CostaRica2007

8th June 2007
                                                        COSTA RICA
                                                                                         Golfito - Gulf of Nicoya - Bahia Santa Elena

Friday 8th June we arrived in Golfito, Costa Rica after a ‘mainly motoring’ trip from Armuelles in Panama. We had been looking forward to this visit for some time as Costa Rica is billed as one of the most eco-friendly countries in Central America. With over 14% of the country as National Park; Mountain trekkers, hikers, bird watchers, surfers and beach bums flock to Costa Rica’s lush jungle and ragged coastline every year to revel in its outstanding beauty and tranquillity.
Home to thousands of monkeys, lizards, colourful poison dart frogs and snakes, crocodiles, sloth’s, endangered sea turtles, exotic birds, insects, butterflies and jungle cats, it’s an ‘almost virgin’ paradise waiting to be explored.

Along with our friends Ed & Ellen with “Entr’acte”, we picked up moorings off Land Sea Services and were welcomed by the owners Tim & Katie and their security team of four dogs and three cats.

After the usual Clearing-In saga of running here, there and everywhere we found we could finally relax in a place that was safe, secure and away from the swell. Land Sea Services is actually the home of Tim & Katie, where we were welcomed to come and go, using their home and all their services (including Wi-Fi internet). It’s all ‘open plan’ except for the T.V. and internet room which is upstairs with a balcony for those who just want to sit and admire the beautiful view over the bay with an ice cold beer at $1.00 a bottle.
As a bonus feature they have Riley, a very good natured, sloppy Boxer dog that just loves to be made a fuss off and go for walks. Everyone warms to Riley and Riley warms to everyone!
We spent seven weeks in Golfito, two of which I spent in the UK having flown back for the funeral of my mother, who died suddenly and unexpectedly of cancer. During this time John remained to look after the boat and to catch up on the ever expanding ‘jobs list’. Ed & Ellen left us after one week and went north to Puntarenas where they were scheduled to “haul out”. The rest of the time went by quickly; With Tim’s vast knowledge of the area and local services, always there to answer any questions, we were able to get things sorted out quickly and thus see more of our surroundings.
At the time of writing we were paying $6/day for our mooring and all the services. If we’d used our own anchor it was $4/day to use the services. Tim is a little short on space so understandably takes people on a first come first served basis (unless you are willing to part with money to secure a place). It’s a very cruiser friendly marina with prices that they work hard to keep low. They also have dock space for two or three boats (depending on size) and a houseboat just off the dock where another two boats can moor alongside. This is a great place to go off and leave your boat whilst exploring Costa Rica. Security is an issue on this coast and Tim takes security very seriously!
On my return from the U.K., John was there to greet me at San Jose airport having come up on the bus from Golfito. It was not possible to get an evening flight down there due to the late afternoon thunderstorms so we were faced with an overnight in San Jose and thought it best to make it into a ‘visit’. After an evening out at one of the local restaurants we had a good night at our hotel and woke refreshed and ready to ‘do the town’. We started with the National Museum and then wandered through the tourist district taking in the sights.

The National Theatre was magnificent and a reminder of the wealth and grandeur that was once this fine city. Inside, up a Carrara Marble staircase is Costa Rica’s most famous painting, Una Alegoria, by Milanese artist Aleardo Villa, commissioned in 1897; Villa depicts a coffee harvest being loaded onto a sailing ship. The second-floor foyer overwhelms the senses with ornate gilding, crystal statues, paintings, columns, mirrors, lights and fine furniture.

The Cathedral was a little disappointing, especially considering that this is a mainly catholic country. However it was well worth the visit. We stopped off at the Gran Hotel which retains its old world charm whilst offering the most modern conveniences, which includes the Café Parisien, a great place to sit outdoors with a coffee and watch the world go by. We then moved on to see the many Parks that dot the downtown area. We had a full day at ‘playing tourist’ then returned to our Hotel to pick up our bags and move off to the Bus station for our transportation back to Golfito. We were quite impressed by the Bus service; the coach was modern and clean and ran to time. It stopped at a clean and comfortable restaurant for dinner and we had no problem with our baggage which went in the ‘hold’ below. We caught some magnificent views as we drove over the mountains where we were up in the clouds and quite cool at times.
Our second attempt to walk along the ridge line of the Rain Forest Reserve that lies close behind Land Sea was successful. The first attempt had died from fatigue quite some way from the top. The second one however was fortified by the presence of Riley who had energy to spare. Although tough going at first, after about thirty minutes we were rewarded with magnificent views as we crested the ridge line and found a nice little park in open ground. The remainder of the walk was gentler and there were several spots to admire the views both out to sea and towards the interior. We were also rewarded by seeing red squirrels, toucans, white faced monkeys and howler monkeys; which unfortunately Riley also saw and decided to chase away! Once up at the towers we found the short cut down the mountain to the back of Golfito Town was too wet and slippery and hence we returned the same way we’d come arriving back somewhat worn out.

