"Good Ships" Series: The Lanchas
Aboard the battered Ometepe Lanchas of Lake Nicaragua
The Santa Martha and Karen Maria Lanchas: Ometepe, Nicaragua
We ran across the rough wooden pier towards the small lancha ferry “Karen Maria” from San Jorge that was about to depart for the small volcanic island of Ometepe. The open top deck was level with the pier and seemed inviting, even as the crew continued to load motorcycles and freight.
All passengers were sent below decks. A Caribbean Nica ferry had sunken a few days earlier and so this was the first trip aboard the Karen Maria with lifevests.
For some.
The lanchas are old, battered wooden ships, with a permanent list to one side. The Santa Martha’s lines hogged and sagged from years of plying the rough Lake Nicaragua crossing to the volcanic island of Ometepe.
About halfway across, water sloshed across our feet, rising above the floorboards. Tarps pulled tight across open windows on the windward side to keep the sea out.
A large, bare-chested, barrel-chested, man arrived deep in the passenger hold, carrying a long wooden pole. Opening the engine cover, the clatter of the old diesel was incredible. He inserted the pole in a bellows and proceeded to pump the bilges dry for the rest of the journey.
Note: Lanchas are smaller boats and there are larger steel ferries as well. The Ferry Che Guevara is large and stable and well built. We took the Ferry el Che on the return trip, but I’d for sure suggest at least one way ought to be a lancha.
Ferry schedule is here: https://ometepenicaragua.com/ferryboat.php
Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America and the 19th largest lake in the world. Despite being a freshwater lake, it is home to oceanic species including bull sharks who travel the San Juan River to the sea.1
"There is but a plank between a sailor and eternity." - Thomas Gibbons
https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Nicaragua
Beautiful photography and an idyllic location. Excellent work!