Caribbean

21
Feb
2025
Gallery – San Blas III

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. The water is choppy, and every other wave sends a splash of spray over the bow – good thing our camera and phones stay dry in the little drybag. As we glide into the narrow channels between the mangroves, the scenery shifts completely: the lush green closes in around us, and the contrast to the sandy islets with palm trees couldn’t be more striking.

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17
Feb
2025
South America’s first climate refugees: the real story behind

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.

https://www.srf.ch/audio/echo-der-zeit/erste-klimafluechtlinge-suedamerikas-die-wahre-geschichte-dahinter

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31
Jan
2025
Gallery – Isla Tigre

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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23
Jan
2025
The sinking island of Gardi Sugdub

The sinking island of Gardi Sugdub

Last summer, a story went through the world press: «Klimawandel: Bewohner verlassen Insel in Panama», was the headline on ARD and «Gardi Sugdub: The Americas’ disappearing island» was the headline on the BBC. A sinking island is forcing its inhabitants to look for a new home on land. The island is called Gardi Sugdub and is located in San Blas, the autonomous territory of the Gunas, in Panama. An island paradise of more than 350 islands. Is Gardi Sugdub, the crab island, now deserted? Perhaps it has already sunk, we ask ourselves and set course for the island.

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27
Dec
2024
A rearranged triangle relationship

A rearranged triangle relationship

Back on Mabul! Time for a brief review.

2024 is the year when everything changes again. It is also the year of a boat timeout. When we arrive in San Blas in Panama in January, we think we’ll be sailing through the canal and across the Pacific with our friends from SV My Motu shortly afterwards – but we don’t. Alex has nightmares for nights on end and constantly dreams of our rig failing. We listened to his gut feeling and stayed on the Caribbean side – as it turned out later: with good reason. Here is our review of 2024.

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15
Dec
2024
Boatjobs on the hard

Boatjobs on the hard

Boat projects hurricane season 2024 part 2

I have spent six weeks on home leave – time with family and friends in my home country of Bavaria and in Switzerland. After such a long time, I was particularly pleased to see Karin again. For weeks it was just phone calls and messages, and now we’re finally in the same room again. No screen, no time difference. Simply real. But I’m also experiencing absolute culture shock at being back in Western society after such a long time at sea. I can’t really cope. Reintegration? Not so much. I haven’t been to Germany in any significant way for over five years, so I see everything from a new, unfamiliar perspective. Above all, the nature with mountains, mixed forest, lakes and rivers is simply incredibly fascinating. Then, after beautiful and exhausting weeks, it’s time to say goodbye again. We part ways again and I return to Panama, to Mabul, to start the dry dock projects in the hurricane season 2024.

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