How do I squeeze a sailing season into a few paragraphs? Perhaps the better question would be: why did I wait so long to update our travel journal?
The simple answer to both questions is: I don’t know.
The intention of the travel blog has always been to share our personal experiences – with anyone who is interested, but mostly with ourselves. We easily forget all the amazing places, new cultures, and extraordinary people we have met throughout our journey, so it’s helpful to sit down once in a while to recap. Now, I haven’t done that since we arrived in the Caribbean back in November 2024 after our transit through Panama Canal.
Gateway to the Caribbean
Shelter Bay Marina, Caribbean Sea
We left Fortitude X in the safe haven of Shelter Bay Marina to spend Christmas with the families in Germany. Returning mid-January, we still had two Panamanian hotspots on our travel list: Bocas del Toro Archipelago and the San Blas Islands.
Favourites to cruisers but mostly unknown to the tourism industry-at least in Europe, these two island groups are featuring different characters, with Boca’s located in the north-east of Panama, bordering Costa Rica, and the San Blas Islands edging on Colombia.
Bocas del Toro
San Blas
Our sporty overnighter led us to Bocas del Toro first. We had been warned that after dropping anchor, cruisers will be visited by locals asking for, well anything, and we weren’t disappointed.
Local family, Bocas del Toro
Sunday afternoon dinghy trip
Good thing we came prepared. We are happy to help, with the exception of handing out alcohol or money. We loaded up on rice, cans with veggies, tuna, and pop, cookies, and coloured pencils and exercise books for the kids. Reading glasses and long sleeve shirts were other welcomed items, and sometimes locals just stopped by out of curiosity or to reload their cell phones.
Most of the islands in Bocas are surrounded by mangroves, not your ideal environment for swimming or snorkeling – and then there are the exceptions like Starfish and Red Frog Beach.
Starfish Beach
San Blas
The laid-back vibe kept us in the area for a month, exploring numerous anchorages throughout the nine main islands before heading back to Shelter Bay for a quick provisioning stop.
Next destination : Paradise, also known as San Blas Islands. Their archipelago is comprised of approximately 365 islands and cays, 49 of them inhabited, scattered around an area of roughly 160 square kilometers.
But even paradise has its flaws. The islands are disappearing, primarily due to rising sea levels and climate change. This already led to the relocation of some residents, and is threatening the long-term future of the archipelago. Plastic waste also contributes to the degradation of the island, especially on overpopulated places like Carti and Gardiner Sugdup. Despite the challenges, the Guna people remain resilient by working with Government agencies to find solutions, and increasing efforts to raise awareness.
Problems in Paradise
San Blas
Happy Hour
Our Backyard
If you are looking for action, fine dining, or luxury resorts you are simply out of luck. The only entertainment you’ll get is the sound of the waves hitting the reef and the Gunas stopping by, selling crafts and fresh produce.
I am deeply humbled to have had the chance to visit this extraordinary place, San Blas has clearly left a lasting impression.
Visitor
All good things (must) come to an end. With the start of rainy season just around the corner, we were aiming for Colombia, a three-day journey to Cartagena de Indias.
We had made previous arrangements to keep Fortitude X at Club de Pesca for the summer, while flying to Germany, and visiting Canada.
Cartagena is a beautiful city, filled with music, laughter, and a rich history. With a population of almost one million people, the highlight of the second-largest city in the Caribbean region is clearly the walled Old Town. Colonial architecture, churches, monasteries, plazas and mansions form a lively labyrinth which is best explored by wandering the streets.
City Wall, Cartagena
Old Town, Cartagena
Cartagena
Colourful Old Town
Cartagena
The Marina is in walking distance to town and several supermarkets, but keeping the boat moored in these warm and relatively dirty city waters comes with a price. To avoid that our hull transforms into an underwater forest, we hired a diver to clean the bottom once a month and organized a young local man to check on Fortitude during our absence.
Before taking off for the summer, we had planned a quick excursion to the Galapagos Island, a destination high on our list of places to travel.
En route, we stopped in Quito to explore the city for a couple if days before boarding a flight via Guayaquil to San Cristobal. The island is the easternmost island of the archipelago, and one of the oldest geologically. Excursion to Isla Lobos, Playa Mann, the highlands, and a snorkeling excursion at Kicker Rock were the perfect season finale.
Fregatte Bird, Female
Fregatte Bird,Male
Galapagos Tortoise
Sally Lightfoot Crab
Blue Footed Booby
Marine Iguana