With fellow cruisers from “Hawk” and “Camaraderie II” we took a fifteen mile boat trip over to the Botanical Gardens in the north east part of the Golfo Dulce. After getting ashore through the surf, a feat handled exceedingly well by our ‘water taxi’ skipper. We were met by Susan and introduced to her lovely garden full of exotic flowers. She gave us a grand tour of this beautiful private garden and came away much enlightened and somewhat more knowledgeable on the subject of tropical plants.

An unwelcome visitor climbed up our mooring rope one morning, a Boa constrictor!

Before sailing off from Golfito we decided to let go of our mooring for the weekend and have a look what was round the bay. We anchored off Pelican Island and were surprised at the tranquillity of the place while pelicans, frigate birds and road side hawks flew over head. The following morning we moved and anchored as close as we could to the El Atrocho, a cut through the mangroves that leads into a lagoon to the south of Golfito, with Stewart and Bernadette we took off to explore. Unfortunately it was not as we expected, it was basically a cut for the local boats and tour trips so the wild life was almost non-existing except for a few King Fishers. The whole area in Golfito we think has been under rated. It is a nice cruising ground for anyone wanting the tranquil of peace and quite, surrounded by beauty that is offered with wild life so close, especially waking up to the sounds of howler monkeys in the mornings.
Tim & Katie always look forward to social gatherings at their place, whether it is a BBQ or a Pot Luck, of which we had many. On our last night Katie laid on a ‘Bon Voyage’ party for several boats where everyone took along vegetables and meat. Beth and Evans with Hawk, Stewart & Bernadette on Camaraderie, Dean on Blue fox and ourselves had another great evening thanks mainly to Katie, cooking up one big ‘over sized pan’ of stir fried vegetables.
Tim does great work with the BBQ, which he prepares and fires up for each occasion. He also cleans up after us all and at moments when a good story is called for, he can ‘string a line’ with the best of them…..

We enjoyed our stay at Land Sea Services enormously thanks to Tim & Katie and not forgetting Riley. The weather is somewhat wet at times but it only seemed to thunder and rain in the afternoons for a few hours at a time. On occasions it was seriously heavy but it was rare that there was a lot of wind with it. One has to remember that we were anchored within a stones throw of a Rain Forrest and this was the Rainy Season!
Sunday 29th July we left Golfito but unfortunately within less than an hour of leaving we had turned back due to an oil leak. The plastic pipe to our new pressure gauge had split and allowed oil to spurt all over the Engine Space, lucky for us John had a spare one in the locker so once that was fitted and more oil inserted, we returned to Golfito to replenish the oil and to replace the oil pipe.
Monday 30th we finally left Golfito and after a three hour motor across a calm Golfo Dulce arrived in Jimenez (San Domingo). By which time we could see the thunder clouds starting to gather in the distance, however we decided to launch the dinghy and go for a quick walk. Jimenez is a frontier town with roads that are still tracks and everyone owns a 4x4. There’s wasn’t much in the way of shops but being a back packers place, there were lots to do and see if one had the money to pay for all the tours.
We were early ashore the following day and started by taking the road to Parrott Bay (lodge). On route we passed an orchard of trees that provides a fruit that attracts the Scarlet Macaws, much to our surprise we found about six of them feeding!

