Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Go Sailing San Blas Where There Is One Island For Every Day Of The Year

By Allyson Burke


The San Blas islands are a beautiful group of 365 islets lying off the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea. They are perfect destination for a sailing holiday. If a cerulean sea, safe and comfortable anchorages, multicolored coral reefs, swaying palm trees, pristine beaches with powder-fine sand, balmy weather, and friendly locals with an interesting history hold any attraction, then sailing San Blas will be richly satisfying.

Only about forty isles have a significant population. Some are populated by one or a few families who take care of the coconut palms. Most islands are totally uninhabited leaving ample scope for adventurous sailors to play Robinson Crusoe.

The San Blas is home for the Kuna, a distinctive cultural group of people with its own language. Their ancestry dates to before the arrival of the early Spanish explorers during the 1500s. The Kuna have proudly retained their traditions despite regrettable mistreatment and discrimination by the Spanish conquistadors and some modern Panamanian governments. The Kuna are commercially shrewd and have a culture that values selling goods through their own businesses and venues.

Wave to fishermen as they pass by in their distinctive wooden ulu canoes, crafted by hand using methods handed down through the centuries by their ancestors. Buy some of their catch and use the opportunity to barter and strike up a friendship.

Return to your yacht to prepare a long, lazy lunch of fresh lobster, king crab or perhaps one or two pelagic fish. Relax with a magazine or an afternoon nap. Weigh anchor and push off to a new anchorage in good time so that you can enjoy your favorite cocktail. As the sun sets, it burns its last rays of orange hue into a boundless sky soon bejeweled with a million stars. The night is yours, and you will pinch yourself to make sure the experience is real are not a dream.

The San Blas is home for the Kuna, a proud people with an ancestry that dates back over 500 years. They Kuna have fiercely retained their culture despite domination by early Spanish conquistadors and, in modern times, by several Panamanian governments. Having suffered regrettable exploitation through most of their history, the Kuna protect their islands guardedly. They are commercially savvy and have a longstanding preference for trading goods through family owned establishments.

One of the key attractions of the island group is its people, the Kuna. This distinct ethnic group is fiercely proud. Its ancestry traces back through time for more than 500 years. The Kuna have retained their culture despite repression by early Spanish colonialists and, more recently, by several unsympathetic Panamanian governments.

There is enough to see and do in the islands to fill a two-week itinerary, even longer. Swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities are world class, including amazing coral reefs that are rich in color and vibrant with sea life. Popular islets include Cayo Limon, Cayo Holandeses and the intriguly named Dog Island. Seasoned sailors that have gone sailing San Blas leave vow to return again. Be careful however, the name can be confusing. Be sure not get it mixed up with regions carrying the same name near Cuzco in Peru, Buenos Aires in Argentina or the Riviera Nayarit on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.




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