The author and his girlfriend worked for two months in Panama for the Floating Doctors charity, helping to restore two yachts, Seahorse and Southern Wind. They explored the beautiful Bocas del Toro archipelago by boat and helped provide medical care to remote indigenous communities. While the work progressed slowly, the author was enthralled by the natural beauty and culture of the area. However, more skilled workers are still needed to complete the yacht restorations.

1. Panama
SEPTEMBER 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk24 25
Sam Jefferson heads to Panama to rescue a
yacht and discovers one of the hidden jewels
of the Caribbean coast of Central America.
ASALVAGE
MISSION
Cruising
L
ife is full of surprises and
if someone had told me
even a few days before
this rummy affair got
started that I would be
spending two months in
Central America salvaging a dead
man’s boat at the behest of an
eccentric, I would have been
surprised. But, as John Lennon once
said, ‘Life is what happens while you
are busy making plans’. It certainly
rings true in this case.
Allow me to elaborate and
endeavour to put this complex state
of affairs in a nutshell: I had been
hitchhiking across the ocean with my
girlfriend, Ivory, for some months
previous. We had spent a tedious
time aboard a luxury yacht in Sint
Maarten and were itching for a
change when we were messaged by
Dr Ben La Brot of Floating Doctors.
This esoteric charity uses yachts to
bring medical aid to remote areas of
the Caribbean and Ben needed help
as he had just inherited a new yacht,
Seahorse, and needed some expertise
to fettle her up. He offered to pay our
flights out there and we promptly
dropped out hazy plans in favour of
this adventure. Up to speed? Good.
The mouth of the bull
We reported for duty in Bocas Town,
the only large settlement with the
group of islands that make up Bocas
del Toro. The enigmatic La Brot was
nowhere to be found, so we took a
few days to take in our surroundings.
The name refers to the main channel
in to this archipelago and translates
from Spanish as ‘mouth of the bull’.
Columbus careened one of his ships
here in 1504, and he found a group
of five or six large islands situated in
Bahia Almirante on the Caribbean
coast of Panama. It is a spectacular
place. Across the bay tower the great
Chiriqui mountains, luxuriant with
verdant rainforest which sweeps right
down to the water’s edge. Here, great
complications of mangroves weave
their tendrils into the water, creating
impenetrable mazes regularly broken
by gleaming, pristine white beaches,
many of them still awaiting their first
footprint. It’s the Caribbean that
Robert Louis Stevenson dreamed up
when he penned Treasure Island and
every bit as wild. The forests hum
and groan with wildlife; the scream
of the parrot echoes through the
trees and the cries of the howler
monkey resonate. Look shoreward
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Main: The harbour
at Arbroath
Clockwise from
above left: The
harbourmmaster’s
barge brought
Liberty Jane safely
into Wells-next-
the-Sea; Dawn
behind the old
granary; on a fine
reach off the

2. Panama
sailingtoday.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2013 SEPTEMBER 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk26 27
of the electrics were shot due to a
leak in the pilot house window
soaking the dashboard, there was a
hole in the exhaust, a lot of rust
everywhere and she needed a new
bobstay but as yachts go, she was the
usual amount of trouble and expense.
More worrying was the state of the
Floating Doctors’ flagship, Southern
Wind. This vessel was looking
decidedly the worse for wear. She had
voyaged twice to Haiti and her stay
on the coast had done her little good.
In places there seemed to be more rot
than boat. We therefore divided our
time between these two vessels.
Exploring the area
Between times we explored the coast
either by yacht or by Panga, a fast
powerboat hugely favoured by the
locals. Bocas is a wonderful place to
sail. Once you are away from the
bustle of Bocas town, you have your
We made the two mile trip...and
prepared to step into a dead man’s shoes.
The Floating Doctors
During our stay in Panama we worked for the
Floating Doctors charity, led by the American Dr
Ben la Brot, a charismatic, altruistic dreamer
who seemed to live to help others. His
enthusiasm had advanced an unlikely project
further than I would have believed. He was
impossible to pin down, a blur of energy working
long into the night to get things done.
Floating Doctors provides medical care to
deprived and isolated areas that are best
reached by sea. La Brot, his sister Skye and an
army of volunteers set to work in 2010 and
ended up in Bocas del Toro, where they have
been since 2011. www.floatingdoctors.com
from your anchorage at night and
you will see the white/green glow of
the fireflies flickering. Truly this is a
magical place.
Bocas could be a daunting part of
the world to visit if it were not for the
hospitable haven of Bocas Town.
