San Blas Bliss

Our first anchorage in San Blas, in East Holandes Cays, was just bliss.  It was just so nice to be still.  We appreciated the boat being a flat, stable surface again after our sail from Curacao.  The other nice thing about being in San Blas was that it was not blowing a gale and there were no squalls.  Everyone is talking about the strong winds and heavy rains in the Caribbean this season.  Here in San Blas we had escaped that.  We also had the bay more or less to ourselves, along with another Kiwi boat (Dol’ Selene) and a few Dutch and French boats, so there was lots of room to play starting with a little wakeboarding behind Pelizeno’s dinghy.  Without too much discussion, we decided to stay put for a week.

Fun on Raftkin at East Holandes

We settled into a routine of school in the morning and play in the afternoon.  During this time, we were often visited by the local Indians in the canoes selling molas (traditional applique cloth) or fish or lobster.  Once school was over we got the toys out.  Dave rigged the kids sail for the windsurfer after Megan begged and begged him to, then the two of them went for a lesson.  She was pretty good and was able to get the rig up and catch a little wind.  Hayley was next and she got it straight away and is already wanting to know how to tack and gybe.  She needs a bigger sail already too...  Zenon (from Pelizeno) had a go and was pretty good too, getting the rig up a few times and wanting to do more. Next, Pelizeno got he Terra out and rigged with the small sail and soon the kids were sailing all around the anchorage with Pete following in the dinghy giving tips and instructions on how to get more out of the little boat.

Hayley learning to wakeboard

Megan learning to wakeboard

Windsurfing lessons start

Megan on windsurfer

Hayley on windsurfer

On the Monday afternoon Hayley and Dave went over to nearby inhabited Tiadup Island to have a look around and go for a walk.  Pelizeno went too which was doubly handy as Lisa speaks Spanish (she is Venezuelan) so they were able to communicate more easily with the Indians.  They found the island to be really interesting.  There was just one family living there temporarily.  They do one month on, collecting coconuts, then go back their greater family's main island and another family group go out to the island. 

Unfortunately, Megan was feeling unwell, so the two of us stayed on RAFTKIN.  Her sickness lasted through the next day, so we had a quiet day on the boat on Tuesday.

A good night's sleep and Wednesday was a much better day.  We had an epic school day to catch up on the work missed during the passage.  After nearly 6 hours of school (for me anyway, due to staggered start times) I had to get off the boat so I went for a paddle board by myself to have some time out.  I paddled around Tiadup Island, then over to Banedup Island (which was uninhabited), where I found a little current/'river' running between the island and a sandy shoal.  I went back and got the kids in the kayak and we spend the afternoon floating down the river, walking along the beach and making sand-cakes.

When we got back to the boat we saw Pelizeno coming in - they had gone to Provenir to drop off Shaun (their crew) on Tuesday afternoon.  To celebrate their return, we had a fusion food night on RAFTKIN – BBQ langoustine (lobster), pizza and pasta.

Fusion food on RAFTKIN - Langostino Pizza and Pasta

Sailing the Terra, East Holandes

Fun in the sun at San Blas

By Saturday we were ready to explore the cays with Pelizeno and Dol Selene, so we set out in the dinghies to look for good snorkel spots and interesting islands.  We didn’t get far when we realised we needed to reconfigure the dinghies to match the boat size and horsepower of the engines.  I jumped in Dol Selene’s dinghy with Gail, Brian and Lisa; Pete took the kids in Pelizeno’s dinghy and Dave was the lone wolf.  This meant we all more or less kept together, rather than RAFTKIN trailing behind…  The reefs we explored were interesting and the islands beautiful.  We saw loads of fish and mantra rays swimming in the shallows.  We even had the thrill of seeing one ray leap out of the water, exposing its white underbelly.  We stopped for a picnic on the aptly named BBQ Island, though we had no BBQ.

 Exploration of East Holandes via dinghy

Mama sin ninas

Morning tea stop

Lunch stop at BBQ Island

Landscaping on BBQ Island

We spent the afternoon chilling out back on our boats.  Peter was paddle boarding along the beach of Banedup Island and noticed that the log floating on the water was moving.  Turns out it wasn’t a log, it was the 3m crocodile we had been warned about upon arrival but had seen no sign of since.  Time to move on, me thinks.