They are such lovely birds with their long tails and bright colourful feathers; it was nice to see them in their own habitat instead of being locked in cages as pets.
Further up the path we saw nesting Egrets and a bit further still, by a small bridge, John spotted a couple of rather huge crocodiles moving in the swampy mangroves. They didn’t seem to be as bothered about us as we were about them! We moved further along the path and to our surprise John spotted a young Roadside Hawk that didn’t mind us coming up close to take his photo.
Having reached the end of the path with no real business at the lodge we walked back and had another look at the Scarlet Macaws. The afternoon produced its usual down- pour of rain and thunder so we retreated back to the boat.
From Jimenez we motor-sailed 56 miles to Bahia Drake to spend a night in a rolly anchorage only to sail another 52 miles the following day to Bahia Manuel Antonio and yet another rolly anchorage. After laying out a stern anchor we were a little more comfortable however a heavy thunderstorm with torrential rain passed right over us and the lightning cracks were so loud as to make the hull vibrate! The intenseness of this storm was probably due to the passage of a Tropical Wave; there was twenty knots of wind with it and it lasted several hours. But despite the intense storm and rolly anchorage, we did have a nice fish dinner of Wahoo (measuring about three feet in length), which we had caught on the way up. One trick we have learnt about catching fish and bringing them on board; is: One, wrap the fish in a big towel. Two, keep your feet on the fish until he has finished his death dance. Three, put the fish cutting board on top of the towel (under the fish) and then start the filleting process. This way you will always have a clean cockpit. If the fish towel gets a little too smelly, just soak it over night in sea water with a little bleach.

After a rolly night we were up early to the sounds of Howler Monkeys close by in the National Park. In a rather large surf we managed to beach the canoe without any problems (if you call getting slightly wet no problem). We first walked round the ‘town’ which is just a tourist dive with lots of colourful stalls selling there local handicrafts, an ultra slow Internet Café and some ‘OK’ restaurants which were a bit over-priced.
We had actually landed our dinghy inside of the National Park and then gone outside it. Returning cost us $7.00 a head but we did not begrudge them this money as we found the Park to be excellent value for money. We did several walks, all with nicely laid out paths through the jungle. Along the way we saw Howler Monkeys, White Faced Monkeys, a Coati, Three Toed Sloth, Agouti, various Lizards and a Raccoon. Not bad for just one afternoon!

There was plenty to take photos of and a lot of ‘craning the neck’ looking up at the monkeys. It was a great day out and we managed to get back to the boat at 16.00hrs just before the afternoon rains arrived.
Saturday 4th August we actually got to sail most of the way up to Punta Leona and in the process managed to catch yet another fish, this one a Crevalle Jack weighing in about 14lbs. We dropped anchor in the lovely ‘horse shoe’ bay surround by picturesque cliffs. There was a nice beach with a small hotel tucked away behind some coconut trees.
First impressions however, can be deceptive! We hadn’t been at anchor more than five minutes before we had the Jet Ski’s and the “Yellow Banana” (complete with screaming kids) doing circles around us. Fortunately it was now late in the afternoon and as the rain moved in they all went away to leave us with some peace and quiet. That didn’t last too long either, Saturday night is Disco Night and this started cranking up the volume soon after the sun set and went on through to the early hours of the morning. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it not been mainly Rap Music!
Sunday morning saw us ashore surprisingly early for such a sleepless night. We were determined however to see the area and check out some of the nature trails mentioned in our guide book. We found the trails but they were not that well marked. They were however well laid down and good to walk on until they seemed to terminate on some ATV track, which was all churned up and un-walkable! We didn’t see much in the way of wild life but it was pleasant walking (apart from the millions of mosquitoes).
Apart from the ATV tours (a sure way to scare away everything for miles!) there is a local canopy tour……At least that is what it said. What we saw however was a wire strung out between a couple of trees over a distance of about three hundred meters. Down this the willing tourists would ride, dangling from a pulley block and whooping at the top of their lungs. What this had to do with a tour of the canopy I never quite fathomed!
We also walked across to Playa Blanca, a nice but crowded beach to the south. On the route there and back we were treated to seeing some Large Lizards and some smaller parrots feeding off fruit in a tree that overhung the road. There was a Red Squirrel that was helping himself to the same fruit. After that we did feel somewhat rewarded for our efforts in walking for two and half hours.

