My First Sailboat Adventure
The itinerary for our sailing trip from Panama to Colombia was as follows: we were to sail from our starting port for 12 hours to reach the San Blas islands. For the next three days, we would dock near these incredible islands so that we could swim, snorkel, explore, sun bathe, and just enjoy the beauty of this paradise. Each day, we would sail an hour or two to a new island and would stay there overnight and move to the next island in the morning. Then we were to sail continuously for 50 hours from the islands to our destination port in Cartagena, Colombia. Things did not go as planned as we ended up having 60 straight hours of sailing which turned our 5-day sailing trip into 6 days.
By far, this was the best and worst parts of my trip thus far combined into one adventure. The best part was the San Blas islands. Seriously, I was living in a postcard for those three days. I could not believe how beautiful these islands are, and it just got better once you got in the water. Having never snorkeled, I was nervous. We knew there were sharks near the reefs and I have a slight fear/phobia regarding sharks. But once I got used to the snorkel gear, I found the activity relaxing and magical! We visited three reefs, and each reef was more indescribable than the one before. It was a whole other world that I had never experienced! At the last reef, I did not take my camera so that I could just enjoy my time. It was 20 feet down of just coral wall and brightly colored fish and eagle rays. We swam around for about 2 hours. It was the most calming and exciting adventure yet! Besides the snorkeling, I was traveling with awesome people – two of my closest travel buddies and then some new friends. We had so much fun together and definitely pulled each other through the tough parts. And finally, I had a tan for the first time in years! Apparently, when my skin feels sun, it instantly tans. I was wearing the strongest sunscreen we could find, spent the least amount of time in the sun, and still got the darkest (thanks for your genes, Paps!). For those three days, I fully enjoyed paradise!
The worst part: 60 straight hours of seasickness – I mean, sailing. Hands down, the sailing bit was the worst part of my trip. I was either laying down or sleeping or sitting and breathing deeply; all to avoid nausea and vomiting. The ship was at a dramatic angle the entire time so I was half falling over whenever I was trying to move about the boat. Plus, three days of no showers combined with my constant nausea, a loss of appetite, and a wave drenching my bed on the last night led to me feeling to most uncomfortable and disgusting I have ever felt in my life. Let me tell you, we were all quite a site when we got off that boat.
Nonetheless, I pulled through that part and had one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. I overcame several fears and idiosyncrasies that I had and am proud of the way that I handled those situations. I ended up moving past them and discovering a new passion. Due to my thorough enjoyment and comfort with snorkeling, I plan to get my scuba diving certificate when I travel to Thailand in the fall. This is something I would not have considered pursuing prior to my sailboat journey. Therefore, do I regret sailing from Panama to Colombia? No way! Would I do it again? You could not pay me enough. Will I visit just the San Blas islands next time? Absolutely! I will meet you at the reef!