Our Tour And Crew – Alessandra the Pirates of San Blas

Our Tour

Sailing through the San Blas Islands from Panama to Colombia and vice-versa with the Alessandra, You will experience the adventure of a lifetime and the legends of the classic sailboats.

Enjoy this unique experience discovering this hidden paradise of the Caribbean sea. Our trip on the Alessandra lasts 5 days and 4 nights, visiting the best parts of the San Blas Islands Archipelago, also called the Guna Yala region.
The price for the trip is 650 USD per person or 700 USD for the New Years special tour. Included are the 3 delicious and daily changing meals per day, breakfast, lunch and dinner and fruits, coffee, tea, and drinking water can always be taken. Of course included is the accommodation for the nights at sea. As room types on the boat, there are double beds and single beds in three shared cabins. Snorkeling gear and fishing equipment are also available for free.
To ensure our all safety, the boat is equipped with all the safety gear required by the Colombian Port Authorities for international travel and passenger transportation: life jackets, emergency life raft, VHF radio, navigation devices, GPS spot device and SAT line.

New route – more San Blas, les seasickness

Since January 2023, we changed our route to a safer one. Now we have more time to spend at the islands while being less time in the open sea, where a lot of people get seasick.
A sailing trip to Cartagena means 35 to 40 hours in the open sea at the end of the tour and no one can enjoy the tour between these big waves.
With that change, by having the same travel time, we have four days on the islands with the new tour in contrast to three days during the old tour. This makes it possible to explore more islands, one or two indigenous communities of the kunas and relax.
We are closer to the coast and avoid most of the high waves, so everybody can enjoy every part of our pirate life.

From Panama

We pick you up in Panama City with a shuttle and bring you to the port of San Blas, from there a small boat brings you to the island where captain Rudi welcomes you on board of the Alessandra for the tour. Transportation costs from Panama City to the boat are 60 USD per person and is not included in the tour price.

From Colombia

We depart from Cartagena in the evening with a private night Bus. Arrived in Necoclí, at 7 am we will go on board of a catamaran for up to 60 people that brings us to Capurganá. In Capurganá we will organize your emigration of Colombia.
From here, we only need about 15 minutes in a small boat to reach the Alessandra in Sapzurro and start our 5 day sailing tour to Panama.
The private transport from Cartagena to Capurganá, is included in the tour price.

Our Food

The boat is famous for its tasty food, we prepare Italian Pasta and Risotto with vegetables and fresh fish. Lobster, Crab, Cambombia, Octopus, Tuna, Snapper, Sierra, Bream, Wahoo, Sailfish and more. We are also able to accommodate any kind of diet (vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian).

THESE ARE THE LEADERS OF THIS GREAT ADVENTURE

Our Crew

Rudi Gamberoni

Our Captain

Was born in South Tyrol - Italy, in 1958.

Experience: 40 years in sailing boats.

Hobbies: Sailing, Fishing, Paragliding, Skiing.

Languages: German, Italian, Spanish, English

Yamile Vergara Torres

Captain’s Right Hand

She was born in 1981 in the beautiful country of Colombia.

Experience: 5 years with the captain at sea.

Hobbies: Cooking, Dancing and Music.

Languages: Spanish, Italian.

You will enjoy a unique and unforgettable experience!

Phone: (+57) 312 556 3931

WhatsApp: (+39) 349 7222 439

Email: info@cartagenasailing.com

Restyling Of Alessandra

Jan Saade

06:20 03 Apr 23

Im Februar 23 ging es für mich mit dem wunderschönen Segelboot „Alessandra“ von Panama nach Kolumbien. Ich hatte eine tolle Zeit mit mega leckerem Essen und toller Crew! Alles war super durchgeplant und die aufgrund von starkem Wind veränderte Route auf kolumbianischer Seite, welche über Sapzurro - Capurgana und Neccocli ging, war abwechslungsreich und spannend! Ich hatte meinen Spaß. Sehr empfehlenswert und die deutlich aufregendere Alternative der Grenzüberquerung im Vergleich zum Flug.

Walter Schüpbach

17:09 20 Mar 23

Ein unvergessliches und aufregendes Erlebnis, was wir auf diesem Boot und mit der Mannschaft erleben durften. Vielen Dank für alles, Rudi und sein Team sind einfach unbeschreiblich coole Menschen.

VAlentino Kristen

14:45 17 Mar 23

Mein Segeltrip auf den San Blas Inseln mit dem Boot Allesandra war insgesamt eine gute Erfahrung. Die Inseln selbst sind atemberaubend schön und bieten eine tolle Gelegenheit zum Schnorcheln und Entspannen. Das Boot selbst war sehenswert und komfortabel und bot alles, was wir für eine angenehme Reise benötigten.

