach. Here endeth the lesson!

Garbage collected from 50m of beach on Isla Mogo Mogo

We are trying to work out a system to remove all existing plastics from the beaches and dispose of it via recycling and/or landfill, and to write a proposal in order to secure the necessary funding to make it happen. To scope out the project we cleaned up 50m of beach on the west side of Isla Mogo Mogo. It took four very hot and sweaty man hours and we collected about 1m3 of plastic. With over 8000m of beach distributed around 200 islands, this is no mean feat! What our role in all this might be we don’t know, perhaps we’ll combine sailing tours with plastic collection so you can come and have a holiday in paradise and feel good about contributing to cleaning up marine plastic. If you have any suggestions or ideas please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

Our lovely Italian friend Bruna enjoying Happy Hour in style

Isla Contadora is a great little island to base ourselves at. It is the playground of the uber-rich and famous from Panama City who occasionally visit their mansions but tend to stay behind closed gates. Most of the other houses are owned by expats who live here semi-permanently or are small hotels or BnBs. A trickle of tourists come and go on the daily ferry from the City and at weekends a flotilla of gleaming white motor launches arrives and the anchorage is transformed; tents scattered on the beach, throbbing music, and jetskis zapping about.

Neil and John entertaining the crowd at Mar y Oro, Contadora

The tiki bar at the Mar y Oro hotel on the beach has a happy hour and we have met quite a few of the locals and tourists – it’s getting to be quite sociable. On Saturday evenings Neil has been playing keyboards with John, a local guitarist, in the hotel restaurant. They play laid back blues and attract a bit of a crowd – it’s good fun.

The World ARC fleet in the anchorage at Isla Contadora

A couple of weeks ago the World ARC rally arrived in the anchorage. This is a group of some twenty five yachts that are cruising around the world together over a period of about thirteen months. They started in St. Lucia in the Caribbean in November, have just come through the Canal and gathered in Contadora to start Leg #3 – Panama to Galapagos. Distant Drummer was suddenly surrounded by yachts, the radio buzzed with British and other European accents and the beach was crowded with dinghies. It was great to meet some other yachties and hear their tales from Caribbean shores.

The start of Leg #3 of the World ARC from Contadora to Galapagos

They only stayed for a couple of days then it was time to move on (they move a bit faster than we do!) We puttered amongst them in the dinghy as they gathered at the start line for the departure to Galapagos. It was quite a spectacle with their brightly coloured spinnakers raised to catch the light northerly breeze. As they sailed over the horizon we listened to their chatter on the radio and breathed a sigh of relief to be living life in the slow lane.

Green-footed boobies nesting in the islands (Photo from Louise Newsome)

Although we have been here for a couple of months now we are still exploring islands we haven’t visited yet. Isla Pacheca is a small island with a swathe of beautiful white sand beach and amazing clear turquoise water. We took a short walk in land looking for coconuts and stumbled upon a group of green-footed boobies nesting on the ground. They are totally unafraid of humans and sat on their nests making a croaky hissing sound to warn us to keep away. A half grown chick was strutting around showing off it’s fluffy white downy plumage, it was a treat to watch.

The incinerator on Isla Saboga at the campsite of Sailing Club Panama

Isla Saboga is a large island which lies just to the west of Contadora and supplies the power and the workforce to its more glamorous sister. We went over to have a look around and to meet Alex, Yaiza and Jacob who run a campsite and sailing school there. One of their other projects is collecting garbage from the beach. They recycle the tins and glass but most of the plastic they currently burn. They have been experimenting with melting different types of plastic at specific temperatures to make plastic bricks for building construction but it is difficult to do without an oven to maintain an accurate temperature. It was interesting to hear about their experience and hopefully we can work together with them in the future.

Ying yang beach art on Isla Viveros

The only downside of our Contadora “paradise” is the very limited water supply on the island so next week we will head back to Panama City to fill our water tanks. While we are there it will also be Carnival which is a major holiday in Central and South America. For four days before Lent people are celebrating in the street with parades, street parties, music, dance and feasting. It should be lots of fun!

More soon

Suzy x