The biggest lesson I learned about myself during the 5 day sailing trip from Panama to Colombia is that I am NOT a boat person. Allow me to be a little more specific… And don’t get me wrong, I love being out on the ocean. I would welcome a day out on a boat with open arms and will most likely race you to the dock. But 5 days at sea? Turns out it was quite a challenge for me. But with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t trade the experience I had on the Jacqeline Catamaran for the world!
One thing not guaranteed on this boat tour is an awesome crew of people to spend 5 days with in very intimate quarters. I hit the jack pot. I struck gold in this department. My reason for loving everything about this tour (aside from the absurdly beautiful San Blas Islands of course!) is the incredible group of people I met on board. We were a rather motley crew of 20 peeps from all corners of the earth. A mix of Australia, New Zealand, England, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Israel, Colombia, and Canada. A rather delicious little international cocktail if you ask me.
Together, we survived the cramped sleeping conditions (I affectionately called my bed “the coffin”), the eternally blocked toilets and the completely unappetizing (almost inedible) food.
We whiled away the time island hopping, swimming, snorkeling, playing cards, getting festive, exchanging travel horror stories and day dreaming about our favourite food. However, our daydream bubble was brutally burst on a daily basis with sad servings of a spam/gruel concoction. And me, being the only vegetarian on board, was expected to eat an omelet for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 days! Needless to say I couldn’t look at an egg for a long time after the trip. I’d like to dish out minus 10 points to the chef for creativity.
But there are so many incredible highlights I must mention. While sailing out in open water for two days we saw flying fish, dolphins and whales. Something I will cherish forever, especially since our Captain said he had sailed this route for years and had never once seen a whale in his life.
Now to get to the photos. Because they really do paint the fun we all had together. I want to sign off from this post by saluting “The Jacqueline Crew”. What a bunch of legends!
Love Miss. Peanut x
Photography | Gemma Pranita & Matthew Rooney
Location | Sailing from Panama to Colombia along the San Blas Islands
