Monday, 25/1/10

We have worked our way further north inside the outer reefs, always somebody on the bow checking for the odd unmarked reef.  There are places where the outer reef does not exist and the sea comes rolling in with huge waves, we were head to wind so unable to put up a sail to stop the rolling.  Stopped off for lunch at a village, hundreds of ratten houses close together on an island looking as though they are coming straight out of the sea.  The 'cafe' had no food or beer but did have juice and we walked around the village.  We felt a bit intrusive, there is a move to stop some of the tourisim as, quite rightly, the Kuna's feel that some of the tourists come to view them as though they are in a zoo and the younger generation are picking up western ideas.  I couldn't agree more but at the same time some of them have satalite dishes and telivision so come what may the sad fact is that westernization will change them from such a fantastic community which is so eco freindly to something too comercialized.  You have to pay the Kuna ladies, by law, if you want to take a 'photo of them, but many of them will not allow you to do so even for money.  There was a lovely lady with a fantastic blouse on with beautiful embroidered molas and beads around her legs which look like socks with an intricate pattern I asked her if I could take a 'photo but she said 'no' so you have to respect that.  Her teenage daugher was in western dress and looking trendy so the change is already happening.

We are in Snug Harbour now, having picked our way through reefs, Jonathan having done his homework beforehand putting in way points, you can't rely on the electronic chart plotter as that often put us through land! Much of the chart shows the area as unsurveyed which makes navigation even more interesting!  We did bump gently on one reef as we came in to anchor, it just appeared from deep to shallow in seconds and when Tony and I spotted it it was too late.  Now at anchor under a full moon, almost like daylight with a silver sparkle across the water, just like our battle flag, we have small palm covered islands between us and the reef and mountains with jungle on the otherside which is mainland.