Wednesday, October 28, 2009
102809 Current position: anchored in Bahia de Culebra, Costa Rica
102809 Current position: anchored in Bahia de Culebra, Costa Rica
Strapped in the perpetual confines of 30 days arrear, my escape from this tortuous arena of blog posting tardiness is a speedily planned photo gallery to fast forward our travels to the present.
The last posting left off on 091009 as we departed Pavones to travel north up the Costa Rican coastline, from the Golfo Dulce to the Golfo Nicoya. We sailed from Southern Costa Rica to Herradura in Central Costa Rica, to pick up Colin after visiting with his mom. Maintaining our northward trek, we’ll exit the country at Playa del Coco, and then head to Nicaragua and beyond.
1. 091009 Pavones to Bahia Drake - 49 miles. Depart 0500. Arrive 1650 and drop anchor in Bahia drake. 0900 hooked a pesky pelican who tried to swallow our fishing lure. Barely struggling and half drowned, Chris reels it in, quickly grabs hold of the pelican’s beak to cinch it shut, and pries the lure off his lower lip. With a look of shock, disbelief and a bit of embarrassment, the pesky pelican floats on the seas surface as Iwalani pulls away. Thereafter, the flock of thirty some odd Pelicans miraculously disappear into thin air. Poof! Just like that. Word travels fast through the hooked beak wireless. 1650: after a long day of sailing, we drop anchor at Bahia Drake, a calm, glassy protected bay with sand bottom. It looks like a quiet town with small, boutiquey thatch roofed hotels. Of note is the observation that the further north we travel in Costa Rica, there is diminishing evidence of indigenous lifestyle, and an increase of western presence with its’ land development, condominiums and hotels.
2. 091109 Bahia Drake to Quepos – 55 miles. Depart 0600. Arrive 1730 and grab mooring ball at a cost of 10,000 colones per night (rather pricey at around $18.00 US). ROLLY anchorage.
3. 091209 Quepos to Herradura. Depart 0600. Arrive 1445 and drop anchor in Herradura. This is where Chris spent most of his time while living in Costa Rica, surfing and exploring all the secluded waves before there were crowds. Chris takes me to surf Escondida right around the corner, where the A-frame peak provides pitchy lefts and rights. It’s small 1-2 but fun. We spend the next 11 days anchored in Herradura in front of Adriana’s house, with day trips to Escondida and Punta Leona. Colin gets to spend time and stay with his mom; Alanis visits us on the boat; we rent a car and Chris shows me Hermosa Beach up through Puntarenas; we visit Adriana’s mom’s farm with beautiful acreage that holds goats, horses, chickens, dogs and more; our friends aboard NEOS appears and we revisit and catch up – they’re headed back south after doing some boat repairs in Puntarenas.
4. 092309 Herradura to Isla San Lucas – 22 miles. Depart 0900. Arrive 1500 and drop anchor at Isla San Lucas 9* 56.9’ N 084* 54.3’ W. Happy birthday Lisa! Wow, feels good to be on the move again. Isla San Lucas is a beautiful and quiet protected bay, no rolling, and we’re the only ones here. Heavy rains fill our tanks, cooler and rain barrel! There’s a floating dock / restaurant in the middle of the bay, which we later find out is a popular weekend destination for local day sailors and sport fishing boats. Chris makes me a birthday dinner of my favorite – nachos!
5. 092409 Isla San Lucas to Puntarenas – 2 miles. Depart 0600. Arrive 0730 at the Costa Rica Yacht Club, moored to a floating dock. We have to time this transit in during an incoming tide, as the river is difficult to maneuver and is wrought with shallow mud banks, raging tidal currents, underwater wrecks, and crocodiles. We will stay here through 100909 and get the following work done: fabricate and install a new forward berth; repair the Nissan 5hp outboard motor; loads of laundry; find and purchase a used hard bottom dingy (upgrade); sew new salon cushions, privacy curtains for berths and sleeping area; with the help of new friends met at the boat yard, Kirk (a welder) and his wife Tiffany, Chris fabricates and welds a davit to haul the outboard motors on and off Iwalani; Chris welds flat iron to our pilot house roof that act as rain gutters to collect rainwater; re-glue and repair interior woodwork; repair refrigerator box interior sides and lids; wire wheel and paint rust spots; thoroughly clean Iwalani inside and out; purchase diesel to fill our pachingas (holds 5-6 gallons each).
