The edge of the Pacific Ocean

After a busy 4 days at the Balboa yacht club in Panama City, getting ready for some cruising, Nick, Graeme and I set of for Isla Chepillo and found the wave that had been spoken of. Nick surfed constantly on the lovely point break.

Then to the Las Perlas islands, where we kept an eye out for large southerly swells firstly in choosing a safe and flat anchorage and secondly to take any opportunity arising for more surf. Fish, such as mackerel, trevally and snapper, kept biting at our lures as we paid careful attention to our chartlets as there are many isolated rocks. The white sandy beaches were untrodden and hemmed in by thick green jungle foliage. The afternoons were characterised by heavy cold downpours which we collected in buckets for rinsing on deck after snorkelling or swimming. A hammock we purchased in Panama was strung between the radar arch and the cockpit arch; time share arrangements were negotiated. We met a friendly local fisherman, Martin, who showed us a surf beach accessed through the village of Esmeralda on Isla Del Rey, and who arranged for us to see some pearls, for which the islands are named. The pearls were tiny, very pretty but expensive at US$60 + for a 4mm irregular round. Nick taught a swarm of skinny ninos to belly surf..