On a falling tide we tipped toed out of our anchorage at Isla Bayoneta and headed for Cacique on Isla Del Rey. Although the winds were strong, they were directly downwind, so we decided to motor the 30 NM. This allowed us to "kill two birds with one stone" - getting to our next destination while simultaneously getting our well overdue chore of cleaning Paw Paw done.
Las Perlas is not at all what we expected. The islands of this archipielago are very wild and rugged. Definitely not your typical tropical islands. They are, however, beautiful with plenty of sealife and birds. They got their name when spanish conquistadores Gaspar de Morales and Francisco Pizarro robbed a large amount of pearls from the indigenous King Toe. In 1515 the defeated the king and enslaved his skilled pearl divers. The 31 carat "peregrina" pearl of Queen Mary came from these islands.
They are also, for the most part, uninhabited, with only two main villages; Esmeralda on Isla Del Rey and Isla Contadora, which is the most developed island and a favourite weekend destination for party revelers from Panama City who enjoy lots of jet-skiing. Although this is our rendezvous point, we can't imagine anything worse, so, for now, we're enjoying the tranquillity of our anchorage in the company of just two other yachts, who happen to be WARC participants as well - Into the Blue and Wishanger II. Heaven!
2a8b045e-8a9a-48a7-9a59-680996175c1f165680172