Las Perlas - Docking
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CloseAnchorages:
There are plenty of anchorages to choose from, mostly deserted. Take care when choosing an anchorage or when landing the dinghy on the beach as there can be as much as a five metre tidal range.
Contador Island is the most developed island. Three other notable islands are Isla del Rey, San Jose and Galera.
Contadora Island
Contadora Island is the most developed island. It is home to a small resort, with a small airport, hotels, restaurants, a couple of shops and a service station. Be careful when choosing your anchorage, as here is the only legal naturist beach in South America! Contadora is about 750 acres, is crossed by several roads, and can be walked around in an hour and half.
The prevailing NE winds make the south side of the island more sheltered than the north. There is sufficiently large anchorage to the west of the airstrip approach (Playa Cacique). There are alternative anchorages on the south side to the east of the airstrip (Playa Suecas) and also to the east and north of the island as well (Playa Larga and Playa Galleon).
Isla del Rey
The largest island is Isla del Rey (“Island of the King”). Isla del Rey has several towns, most notably San Miguel. It offers many interesting inland areas to explore.
Note: An armed boarding/robbery occured here in February 2023. See comments for details.
San Jose
San Jose is the second largest island, surrounded by over 35 white, black or gold beaches and coves. Lush green vegetation covers the whole island over gently sloping hills which peak, at the north of the island, to 440 feet. The coast line is very irregular, affording many anchorage locations. For anchorages, a favourite is Bodega Bay, on the west, 1.6 kms (one mile) in length.
Galera
The lonely island of Galera is beautiful beyond description, with its heavy facade of tall coconut palm trees and a white sandy beach. Be aware that there are very strong currents, shallows and reefs surrounding the island and navigation can be especially tricky.
Last updated: April 2020
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Related to following destinations: Las Perlas, Pacific (Panama), Panama
Port Navigation
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While CSSN does not include Pacific anchorages in their database reporting, a recent event In Las Perlas has come to their attention. This is a common first stop for yachts that are west bound after transiting the Panama Canal.
A yacht anchored off Isla del Rey on Isla de Espiritu Santo was boarded by 3 men armed with guns at about 2000HRS. The crew was made to lie face down in the cockpit with guns to their heads while the yacht was thoroughly ransacked, and everything stolen. The radio was disabled before they departed. There were no physical injuries. The yacht sought assistance from another yacht the next morning and both departed the area. It is unclear if a police report was made. See https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/cssn-news-february-13-2023-armed-boarding-in-las-perlas-panama/ for updates.
Thanks so much for picking up on this! It had the minus sign missing on the DD position – all fixed now! Much appreciated.
Robbery Report.
On the 29/12/2018, at about 7 pm, on Rio Cacique Anchorage, while we were out of the boat, we were boarded and robbed. The boat was closed but not padlocked. There were 2 other sailing boats in the anchorage.
Laptop, tablet, phone, iPod, binoculars and a backpack were taken. Next morning a report was made with the police at the La Esmeralda village. Suspects were rounded up but nothing was found. Beware.