It all started sitting at a bar in Nicaragua. I was sharing my world travel journey with a guy named James from England. I shared with him that part of my travel journey would include flying from Panama City to Colombia. He said “dude you know you can sail from Panama to Colombia via the San Blas Islands”. I was like what and I’m so doing this. So he looked up the company name for me which was Blue Sailing and right there I booked my trip. It was done I’m sailing to Colombia.
I had to prepare to Sail to Colombia Across The Caribbean Sea
I had to spend the next few weeks getting ready for the trip. But hey I had nothing else to do but see the world right? The planning started in Costa Rica and ended in Panama City a few days before we were to set off.
This was the full list as suggested by Blue Sailing and the rest as recommended by my friend James and Myself.
-Cigars thats right It’s not an epic sailing trip without some Panamanian cigars.
-A couple bottles of rum
-A 12 pack of beers (I will be on the sea for St. Patricks’ day)
-Sunscreen
-Bug Repellent
-Baby wipes (No showers on the boat)
-snacks
-Bathing Suit
-Gravol (This came in handy)
Check out my prep video on TikTok.
The Jeep picked us up at 5 AM To Head to The San Blas Islands
It’s go time!
At 4 am the jeep arrived to pick up our crew who were all staying at my Hostel Magnolia Inn Casco Viejo. I wish I had known this sooner! It was a tight fit with all of our luggage strapped to the roof. I took this opportunity to get to know my bunk mates and their crew before the trip. Little did I know the lifetime connections and memories that I was creating on this ride.
And we are making our way to San Blas
When we left it was pitch black and four hours later when we arrived at the speed boat dock it was 10 am and the sun was shining. This was my first chance to meet the thirteen other sailors that I would be sharing the boat with. It was now time to jump on board and make our way to the sail boat which was parked at the first San Blas Island.
The Boat Stopped at the Immigration Dock….Or So I thought
The speedboat made its way onto a dock that many of us thought was where we would meet our sailboat. The stop to me appeared like immigration based on the uniforms. A quick check-in before we sail to Colombia via San Blas maybe? No a group of Brits who didn’t stock up with alcohol before the five day adventure needed supply and this was the only chance to take a shot at this. So the guys jumped on the dock and started loading the boat up with cases of beer that surely would be more than enough for all of us for the next five days. So now that we were all stocked up we were ready to head to the sailboat. It really was a beautiful sight all that Balboa beer it felt like heaven.
We arrived at our first San Blas Island and met the crew
After another 10 minutes or so on the water our ride for the next few days was in sight. As we approached the sailboat to the sounds of Bob Marley it definitely had a Caribbean vibe going. We met the crew (Captain Danny from Spain and 2 staffers). We would spend the next few hours here before heading to our first stop for the night. This was the first chance to sit on the boat, catch some sun and get to know the people I would be spending the next few days with. I loved the vibe and lets say this journey was off to a great start!
Off to Explore the San Blas Islands
After our first opportunity to have lunch on the boat and a quick meeting to go over the boat rules and pay up we were off. You could already see the potential of sea sickness setting in with a couple people! yeah a little foreshadowing there. It was time to set sail and you could feel the anticipation to get to our first stop.
The First San Blas Island Stop
We arrived at our first island, and it was pure bliss. We anchored the boat which is a lot more work and coordination then I ever would have imagined. Everyone made it into the deep waters for a swim and we even saw sharks. We were close enough to the island that you could swim to the beach which even I could tackle! My first new friend Adrian and I swam over to the beach, which was my first chance to walk the island. It was an empty Island except for a few natives and our crew so we had the place to ourselves. To make the experience even better we were able to buy a couple beers from the locals for the walk. We swam back to the boat for dinner and the best part of the day is still to come.
We had a Bonfire at the beach in San Blas
Lets put this in perspective we had a fire on a beach with 16 new friends on a remote San Blas Island. After the sun set our captain fired up the dingy and took us over to the island making 2 trips. With a bottle of rum in hand and literally no one else on the island but a few indigenous locals this was an epic experience. I even shared my rum with the locals who were working the fire and together we drank the night away! This was an experience I will never forget.
The most amazing beaches I have ever been on
In total we made 3 overnight stops on the isolated San Blas Islands. They were all unique in their own way but had 2 things in common:
1. We were the only ones on the islands
2. They all felt like we were stranded on a remote island. Each island was owned by a separate indigenous family and other than them it was just us. There was nothing commercial whatsoever attached to these islands but the natives did sell beers and serve us lunch! We saw friendly monkeys and piles of seashells where you could hear the ocean. These were single handedly the three best beach days I have ever had in my life, having the islands to ourselves. It was pure bliss.
40 Hours at Sea – We were about to Sail to Colombia via the San Blas Islands
After 3 days in the beautiful San Blas Islands the experience was about to change. We were about to sail to Colombia via the San Blas Islands. This is something everyone should experience at least once and we all knew things were about to get real.
Quick Huddle with the Captain before we set Sail
Our captain gathered us together for a quick huddle to go over mainly his safety rules while at the open sea. No going out on the deck at night was one major rule as if a big wave takes you overboard that will be it there will be no finding us in the open waters. We were ready to go and take in one of the most memorable experiences during my trip around the world.
Almost all of us got Sea Sick but not me
It didn’t take 5 minutes and the first victims were already heaving at the back of the boat. Before too long the whole boat was sick except for 3 of us (Myself and 2 Irish lads). So naturally it was a party of 3 with the beers continuing to flow while others slowly bounced back.
The Daytime Experience
The Daytime was incredible laying on the deck riding over the massive waves. I learned very quickly why they call it the open water as we didn’t see another boat for 40 hours. That’s a lie the captain did ask me once if I could see a boat in the distance. After some squinting I in fact did see a boat and according to him that meant it was 10 miles away. This caused Captain Dan to shift so we would be in the open water once again. Just being there watching the flying fish and reflecting while gazing out at the open waters with beer in hand was an experience I will never forget.
The Evening Experience
Another highlight for me was watching the unbelievable sunsets. There is nothing quite like watching the sunset at open sea. As the sun went down the party shifted indoors starting with dinner, some games, laughs and yes more rum and beer.
One of my evening highlights was watching dolphins chase glowing fish which was so cool! The other was gazing at the stars which just hits different at Sea. There was one night I really began to respect the waters and I swear I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours that night. The boat was rocking like no one’s business and it felt like the waves were going to rip the boat apart. Seriously I thought the boat was going to be split in two.
We lost a Sail and the Panic Began
Yep we lost a sail and I felt like I was in one of those movies with a shipwreck eventually landing on a deserted Island. The captain began shouting orders to try and get it back and that included me cranking the sail. I got my workout in that’s for sure. In the end we had to finish the journey without the lost sail which I didn’t realize until we arrived in Cartagena how serious this situation was but we made it!
Arriving in Cartagena Colombia
Finally after 40 hours on the Caribbean Sea we could see land. Sailing into Cartagena with the sun rising over the beautiful skyline was incredible. Come to think of it this is one of the best sunrises I have experienced in my life. We made it and what a way to experience what would end up being one of my favourite countries I visited during my year off.
Immigration in Colombia was a Breeze
The immigration experience would go down as my easiest entry into a new country. All we had to do was hand over our passports to the captain and he took care of it. And while he was getting our passports stamped, we were allowed to go into the country, have some lunch then head back to the boat in about 2 hours to pick them up. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
This 5 day sailing trip is a travel experience that I will never forget. The friendships, the experience and the journey will stay with me forever. I did it I got to sail to Colombia via the San Blas Islands. If you are interested in doing this here is the link https://bluesailing.net/.
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