Eastern Holandes Cays, San Blas Islands, Panama

Leaving Whichub Huala, we headed East for about 20 miles to the Holandes Cays. There was absolutely no wind! Just our luck, and to make matters a little more difficult, it was probably the hottest it's been so far. 90 degrees in the shade, and we were all feeling it. We could see the mountains of Panama along the coastline and many shallow reefs along the route. After motoring for 15 miles or so, late Tuesday afternoon, we arrived at what's known as the "swimming pool anchorage" between the islands of Morodup (BBQ island) and Banedup. This anchorage has been reported as the clearest waters in all of San Blas with the best snorkeling, fishing, and reefs.

A local Kuna family came by in 2 Cayucos, paddling up to the boat to hang out and talk. The "mujer" or the lady Kuna, dressed in the traditional way, asked for coffee, salt & cigarettes. We gave it all to them with a couple of Pepsi's and very quickly, we had made some Kuna friends. There was a young man of 21, his wife 16, and their 2 year old, then the grandmother or abuela, who was 63 and two boys who were 10 & 11. They were all smiling and laughing and bailing their Cayucos, which were constantly taking on water. We were enjoying the opportunity to speak Spanish - the Kuna father was enjoying the opportunity to learn some English - and we were all enjoying the interaction of cultures, each of us fascinated by the other. Ahhhhh Paradise!

Morodup Island was very close to us - close enough that we could swim there from the boat. The island was uninhabited and one of the prettiest that we had ever seen, truly a paradise! The green grass seemed like that of a golf course with no under brush at all and towering coconut palms shaded the whole island nicely. The island looked like it had been manicured by the natives with the coconuts that had fallen gathered into piles and sand swept by palm fronds - they had really taken care of the island and there was not much trash at all here. The white sand beaches were reminiscent of the Bahamas with their pink coral flecks throughout the white sand. We explored the island from one side to the other, finding some small treasures - some beautiful shells, some unique Kuna artifacts and a partially broken, but beautifully carved Kuna paddle. That evening, we had a great dinner of chuletas (pork chops), did some filming with Walter, had a few drinks and headed off to bed so we could explore the next day.

The following day we snorkeled, swam and broke the dinghy again! Walter, Mike, Kate & Stuart went out for a swim while Capt Mark took care of business on Stray Cat. The dinghy motor died as we were headed out to the reef and it would not start again! We decided the best thing to do would be to go ahead and anchor the dink anyway, go for a swim to see what we could, and maybe by the time we had finished swimming, the motor would feel better. Fortuitously, there were reefs and coral heads all around, so we snorkeled for a while, tried and failed to start the motor again, and then swam the dinghy back to Stray Cat. It was another case of water in the gas. The guys all worked together to filter the bad gas and after Capt Mark took apart the carb, yet again - the problem was solved.

Later, Capt Mark dropped Mike Kate & Stuart off at Morodup, and he and Walter headed out in the dink for some shots of a wrecked sailboat up on the reef. As they were zooming over to the boat, the family from the day before flagged them down. The families were in their Cayucos and were asking for a tow back home. Capt Mark said sure, and invited the Kunas to climb into the dinghy - he towed the Cayucos behind and even let the young gentleman drive the dinghy, which more than made his day. They got a tour of the island where the family lived with about 3 huts on it. It was very primitive and Capt Mark and Walter enjoyed being let into the huts and experience the Kuna way of life.

Mike & Kate had spent the afternoon relaxing in their hammocks on Morodup. The island was a tropical paradise and swinging in a hammock between swaying palm trees is a great way to enjoy the day. Only the lingering threat of "death by coconut" had them packing up and heading back to Stray Cat.

In the afternoon, everyone grabbed snorkeling gear and headed over to "the wall". The entrance to the "Swimming Pool" anchorage has a narrow channel to traverse to get inside. The narrow channel consists of a wall of coral on either side, making a perfect place to snorkel and explore all of the little nooks and crannies. That is where we all spent some time snorkeling and had a great time! Some of the coral had died because of the shallowness and one could see that the occasional heavy storm had broken up the coral, especially the fan coral. But, there were plenty of fish and it looked like the perfect place to find lobster, but we did not see any. That night we filmed a bit more with Walter, had a great dinner & drinks and hit the sack. We did experience a few light showers overnight, but we have not had any bug or mosquito problems as of yet.

The next day we headed for the Coco Banderos Cays.