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We Came for San Blas… and Ended Up in a Rescue | Life at Anchor

December 23, 2025 · 11 min · 16K views · San Blas Islands

What this video covers

A routine afternoon in the San Blas anchorage at Christmas turned into a search-and-rescue operation when a cruiser named Roman was stranded on the ocean side of the reef after a wave rolled and swamped his dinghy, leaving him in the water without a way back aboard.9:08 Multiple cruising boats launched dinghies to search before dark, including Connor from Big Lost and Adam from Kaikoa, a former U.S. Coast Guard member who went out without a radio because his child had it ashore.5:49 Connor crossed through a reef opening to search the exposed ocean side.8:00 Roman was found in time and brought back by dinghy; Connor then circled to notify the other searchers.9:15 Earlier in the day, the crew had been snorkeling, baking focaccia, and sewing Sunbrella window privacy covers to block light at night — the same covers described as more challenging than the sunshade project completed earlier.1:46 The anchorage also produced a crocodile or shark sighting during a dinghy run to a nearby hot spring.3:51 The rescue underscores the practical value of carrying a handheld VHF on any dinghy excursion away from the mother ship.

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