Back from San Blas, we are on anchorage near Puerto Lindo in Linton Bay. Here our friend Moni disembarks again, and Karin also sets off on a research trip to the Pacific coast. Meanwhile, I repair Mabul’s minor aches and pains and once again encounter major problems. The almost new shaft bearing is already showing some play again, so there’s still something wrong. One way or another, Mabul has to go ashore again and a new shaft bearing has to be ordered and delivered. But the area here has a high recreational value and so we explore various small islands, meet new animal friends and immerse ourselves in local life. This should actually be the last stop before the canal, the canal administration has already approved all the documents for the transit and Karin’s sister has also booked a flight to go through the canal with us as linehandlers. Once again, plans are there to be changed. Read more in the blog Stranded in Linton Bay
Continue reading →Alex
The boat the beast
Karin’s report about our life with and aboard Mabul.
Published in the NZZ on 07.06.2025.
https://www.nzz.ch/reisen/reisen-das-boot-als-tier-ld.1825104
Gallery – Birding in Panama
The wildlife and especially the birdlife in Panama is simply amazing and too often I was unable to capture them well in photographs. Even the most modern smartphone camera gigantism is not enough, the flight distance of the shy animals is simply too much. So I’ve been carrying a longer lens around with me on our walks for a quarter of a year now. And all of a sudden, it’s become a new incentive to explore nature. So I spend hours and hours birding in Panama in the forest, in the mangroves or on the dinghy to get to know more and more of this diversity. All the photos were taken on the Caribbean side of Panama, between Colon and San Blas.
Continue reading →Stranded in Linton Bay
We reach Linton Bay in early February – we have no idea that we will be stranded here for much longer. But staying in one place for longer also has its advantages. You get to know the people on the boats and on land. These people and their stories are particularly interesting in Linton Bay – and in many cases also quite weird.
Continue reading →The climate refugees
Karin’s column about the supposed climate refugees by Gardi Sugdub.
Published in “global” magazine from Alliance Sud, issue spring 2025.
Contrasts of the Caribbean
Our report on our trip along the south coast of Cuba.
Published in Globetrotter Magazine Issue 153, Spring 2025.
Gallery – San Blas III
From Isla Tigre, we sail on to Waisaladup in San Blas, where our friend Moni comes on board. We continue with her to the so-called swimming pool: here we meet up with many old friends from the Turtle Cay Marina in crystal-clear, turquoise waters. After various dream islands, we also make a detour with the dinghy into the Rio Mangles on the nearby mainland. We are immediately surrounded by the intense green of the mangroves, and the contrast to the piles of sand and palm trees could not be more striking.
Continue reading →Anger and disappointment dominate in Panama after Trump’s threats
Karin’s report from Panama and directly from the Panama Canal.
Published in the NZZ on 19.02.2025.
South America’s first climate refugees: the real story behind
The small island of Gardi Sugdub in Panama is in danger of sinking due to rising sea levels. As a result, almost all the inhabitants have been forced to leave their homes. This was reported by international media last summer. But reality is different.
Published in “Echo der Zeit” from 17.02.2025.
Gallery – Isla Tigre
After the very first anchorage of the season at Gardi Sugdub, we continue east in San Blas and sail to Isla Tigre. We are the only boat anchored there and feel like aliens at first. We peer through the camera and binoculars and observe what is happening on the island in front of us. Tourism doesn’t seem to have arrived here yet, nobody comes to Mabul to collect an anchoring fee, sell molas or fish. The former airstrip can only be recognized as such from the air; volleyball and soccer have long been played here. The village is surprisingly well developed with a hospital, school, functioning water and electricity supply, small stores and clean streets. We even find a restaurant and make friends with the crew of a Colombian merchant ship that is moored at the dock here.
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