San Blas
- The weather in the San Blas islands : the dry season is from mid-December to mid-May, with a wet season from mid-May to mid-August (some rain and violent storms) and a rainy season from September to the beginning of December
- valid passport.
- non-stop flights Paris/Caracas/Panama cost around 800 euros return.
- the Panama / San Blas islands flight costs 63 U$ return (every day).
- if possible take your own underwater fishing equipment.
- apart from access to the islands by the sea, there is a flight to Panama every morning. There are several airports in the San Blas islands, the main ones are Nargana, Porvenir and Rio Sidra.
rental Caribbean
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zone :
Caribbean
High season :
from novembre to mars
The Caribbean offers a wonderful and highly diverse sailing area. The rental companies have fully understood this and offer many possibilities for rental. From the Virgin Islands to the Grenadines, the groups of islands in the Antilles provide many destinations… The best time to enjoy sailing here is from December to April… The weather is drier and the tradewinds steadier, so weather conditions are more stable. And furthermore, the nights are (relatively) cooler and nicer. The hurricane season is theoretically from June to November, but these depressions are most common in September and October.
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Caribbean
San Blas
Carnet de bord location San Blas
The coast cannot be approached without precise charts, as even if there are 30/50 metre depths between the islands, it is different close-to. The echo sounder will quickly show 15/10/8/5/3 metres, sometimes within a distance of 50 metres. Sailing is for daylight hours only, as there are coral reefs, (certain of which are 2 miles long), less than one metre below the surface and they are often difficult to see. The islands making up this archipelago are between 1 and 3 metres above sea level, rarely more than 100 or 200 metres long and covered in coconut trees and white sand. This is a real paradise for swimming, snorkelling or just relaxing, as there are no cars or mopeds in the San Blas islands, just nature in its virgin state.
The sea bed in this archipelago is very rich in flora and fauna. There are respectably-sized grouper, sea bream, barracuda and king mackerel to fish, amongst a multitude of other tropical fish. Other inhabitants of this area include bullhead and lemon sharks, both of which are harmless if left undisturbed… Fishing for the octopuses, lobsters and giant crabs in this giant aquarium is left to the islands' inhabitants, the Kuna Indians, as this is one of their principal sources of revenue, but they will happily come and sell them to you on your boat.
The Kunas love and respect their culture and protect their territory. Their traditions are still part of their daily life. They have resisted five centuries of invasions (Spanish, French and English, among others) and attempts to convert them to all kinds of religions, to become the only American Indians to live in real autonomy both territorially and in the means of preserving their traditions and culture.
Relationships between the Kunas are based on sharing and solidarity in the community. However, recent use of money has somewhat altered these traditions.
The SAN BLAS archipelago is currently one of the last tropical paradises on the planet with an authentic and engaging population, luxuriant nature and superb marine life. Don’t miss the opportunity, visit this unspoilt area quickly, before mass tourism spoils all this beauty (as it surely will!), with all the consequences that this entails.
The trimaran
You can get to know all these wonders with Dominique and Patrick aboard their trimaran; "la Mandragore" is 16m long and 9m wide, with 4 double cabins which can accommodate 8 people in exceptional comfort. Sailing in this region dictates that "la Mandragore" must be completely self-sufficient, as finding fresh water and fuel in the San Blas islands is difficult!
It is therefore equipped with 10 solar panels, a wind generator, an emergency generator, etc… as well as a 320 litre gas fridge-freezer and a 12V 120 litre refrigerator. The 82 hp turbo main engine is also used to drive the 150 litres/hr watermaker; sail areas are: genoa - 88m2, staysail - 31m2 and main - 76m2. For access to the beaches, ‘la Mandragore’ is equipped with 2 dinghies, and a 2-seater sea kayak completes this very full inventory. All the necessary equipment for game, sport or underwater fishing enthusiasts is aboard.
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