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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Panama: San Blas (Cayos Holandeses)

Some of the pretty islands of the Cayos Holandeses
Some of the pretty islands of the Cayos Holandeses

El Porvenir might be the capital of the San Blas archipelago, but it's not exactly the most beautiful place in the world; the island is home to an airstrip, a museum, an immigration office and a handful of buildings, and just next door is another island that is so crammed full of houses that they practically spill off the edges and into the ocean. It certainly isn't one of the idyllic islands that the San Blas is famous for, so although we'd gone to sleep in the ocean swell and had woken up anchored in the San Blas archipelago, as Jan had promised we would, we weren't in paradise quite yet.

Holly watching for reefs as we entered Swimming Pool anchorage
Holly watching for reefs as we entered Swimming Pool anchorage
The Black Dragonfly at anchor in the Cayos Holandeses
The Black Dragonfly at anchor in the Cayos Holandeses
One of the palm-fringed islands of the Cayos Holandeses
One of the palm-fringed islands of the Cayos Holandeses

Night Lights

Our anchorage from one of the beaches in the Cayos Holandeses
Our anchorage from one of the beaches in the Cayos Holandeses

That night, as we sat on deck after a hearty dinner of beef fajitas, enjoying a gin and tonic in the perfect isolation of our own private anchorage, the ocean put on a show that was completely unexpected. I first came across marine phosphorescence when I sailed the Pacific; sometimes, at night, the yacht's wake would leave an eerie blue glow in the water, and you could generate a glow yourself by stirring up the water, perhaps by throwing a line into the sea, or by answering the call of nature over the side of the boat. It helped to pass the long hours on night watch, looking for phosphorescence, which is caused by blooms of billions of bioluminescent phytoplankton which produce light when they're disturbed (which scientists think is a defence mechanism, as nobody wants to eat anything that glows).

A view of the The Black Dragonfly from the kayak
A view of the The Black Dragonfly from the kayak

Exploring the Holandeses

Kayaking in the Cayos Holandeses
Kayaking in the Cayos Holandeses

The next day we decided to explore our new neighbourhood, so Peta and I took the yellow plastic kayak that was strapped to the front deck of the yacht, and paddled round our northernmost neighbour. By this time the wind was picking up a bit and the skies were starting to darken, so the first trip against the wind and round the first corner was fairly choppy and involved a few light rain showers, but even in the rain there's still something perfect about kayaking round a desert island, while the beautiful curves of a 50ft ketch home in and out of view, with palm trees and pristine beaches as their backdrop. We pulled up onto the end of the island and had a quick poke around our very own island paradise, before heading back to The Black Dragonfly to grab our snorkelling gear.

Another pretty beach in the Cayos Holandeses
Another pretty beach in the Cayos Holandeses
Peta and a palm tree
Peta and a palm tree
Everywhere you look there are palm trees and islands
Everywhere you look there are palm trees and islands