Panama is the isthmus connecting Central with South America. The Darrien Gap refers to the jungle that cuts off the PanAmerican highway. Travelers must circumnavigate this obstacle by sailing. I’ve spent a lot of time in Panama, mostly trying to find boats. First, I arrived in October, 2010, and again in February, 2013. This collection of travel drawings from sketching in Panama include places such as David, Panama City and the San Blas Islands.
Travel Drawings from October, 2010
Before Panama City was relocated to Casco Antigua, it had been to the north of the modern center. Pirate destroyed it. This is a sketch of the remains of old Panama.
From the Costa Rica border, I hitchhiked to David, where I spent the night on a stretcher behind the David fire station.
These are the Miraflore locks of the Panama Canal. It cost 5 dollars to enter teh tourist center, so I opted to sit at the fence to make this travel drawing.
From downtown, Panama City stretches out along the causeway to a pair of islands where sailboats anchor. In 2010 I visited these marinas to cleave information on boat hitchhiking.
I made this drawing of the Panama City Skyline because it reminded me of my home.
From the Kuna Yala Park I arrived to Carti Sugdub, a crowded Kuna island. From there, I found a sailboat to go from Panama to Colombia, and made travel sketches along the way.
Here’s Helena, lazying in a hammock in the San Blas Islands on our sailing trip to bypass the Darien Gap.
A travel sketch of a San Blas Islands. These were Corona commercial islands for the consumptor.
The Kuna Indians are the inhabitants of the autonomous community that comprises the San Blas Islands. I sketched one of the Kuna men who brought me to his island afterward.
Safe in the firehouse of David, Panama, I went out in the night to make a travel drawing of the city center.
Travel Drawings from February, March and April 2013
A drawing of Worth’s sailboat Satori’s cabin. Worth took me on as crew from Cartagena, Colombia, to Bocas del Toro, Panama.
A drawing of a gas station hitchhiking on the Panamerican highway from Bocas del Toro to Panama City.
My friend Dirk, of Belgium, was one of the most memorable encounters on the Pacific Crossing. I should had gone with him from the beginning.
Before leaving the Americas, I decided to have one last American meal. Here’s a travel drawing of the Bennigan’s on Panama City’s causeway.
Line handling across the Panama Canal, I had the opportunity to draw the Bridge of the Americas from a unique vantage point.
A travel sketch of Luk, the child of the boat, swinging in the Perlas Islands.
A drawing of a sailboat in the Panama City anchorage.
A travel sketch of our grilling fish caught spear fishing in Las Perlas, Panama.
A travel sketch of the captain of the sailboat on which I helped line-handle for two days across the Panama Canal.
A drawing of a sailboat crossing the Panama Canal.
A travel sketch from the Panama City marina, Playita Marina. I spent about a month hanging around chatting with captains, trying to hitchhike a boat as crew to cross the Pacific.
A drawing of a man sitting at the cafe of the Playita Marina in Panama City.
A drawing of a few of the sailboats in Panama City. I met good friends here, and a few faces that would be recurring throughout 7 more months on the sea.
A sketch of sailboats dinghies in the harbor.
I sketched the Panama City skyline for the second time, the first having occurred on my visit here three years previous.
A drawing of the Swedish sailboat Warsvoki, aboard which a trio of vikings hoarded rum and set sail to Australia.
Sketching the dinghy of a French friend of mine and Dirk’s.
A quick travel sketch of a man in Panama. I began using Pitt artist pens in 2013.
This is Sarim on the beach in Las Perlas islands, which are a six hour sail from Panama City. We would do work on this boat and then set sail for the Galapagos.
