Sailing Into Guna Yala: From Puerto Obaldía to Isla Pinos

After completing a month in Colombia and a 136 nautical mile hop across to Panama aboard their sailing catamaran, Connor and Kelly of Sailing Big Lost dropped anchor in Guna Yala at the tail end of the rainy season in December. Joined by their children Maddie and Finn, the crew immediately encountered tropical downpours and lightning along the mainland coast before setting out in their dinghy to explore the Chalapata Indian River.

Winding past dense mangroves toward a freshwater swimming hole, Maddie kept watch on the shallow bottom while the family scanned the riverbank for spiders, crabs, and alligators. After cruising up the quiet tributary, the group turned back to prepare for their next coastal passage north.

Weighing Anchor and Interior Reef Passage to Caledonia

Under overcast skies and light rain, the crew prepped for a 7 nautical mile hop north inside the reef barrier toward Caledonia. Traveling alongside fellow cruising boats La Vida Shred and Bedouin, Connor took the helm while Kelly coached Finn on the foredeck to operate the electric windlass. Working the foot switches and watching the chain angle, Kelly cautioned, “Now you got to bring over here and flake the chain.”

As the anchor broke free from the seabed, Kelly instructed Maddie on the washdown hose to blast thick mud off the flukes before hauling it over the roller. With Connor holding the boat out of gear, Finn called aft, “Slow down, Dad. Picking it up.” Once seated in the bow roller, Finn engaged the chain lock, routed the safety strap through a chain link with a retaining pin, closed the deck locker hatch, and secured the snubber lines to the soft shackle.

Anchoring and Exploring Caledonia

Entering the anchorage off Caledonia, three boats were already swinging in the tight roadstead. Connor and Finn laid out 100 feet of chain, pausing at 80 feet to hook the bridle onto a vertical link before easing back until tension centered evenly on both snubber arms. Finn verified their position with a visual bearing to ensure the ground tackle held firmly in the mud.

Going ashore with Josh and cruising friends from La Vida Shred, the crew walked along an abandoned concrete airstrip that now serves as Caledonia’s main thoroughfare. Local Guna families greeted them, touring them past fenced residential compounds where multi-family huts cluster together. Connor noted that local dugout canoes visited their catamaran daily offering bananas and coconuts, with the crew trading rice and clothing in return.

Escaping No-See-Ums and Calibrating Instruments to Isla Pinos

A calm night without breeze brought an aggressive swarm of biting no-see-ums that covered the family in itchy welts. Eager to escape the bugs, Big Lost raised anchor alongside Palarran, La Vida Shred, and Bedouin to motor 8 nautical miles northwest toward Isla Pinos. Navigating through reef passages marked with cruiser sounding waypoints, they passed the coastal communities of Tubuala and Malatupu in glassy water.

Taking advantage of zero wind and slack current, Connor recalibrated their speed through water sensor against chartplotter GPS. Coordinating over VHF radio with Robert, who reported, “at the moment it says I’m doing 5.1 knots,” Connor logged their vessel speed, brought Big Lost to a dead stop, prompted the chartplotter computer to zero out, and resumed gear to align their paddlewheel readings with GPS speed.

Isla Pinos Anchorage and Village Tour with Juan

Rounding into Isla Pinos, the fleet discovered three boats already anchored, requiring 4 cruising catamarans and monohulls to find swinging room. Bedouin faced extra challenges because their windlass failed and one engine remained offline, forcing their crew to deploy ground tackle by hand. Connor scouted Pine Island to avoid crowding before joining the rest of the crews ashore.

On the beach, local resident Juan offered a guided walk through the community. Juan explained that the archipelago consists of 365 total islands, with 49 inhabited by the Guna people, who have maintained governance over the region since 1925. In the village, Juan demonstrated a traditional wooden foot-lever press used for crushing fresh sugar cane.

Kelly observed that this settlement appeared exceptionally well organized: “In this town, they have 38 houses and every house has running water.” Juan pointed out that while traditional homes feature cane walls and thatch, residents who study on the mainland as doctors or teachers return to build concrete homes following approval by the island chief. Every home also utilizes a government-supplied solar panel to charge cell phones, and village shops conduct business digitally using the Panamanian mobile payment application Jappy.

Passage and Community Metrics

Frequently Asked Questions