Panama, San Blas Islands, Holandes Cays, Eastern Holandes – Feeling a little ‘San Blase’

[Sorry guys put we ran out of internet out here in the outer cays of the San Blas Islands. Until we get some more credit you will have to put up with just text messages via the miracle of Single Side Band radio]

IMAGE PICTURE OF BEAUTIFUL PALM FRINGED DESERTED ISLAND HERE

We are anchored up in the Western end of the Holandes Cays. Just another anchorage off another beautiful deserted island. You may think we are over exaggerating but the islands and the waters of this area are PICTURE POSTCARD PERFECT. So much so you can easily get blasabout it. We have nick named the feeling ‘San Blas.
We had saved the ‘jewel’ of the San Blas Islands for the last section of Steve’s holidays. The group of cays, known as the Holandes Cays, is the furthest from the mainland giving it the cleanest water and the best snorkeling. We arrived just in time to enjoy an Easter Sunday potluck on one of the local islands.
Boating brings people together with a common interest ‘boats’. Cruisers come from a large diversity of countries and social/economic backgrounds that would normally divide them. But put us together and we can always find something to talk about now.boats and boating. Not so easy for poor Steve. I could see his ‘eyes glaze over’ as an Australian catamaran owner boasted about the ‘apparent angle to wind’ he can achieve. At least the food at the buffet was good.
The other thing these ‘get togethers’ of cruisers remind us is the age range of cruisers has really changed. Especially here in the Western Caribbean. For a lot of North Americans this is a cheap and easy cruising ground for the winter months. Easy day hops from island to island and economical yards to store their trusted ‘sea faring caravan’. This area has become the winter playground of a large number of retirees. No hurricanes, consistent trade winds, clear/clean water to snorkel and swim and short sailing distances. Who can blame them for dominating the area. With the new road in from Panama City I predict this area will be the next ‘Bahamas’. Another marina/storage yard has opened up a ‘day hop’ west of the area, bringing the choice up to 3 marinas you can leave your boat for the summer or stock up on supplies from the City. *It will not be long until you struggle to find an anchorage all to yourself.
As ‘popular with cruisers’ as the Holande Cays are we have came out here to get away from the Kuna populated islands along the coastline. We have found their fishing techniques have cleaned many reefs of the majority of fish and all the conch. With the recent acquisition of outboard motors, this has extended as far as the Coco Bandera Cays as well. On these Cays we were fortunate enough to see turtles, nurse sharks and have dolphins playing around the boat, but the reefs felt distinctly empty of any game fish. We watched as groups of fisherman came and worked together to net as many fish as they could off the very reefs we had come to snorkel and explore. It is the Kuna Indian’s home and one of their few sources of trade income and food, so it is difficult as ‘outsiders’ to pass judgment.
Developing a form of income from tourism has been difficult for the locals. Up until recently there was nothing for them to buy with the tourist dollar anyway. Each of the individual islands was controlled separately by chefs and there was little or no group organization. With the new road into the Carti area from Panama City all that has changed. Many islands have ‘given up’ traditional Kuna practices and Western values have moved in. The low cost of mobile phones and the availability of internet has linked the world to possibilities at your finger tips. But even so, getting organized and finding a way to ‘tax the tourist dollar’ and distribute the wealth has been difficult.
There has been the implementation of a monthly fee for tourists visiting the Kuna territory. $20/person/month. Steve was charged when you entered the boarders of the territory by car. We were charged when we first signed into the country. But with the majority of visitors to the islands coming by sea, it is difficult for them to collect this fee. Especially from cruisers who often believe that anchoring should be FREE. Many visitors do not check into the country of Panama when visiting these islands to avoid the fees. When Kuna officials do occasionally come out by boat to the outer cays to collect fees, like minded cruisers announce their locations, so other boats who can avoid them.
Some cruisers refuse to pay the fees because they do not see where the money is going. Cruisers see rubbish in the water, the loss of Kuna traditional ways and no benefit to themselves. I have no idea how the funds are allocated, but I see piles of rubbish and lobster heads (out of season) stacked at the back of islands left by cruisers. So I think there is some people being hypocritical. I have heard some of the money has been used to fulfill local requests for outboard engines. As water is the main form of transportation here I can see their desire for these. Opportunities to earn income transporting people, goods, and drinking water abound in the area. The ‘veggy’ boats, that the cruisers here in the Holandes so rely on, are just one example.
So maybe everything is not perfect in paradise, or maybe, things are so perfect we have to look for the imperfections?
Whichever it is we have to enjoy these beautiful islands while we can and not get ‘San Blas.

VISITORS VIEW

You can see how the area may well be starting a significant change. That may not be for the better for the environment or how we view it but is it for us to ask the local Kuna to struggle on with a traditional way of life that we simply would not endure?

The ‘firsts’ still continue for me. Old hat for you folks who have done the whole swimming with dolphins thing but to have dolphins circling around the boat picking off fish while I sat and enjoyed breakfast was another magical memory. Fantastic to observe at close hand the effortless, serene movements of these creatures – we are clearly in their environment.

The terminology still continues to occasionally vex me – a cruiser get together still means something else in my mind! The conversation is dominated by two differing types; those who enjoy the places the boat gets them to and those who seem to enjoy the sailing more than the places the boat lands them in. The conversations of the former are a whole lot more accessible than the latter.

‘Altering your draught with dagger boards’? A change of beer brought to you by a waiter with a certain style of tray? No – changing the depth of your boat to increase its speed with supplementary equipment apparently.