6. 100909 Puntarenas to Isla Cedros. Depart 0830. Arrive 1122 and drop anchor at Isla Cedros. It’s another nice anchorage with no one else around, clean water and lots of jumping fish.
7. 101009 Isla Cedros to Bahia Ballena. Depart 0600. Arrive 1030 and drop anchor at Bahia Ballena. Very active fishing port with pangas EVERYWHERE. Fish is bought and sold right off the end of the pier. Nice produce on the pier, great shelling on the beach.
8. 101109 Bahia Ballena to Carillo. Depart 0710 for a 40 mile sail. Arrive 1800, grab 2 mooring balls just before dark. We had to round Cabo Blanco, known for strong currents and wind. Prepared for the worst, we were very fortunate to have smooth and glassy conditions, very little wind and great weather.
9. 101209 Carillo to Tamarindo. Depart 0530 for another long sailing day. Arrive 1600, all fast to mooring ball. The infamous Papagayo winds started blowing straight off shore and we were motor sailing at 5 kts, sometimes gusting to 7 kts!
10. 101409 Tamarindo to Guacamaya. Depart 0600. Arrive 0935 and drop anchor at Guacamaya. This is one of the last untouched areas in Northern Costa Rica. A beautiful bay and turtle nesting area. Unfortunately, it was purchased and is slated for condominium development.
11. 101509 Guacamaya to Playa del Coco. Depart 0820. Arrive 1000. Bad news. Roller furling snapped and needs to be replaced. Good news, it happened in coastal waters where we CAN get it replaced.
12. 102809 Bahia de Culebra. We’ve been hovering around this bay since 101509, waiting for our shipment from Miami. Needless to say, it’s a long and arduous process. Playa del Coco, Playa Panama and Marina Papagayo has been our circuit in Bahia de Culebra, and we’ve made some great friends. Brian and Amanda aboard Clara Katherine, heading south to Panama. Ted, owner of Alsumar and his crew, Steven and Walter, making repairs on a 1934 pristine wooden sailboat and off to transit the Panama canal and to the Caribbean. Dan, Harbor Master at Marina Papagayo has been so gracious and helpful. I highly recommend this Marina (the only one in Northern Costa Rica) to anyone who needs one.
Strapped in the perpetual confines of 30 days arrear, my escape from this tortuous arena of blog posting tardiness is a speedily planned photo gallery to fast forward our travels to the present.
The last posting left off on 091009 as we departed Pavones to travel north up the Costa Rican coastline, from the Golfo Dulce to the Golfo Nicoya. We sailed from Southern Costa Rica to Herradura in Central Costa Rica, to pick up Colin after visiting with his mom. Maintaining our northward trek, we’ll exit the country at Playa del Coco, and then head to Nicaragua and beyond.
1. 091009 Pavones to Bahia Drake - 49 miles. Depart 0500. Arrive 1650 and drop anchor in Bahia drake. 0900 hooked a pesky pelican who tried to swallow our fishing lure. Barely struggling and half drowned, Chris reels it in, quickly grabs hold of the pelican’s beak to cinch it shut, and pries the lure off his lower lip. With a look of shock, disbelief and a bit of embarrassment, the pesky pelican floats on the seas surface as Iwalani pulls away. Thereafter, the flock of thirty some odd Pelicans miraculously disappear into thin air. Poof! Just like that. Word travels fast through the hooked beak wireless. 1650: after a long day of sailing, we drop anchor at Bahia Drake, a calm, glassy protected bay with sand bottom. It looks like a quiet town with small, boutiquey thatch roofed hotels. Of note is the observation that the further north we travel in Costa Rica, there is diminishing evidence of indigenous lifestyle, and an increase of western presence with its’ land development, condominiums and hotels.
