San Blas changing
Ripple2
Fri 17 Mar 2006 13:20
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Here's the poop. The San Blas has been
"discovered".
Now that we have been here a
couple of weeks we have met people who know the "ledgends" of cruisers in the
SAn Blas. One in particular has been here six years and never picked up the
anchor once! There are uninhabited islands where people say "oh yea, that's
Georges' island" and "that's Bobs' island" etc etc.
But things are changing. The
people who have been coming/staying here for years say that last year there were
about 100 boats in SB. This year it's 200 and counting. That's a big jump in
just one year.
With more boats around it seems
that the authorities are becoming more active. Just this week a boat (can't be
named here for legal reasons) who had been here at least five years, left in a
big hurry. Which everyone says it is unusual for them to ever do anything in a
hurry. Apparently their paperwork was not in order. They are quoted as saying
"they know we are here" in respose to any questions about their status. Well
they did know they were here and were going to fine them somthing like $600. The
boat got a tip-off and did a runner. And now another long term boat is leaving.
Maybe it's a "new broom" thing. Anyway, all this is to say that people have been
treating this area as almost a private backyard where they are away from the
eyes of the world and set up their lives without ever formally doing
so.
A great idea if you can get away with it. But
thesedays that is less likely.
Oh well another place we saw
just in the nic of time. What are the next generations going to be able to
"discover"?
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