Thursday January 15
We transitioned north overnight to Punta Patino on the edge of the Gulf of San Miguel. In the 1980s the northeastern edge of the Darien was being stripped to create cattle ranches, many of them owned by wealthy families connected to Noriega. A conservation non-profit (ANCON) bought 70,000 acres in 1985 to create a private reserve. They have since protected other areas of Panama as well.
The tide swing in this area can be five feet or more; at low tide this morning the ship had to anchor more than 2 nautical miles out from shore. We went zodiac cruising around small rocky islands offshore. We were pleased to see a crab-eating raccoon scampering along the shore. They are nocturnal species so to see one at 9am was a treat. We also stopped by some small fishing boats to admire the corvina and spiny lobsters they caught this morning.
This afternoon we zodiac’d the 2+ miles to shore and walked trails in the reserve. We heard thunder as we landed, but the storm held off until we were returning to the ship. Riding in a zodiac into the teeth of the storm made us very grateful for our ponchos!
Pictured: crab-eating raccoon, fishing boats, roadside hawk, female crimson-crested woodpecker
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