2. 091109 Bahia Drake to Quepos – 55 miles. Depart 0600. Arrive 1730 and grab mooring ball at a cost of 10,000 colones per night (rather pricey at around $18.00 US). ROLLY anchorage.
3. 091209 Quepos to Herradura. Depart 0600. Arrive 1445 and drop anchor in Herradura. This is where Chris spent most of his time while living in Costa Rica, surfing and exploring all the secluded waves before there were crowds. Chris takes me to surf Escondida right around the corner, where the A-frame peak provides pitchy lefts and rights. It’s small 1-2 but fun. We spend the next 11 days anchored in Herradura in front of Adriana’s house, with day trips to Escondida and Punta Leona. Colin gets to spend time and stay with his mom; Alanis visits us on the boat; we rent a car and Chris shows me Hermosa Beach up through Puntarenas; we visit Adriana’s mom’s farm with beautiful acreage that holds goats, horses, chickens, dogs and more; our friends aboard NEOS appears and we revisit and catch up – they’re headed back south after doing some boat repairs in Puntarenas.
4. 092309 Herradura to Isla San Lucas – 22 miles. Depart 0900. Arrive 1500 and drop anchor at Isla San Lucas 9* 56.9’ N 084* 54.3’ W. Happy birthday Lisa! Wow, feels good to be on the move again. Isla San Lucas is a beautiful and quiet protected bay, no rolling, and we’re the only ones here. Heavy rains fill our tanks, cooler and rain barrel! There’s a floating dock / restaurant in the middle of the bay, which we later find out is a popular weekend destination for local day sailors and sport fishing boats. Chris makes me a birthday dinner of my favorite – nachos!
5. 092409 Isla San Lucas to Puntarenas – 2 miles. Depart 0600. Arrive 0730 at the Costa Rica Yacht Club, moored to a floating dock. We have to time this transit in during an incoming tide, as the river is difficult to maneuver and is wrought with shallow mud banks, raging tidal currents, underwater wrecks, and crocodiles. We will stay here through 100909 and get the following work done: fabricate and install a new forward berth; repair the Nissan 5hp outboard motor; loads of laundry; find and purchase a used hard bottom dingy (upgrade); sew new salon cushions, privacy curtains for berths and sleeping area; with the help of new friends met at the boat yard, Kirk (a welder) and his wife Tiffany, Chris fabricates and welds a davit to haul the outboard motors on and off Iwalani; Chris welds flat iron to our pilot house roof that act as rain gutters to collect rainwater; re-glue and repair interior woodwork; repair refrigerator box interior sides and lids; wire wheel and paint rust spots; thoroughly clean Iwalani inside and out; purchase diesel to fill our pachingas (holds 5-6 gallons each).
6. 100909 Puntarenas to Isla Cedros. Depart 0830. Arrive 1122 and drop anchor at Isla Cedros. It’s another nice anchorage with no one else around, clean water and lots of jumping fish.
7. 101009 Isla Cedros to Bahia Ballena. Depart 0600. Arrive 1030 and drop anchor at Bahia Ballena. Very active fishing port with pangas EVERYWHERE. Fish is bought and sold right off the end of the pier. Nice produce on the pier, great shelling on the beach.
8. 101109 Bahia Ballena to Carillo. Depart 0710 for a 40 mile sail. Arrive 1800, grab 2 mooring balls just before dark. We had to round Cabo Blanco, known for strong currents and wind. Prepared for the worst, we were very fortunate to have smooth and glassy conditions, very little wind and great weather.
9. 101209 Carillo to Tamarindo. Depart 0530 for another long sailing day. Arrive 1600, all fast to mooring ball. The infamous Papagayo winds started blowing straight off shore and we were motor sailing at 5 kts, sometimes gusting to 7 kts!
10. 101409 Tamarindo to Guacamaya. Depart 0600. Arrive 0935 and drop anchor at Guacamaya. This is one of the last untouched areas in Northern Costa Rica. A beautiful bay and turtle nesting area. Unfortunately, it was purchased and is slated for condominium development.
