The Sailing Adventures of Lea Scotia

Sitting here in the San Blas Islands we’re having a hard time visualizing Christmas season back home. Just think, Trevor said, about the Argosy Christmas cruises going on right now in Seattle. Here we have 85 degrees, 15 knots of steady breeze, palm trees swaying, sting rays the size of small cars flying under the boat, and the water so clear they call this anchorage The Swimming Pool. Not feeling very Christmasy here. So we popped in a Christmas CD and started to teach Kiera all the old standbys. Oh, and one of the boats put up Christmas lights last night. That helped a bit too.

Seriously, the sting rays are HUGE. At least a 5 foot wingspan, probably more. We’ve yet to see one, but there are also sharks in this anchorage. Both boats on either side of us have seen them go by. Guess we’re not looking at the right time. A couple nurse sharks like to hang out in one part of the bay and we know there are reef sharks out there, too. The snorkeling is awesome in this particular bay with lots of interesting walls in addition to massive coral heads all throughout the bay. As long as you’re not actively spearfishing the sharks leave you alone. Whew.

This water is so clear that standing on the bow I was able to check out the anchor 20 feet down and the tracks the anchor chain had made in the sand. From the top of the rig, Trevor was able to watch a large stingray glide by. Many other seasoned cruisers have told us that their favorite place in the entire Caribbean is where we sit now. We’re doing our best to enjoy our short two weeks here.

Get this – I actually did yoga on one of these little tropical islands a couple days ago. This particular anchorage has quite a few boats in it (it’s not called the swimming pool for nothing) and one of the regulars teaches yoga a couple times a week. Talk about a treat! As I’m laying on my towel I look up into the palm trees blowing in the breeze, listen to the surf crashing in the distance, and try and soak up every little detail. I felt like I was on one of those workout specials done in Hawaii on the beach. It was amazing!

A few days ago, anchored amongst a maze of reefs, we noticed a couple homesteads located on a small island neearby. When I say homestead, I really mean a couple 10 x 10 grass hut with hammocks inside for beds. Invited ashore the next morning, we were able to see up close how this particular Kuna family lives. The Kuna are the indigenous people that still hold very strict traditions here in the San Blas. Kiera was able to play with their two girls in the surf as we were woo’ed with their crafts. Picking up a couple molas, hand sewn embroidery, was a must.

We have to keep moving in order to arrive in Cartagena in a week. Cartagena, we’ve heard, does Christmas right. So even though the weather is warm and the skies sunny, I think we’ll find our Christmas spirit after all.

We’ll have lots of great photos to post once we’re back in the land of internet. For now, just use your imagination.

kjm

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