Although we planned to leave Isla Grande around 7am we actually left a little after 8am to allow Sam and Annie a little extra time to sleep. The wind was under 5 knots so there was no point raising any sails. We motored all the way to the San Blas. We had trolling lines out almost straight away with the hope of catching something along the way. The legs too and from the San Blas would be the longest and hence best chance of catching anything. We made a point of sailing over La Provendencia Shoal (9°3922’N 079°26.84’W) and while most of us were looking back we saw a barracuda strike one of lures. We hauled it in successfully and found it to be a 4lb fish, not too large to eat. I prepared the fish, this time down to two single filets. Then came the task of clearing the stern of all the mess. Barracuda taste nice but they stink and are quite scaly, all of which has to be cleaned while on the move.
On two occasions we saw a couple of dolphin near the boat. They didn’t hang around but at least we had the pleasure of seeing them. We’re pleased for Annie and Sam as there’s no guarantee of anything and getting even a short sighting is better than none.
We had a few patches of rain along the way. Sam and Annie didn’t seem to mind, sitting through it out front and drying off once it had passed. I also had a closer examination of my new speargun along the way. In doing so I managed to stab my hand on the tip. Not too deep but enough to make it quite sore.
We finally arrived in Chichime, a popular San Blas stop. There were a number of boats here including, we noticed, Sympitaca. We anchored in what we thought was plenty of space but were wary of the other boats due to their being little wind and the possibility they could be sitting over their anchors. It didn’t take long before another squall came through and blew the anchor lines straight. We almost collided with a nearby boat but managed to get moving and reanchor without a problem. Now at least we know we can swing.
Chichime comprises three islands, one not much larger than the few palm trees standing on it. They are inhabited by Kuna who soon came out (naked kids, dogs and all) in their hand carved canoes to see if we were interested in molas and lobsters. We were interested but in no rush for either and think we managed to let them know this.
Louis from Sympatica soon passed by and invited us to beach volleyball. 15 minutes later we were in the dinghy heading ashore to play 3 rounds of volleyball in the Kuna camp. A couple of the locals joined in too, one on each team. The match was close and a lot of fun. Feeling my age I mananged to twang a shoulder and a hip along the way (and am feeling quite stiff this morning). Neither Helen nor I had played volleyball for over 30 years so this was a real relearning curve for us.
Sam and Annie stayed a little long while John, Helen and I went back to the boat to start dinner. Being covered with sand we had a dip in the sea to clean off before going aboard. Helen prepped the fish and I manned the grill. Later, Sam and Annie swam back to the boat.
The barracuda went down well and most was eaten. The kids helped clear up afterwards and soon we settled down to watch a movie. The movie was interesting but not that engaging and it ended up being one of those we couldn’t wait for to end so we could go to sleep. Without waking everyone to check I’m pretty sure everyone slept (and is sleeping) well.
We’re going to stay here another day. I can read up on the nearby spots from my guide book that came with Annie and Sam. We also have some tips from Louis and from Gerald on Whiskers which will be included in our itinerary. But today will be one for everyone to catch up on needed rest and probably to go snorkeling. I’m itching to try out my speargun even if it’s to blast apart some poor sergeant major.
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