No More BBQ Island!

Saturday 5^th February

We actually had a really pleasant sail from the Lemon Cays back to my favorite anchorage in the San Blas, nicknamed “the swimming pool” at Eastern Holandes Cays.  At times Frieda looked a little concerned as we heeled over and Daisy dipped her starboard toe rail well under the water, but she quickly got used to it even managing to relax at the back of the boat in the “directors chair.”

I love this anchorage because of it’s incredible beauty, peace and tranquility, and fabulous water, there are no motor boats, no sea doo’s flying around, or people water skiing, just us yachties and the odd Kuna boat selling fish and vegetables.  There are very few Kuna huts here; most of the little islands are deserted.

There is one island called BBQ Island, which is well known as a great spot to meet other yachties, and have a beach barbeque.  A rough shelter had been constructed for the barbeque from bamboo supports, and roofed with palm fronds, there’s also a table made from the front part of a yacht that had tried to get into the bay at night, and ended up on the reef. 

When we were here a few weeks ago with Daniela we visited the island, but didn’t stop to barbeque.  Yesterday while in the Lemon Cays, we met up with Ariel, one of our Italian friend’s, and suggested that as he and his guests were also sailing to the swimming pool, the next day, we should get together on the island that night and have a barbeque.  We sailed across from the Lemon Cays together, and Ariel anchored behind us in the bay.

When Bob, Frieda and I took the dinghy across to BBQ island we discovered that a family of Kuna’s had moved in, they had converted the barbeque shelter into a bamboo walled hut and claimed the island as their own.  While we were walking around the island one of the Kuna men approached us and told us the island was private, he even demanded $2 from Ariel.  Yesterday while we were in the Lemon Cays we were approached by a Kuna on one of the islands, and told if we wanted to visit we had to pay $1 each, I know this isn’t much, but it shows how the Kuna are becoming more commercial, their traditional way of life is changing and it’s because of us, all the yachties, introducing our form of civilization to them.  In the Lemon Cays there was an island with a bar and a satellite dish offering Internet connection.  There was volleyball net and the Kuna people and children were playing volleyball with some of the visitors.  One of the Kuna boats approached us while we were in the bay and asked if we could charge his television for him.  He had a pc, but thought it was a television.  A woman selling molas, from her dug out canoe was showing us her selection of beautifully hand made molas, most of them had either turtles, birds or fish, but then she showed us one with a helicopter!

Anyway, back to BBQ island, a note to those of you that plan to have a barbeque there in the future, you are no longer allowed, the island has been claimed back by the Kuna’s, at least until they move on again. 

I couldn’t help visions of Eddie Izard with his flag.  Apologizes to those of you unfamiliar with Eddie Izard, a quite brilliant comedian, with a very funny sketch about a flag!  Go watch…