The Hotel had Internet (which we used at $1 / 15min.) and a little shop where basic supplies were available so we bought some bread and a well earned ice cream before returning to the boat, again arriving just before the afternoon rains set in. That night was peaceful, we don’t know if that was normal for a Sunday (we had been expecting karaoke); however, we were grateful for a good nights sleep.
Next day we motored across to Bahia Ballena on the western side of the Golfo De Nicoya. On arrival we went ashore for a quick walk round, mainly to do a little shopping and get the lay out of the village. Much to our surprise we had not gone a few yards from the ‘Yacht Club’ when we encountered a troop of Howler Monkeys. They were very close to the road and seemed untroubled by our close proximity. Needless to say we spent the next half hour taking pictures! The remainder of our walk was also full of wild life, with more monkeys, loads of parrots, various other birds and lizards. We walked down to the beach where there seemed to be miles of sand along a horse shoe bay, with no one else in sight; a rather startling change from Punta Leona. This is certainly one of the best anchorages we have been in so far, and we look forward to exploring it, and the surrounding area, more over the coming days.

On the morning of the 6th of August we motored out of the anchorage at Punta Leona in the usual morning calms and moved across to Bahia Ballena on the Nicoya peninsular. On this passage we had our first experience of ‘Debris Avoidance’; something that we had heard much about in Golfito and read about in several articals. Basically, there’s an awful lot of “stuff” floating about in this area! The “stuff” in question being anything from large trees to bits of plastic and it seems to gather in areas where there are tidal eddies. There is no part of the Gulf of Nicoya where you can relax from a very careful lookout over the bow and because of this we were advised on many occasions to just sail past and miss this area. We quickly adopted some strategies that seemed to help, the most obvious of which was to go around any obvious concentrations and the second was to slow right down when passing through unavoidable area’s, of which there were many. We kept a careful eye on the water temperature whilst motoring and always stopped the propeller when there were chunks of wood going close down the side of the boat.

Bahia Ballena bay seemed quite clear of debris and we found anchorage close of the pier in the southwest part. As soon as the anchor was settled and the boat squared away we launched the dinghy and went ashore to check out the local area. The pier was a little worn and there were problems using it around low water but for the rest of the time it was OK and we felt that the dingy was safe there. We made a point to keep it well away from where the local water taxi’s went and also clear of the fishermen as this is a very busy fishing area.
We had only gone a few yards up the road at the back of the pier when we came quite close to a troop of Howler Monkey’s that had come down to feed off some fruit trees. We were most impressed; in fact, on our short walk into the local village of Tambor we saw more monkeys, Iguanas and lots of colorful birds.

This seemed a good start to our Gulf of Nicoya visit. The village of Tambor seemed unusually clean and presentable compared with much that had been our experience up to this time. I guess it would be uncharitable (but probably true) to say that this was mainly due to the large “Gringo” influence in the real estate of this area. The amount of Real Estate signs up and down the peninsular are noticeable, more so because they are, for the most part, in English and have the familiar names of companies like ‘Remax’ and ‘Century 21’.

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Our first outing from Ballena was to take the bus to Montezuma, about an hour to the south. We started early by getting the 0700 bus which picked us up a few hundred yards from the pier. It was a lovely trip though the rich green countryside which was not just jungle but large expanses of farm and pasture land with cows grazing off a lush green carpet that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Montezuma is a small tourist trap at the end of a dirt road, there are a couple of blocks of mixed shops and houses, bars and boutiques fronting a scenic beech where the younger ‘surf set’ get there acts together and various others get an “artistic” attack. It is a Mecca for the younger travelers and back-packers and they find plenty of accommodation scattered about to suit their needs.

We were here to look at the waterfall; this was billed as the main attraction of the area. Everyone was most helpful in the town and we were given directions that were quite easy to follow, at least until we got started on the trail. For some of the way you scramble directly up the river bed jumping from rock to rock and for other parts there is a path that leads along the bank or just up from the bank. The problem is knowing when you should be on the path and when you should be in the river. After a fair bit of scrambling we made it to the falls; it’s actually a series of falls but getting to the one above requires more agility than we had available. In all honesty I have to say we were faced with a very pleasant but mediocre falls that cascaded into a muddy brown pool that didn’t look at all inviting for a swim. Thus we hung about for ten minutes or so taking pictures and taking in the early morning tranquility of the setting then made our way back down the river having a little more luck in finding the paths this time.

