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| Isla Vivienda: NW beach - S/V Kaya's Song at anchor |
April 13, 2013
Isla Malaga
08°29.508N - 079°02.87W
Las Perlas Islands, Panama
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| Note the discrepancies in names and approaches between the 2 charts. Above: Navnet; Below: Bauhaus guide Navnet mislabels Isla Casya, calling it Isla Ampon. Navnet also mislabels Isla Verde, calling it Isla Casaya. Navnet omits all reefs and sandbanks of the western approach as well as the reefs SE of Casayeta |
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| Bauhaus is more accurate. If entering from the NW, do not go between Is. Verde and Bayoneta: ROCKS! The sandbanks at Pnta Verde and Canal de Gibraleon extand much further south than noted. The channel between Bayoneta and Vivienda dries out at low tide: do not enter there. |
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| Our various approaches to the area. The Navnet chart is grossly inaccurate and mislabeled. The Navionics for iPad is better, but still inaccurate. Best: Bauhaus electronic version, with GPS dongle on a PC, but still inaccurate on the western approach |
When the Panamean dry season starts and the winter weather gales in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean funnel through the gaps of Central America, spilling into the Pacific and hammering the Gulfs of Tehuantepec, Papagayo and Panama, where do you seek refuge? Isla Bayoneta, Las Perlas.
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| Northern winds in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico escape through the "gaps" of Central America, spilling high-velocity winds in Tehuantepec (Mexico), Papagayo (Nicaragua - Costa Rica) and Panama. Cold northerlies affect the ocean currents and cause the seasonal "upwelling" of nutrients (next blog.) |
We haven’t seen a drop of rain since mid-December, four months ago. It may be winter by the calendar, but according to the locals, this is summer. With temperatures in the 80s and humidity in the 70th percentile, this is the dry season. However, the gap winds from the North are unleashing winds in the 20-25kt range for days at a time. Meanwhile the southern swells can render many of the north-protected anchorages untenable. Isla Bayoneta and its little neighbors Isla Malaga and Isla Vivienda are the anchorages of choice.
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| Good morning, Bayoneta and cormorants |
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| Mangroves and Kapok trees |
Islas Casaya, Casayeta, Ampon (East coasts). This is a rather un-inhabited area. However, Isla Casaya is the site of an exclusive hotel, as is Casayeta, and the disco goes well into the night. The anchorage at Isla Ampon (08°30.396N-079°01.51W) is extremely well protected, but difficult to enter and must be entered at low tide to avoid the reefs and rocks on each side. The bay is shallow and muddy but there is good snorkeling on the reef east of Isla Ampon. We spent a very quiet Christmas Day there but the site is not very pretty: hardly a photo and none I'd post here!
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| Grandaughter Zoe balances on the kayak: perfect bay to learn kayaking |
Isla Viveros - 08°27.54N-078°59.35W - Isla Viveros is the site of a monster development on the north coast: the TrumpResort. Hotel, bungalows, golf… the island is being swallowed. We tried the anchorage at Playa Brava, on the south coast. Enter directly from the south channel (079.00W) and do not attempt to enter from the west: rocky and shallow. Although the diving was really tempting, with a number of small islands and ledges, strong currents and muddy waters left us disappointed. Yet, other cruisers have been lucky with casting-spinning from their dinghies. Regardless, the southern swells get into this anchorage and make it rolly in mild conditions, untenable in any kind of weather.
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| Kayak trolling around Isla Vivienda: snapper (pargo) |
Isla Casaya, Southwest Coast -- 08°29.726N-079°02.148W– Much quieter and easier to access than its eastern shore, the south shore of Isla Casaya provides good protection from the north winds, if still subject to the southern swells. The beaches are worth a visit, since every beach in this little archipelago has its own cachet; mangroves here, sedimentation there, sandstones and basalt co-existing. Sadly, the beaches are often littered with trash, discarded nets, oil containers, all signs of human contamination.
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| "Mangrove Beach" is littered with discarded nets |
Caution: anchor far enough from shore since the bottom shoals up and the 5-meter tide at new moon can put you on the hard.
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| In this large bay with may inlets, fishermen lay their nets every night, catching every little fish and discarding their nets |
Isla Bayoneta– Now, our favorite: the little hole between Isla Malaga and Isla Vivienda. This has been our home for most of the last 4 months. Every beach has a different flora and fauna. There is “Pink Shell Beach” and “Witches Cauldron Beach” and “Snail Beach” and “Cowrie Beach.” Thousands of cormorants, pelicans, egrets, boobies, frigates and terns criss-cross the waterline at all hours of the day.
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| Zoe investigates the "witches cauldrons" |
On shore, a riot of colors contrasts against the azure sky: bright yellow Guayacan, hot-pink Lapacho and pale pink Kapok soon shed their blooms only to let their seedpods mature and release the wool-soft kapok into the wind.
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| Frigate birds pirate fish in flight: first from other birds (boobies, mostly), then from each-other |
The water is so calm and still that it’s perfect for kayaking around. Want to clean the bottom of your boat? A 5-meter tide makes the job a cinch! Just drop your catamaran at the inlet between Bayoneta and Vivienda: easy as pie. The beach at Isla Vivienda has enough slope to lay down your sailboat for a little “carenage.”
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| Carenage.... perfect little spot |
Fishing? Well, drop a line to the bottom and you’re about sure to catch a ray. Or troll the reefs SE and SW of Vivienda and they’ll jump into your dink: rockfish, all varieties of snappers, pompanos and even needlefish. For a variety, troll around the Canal de Gibraleon, but beware the strong currents at Isla Gibraleon. At low tide, go stroll “Secret Island,” a submerged reef and splendid beach that totally disappear at high tide, or go collect snails, rock oysters and a clam or two on any of the exposed rocks.
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| The inlet between Bayoneta and Vivienda at high tide. At low tide, it dries out: perfect for "carenage" (see photo above) |
And when, exhausted of the day’s activities, you can at last relax and enjoy the sunset over Bayoneta, listen to the wind howl and gust while you barely witness a ripple on the water and don’t miss the roll at all.
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| Sunset over Bayoneta |
Caution… to enter Bayoneta, choose the southern route, along the 079.02W meridian. We did enter once, at low tide, from the NW but the Bauhaus guide is not accurate. The sand banks have shifted and we found very shallow waters (1’ under our 4’ keel), entering east of Isla Verde. Not recommended, but possible if you draw 4’ and have great visibility and a lookout.
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| Punta Verde, south point of Is. Gibraleon Entering from the West, to the north you see the Canal de Gibraleon. Note the extensive sand banks. |
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| Sunrise with Mackerel sky over islas Casaya and La Mina (from Isla Malaga) |
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| Isla Vivienda, East Beach |
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