Located on one of the largest islands,
Isla Colon, the town is used to dealing
with foreign visitors. Bocas is not
particularly well known to yachtsmen,
but surfers have been quicker off the
mark and have been enjoying the
steady swells and razor sharp reef
breaks on the windward side of these
islands for some time. The ramshackle
town therefore has everything the
new arrival requires; food, a range of
accommodation, plenty of English
speakers for the linguistically
challenged, plus that all important
Wi-Fi connection. It’s a good place to
establish yourself, acclimatise, and
take in your surroundings. It
possesses a good anchorage just off
the town and two marinas within a
half a mile or so of the town.
The mysterious yacht
After a lengthy and relaxing wait, we
received our orders and met up with
fellow sailors Helen and Otis, an
enthusiastic couple who were also
helping the Floating Doctors with the
restoration project on their yachts.
They filled us in on the rather tragic
details behind our new project boat,
Seahorse. She had been owned by a
couple which had sailed her down
from California to charter her and
live the dream. Evidently the dream
had turned sour for they had split,
leaving the husband alone on
Seahorse. What had happened next is
unclear, but the owner was found
dead in the water, floating alongside
his tender near the island of Isla
Bastimentos. Mayhap he had fallen
out of his dinghy and been run over.
No one will ever know. The family of
the poor man, now stuck with a
yacht they didn’t want, opted to
donate the vessel to the Floating
Doctors. We were to rescue this
vessel, bring her back to Bocas
Marina, and set about fettling her up.
We made the two mile trip to Isla
Bastimentos and prepared to step
into a dead man’s shoes. It was an
eerie feeling and there is no way I
could have slept in her cabin that first
night, full as it was of someone else’s
treasured possessions.
Shaking off our repugnance, we
headed back to Bocas Marina and
assessed the state of Seahorse and
concluded she wasn’t too bad. Most
Clockwise from
above left: Newlyn
harbourentrance,
withtheoldlifeboat
housetotheright
pick of stunning beaches and
secluded anchorages. Although there
are six or so large islands, there are
hundreds more tiny ones dotted
throughout this archipelago and each
one is absolutely bite-the-back-of-
your-hand beautiful. Tourism is
growing in this area, but it hasn’t
destroyed the place yet and there is
plenty of seclusion. There are reefs
and shallows within the archipelago,
but there is nothing too taxing
provided you use your common
sense and your eyes. A night trip into
some obscure backwater should be
avoided until you are familiar with
the area, but generally navigation is
pretty simple. Shallow draught helps,
but is not vital. Anchorages are on
the whole excellent, although swells
can get big on the seaward sides of
the islands. If anything, winds tend
to be a bit on the light side around
Bocas. We experienced no major
storms or even squalls during our
two-month stay there.
Top: At anchor in
Great Bay on St
Martin, where a
friendly seal kept
us company
Above: Sailing into
Falmouth Harbour
in light winds
Above right: Under
way and making
good progress
motor-sailing;
Truro Cathedral;
looking over The
Bag at Salcombe;
dried out in Helford
Creek

3. Panama
SEPTEMBER 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk 29
Panama
sailingtoday.co.uk SEPTEMBER 201328
We were entranced by two places
that we visited on our cruise. On one
occasion, we sailed around to Bocas
del Drago on the northern tip of Isla
Colon and were hypnotised by the
beauty of the spot. A narrow strip of
gleaming white sand snaked away
into the distance lapped by azure
glassy seas as warm as bathwater. On
the horizon lay the mountains of
Chiriqui and there was an openness
to the place that allowed a blinding
bright whiteness of light to dominate.
Its beauty and pristine brightness
made you feel high.
On another occasion, we sailed
around to a small hostel called La
Luna on an island called Isla Loma
and stepping ashore here we felt
some true isolation. Across the water
lay the mainland, a great
impenetrable mass of jungle
steaming in the heat. Below us was
an anchorage so tranquil it was hard
to imagine a more perfect spot. In
the interior, we could hear the
throbbing pulse of nature and from
nearby the thud of a drum pounding
out a primitive rhythm, centuries old.
I felt the thrill of mystery and
savagery that pulsates at the heart of
these unfathomable jungles.
We were strongly warned about
the dangers of monkeys, which are
by far the most common cause of
serious injury to the jungle explorer.
Monkeys will attack in a gang and
have no compunction in going for
the genitals and gouging at the eyes;
a bit like a lively night out in Carlisle.
We encountered a great many howler
monkeys and gangs of Capuchin
monkeys – who thankfully steered
clear of the unmentionables.