Back in Montezuma we secured some bits to eat from the local supermarket and headed to the small park to take an early lunch whilst awaiting a bus. During our time on the park bench one of the locals wandered over and asked if we needed to purchase any “weed”, I assured him that we didn’t and he wandered off. It was such a quaint and old-fashioned approach that I didn’t even feel offended! It all tied in very nicely with the rest of the town and the majority of the ex-pats we saw. If you want to know what happened to all those beautiful people of the hippy generation, particularly the blue eyed, long blond hair and surf board brigade. They’re here!! They are maybe a little more hunched over and geriatric but they’re still doing just what they did and wearing almost the same clothes.
This is not a phenomenon just confined to Montezuma; we found it through much of Costa Rica which has many fine surfing beaches along its Pacific shores.

Up to this point we’d not really got any great photos but all that changed when by strange chance we were wandering down the main street and encountered a Boa Constrictor having hunch on the corrugated roof of one of the local shops. He’d managed to grab quite a large bird and was double dislocating his jaw to make, what looked to us, like an impossible swallow. To make things even more difficult he was sliding off the edge of the roof in the process, not much fun for the snake but managed to get some great shots with the camera.

On the way back to the boat we stopped in Cobano and the next day made another visit, primarily because this was the best Internet around and we were in need of communication but also because it’s a rather neat little agricultural town where the farmers all wear Stetsons (or was that Fedora’s) and cowboy boots. The ATV seems to have replaced the horse and the local cattle are a little different to what we are used to seeing but the Wild West feeling is still much in evidence.

After a couple of days in Ballena we were ready to move on, it would no doubt have been better if I’d put a stern anchor out as the swells would always manage to catch us at moments when the wind died down. However, we’d had a great time there and I look forward to our next visit.

On the 9th of August we heaved up the anchor and streaked out of Ballena with full Genoa and motor in a fresh southerly breeze that was down-drafting off the land, It was a bit late in the day to go far as by mid afternoon one has to be heading for an anchorage or risk being caught out in the rain. We did manage to close the engine off for an hour but as the speed dropped and the current strengthened against us we re-engaged it to make anchorage in Islas Tortugas just getting the hook down and the awnings up before the rain started. It had been a short trip but we learned very quickly that it pays not to buck the tide round here, they run strong!

Islas Tortugas looked great on the tourist brochures and postcards, we found it somewhat different. The water was a dirty brown and visibility was eighteen inches at best. There was a swell hooking into the anchorage but it wasn’t from any particular direction so there was little that could be done. We didn’t need a lot of encouragement to depart the next day and look for somewhere that we could get away from the rolling.
The next morning we set off northwards and aimed to cut up inside of Islas Negritos. Just as we were close by the small rock that lies mid-channel I was dodging drifting debris when I suddenly realized that this one piece was different, it had an eye and it was looking at me! It turned out that we’d stumbled across a couple of Oliver Ridley Turtles having hanky-panky; we did a turn around them, far enough off so as not to disturb. The grassy eye watched us the whole time paddling around in a tight little circle matching our own; we got a couple of photos and left them to propagate in peace. The current was ripping through the gap between the islands and we were grateful that we’d got it with us (lesson learnt for a change!).

To get to our next anchorage we had to make a wide sweep around both Isla Cedros and Isla Jesusita. This is because they have strung power cables across the channel between Isla Cedros and the mainland and also between Isla Cedros and Isla Jesuita at its southern end. The later is a new addition and is not on any chart. Both sets of cables are hung low and should not be considered without sound local knowledge.
We came to anchor a short way NE of the Paquera Ferry Dock but far enough that I could still take my showers on deck without upsetting the locals. Our first thought was ‘wow but its calm’! It was really nice to stop the movement of the boat, I don’t mind bobbing about on passage but if we are going to sit at anchor for a while I prefer it calm.

