Caribbean Anchorages - Panama

Isla Linton on left, mainland on right

Dave's Notes and pictures of aborted trip from Panama to the ABC's January 25 - 30, 2003 :
THE FAILED ATTEMPT!!   Jan 25, 2003

After our fun Canal Transit, we anchored off the "flats" near the Panama Canal YC  and tuned into our friendly weatherfax station NMG New Orleans and saw what was being predicted to be two close frontal systems going east across the Gulf of Mexico and the northern Caribbean.  These systems tend to slow down the trade winds and looked to provide us with a window to get east at a time when that idea is impossible.  So, in the morning we went sailing east along the north coast of Panama toward Columbia.  The winds were 20-25 knots from the northeast and we sailed with our small genoa and a reef.  All looks well.  Well! HELL!  The next day it was a little windier and the seas quite a bit rougher.  If it wasn't unnerving enough, we had no detailed charts of the area and there are shoals that go out 25 miles off the coast of Columbia of just 12 feet!  Luckily we sailed over the trickiest parts in the daylight and in the evening crossed out into the deeper, rougher water which is now brown from the Magdelena River and the counter current.  That evening we decided to motor sail with just the reefed main.  That night the winds came up to 35 knots and the waves decided to become square!  We had over 11 foot seas that were just 1½ boat lengths apart!  We spent this very rough night tying things down in the boat and stuffing and taping rags around everywhere there were leaks and absolutely everything leaked!  This was a long way from fun but we pressed on through the night, watching the lights from the shore, checking the GPS every half hour and quenging for every wave that came over the deck and pounded onto the dodger.  It was very loud and very rough! At dawn we decided to bear off and head back, the two of us were drowning with all the water leaking into the boat.  We sailed toward Cartagena, Columbia and even saw the spires that marked the harbor entrance.  Sailing in that direction brought us under the lee of the northern headlands and things became quite peaceful.  We decided to silicone all the hatches closed and also everything else we could think of-which included everything!  Having done that and taking a little break we decided to give it another try.   Well,  it didn't take long until we were back out in the shit fight and were there fighting like mad, determined to make it.  This night things were even worse, although the boat leaked less, but what a rough night! At just shortly after dawn the wind and seas became even worse and checking our progress we found that in the last 13 hours we had actually progressed backwards 7 miles.   As if one wave was angrier than the next, we took a large one and nearly lost the dodger.  Also, we found that five of the mainsail slides had come away from the mast, 3 were broken, and two had their lashings broken.  I decided to give up and bear off back to Panama.  However, sailing downwind in conditions like this isn't easy either. 

Strapped into my harness, I dropped the main and tied it down the best I could and we unfurled the small jib.  You know its windy when a 6 ounce headsail is flapping its foot like a half ounce in 25 knots!  Anyway, the auto pilot and I took turns steering,  the boat steers all right, its just that we were steadily over 10 knots and often doing over 11 for long spells on the GPS!  Luckily, at that pace we left the scene quickly enough that by evening the auto pilot could steer in the lightening breeze.  We sailed like that back to Isla  Grande and arrived in the early morning.  The wind never lightened below 25 knots but the seas laid down to about 9 feet. Just one month before, a woman lost her husband overboard in the same waters.  At Isla Grande, we were told by cruisers there of four boats sailing downwind from Aruba sailed down that coast of which two were lost and one sank but was recovered.  Ten years before, I wasn't able to make this passage on the first try either.



         
Gooping up the windows &  hatches -              Big waves, we are going downwind on the way back
they all leaked                                                        

  
On the way back to Panama                                                       Sleeping quarters at sea!  Note the paper towels in windows!


Isla Grande/Isla Linton

We arrived at this very protected anchorage on January 30.  The approach was made somewhat nerve-wracking because not only were there reefs to deal with, but we also had an electrical fire in the engine room!!  Luckily not too serious, and quickly dealt with although it gave poor Dave yet another big project; to build a new loom. 

We anchored between Isla Linton and the mainland, near a very small village called Puerto Lindo.  It is a well marked anchorage in the cruising guide, rightly so because it is very protected from both the prevailing wind and waves.  Since we spent 5½ weeks there in total, I will include below some photos and hope you can get an idea from them of what a pretty place it is;  there is not much to add to the photos.  The nearest supermarket was 1½ hours away by local bus, and several times we went all the way to Panama City.  Usually we were fortunate enough to get rides from other cruising couples who had cars there.


   
Isla Grande                                                                              Puerto Lindo

Isla Linton


Our very first day at the anchorage we had great fun watching the antics of spider monkeys on the beach of Isla Linton, a privately owned uninhabited (except for monkeys and wildlife) island.  It is an extraordinary site watching these quite large black monkeys walking upright on hind legs with their tails standing up above their heads!  I'm afraid they were too far away to get photos. 

The swimming and snorkeling over the nearby reefs was amazing - almost every day we would take the dinghy, anchor it and go snorkeling.   We often saw lobsters, barracuda and occasionally octopus and crabs, apart from reef fish.  Pino came to stay for nearly a week and brought his spear gun, but he was shocked to find there were no grouper, snapper or any other good-to-eat fish in any of the places he used to find them in abundance.  Sadly it seems the habits of fishermen in the eastern Caribbean have come also to Panama. 

We left this anchorage on March 11th for the San Blas, with the intention of spending a couple of weeks cruising through the many islands.  We spent one night on the way, at Nombre de Dios, a small fishing village on the coast, anchored in shallow, muddy water, as it was a river mouth.  Early the next morning we left for Chichime Cays, San Blas, in good time to arrive in high sun.