Rob McLean

01:34 11 Mar 23

Unreal experience on the Alessandra pirate ship sailing from Colombia to Panamá departing 28 Feb 2023. Everything we excellent - especially the food prepared by the staff each day and of course the untouched islands of San Blas. I would recommend this trip to anyone, it was the highlight of my South & Central America travel. It’s not all smooth sailing - parts of the journey aren’t always comfortable, but it’s all part of the experience and worth it once you get to the San Blas Islands.

christine layton

16:25 08 Mar 23

I had an amazing experience travelling San Blas aboard the Alessandra! Captain Rudy and his staff are a wonderful team. The food was simply amazing!! Fresh seafood every day, and cooked with lots of flavour. Be warned the sleeping arrangements are cramped with no privacy (to be expected on a boat), however you can sleep on deck more comfortably for 4/5 nights if you'd like. The islands were simply breathtaking, and Rudy took us to many different areas- some more popular, and others completely deserted. It was great to experience such diversity! The 2 full days and nights spent in San Blas were simply magical from start to finish. We had a party on board one of the nights, and a bonfire party on the beach on another. It was a very merry time with a lot of beer and rum! There was always a lot of time for swimming and snorkelling and exploring the islands at our leisure. We were never made to feel in a hurry, or obligated to stick to a strict itinerary. Rudy was very flexible with the plans and would happily accomodate us if we wanted to stay longer in a spot. I really appreciated all the free time, and not feeling pressured to be anywhere or do anything! It was an unforgettable trip!

Kristian Elset Bø

22:39 06 Mar 23

Cartagena Sailing provides a unique experience to explore the San Blas islands with a larger group of fellow adventurers, and a fantastic crew! 5 days and 4 nights of tropical paradise, as well as the actual experience of crossing big distances on the open ocean in an authentic sail boat. The food is great too!

Darragh Sexton

15:02 01 Mar 23

I can't speak highly enough of this sailing trip.First, the pirate ship is extremely cool, It's beautiful, every person who sees it takes notice, very unique boat. The top deck has 2 main areas for chilling and eating. Then there are a couple more areas at the front and back where a few people can chill out and watch the waves, dolphins etc. The bottom deck has a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and then 3 cabins for sleeping. The cabins are a little snug on space but then again it's a pirate ship and that's to be expected. They are very comfortable and each bed has a fan.The crew are friendly and helpful. Captain Rudy is a brilliant character. Ask him any question and he will help and has a lot of sailing stories. The chef and food are really good. 3 meals a day, included. Portions are big and second portions available most of the time.The islands are like paradise. Palm trees, Coconuts, white beaches, blue waters. Several of the islands were most abandoned. 17 of us on the boat, excluding the 4/5 crew members, had the islands to enjoy ourselves. I had a great group, everyone really connected well. A mixture of people from the ages of 19 to 50. The majority were probably between 25 h 35 but I guess that changes with each group.You can bring your own snacks and alcohol which is a great idea. Plenty rum.It was windy season when I went so the water was rough but the sailing was well managed. We actually spent an extra day at sea at no extra cost. We were informed of this as soon as we got aboard and we were made aware this was a possibility beforehand.As I said, couldn't speak highly enough, one of most unique and best expierences that I have had 👍

Tobias F

18:01 27 Feb 23

In total the sailing trip is a really nice experience. The San Blas Islands are just beautiful, looking back it was very cool to sleep on a sailing boat for four nights, the food was incredibly good (also the vegetarian/vegan options), the crew was nice and the captain was fun to talk to and tried to give you a nice experience!Luckily we were only five passengers, tbh I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed the trip with 17 people because it must be really crowded.Don’t underestimate the waves, most people get seasick which is not very nice.The organisation was a bit sloppy, I guess that’s because they are trying a new route and we were among the first ones to try it. I like the idea because it saves you a lot of time on the open sea where you can’t really do anything because the waves are so big. But they might need some more time to figure it out because the bus ride that replaces most of the sailing time on the open sea was extremely uncomfortable and we didn’t get any information by the crew.If they get that right I think this is the best operator for the San Blas sailing trip. Still it was a really good experience!

C. B.

05:23 27 Feb 23

We had the best time with smiling, laughing and dancing. The food was delicious (breakfast, lunch and dinner with fresh fish and salad but also vegeterian/vegan option) and the crew amazing. Really grateful for the memories we've made and the people we 've met. If you ever have the chance - do it. It s an unforgettable trip.

Sam Clark

23:10 30 Sep 22

We had such an amazing time sailing on Alessandra through the San blas islands. Fresh lobsters for lunch, volleyball with the locals on the most beautiful islands in the world, snorkeling through beautiful reefs, drinking rum straight from fresh coconuts, playing backgammon on deck, lying in the hammocks reading books- a must do trip for all.