February 2016
525 USD booked directly with Ave Maria. if you book with Captain Jacks hostel in Portobelo the will give you a free night there. The advantage leaving from Portobelo is its cheap to get there, instead of Porvenir which is more expensive and where many others boats leave from.
21: Arrived in Portobelo around noon starting about 7 am from Panama city. Easy ride (given you enjoy Reggaeton blowing your ears off on bus). Take bus towards Colon from the Albrook terminal (get there early, buses fill up, leaves every hour. I recommend using Uber taxis to get around Panama city as well as Cartagena. In terminal there is no counter for Colon, listen for the hawkers yelling "Colon"), change bus midway at road intersection Sabanitas. Bus time about 2 hours in total. Met Captain at 1600 for briefing with 6 other chaps, some British, Americans and Swedes. Portobelo is ok for a day to walk around but nothing to write home about. You can stock up on beers and Rum here. Captain Jack's hostel is simple but offers fantastic food as well as interesting characters (sailors etc).
22: On boat 1900 for getting beds and go through rules etc. Leave around 20-21 towards San Blas. Rough seas throughout the night if you ask me, Captain thought it was cool. Most people got seasick. I spent most of the night on desk, getting smashed by waves with fellow american dude Paul. Many people threw up, always throw up on deck at sides of boat. I didn't get much sleep, a few managed to pass out. Seasickness pills totally recommended. Full moon so pretty cool on deck, just you and the forces of nature, despite the relative seasickness. No dinner served this day.
23: Arrived around sunrise in stunning paradise islands. Terrific banana, muesli, milk breakfast. Swimming, lazing in hammocks that Captain puts up on islands that are maybe 50-150 m width and uninhabited paradise. Colombian chef Sindry cooks up the most incredible and very filling things. That day a hearty stew of broccoli, carrots, chicken and rice. Spent the evening on deck under the full moon with beers and Rum.
24: An hour or so to other islands even more stunning than day before. Snorkeling a lot, saw Manta rays, a two meter shark, sea stars... Barbecue on beach; pork chops in Rosmarin, bbq sauce, potatoes, salad. Bond fire in evening, rum and beers, passed out in hammocks.
25: Woke up at sunrise. Moved on to new islands. Decision made NOT to go to Cartagena due to low pressure outside of the city. Instead planned to go to the border city of Capurgana. 15 h ride instead of 35. Lazy day, snorkeling, swimming to other islands, swinging in hammocks, reading. One island were inhabited but the locals there not interested in interaction with tourists. Lobsters delivers fresh to the boat, cooked in white wine and garlic, served with spagetti super delicious. We passed out around 2100 that evening.
26: Scrambled eggs and colombian fresh bread for breakfast. Left 1400 for Capurgana, quite rough seas but no seasickness this time. People accustomed to the motion now and also more seasickness pills went down. Slept fine.
27: Arrived at sunrise. Captain set us on a 15 min Lancha to town. Immigration easy, boarded a speed boat at 10.00 to Necocli (about 2 hours). Three V8 engines 225 hp makes you jump the waves and definitely get you 100 % soaked as well as your luggage. Cold and anything but a comfortable ride but life is either a daring adventure or nothing. In Necocli buses are disorganized. We found a larger minivan that left 13.00. Suppose to take 7-8 hours, took 10 h because the bus broke down and we had to wait for a new one. Arrived around 2200 in Cartagena dead tired and me with a slight cold from getting smashed by nature's forces past days and nights. Got a taxi (20 000 COP) to Old town and found a hostel. ATM's
you find in Capurgana but not in San Blas Islands.
Evaluation: Epic times. It's a backpacking trip so expect no luxury and don't whine about small stuff. Captain made sure beforehand that we might not go to Cartagena due to weather. Last day of travel quite hard but that's part of traveling south america. He gave 40 USD back for transport which might have been 10 too little. Great group and energy which is worth a lot. Not a party crew, just socializing and chilling out. Trip totally recommended as well as the Ave Maria sailboat, especially for people looking for a quieter time, no party boat. Captain Paul is an experienced, soft-spoken and laid back Australian dude. His colombian girlfriend Sindry is very sweet, an excellent cook and will always look after you. Paul got some great stories just respect the boat and the conditions on board. I didn't understand the need to arrive the 21st just for a briefing but whatever I was fine to hang out in Portobelo for a day. Guess Captain wanted to make sure everyone arrives in time for sure.
I will post a link to a public Facebook photo album here shortly in the comments.
