Kialoa cruising: San Blas

The travelling fish band

The area around Isla Isabela is quite shallow with depths of 100 - 200 feet. This means there are lots of fish, which means there are lots of long lines. We had some light wind on the morning we left and were able to sail, which was a good thing, the first long line we spotted got hooked on the fishing gear we had trailing behind....after that we were better about spotting them. The long lines are anchored at one end and have pop bottle floats every 200 feet or so with a flag at the far end about a mile away. There are many stories of entangled boats and wildlife. Kialoa with her full keel was able to pass over them but we were glad not to have the engine running as they could have easily been sucked into the propeller. We picked up a troupe of fish on the way. I have never seen fish travel with the boat before but this small group was with us for about an hour. Jay tried interesting them in his fishing lure but they were intent on their goal and did not bite.

Kialoa doubles as a dryer

The entrance into San Blas is very shallow and we had a bit of nail biting trip across the bar and up the river to the marina. San Blas is renowned for its mosquitos and jejenes, and they were there, but with some bug spray and long pants and shirts at the right time of day it is manageable. Here we had a chance to do laundry and reprovision. It is a lovely mexican town and was once the main customs port for the spanish on the west coast of mexico. Due to the shallow river depths and bugs the center of commerce moved further south. The old spanish fort has been restored and commands an impressive view of the town and surrounding area.
The slow moving rivers and mangrove swamps in this area also provide a perfect breeding ground for crocodiles. Along with the crew of Airsupply we spent an interesting day touring up river and seeing crocodiles in the wild. Keep your hands to yourself!