Cowboys and Indians
Between these moments of repose,
we sweated over the yachts. Work
progressed aboard, yet there were all
kinds of infuriating delays: Spares
were hard to come by and we
experienced days of torrential rain
which reduced work to a snail’s pace,
not helped by the cowboys
conducting the repair job. Between
times we helped the doctors with
their trips in to the jungle to provide
medical aid. Puttering up jungle
rivers and tramping through muddy
trails laden with supplies to help out
the isolated Ngobe tribes. Once
there, we would set up a makeshift
surgery in the middle of the village
and held a consultorio session.
Initially the villagers would be
reticent, but gradually they would
come shyly forward and share their
ailments with the doctor.
The villages were generally modest
affairs, consisting of a number of
shacks huddled together. Buildings
are generally raised up on stilts and
quite pleasing to the eye, consisting
of rough-planked walls and pitched
roofs thatched with palm fronds.
People are generally subsistence
farmers and fishermen, although this
income is sometimes supplemented
by selling crafts to tourists.
The Ngobe and Bugle are two
distinct tribes with different
languages. Both are descendants of
the Guaymi tribe who, in times gone
SEAHORSE
Robinson 45 built out of steel
by Kerr Robinson of Sausalito,
California, 1972
LOA: 56ft (17.1m)
Beam: 13ft 2in (14m)
Draught: 6ft 3in (1.9m)
Displacement: 38,000lb
(8,500kg)
Builder: Kerr Robinson
It is believed that she is a one off.
Certainly this was hull number
one.
Panama Factfile
Currency: Balboa. This is pegged one for one with the
US dollar – also accepted anywhere within Panama.
Health: Bocas is in an area where you can contract
malaria. The drinking water is generally alright, but can
be mixed with rainwater, better to buy bottled water.
Climate: Temperatures are uniformly high. The
Caribbean coast gets more rain than the Pacific side.
Panama is not situated within the hurricane belt.
Supplies: If you want something westernised, then you
pay a premium and luxuries are expensive. Alcohol is
very cheap. Expect to pay 50 to 70p for a beer.
Newlynharbour
entrance,withthe
oldlifeboathouseto
theright

4. PanamaPanama
sailingtoday.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2013 SEPTEMBER 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk30 31
on Seahorse and Southern Wind, but
I’m afraid it’s not the case. When we
left, the boats were still some way
from completion, but we both hope
to return and help get the job
finished. The project is in sore need
of some skilled yacht workers. I was
considered one of the more talented
craftsmen on the job, which says a
lot. If you are in a position to help, I
would recommend getting in touch.
You will be rewarded with a visit to
the Caribbean that you always
imagined and dreamt of. This is the
Caribbean at its most riotous and
ramshackle: unsanitised, untamed
and unforgettable.
by, became noted by the Spanish
Conquistadors for their fighting
prowess after repeated defeats.
Ultimately, however, it was the
Guaymi who were decimated by the
diseases that the Conquistadors
brought with them and depleted
tribe retreated into the Chiriqui area
where they are still found today.
Many of the leaders still cannot
speak Spanish, but in the tourist
areas of the coast this is changing.
Much of the work of the Floating
Doctors took them back to the
Ngobe settlement of La Solucion on
the outskirts of Bocas town. This is a
heartbreaking slum area situated
over a mangrove swamp. Beneath the
stilted houses, rubbish and effluent
gather in the foetid water beneath, a
hotbed of disease. The only way to
get around is by traversing a
terrifying system of narrow planks
and walkways. The Ngobe were
displaced to this area when General
Noriega decided to build an airport
in Bocas del Toro. They were moved
from the airport site and the solution
(La Solucion) was to shove them in a
swamp. Despite the patently unclean
conditions, children emerge from the
swamp every morning for school in
gleaming white shirts and crisply
ironed uniforms. Despite conquest
and decimation, Ngobe pride still
burns at the heart of the community.
Tradesmen required
I’d like to say we finished our work
‘Despite conquest and decimation, Ngobe pride
still burns at the heart of the community.’
Top: At anchor in
Arthur Porth,
where getting
ashore was hard
with all the rocks!
Above: Dolphins
enjoying our bow
wave off Newlyn
Above right: Dinner!
Fresh Scilly lobster
in Porth Cressa
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SamJefferson isajournalist,
authorandsailorwhohas
workedateverythingfrom
marinamanagertosailing
instructor.HespenttwoyearsasDeputy
EditorofSailingTodayandiscurrently
workingasskipperofaprivateyacht.