These islands are reserved for the rich and famous!

After crossing the Panama Canal we were eager to get back to anchor life - so we headed straight for the quiet, mostly uninhabited Las Perlas islands or Pearl Islands.

These islands are the playgrounds for the wealthy and famous.
The magnificence of the Pearl Islands is most evident in the pristine natural beauty, abounding marine life and rich history of its 200 plus islands and islets.

The rich history of the Pearl Islands is intriguing. They have hosted such pirates and explorers as Sir Francis Drake, Henry Morgan and Balboa. At one point in history, the Archipelago of Las Perlas was famous for its Pearls. Its most famous gem is a 31-carat, 400-year-old Peregrine pearl, now owned by Elizabeth Taylor. Its previous owners included the Queen of Spain, a French Emperor and an English Queen.

The island of Contadora is the most developed and frequented island in the Las Perlas archipelago. Contadora was developed in the 1960s into an exclusive get away for the rich and famous. John Wayne, Elisabeth Taylor, Christian Dior, Julio Iglesias, the Shah of Persia, Jimmy Carter as well as others decided to make it their home. Some of them stayed only for a few days, some of them for years.

We loved cruising around Contadora looking at the huge homes that mostly sat empty waiting for their owners to use them a couple times a year.

We also visited the popular anchorage of Isla Chapira.
This is only a 1 hour sail from Contadora, but a whole different world.
This island and its close neighbour Isla Mogo Mogo are completely uninhabited. They have the most incredible beaches and scenery. Mogo Mogo has become famous as it is the set for the television series Survivor.

Because of their seclusion and beauty many motorboat charters will come out to Isla Chapira from Panama City for the day. Allowing their guests to relax in complete luxury on the deserted beaches. We were lucky enough to get to experience these islands when there was no one there. That truely is the beauty of cruising, we can be in places outside of the usual peak times.

After a few days at anchor we were joined by our friends Y Knot, who had now transited the Canal and were eager to relax. We spent the days lounging on the beach, playing and catching up.

Sadly whilst navigation around Isla Del Rey Y Knot's rudder hit an unmarked rock. This is the disadvantage with cruising in this area. Electronic navigation charts are non existent, so you have to rely on a small guide book to estimate your position.

Because of the rock we needed to get Y Knot back to the mainland to check for damage.

The sail back to Panama City was an exciting one. We had numerous jumping stingrays and loads of fish which we could see from the decks of the boat. We also passed a lot of fishing boats which indicated how prolific the fishing in this part of the world is.

Once in Las Brisas we settled down to boat jobs and exploring the city.

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[bobgills]

Another fab video, national geographic style, enjoyed the aerial footage

[FrankJamger]

Isla Chapira is sure a lovely place: the shells on the beach, the rocky outcrops, the overhanging tree swings, the lagoons. A happy reunion. I hope your friends get back in the game.

[SailingFridaafWisby]

Thanks for a great video everything felt so relaxing

[mauricelanneedebetrancourt]

The beach around the 4.08 mark has some really nice snorkeling! Heading back in 4 days!

[journeymanadventure]

Great video again.
Those birds fly low over flat water to make use of what's called ground affect that is like a cushion that that means they use less energy as dose single file slipstreaming.
I saw that on a David rabbit burrow doco🏴‍☠️

[Maloy]

5:20 I like this dialogue. 🙂
Dylan: The roads are in bad repair.
Nathan: It made for a nice ride, though.

Does it correspond to the real life? Dylan the voice of reason, Nathan ever the adventure seeker? Or are they both intolerable? 😀

[Maloy]

What a disappointing episode. The youtube preview promised Nathan in a black facemask, iron bars and "exploring" the rich and famous. Nope, no armed robbery.