The Seafarer
Blue Peter
The Blue Peter flag has been flown since the mid 1600’s as an alert to the sailors that the ship is leaving port.
We combined an Atlantic Ocean blue and sea shell white for our pieces, to make a statement. Our Bellas wearing our reversible Blue Peter suits don’t wait for anyone, or anything. Because we know that time waits for no one.
We’re totally fearless in the pursuit of what sets our souls on fire!
San Blas
“Is that a fleet of ships on the horizon?”, I asked Riley as the sun rose, and SV La Vagabonde was a few hours sail from making landfall in the San Blas islands. Our boat was gently rocking with following seas and a stiff breeze from the north, filling our sails and carrying us along like we were floating on clouds. A welcome respite from the 24 hours of mayhem we encountered having first set sail from Colombia the day before.
Riley squinted his eyes as he took to the helm, a little weary of the sight before him. “I think it’s, palm trees! They’re not ships, it’s the islands!”.
Riddled with palm trees so tightly compact together, from a distance the islands looked like fat, wooden fishing boats.
We dropped the anchor on the leeward side of an island, landing in a huge sand bar that seemed to stretch for miles. She dug straight away, and myself and the crew knew we’d sleep easy tonight. I immediately jumped off the bow holding my snorkel to my face.
Upon submerging in the refreshing temperate of the water, I also decided that colour of the water was indeed, just as I’d heard: Crystal Blue. Star fish, lobster and an abundance of sea life covered the entirety of the ocean floor.
As I scrambled ashore, I was greeted by some local Kuna people, Panimanian inhabitants who’ve occupied some of these islands for hundreds of years. A few of the women wore beautiful skirts with their traditional geometric designs referred to as ‘Molas’, and the men and children dressed comfortably in loose clothing that had seen a fair few days in the sun. The Kuna people live a simple life on the islands. They sat outside their bamboo huts under the shade of the palm trees, with nothing more than a few chairs, carpets laid over the sand and livestock to keep them company.