From Island to Island
Author: Shirlz
After a few days anchored off the bustling little village of Nargana I decided to have a look at Green Island, about 5 miles away. It had been recommended to me as a good place to stop, the only reservation being that a few months ago a woman had been attacked by a crocodile while swimming there. I had passed nearby when I sailed from the Holandes Cays to Rio Diablo and noticed two or three boats anchored.
I set off from Nargana in a gentle SW breeze and was just able to lay the course ambling along at 1 to 2 knots. I didn’t have far to go and it was a pleasant sunny day. Some big dolphins came over to inspect us but soon got bored and sped off again. As I got nearer to Green Island I saw that there were no other boats there. I was to have the beautiful anchorage all to myself (and possibly a crocodile). The light was good and it was an easy sail through the gap in the reef. I dropped the anchor in 8m fairly close to the island still thrilled by the fact that I could arrive in a wonderful anchorage like this and not find it crowded with moorings and other boats. Absolute bliss. I determinedly turned a blind eye to the intrusive, ever-present plastic garbage that collects on the shores of these tiny islands and focussed instead on the constellation of bright orange and red starfish that decorated the white sandy bottom.
I inflated the kayak and made a circumnavigation of the island. The water along the NW shore was only just deep enough to keep us afloat. Large areas are covered with turtle grass gently waving with the movement of the water but I have yet to spot any turtles. Of course, I was also keeping a sharp lookout for that resident croc, not sure if I wanted to see it or not. How did a croc feel about an inflatable kayak in 6 inches of water?
The next few days were rainy with frequent strong thunderstorms and I was able to fill all the water-tanks and extra bottles. I was joined by Joana , a beautiful 72ft gaff rigged yawl taking some time off between charters.
Soon it was time to get moving again and I headed off to anchor in the lee of Saludupored at the Eastern end of the Naguargandup Cays, all of 3 miles away. This time I chose to use the engine as all the cloudy days had left the battery in a rather depressed state and there was virtually no wind. It was a slightly winding passage through the surrounding reefs but the waypoints supplied by Eric Bauhaus in his Panama Cruising Guide helped us safely in.
I found myself in the most picturesque setting yet. Clear water, comfortable swinging room for anchoring between the reefs and shoals, and a string of picture-postcard islets. Palm trees and small white beaches. Today the sky was blue, things were getting better and better. I kayaked over to the nearest island, exploring the reefs along the way, and was entranced to see a big spotted ray flapping gently along close by. I found a perfect place to tether the kayak to an overhanging small coconut tree and lay down, floating comfortably in the shade while I gazed at a few bees buzzing about the small flowers of the coconut palm. Vague memories passed through my mind of another life when my natural habitat had been behind a computer screen in a grey office.
Back on Speedwell for afternoon tea I realized that I was down to my last can of beer. Definitely time to restock. I had to wait out a few rainy, stormy days and used up some overripe bananas making cake and a rather good chutney. While the weather was still sunny I had also experimented with finely slicing and drying some bananas in the sun. This worked surprisingly well producing a sweet, chewy snack after two or three days.
As soon as the weather settled again I moved back to Nargana and was pleased to find a tienda with a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables and eggs. Unfortunately no beer. There was a crowd of schoolkids near the jetty as a big sports gathering was in progress. My arrival in a rowing dinghy was an interesting event for them. Not too many rowing boats around here. I politely declined their offers to help me when I reached the dock and they all clapped when I got myself ashore unassisted! So much for my preference of keeping a low profile.
Next day was flat calm again and I motored over to nearby Rio Azucar where there is another small Kuna village which might have a beer shop. It turned out to be a very pleasant place with helpful people. They had cold beers and I also bought some freshly baked rolls. Still no butter. In the afternoon I paddled the kayak a short way up the Rio Azucar past magnificent mangrove trees, but turned back fairly soon as the wind started to pick up and it was a hard bouncy paddle back against the breeze. I decided to stay another day and as there was fairly good internet access, a chance to update the blog.
There is a fairly steady stream of small boats and ulus coming in to the island and using the convenient dock where there is water on tap. I watched as a launch carefully poled itself over the shallow reef, were they taking a well-known shortcut or had they misjudged things? As the sun was setting an ulu came in with a rather raggedy sail. Paddle power was also being used. This morning there was a big old tug boat that steamed in and parked close up against the shore. I was glad that I had decided to stay another day as the weather was squally with darkly threatening clouds.
August 26th, 2017 at 04:38
I’ve finally discovered how to work the RSS ‘feed’ and get your blogs as soon as you publish. Magic. You sound to be having a wonderful time, ‘off season’. How fantastic to have those beautiful anchorages to yourself. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you decide to go through the Canal!
August 26th, 2017 at 13:50
Hi Shirlz
I needed a pick-me-up and remembered I hadn’t seen the
Last 3 months …
and it worked a treat….
Good luck with the canal…
You are a tonic…
You old “crone” you 🙂