Into the Great Wide Ocean

(RIP Tom Petty)

With Elvis safely packed up for his voyage, we boarded our sailing boat for a 5 day trip through the San Blas Islands.

After reading a few horror stories online we were pretty pleased when we met the great crew, boarded the gorgeous yacht and got to know the cool bunch of companions for our voyage.

On the first day we visited a heavily populated tiny island to get some cultural insight into the Kuna people. We were greated by all the kids hurling themselves into the water (admittedly after the candy we had thrown them), and explored the island. It's crazy that is was probably only 50 metres across yet had at least 40 houses on it, with large families living in each. The whole island can't have been more than 2 feet above sea level but these people have seen what's happening to sea levels and have already bought land on the mainland.

The next day we sailed on a bit and visited a couple more islands, this time with only one family inhabiting them. After a couple of beers and a game of volleyball we headed to Julio's, and kicked off the night with some strong coco locos (rum in a coconut) and a delicious barbecue. From there the night got progressively more crazy, with people partying hard into the small hours then passing out on whatever bit of the boat they could find. The crew said it was one of the wierdest nights they've ever had!

Needless to say the next day was a little subdued, but we did visit the most amazing sand bar perched out in the ocean. It was only 5 metres wide and 25 long, but bright white sand surrounded by the most gorgeous turquoise waters and incredible reef. That night we ended up on another island for a bonfire and party, although it was noticeably more constrained!

The following day we chilled until about 5, after which we headed out of the reef & islands into the ocean. Immediately we were hit with big rollers, and the front of the 70 foot yacht was pitching up and down several metres, occasionally dipping into the next wave. I was feeling fine until I spent 5 minutes below deck, after which I quickly resorted to the sea sickness drugs, which combined with a few earlier tinnies made me pretty drowsy. Fortunately it calmed down after a couple of hours and we managed to get a bit of kip. In the morning we woke to a clam ocean but not a speck of land in sight, and we cruised all day until we got into Cartegena in the small hours.

We've seen some incredible beaches and islands on our travels, but this place was unsurpassed in beauty and tranquility. We also lucked out with our fellow passengers & crew that made this a utterly wonderful experience that we are unlikely to top. Even Maya had made a new bestie in Coco, and despite never being on a boat before loved every minute of it.Read more