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
082409 Isla Secas to Boca Chica
8/24/09: After a restful night, Chris and I go ashore on Isla Cavada, while Tim begins repairing my fish, fins and fin box. It’s a beautiful private island surrounded by a multitude of smaller rock formations, clear water, lots of fish and a varying sand-coral-rock bottom. Isla Cavada houses an exclusive resort that caters to the ultra-wealthy by providing shelter in air conditioned Yurts (luxury tents) and complete solitude. $1,000.00 per night includes meals (not alcohol) & activities (panga ride tours and transportation to surf and snorkeling spots, scuba diving & fishing). The grounds are lush and very well kept. We chat with a friendly fellow who obviously is either the owner and/or manager of the resort, and find they are only open during the dry season from December to March. They employ 18 people to maintain the grounds and structures year-round, as there’s much moisture and maintenance involved in the upkeep. As we depart, their supply barge arrives at their floating dock. A well kept aluminum vessel with a shallow draft and front end loader that transports guests, supplies and fuel. Tim and Kopra head to shore to walk the island as we did, but are stopped short at the floating dock. Another owner/manager prohibits access to the interior of this private island resort, but they are welcomed to walk the beach only, which would take all of 10 seconds, round trip. At 1115 we anchor up and head out, originally towards Isla Parida, but change mid-course and head to Boca Chica, where we’ll anchor, then move up the river to David (Panama’s second largest city) to check out of the country. 1500: Drop anchor, Boca Chica. There are approximately 7 other sailboats and catamarans anchored here, which is a good sign of safe harbor. 1900: we dingy ashore to Hotel Boca Brava for internet access, beers and lots of laughs. Hotel Boca Brava is owned and operated by Frank, originally from Germany, who’s been here for 15 years.
8/25/09: 0800 our new neighbor Mike comes by in his dingy to introduce himself and shares his wealth of local knowledge. Bus schedules, taxi rides, cost of goods and services, local people, foreigners living locally, other sailboat neighbors, how to get to David, the marina in Pedregal, the difficult transit up the river to Pedregal, possible contacts for repairs and maintenance, locations both good and bad, where and how to dock the dingy at the concrete ramp (no public docks), multiple store names best to shop for provisions, water taxi services, immigration, port captain, zarpe & maritime authority procedures and costs, local bars and their history (Hotel Boca Brava, Gone Fishing & Playa Christina) and the best beer prices. Armed with all this new information, Tim and Kopra zip around for a few hours visiting all the bars, meeting people, and ultimately find a ride into David, where they’ll overnight and take a bus in the morning to the border, and cross into Costa Rica. They only have a few days left before they leave, and the surf hunt is of top priority. Iwalani will be anchored here for a few days as we figure out how best to take care of exiting the country. By 1600, a water taxi arrives to pick up Tim, Kopra and their bags and surf gear. We say our goodbyes as they leave us with parting gifts: a fishing pole and lure, a marine work vest, miscellaneous meds and band aids. And oh, Tim gives me his fish to surf on, in the event repairs to my surfboard are not satisfactory. He’s already done an excellent job on repairing the fin, which originally looked like multiple layers of stiff fiberglass fanned out like a deck of cards, and Chris will do the rest. At 1630 the boys are gone and it’s silent. Tim and Kopra were great boat guests and are welcomed back anytime.
8/26/09: 0930 Mike the neighbor gives us a ride into David to pick up supplies, resin to fix my board and repair our extra alternator. Hawked by street vendors with rolling carts, we sample granisados, their version of local shaved ice, which is hand shaved off large blocks of ice into paper cups and topped with homemade, natural fresh fruit syrups such as coconut, pineapple and agua dolce (cane sugar). We also sample freshly squeezed agua dolce, sugar cane water. Whole stalks of raw sugar cane are fed through a giant, hand cranked press. The extracted juice runs down over a simple screen filter stretched across the top of a large, open Igloo water cooler filled with ice. Out comes agua dolce, an overly sweet, green colored (from the cane stalk) drink that is surprisingly refreshing. Can’t get more natural than that! In the early evening, we visit another Boca Chica hotel & bar called Gone Fishing, a beautiful property well maintained with lots of exquisite terra cotta tile work. We meet the whole family: owner Bruce, his wife and son, Cedar, Holly the Yorkshire terrier, and Ricky Rick, an intensely protective parrot who’s most likely a very jealous female. She wants nothing to do with anyone but Bruce, and contently sits on his shoulder, cuddling and cooing affectionately in his ear.
8/27/09: Today is spent onboard, alternately relaxing and cleaning up after our guest’s departure. In the early afternoon, a short dingy ride is in order to visit Playa Christina, a small beach side bar just around the corner on Isla Boca Brava, and nicknamed so after the retired woman who leases the land and resides in a house in the hills above the beach. On a sandy beach accessible only by dingy or a long hike through the interior island jungle, Christina has a small, thatched roofed hut which serves as a shady place to park yourself and have a few beers. She’s a very pleasant, carefree spirit who speaks three languages (German, Spanish & English), serves beer in her bikini, loves music, song and dance…and of course, beer. Her constant companion who stands guard and keeps watch over her every move is Palmina, a mixed breed lovable puppy, who does her guard dog duties extremely well.
8/28/09: Chris hitches another ride into David with neighbor Mike, while Colin and I stay onboard to accomplish dreaded school work and financial accounting duties. 1130 Cedar and two friends motor by and graciously invite us to surf, but I take a rain check for later. 1600 rolls around, Chris isn’t back yet, and we’re hit with a brief yet turbulent and violent squall. Colin notices our anchor dragging (good eye Fish Bucket!) so I manually hoist it up alone and amidst 30 kt winds while Colin steers, and we reposition it twice before it holds. 1715 Chris finally returns after a long exhausting day and car ride, wedged alongside 10 cases of beer, two additional passengers, various bags of groceries, an alternator, and a newly acquired plastic chest of drawers, all squeezed into his 3 cylinder Chevy “gnat” with an 800 hp motor. We reposition the anchor in calm conditions and needless to say, it was an early night for all.
8/29/09: At 1600 we’re hit by another violent squall, and it’s a good thing Capt Chris is onboard. The squall came out of the SE at a surprisingly rapid pace, slapping us with 45 kt winds gusting up to 50 kts, and horizontal rain that felt like pellets shot at close range. The anchor was holding but Chris motors in place to keep the tension off the chain. The squalls lasts for almost 2 hours, other vessels drag a bit, but all else holds fast. We later learn that this was the worst squall that hit Boca Chica in 5 – 7 years.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
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