April 2, 2007
Location: Bocas del Toro, Panama
Nautical Miles Traveled: 227
Wow, after two years and five months, 3150 miles and six foreign countries later we finally made it to Panama. We are now anchored off the town of Bocas del Toro (mouth of the bull), 30 miles from the Costa Rican border.
We left Isla San Andreas on March 31st at 0900 and had one of the best sails ever in our journeys thus far. The winds were 15 knots off the port beam and seas a comfortable 6 to 8 feet with occasional 10 footers. Everything was perfect and we sailed over 90% of the way averaging 4.5 knots. The trip was for the most part uneventful as the only other traffic we saw was our buddy boat Winterlude. While there were numerous squall that we maneuvered around there were no waterspouts or pirates on this leg. We sailed two nights under an almost full moon that lit up the ocean for us. The sky at night was full of bright stars and the water bright with the emerald phosphorescence in our trail behind us. The only excitement was about 28 miles north of Bocas del Toro. There were a few freighters going East from Costa Rica to the Panama Canal, one was on a very dangerous collision course for Winterlude and us. After numerous attempts of trying to contact the vessel by VHF radio we decided to take evasive action and tacked, heading back out to sea. It was too close and frustrations were high. Once we were in the clear we turned back towards Bocas and continued on our way. We arrived at the entrance about an hour before sunrise and though the channel is well marked we make it a habit not to enter new harbors in the dark. So we circled for almost an hour until day break then made our way into the channel and eventually into the anchorage.
We anchored at 0730 and waited until 0900 to call Marina Carenero where we had made a reservation to spend a week. After contacting them on the radio we made our way into a slip and tied up, then we had to wait for all the officials to board us and clear us into the country. This process was fairly easy, lots of forms and questions to answer and $135 later we were done. Our stay at the marina was not what we had expected and a bitter taste still lingers with us. When we had contacted the marina a week prior to ask about facilities and services. What they emailed us and what they said after we arrived were far from the same. By email the owners of the marina told us they had laundry service and hot showers. After we arrived we were told they were not available due to the lack of water. They told us by email they had free water, they told us when we got there it was only drinking water for water jugs, water for the boat was 10 cents a gallon. They emailed us and told us the electric was free but once in the marina, while the electric was free they required the rental and payment for the electrical adapter. Because we were so disappointed in their communication skills and felt very deceived we decided not to stay the week that we had planned and left the following morning (April 3rd). When we got the bill I was shocked to see a $10 surcharge. When questioned the owners said they were charging us $10 because they called the officials for us. A $10 phone call !? When I could have called them for free on my own by VHF radio? This was absurd but I was forced to pay. We have about a dozen boating friends headed this way from Honduras behind us so I emailed them and told them of my experience, all of them have replied and said thanks for the info. It’s amazing that a business would have such deceptive business practices. In all fairness we had heard from many other boaters heading North not to go there because of this, we should have listened to them.
Anyway, enough of our frustrations here. On April 3rd we came back out to the anchorage. Our main reason for wanting to be in the marina was to take hot showers, do lots and lots of laundry and get the boat cleaned up, didn’t make sense to be there if we couldn’t do any of that. The anchorage here is absolutely beautiful. While the waters here are crystal clear the water is green rather than the shades of blue we’re used to seeing. All the other boaters have given us much information to help us get settled. Once we’re done getting caught up on rest and boat cleaning we’ll go explore the town.
April 21, 2007
Location: Bocas del Toro, Panama
Nautical Miles Traveled: 0
Bocas del Toro (Mouth of the Bull) is located in the Northwest corner of Panama and is only 30 miles from the Costa Rican border. While Bocas is a sleepy little Caribbean town it is quickly becoming a top tourist destination. The area here makes for excellent cruising and exploration in the two big bays of Laguna de Chiriqui and Bahia Almirante. Within the two big bays are eight large islands, more than 50 smaller islands and over 200 smaller islets.
Bocas del Toro was discovered by Christopher Colombus during his fourth and final voyage to Panama. In the 1800’s many immigrants including slaves from the islands North of here came to Bocas. Today’s population consists of local indigenous Indians, descendants from slavery, Chinese and retirees from North America and Europe. 80 percent of Panama’s exports come from the banana industry, most of which are grown right here in Northwest Panama. Chiquita Brands International in the Bocas providence produces over a million tons of bananas every year for export.
Bocas today has many dive centers, hotels and restaurants catering to the tourist industry. And while tourism is on the increase the cost of living here remains very affordable. We’ve enjoyed the excellent selection of grocery and hardware stores. No where else since leaving the United States have we seen a wonderful selection of goods including aged beef.
The snorkeling here is unbelievable and different in so many ways. The clarity of the water is excellent with visibility amazingly clear in 50’+ of water. The coral formations here differ from what we’ve seen in the past. The abundance of live coral is stunning and with such a diverse variety and colors. We’ve enjoyed spotting new marine life including coral banded shrimp, yellowline arrow crab and the rare and hard to find spotted moray eels. Swimming in schools of hundreds of squid has also been a new experience for us. And of course we never get tired of swimming with the spotted eagle rays or seeing the normal variety of fish including some nice snappers and groupers.
The area here also presents some wonderful land touring without having to go too far. Red Frog Beach is frequented by locals and tourists who search out for sightings of the small, thumbnail sized red frogs. These frogs were used by the indigenous Indians for it’s poison for use on arrows. One tiny frog can produce enough poison to kill 500 people! A small chocolate farm offers tours showing and explaining the process of planting, cultivating, processing and making chocolate, with free samples after the tour. We hear it’s some of the best chocolate ever made. But because of their small size they do not produce enough for export. In Changuinola tours of the banana fields and lunch at the Chiquita Banana Restaurant, on Isla Colon one can visit the Smithsonian Tropical Institute . One can travel to the Ngobe-Bugle Indian village of Quebrada Sal, on the island of Isla Bastimentos, and take a jungle tour. The tour guide will explain the natural history of the plants and animals. And for land animals here in this region one can see a variety of parrots, oropendolas, green ibis, manikins, thrush, Western Night Monkeys, sloths, caimans and poison dart frogs.
We have met many boaters in Guatemala and Honduras that had come from this region of Panama and now understand why they spend years here. The beauty of the jungles and mountains combined with mangroves and clear waters make Bocas del Toro a place where one can spend a long time exploring. While we’ve been here anchored off of the Bocas Yacht Club for three weeks now enjoying some rest and relaxation, we are beginning to make plans to go explore and see what’s around us.
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