11. 101509 Guacamaya to Playa del Coco. Depart 0820. Arrive 1000. Bad news. Roller furling snapped and needs to be replaced. Good news, it happened in coastal waters where we CAN get it replaced.
12. 102809 Bahia de Culebra. We’ve been hovering around this bay since 101509, waiting for our shipment from Miami. Needless to say, it’s a long and arduous process. Playa del Coco, Playa Panama and Marina Papagayo has been our circuit in Bahia de Culebra, and we’ve made some great friends. Brian and Amanda aboard Clara Katherine, heading south to Panama. Ted, owner of Alsumar and his crew, Steven and Walter, making repairs on a 1934 pristine wooden sailboat and off to transit the Panama canal and to the Caribbean. Dan, Harbor Master at Marina Papagayo has been so gracious and helpful. I highly recommend this Marina (the only one in Northern Costa Rica) to anyone who needs one.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
090509 Golfito to Pavones, Costa Rica
9/5/09: 0635 undock from Fish Hook Marina, heading back to Pavones for some surf. A short stop at the fuel dock to fill up diesel and we’re on our way by 0755. 13 miles away, we drop anchor at Pavones at 1100 in 20’ of water, good holding. Surf is small, around 2’ Hawaiian style, and a handful of people are out. Chris and I make it to the line up, and have a short but fun session on the consistent left handers. Since my fish is still in surgery, compliments of Munchman, I test out his fish and have a great time.
9/6/09: 0545 early am surf session in 1-2’ and glassy conditions, it’s a mid tide going low. By 0615 it’s inconsistent and crowded, and we head back to Iwalani by 0700. Going ashore, we walk the small town and out towards Punta Blanco, take a dip and cool off in the chilly, fresh water stream flowing out to the surf, then return to Iwalani. 1615: dragging anchor with increasing winds, Capt Chris decides to anchor up and head back to Golfito for safe harbor. High altitude cirrus clouds on the horizon promised consistently increasing winds 15 – 18 kts and possible rain, making for a rolly, unsettling night. It’s currently raining heavily in Golfito, but the water is calm and well protected. 1800: Sailing into a lightning storm, we take down the jib and main sail just in time before the wind switches up. Thunder and lightning rage all around us and it seems we are headed directly into the eye of the storm. Making less than 3 kts, we take our path with slow and deliberate steps toward impending doom. Amazingly, the storm parts, there’s no rain, the seas becalm and we pick up speed to 4.3 kts. 2015: drop anchor in the dark off Fish Hook Marina. We’re back!
9/7/09: 0845 we grab a mooring ball at Landsea Marina, located right next to Fish Hook Marina. We check in with proprietor Tim, recognizable with his big white beard, and he gives us a tour of the place. It’s by far the best little marina we’ve encountered. Cruiser friendly, well kept and clean, well organized and thought out, cool décor, all the amenities you’d want, everything on the honor system (beers and sodas, and you sign in on the board on the day you arrive), and a slew of DOGS! Riley the boxer, Vinny “da gangsta” mini-pin, Peanut the littlest mut, Rags the scraggly mut, and Abu the cat who resides on Tim’s Magic Carpet, Costa Rica’s first house boat. At 1400 there’s a loud barking commotion coming from the dingy dock. Three dogs are barking incessantly at the sky above. Aha! There’s a buzzard on the roof, apparently checking out the dock and the littlest dog, Peanut. Oh oh. Along comes Riley the boxer who lets out several deep barks and off flaps the buzzard. Riley to the rescue! Peanut is safe once again, and they all traipse back up the gangway to safety. 1915: showering and exiting the common area before the 1930 curfew, a torrential downpour seems to stall my departure. I try to wave to Chris on Iwalani to hold off from coming ashore to pick me up till the rain subsides, but my true love jumps into Opihi, motors over to the dingy dock shirtless and drenched, and lovingly hands me an open umbrella. Wow, I love this guy.
