There is not much to do in Linton Bay. No trails to hike, no beaches to explore, and only a few islands close enough to visit by dinghy. We walked around the very small village of Puerto Lindo, in about 10 minutes and didn’t see much beyond the small huts where people lived. So, it was time to visit the remaining two areas: Isla Linton and Panamarina.
Panamarina is small marina just around the corner from Linton Bay Marina where we were anchored. It lies in a protected mangrove creek and offers moorings and haul out services. So, we hopped in Sweetie and headed toward the area where there is an inlet that takes you directly through the mangroves. Before you get to the inlet you have to navigate around a reef, which lucky for us was easy to spot with the early morning sun.
The inlet opening was pretty wide with huge mangroves on either side. It is amazing to see how the roots of the mangroves intertwined with one another to form a strong barrier able to withstand strong storms.
As you continue down the river, the inlet becomes narrower and the mangroves stretch overhead meeting in the center to create a magnificent canopy. It was so pretty hearing the birds sing and come to life as we moved through their neighborhood.
Beautiful canopy of trees on the way to Panamarina
We weren’t going very fast because we weren’t in a hurry and we did not know how deep the inlet was, so we just enjoyed the ride.
The inlet deposited us into a bay where more than a dozen boats were moored. We checked out the boats and made our way to the dinghy dock.
Panamarina mooring field. Photo courtesy of Panamarina website.
Ashore, there are two yards. A short term working yard and long-term storage yard. Unfortunately, everything was closed as it was Sunday and Christmas Eve. But it did afford us the opportunity to walk around the property. Next to the office is a restaurant / bar with a pretty decent looking menu. It also appears that they have several services available to cruisers such as mechanical, electrical, canvas, and carpentry.
After we returned from Panamarina, we went to visit Isla Linton. This island is uninhabited except for several monkey families that live in the hills. The monkeys usually come down to the dock in the afternoon and have invaded the abandoned house near the beach. We were told that they appear to be friendly at first, but they quickly get agitated when they realize you intend to move on.
When we visited the island it was late morning, early afternoon so we were not expecting a monkey encounter. We pulled our dinghy onto the tiny beach just in front of the abandoned house.
Abandoned house on Isla Linton
There is a lot of brush, weeds, and overgrowth here so it makes it challenging to navigate the shore. But, I found a small worn path and headed to the house where I wanted to find a monkey. Just one, to take a photo. The house had a retched smell and was littered with waste, no monkeys – just an old alligator hide tacked onto the wall.
Alligator skin tacked on to wall.
Not much to see on this spec of land, so we took a few shots, howled for the monkeys, and left when our call was not returned.
Matt hiding from me
Exploring Wins and Losses:
- No monkey
- Alligator Skin
- Cool services at Panamarina
