Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine January 2016

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After exploring the magical San Blas Islands, we took the next weather window
and sailed to Isla Linton, Panama. We dropped the hook and headed out with our
dinghy to explore the mangroves and to hike ashore. Our mission was to look for
the fascinating sloths and entertaining howler monkeys. To our surprise, we were
blessed to spot two sloths and a very large group of howler monkeys in a matter
of a couple of hours. Since that time, we have had numerous sloth and howler
monkey sightings.
12-hour hike through the enchanting and world famous Tayrona Park. During the
first hour, while deep in the forest, we heard what sounded like a baby screaming off
in the distance. We quickly ventured on quickly and were ready to perform a rescue.
Upon our arrival, JoAnne discovered the origin of the screaming. It was a frog in the
mouth of a very long, bright yellow snake. The frog was slowly becoming a meal. We
wanted to rescue the frog, but our guide told us that the frog had already been
injected with venom and was destined to die.
Upon our return to the boat, we sailed Ultra to further explore the Bocas Del Toro
WIKIMEDIA
HARRIS
Above: Numerous howler monkeys were spotted in Panama
Right: After a skinny-dip, we were shocked
to hear there were countless crocs in Belize’s waters
After slowly making our way from Isla Linton to the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro,
we were ready for more amazing experiences. This part of the world is a birdwatcher’s
paradise and home of the infamous poison dart frogs. Their name comes from
the secretion on the frog’s skin that the indigenous people once used to coat their
darts to kill their prey. If you handle these frogs in any fashion, you must wash your
hands thoroughly or suffer nausea, vomiting and possibly worse.
During our month-long land-based adventure in Colombia, we completed an epic
archipelago and headed to the mainland to a lovely spot appropriately nicknamed
Dolphin Bay (local name is Bahia de Esperanza). This picturesque bay is filled with
delightful pods of dolphins. Upon our arrival, former cruisers and current land dwellers
Carl and Mary Heckrotte welcomed us to a superb happy hour at their charming home.
The next day, we were invited to their neighbor Juana’s home for yet another fun happy
hour, and had such a fabulous time that we did not leave until 10:00PM. Knowing we
needed to get down the long, winding path from the hill to the dock quickly, we made
our way with our flashlights dancing in the dark down the hill. It was a little spooky
— it was pitch black and the sounds of the forest were taking over. Right off the bat,
JoAnne’s flashlight spotted a gigantic toad, twice the size of Bill’s palm.
The next morning, we were invited to the home of another couple, who had lived
in their rainforest home for 30 years. They are avid gardeners and birdwatchers, so
we were ecstatic to check out their property. It had rained about 20 inches the night
before and was still raining.
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JANUARY 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 37