9/9/09: The morning is spent on final errands and we also pick up 2 kilos of killer ahi! 0920 let go mooring to depart Golfito and head back to Pavones. 1000 sashimi and poison cru coming right up! Oh – oh. Seas are getting a bit rough from wind chop and 2’ wind swells, and the winds are blowing at 15 kts. We don’t want to turn around and go back to Golfito again, so Chris makes a slight change of venue at Pavones. Instead of anchoring off the surf spot, we find a little backside bay just around the corner, and find a small bay better protected from open ocean wind and swell. 1245: drop anchor with good holding, and we’re happily stable.
Monday, September 28, 2009
083009 Boca Chica to Puerto Armuelles, Panama, to Golfito, Costa Rica
8/30/09: Instead of checking out of the country at David, Pedregal, we decide to check out at Puerto Armuelles. 1315 anchor up, depart Boca Chica with a short sail to Isla Parida, where we’ll anchor and get an early morning start to Puerto Armuelles. By 1550 with winds in our favor, we’re under full sail making 4.7 kts and Capt Chris decides to change course and make good for Puerto Armuelles, which is 31 miles away with an estimated arrival of 2100. 2130: drop anchor in the dark, Puerto Armuelles, in 25’ of water, rolling RAIL to RAIL. It is by far the most uncomfortable conditions endured to date.
8/31/09: 0800 finds us barely rested, without any sign of easing up on the rolling rail to rail conditions. Non-conducive conditions to lower Opihi into the water required an expensive $15 water taxi ride to shore, where we quickly (3 hours) accomplished our exit paperwork ($100 +) and returned to Iwalani to get out of dodge. 1100: anchor up, depart Puerto Armuelles, Panama, heading to Pavones, Costa Rica (CR). It’s a long, tiring day as we hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, but we’re happy to be on the move and out of the rolly conditions. 2100: we’re motoring slowly towards the anchorage at Pavones in the dark, but without much worry. Chris had live in CR for 14 years and knows the waters very well. He spies another sailboat anchored in the distance, and uses it to help guide us in towards shore. 2130: drop anchor next to our friends NEOS! Hey! Colin paddles over to retrieve my long lost Tupperware cover and our Fat Albert DVD. Unfortunately, NEOS is leaving at 5am the next morning to head north towards Puntarenas. We’ll meet again on their way back south, sometime late September. Exhausted, we enjoy the calm anchorage and get some much needed rest. There’s a definite change in the air as we’ve finally crossed one country and entered another. Panama was a new experience for us all, but now, the familiarity of Costa Rica slowly becalms the mood.
9/1/09: 0535 anchor up, depart Pavones to Golfito to check into the country of Costa Rica. NEOS advises us of the time change, 1 hour back. We motor sail with clear skies and a rising tide which will make our entrance into Golfito an easy one. Golfito is a natural harbor located in the Golfo Dulce. 1030: drop anchor, Golfito, in front of the Port Captain’s building. We dingy ashore while Colin stays on watch with Iwalani, and accomplish our entry into the country in record time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. Unlike the hundreds of dollars we had to pay in Panama to the maritime authority, immigration and Port Captain, it costs just $44.00 in import taxes which is calculated on the actual value of our vessel. By 1300 we’re docked at Fish Hook Marina, next to our friends Rosemary and her son David on NINA, whom we met in Colon, on the Caribbean side of Panama. First up, we plug into shore power and hook up our A/C unit, enjoy a shower in the marina facilities, then retreat into the cavity of out now air conditioned cabin! Ah, what luxury. Rosemary and David join us for dinner and a movie, and we catch up with our adventures.
9/2/09: As planned, Colin’s mom Monica, her husband Simon and their 5 year old Michael drive to Golfito from Oro Tina (4 hour drive), arriving at 0830 to pick up Colin for a visit. Happy reunion. 0930: Chris and I walk around Golfito, a fishing based town situated off the shores of this deep water natural harbor. The next few days are spent meeting new friends, powering up our batteries from shore power for a full charge, and savoring the air conditioned salon, which we know is a short lived luxury. Our new neighbors at the Marina have written an online based cruising guide for Central America, very affordable at $13 for Part 1, and $18 for Part 2. Web site is www.sailsarana.com
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