By Grant
It is fair to say I knew very little about Panama before I arrived here and I certainly never heard of the Pearl Islands or as they say locally Las Perlas. The world is so big and yet so small but still there are treasures to be found all over. This place is a treasure.
The last few months have been both extraordinary and challenging at the same time. As much as we have been filled with incredible experiences we also needed to prepare for the next year of life in the Pacific and generally not being near any major civilisation. So in other words we had a LOT to do. And this is the last stop. It isn’t always easy doing this in a new place. But we are getting good at it now and often find the cruisers resources to make life a little easier. Knowing people here is also a life saver. Our friends Vicky, Chris and Jaco have been phenomenal and super helpful in everything. Vicky also introduced us to a young lady Clem who helped look after the kids and take them all over to visit museums, malls, parks, nature reserves while we were in Panama City.
As for work, I focus on the boat while Delphine and Big Alex focus on provisioning. What this means is that I make sure the boat is all shipshape and maintained with all the necessary spare parts for the long journey ahead. Over the past few months we have been experiencing some equipment failure which I have “duct tapped” solutions for but need more attention. So I made few very big decisions to replace a number of very important systems on the boat and added a bunch extra new things. I won’t bore you with all the details. It wasn’t quite open heart surgery but it was significant and stressful. I have tested it all and everything is working so hopefully no major failures in the months ahead.
Delphine also made some new additions to our provisioning with her new canning plan being the major advancement in our galley life. What this means is we have a massive Asterix and Obelix type pressure canner pot/cauldron which she prepares massive amounts of food and then the food is being canned and vacuum sealed in these glass jars type things. This allows us to keep cooked food for long long periods making eating on a long passage much easier. Also we now have meat reserve way beyond our freezer capacity, and we have giant jars of canned bolognese sauce, beef stew and canned beef, pork, chicken and even sausages. I can’t speak about this with much authority as I do not qualify but rest assured it seems quite a cool idea.
We are a great team. Not everything is perfect but we trust each other and we move on.
We’ve now visited Panama City four times over the past two months and spent at least 4 full weeks in the Flamenco Marina near the old town in Panama City. The city is just my kind of place with the classic old town area filled with beautiful charming streets and plenty scatterings of decrepit areas. I think this is important. I believe a city needs areas for creativity to spore and Panama City has plenty of these. On the other side you have the new City which is filled with tall skyscrapers and glass towers. A few miles away on the Atlantic side you have the incredible San Blas Islands and on the Pacific you have the wonders of the Pearl Islands. The country is obviously built around the canal which brings in by far the largest towards their GDP but this place is far more than just the Canal. You are immediately aware of the latin energy and vibrance which I have previously spoken about in the Cartagena, Columbia and it fills your every void once you enter the city. In the past I have often used a phrase I love, coined by Iggy Pop about Miami; “Miami is a sunny place for shady people”. I have always wanted to go to Miami for this reason but I now feel that I have found a better place. It is fair to say, “I love Panama!”
But sadly as much as I wanted to explore the depths of the streets and the culture whilst in the city I was not able to do nearly as much as I wanted. The simple reason is that when you are sailing for months on end not being in civilisation, a pile of jobs build up that need your attention so most my time was filled with these mundane chores fixing the boat in the marina.
However, we did manage to explore the nightlife few times and frankly in those few times we became locals. I know it sounds weird but we somehow did. The restaurants, bars, club owners and doorman knew us by sight and we were welcomed everywhere and we partied until sunrise on a few fun occasions. Some other highlights are our friends Chris and Vicky’s Heritage Hotel La Compania, go karting, watching Top Gun and the cinema and biking along the promenade with the kids. In one go karting race, Arabella beat all the kids and came first! She was flying! I have never seen Arabella with such excitement and adrenaline in her eyes and she said ‘I wanted to win!’. I was so shocked and proud.
After a few weeks in Panama City we sailed to the Pearl Islands for a little over a week. Once again with very little expectation. Apparently most cruisers don’t spend much time here because they are in a rush to get to the Galapagos. What a mistake. I know it sounds like I am always saying the next place I am in is the best but in this case it is. I even started looking a property for sale. The Pearl Islands are a collection of more than 10 islands about 30nm South West of Panama. The water is warm like the Caribbean, the beaches are white, the land is GREEN with beautiful vegetation. There are coconuts and mangoes everywhere and most importantly the ocean is FULL of life. Nothing like I have seen anywhere. It is truly incredible. We caught more fish than we could ever eat and started only keeping the ones we really wanted to eat whilst releasing the others. Azania and her best friend Lee caught their first fish. Little Alex caught her first fish (she has never liked the idea of killing fish but loves to eat them – go figure). Whales and dolphins everywhere. Like everywhere. I don’t think there was any moment where we couldn’t see a whale blowing somewhere nearby. It was like a massive nature reserve where they had stuffed too many whales into one place. Mostly Humpbacks and Sperm Whales but we had some of the most incredible and frightening experiences. Seeing them alongside SV Arabella gives you a clear idea of their massive size. It seams we timed our arrival at the same time the whales were calving and listening to them underwater was like nothing I have ever heard, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. A combination of the Harry Potter Dementors and the Philharmonic orchestra. We all learnt loads about these beautiful creatures. And then there were the Whales Sharks. A once in a lifetime experience where we stumbled across 3 majestic whales sharks in the open sea when we slowed down to catch a fish. The next couple of hours was both Arabella and Dragonfly crews swimming together with these massive sharks. They seemed ambivalent towards us joining them and we loved it more and more. We were so close we could touch them and even hold onto their dorsal fin whilst we swam with them. The shear size on them just makes you shiver. Truly majestic species that are so beautiful and tranquil.
It is fair to say that the Pearl Islands are a hidden secret with so few people here. We couldn’t figure out why. Our anchorages where beautiful and our time was perfect. Most people fly to the Caribbean for holidays or cruising and honestly we think the Pearl Islands are far superior. I will miss these Islands terribly and vow to return and maybe do a little more than just cruise. Who knows maybe even build something here.
Our journey is always going through twists and turns. The constant these days is Dragonfly being on our side. We have grown very close to them as a family and it is fair to say there is a very good rubbing off effect on kids and adults alike. Arabella and Tama (Pollards oldest kid) have shown ever increasing levels of maturity and we can truly rely on them in pressure situations. Luca, Naomi and Alex bring the energy and fun. Never a dull moment for sure and the love affair of Lee and Azania (both 4) continues to flourish.
I don’t think anyone expected to spend over 2 months in and around Panama but I really don’t feel like we could have done it any other way.
“Life is what happens when you are too busy making other plans” – John Lennon
This is our lives cruising.
Now we leave for the Galapagos and then the French Polynesia. It is a long long way away with lots of ocean to cover. A little nervous but starting to feel more and more comfortable on the boat so bring it on.
Bon Voyage.