We pulled up the anchor on Sunday morning and motor sailed down to West Holandes and anchored off Miriadup Island.  In English, this was called Fantasy Island (the plane, the plane!) and it certainly accorded with its name - the most perfect white, sandy beach falling into turquoise waters; a long stretch of reef around the island that you can snorkel along, water so clear it's like being on an aquarium.  In some areas along the reef the water was so warm it was like snorkelling in the bath, then a big mantra ray swims by, just incredible. 

On the move to West Hollandes (Photo by Pelizeno)

Cooking with Lisa on Pelizeno (Photo by Pelizeno)

Messing about on boats, West Hollandes

Snorkelling at West Hollandes

Walk around Fantasy Island, Western Holandes Cays (Photo by Dol Selene)

Boys playing soccer at Western Holandes Cays, (Photo by Dol Selene)

Zenon gets the langoustine, Western Holandes Cays (Photo by Dol Selene)

Fresh coconut for morning tea, Fantasy Island (Photo by Dol Selene)

Rogue boat at Western Holandes Cays (Photo by Dol Selene)

On Monday morning we went for a walk around Miriadup Island, met some locals (having Lisa as translator again made this so much more intimate) and started a game of soccer, tasted some fresh coconut and bought some lobster for dinner.  Then we sailed west again to Eastern Lemon Cays, where we anchored behind a small island offering protection from the wind.  We stayed there two nights, the first night heading over to Pelizeno for BBQ lobster.  After school on Tuesday we went exploring in the dinghies.  First stop was nearby Dog Island, where there were palm trees to climb and soft sand beaches to walk on, but unfortunately no good snorkelling.  We decided to motor to the outer reef for a look and found an awesome spot to snorkel near the edge of the reef. 

Dog Island, Eastern Lemmon Cays

Meg walks the plank, Dog Island, Eastern Lemmon Cays

Climbing palm trees, Dog Island, Eastern Lemmon Cays

Giving up on snorkelling at Dog Island, Eastern Lemmon Cays

Exploration to outer reef via dinghy

Wednesday we sailed to Chichime Cays and anchored one night behind the reef, between two small islands.  The further west we go, the busier it gets, with lots of water taxis zipping in and out of these islands, and even tents and huts set up for backpackers or adventure travellers to stay.  It's still far from 5 star (or even 3 star), but not the remote palm frond huts we have seen to the east.

Uchutupu Pipigua, Chichime Cays

Anchor down at  Chichime Cays

Return from Pelizeno, Chicheme Cays

Thursday afternoon we decided to motor back to Fantasy Island to wait for our friends La Cigale, who were sailing from Martinique and due to arrive sometime Friday. We needed a few more days in this little piece of paradise.  There was much incentive to finish school so that Zenon could join us for his first ‘passage’ on RAFTKIN.  Bajka (an ARC+ family boat) has also joined our group. 

Zenon's first passage on RAFTKIN, Chicheme Cays to Western Holandes

On Friday morning the need to finish school was even greater, as we had received word from La Cigale that they were almost there.  Uncannily, as the last school task was finished, La Cigale sailed into the cays.  There was lots of squealing from Hayley and Megan, then a frantic paddle in the kayak to greet them.  To welcome La Cigale to San Blas we had planned to have BBQ langoustine once again, however the days had somehow slipped into March and so we had to turn down the lobster as there is a ban on all fishing during March and April in San Blas.  Instead it was pot luck on RAFTKIN (literally, as we were getting pretty low on provisions) and a fun night with La Cigale, Bajke and Pelizeno.

Waiting for La Cigale at Western Holandes

Saturday is my favourite day - no school.  We enjoyed catching up with our friends and having some relax time before we have to get more serious again next week in Panama.  We spent the morning at the beach with all the kids.  We hardly got out of the water all morning.  At 28 degrees you don’t get out because you are cold, but rather because you get sick of being wet.  After lunch Dave rigged the windsurfer and went for a sail with Pete from Pelizeno.  Later, I nervously put on a lifejacket, as did Lisa, and the chicks had a go too.  While there was not much breeze, it was lots of fun and we are all looking forward to more of this when we get to the Pacific.

Sunset over La Cigale, Western Holandes