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| The water here is a little different color, and the wind and waves come from the wrong direction for someone used to the Pacific. The locals are black and
hispanic and the sky fills daily with big, puffy clouds. Leaving Colon, on the Caribbean side of the canal, we fought 6 to 8 foot seas and 20 knots of wind on the nose. You have to learn to deal with a lot of wind when you are cruising. Lucky for us, there were places to stop on the way to the San Blas Islands. Portobello sits in a deep, calm, beautiful bay on Panama's Caribbean coast. The Spanish built a fort here in the 17th century, and its remains are scattered all over the hills surrounding the bay. Huge cannons still protect the forts from the ghosts of pirates and enemies. There is a small town here where you can buy supplies. Portobello is now being preserved as an historical attraction by the Spanish government. So there is a lot of rebuilding, face-lifting and preservation going on. This whole area is populated by West Indies immigrants and indigenous people. An American couple bought a house there and welcomes cruisers. They provide information and a dinghy dock. Isla Grande, only a few miles from Portobello, was supposed to have surf, but it was not very good when we were there. A couple of kids paddled out and tried to have fun. It was rough from the wind. Isla Grande is a tourist spot as you can see from the pictures below. We hit it on the off-season. There are usually several cruisers hanging out here because it is on the way to the San Blas islands. San Blas is an archepelago of hundreds of small islands populated by Kuna indians. The real thing. Live in grass shacks. Dive, fish, tade and sell molas for a living. No phones, stores, cars. Just basic. We bought some molas and traded coffee for fish. In a very beautiful setting we found our first waves to surf in a long time. Crystal clear blue water, 85 degrees, three to four feet and nobody out. The prevailing wind blows offshore and the tide range is only 2 feet, so you can surf anytime during the day. The wind also keeps the temperature moderate and mosquitos were not a problem. After several days, we sailed further down to the East Holandes Cays, otherwise known as the swimming pool. We snorkled in water with 100 foot visability. Lots of coral and tropical fish. |
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