The Paquera anchorage turned out to be really good for us, we’d heard some talk about thievery here but we had no problems. Of course we took good precautions with both the boat and the dinghy keeping everything locked and under watchful eye at all times. We were always on board by late afternoon and used the oars on the dinghy, not the motor (which had died on us anyway!).
From Paquera we were able to make several trips; it’s a handy place for transportation. The Ferry runs on a regular basis to Puntarenas and the local bus comes in to meet it and pick up passengers for as far away as Montezuma, almost two hours away.
There is a 0630 bus that leaves the dock but we found the 0800 one to be best suited for us, even when we went back to Cobano, an hour and a half away. We did several runs into Paquera with our diesel containers as there is a service station there. Its only 30 cents to get there and it was three dollars to come back in a taxi. We worked that in with doing other things so it wasn’t such a hit; we had heard that fuel was difficult to get in northern Costa Rica so we stocked up. We also walked back the once, it was a pleasant fifty minutes even carrying a pack full of shopping.

One morning we got the Ferry into Puntarenas. The best ferry for this is the “Don Bernardino” which makes the outward leg at 0730, takes a little over an hour to get there and gives you two chances of return 1130 and 1600 (except Sundays). The former giving plenty of time for a quick shopping trip and the latter just getting you back to the boat before dark. We had a full day and a lazy lunch at one of the Café’s bordering the Plaza, where you can watch the world go by in a relaxed atmosphere and remain out of earshot of all the loud music that blares from most of the downtown stores. There wasn’t a lot to recommend Puntarenas; I guess quite a lot was available if you knew where to look, although the food stores seemed no better than Paquera or Corbono. I did note that there was a good supply of rather nice Cake Shops; that alone could make a visit worth while!
It was interesting however, that when we arrived at the ferry dock the Police were there handing out leaflets on ’Personal Security’ and how to safeguard ones baggage whilst transiting the area! Well at least we were all getting warned.

We had been recommended to do the Curu Wildlife Refuge and this was located just a short distance the other side of Paquera so we took our 0800 bus from the Ferry Dock and were there for 0830. Entrance was $8.00 US and worth every cent. We’d taken a packed lunch so the two of us had a whole day out for only $18 US and it was a great day out which we’d recommend to anyone passing this way. We got closer to the monkey’s than we’d ever got before and saw Howlers, White Faced and Spider versions. There were hundreds of species of birds and they’d marked up several of the trees with plaques giving a full description including what they could be used for; it was very educational and we came away much enlightened.

The Trails were, in general, well marked and quite manageable however we had to give up on the Lagoon Trail as it was waterlogged. In the rainy season it would be wise to take rubber boots, we forgot ours…..
The Guard at the gate was well switched on to the times that the bus passes the gate in whatever direction you need to go so we didn’t have long to hang about. This trip could be done equally well from Ballena and some boats even anchor off the Curu Beach.

Paquera (Golfo Nicoya) northwards.

It was time for us to leave our very relaxing anchorage at Paquera and also to start moving out of the Golfo Nicoya and northwards up the coast. Before we left there were a couple of settled days and this improved the water visibility to about four feet which was enough for John to attend the bottom of the boat which was in need of a clean. He didn’t get it totally clean but enough that we were not losing too much speed. We have a “semi-ablative” coating which is just hard enough that you can lightly scrub it without all the antifouling coming off; therefore We try to do only the minimum required for fear of removing the coating unnecessarily.
We also took some fuel from the service station located just on our side of Paquera, this was not too far away and we could go one way with the empty containers on the bus then use a Taxi for the return trip. It added six dollars a trip to the fuel cost but it was cheaper than any other alternative.
On the 21st of August we moved back to Bahia Ballena (another motoring exercise). Once clear into the Golfo Nicoya we were surprised by the size of the swell coming in, it seemed that there were few other tenable anchorages available and we even wondered if it would prove to be uncomfortable in Ballena! When we arrived however it was not so bad, we were able to get well tucked in by the Pier and again we were thankful for our shallow draft that allows us to ‘creep in close’ where required. Here we prepared the boat and waited for a suitable forecast for going up the coast. We took another bus ride into Cobano to send mail and shop, apart from which we enjoyed the ride; we are making the best of all this green and fertile land before we head north to more barren places!

On the 24th of August we thought we had a good forecast and the weather was fine so we headed out towards Bahia Carrillo some 48 miles up the coast. We motored until the onshore breeze set in about 1030hrs then tried to maintain a course as the wind slowly veered around causing us to go from “reach” to “close reach” to “close hauled” as time passed by. Around 1300hrs the wind shifted to the WSW and increased to 16Kts which was a bit much for the light weather Genoa we had on the furling gear; we furled in to 40% and tried to make progress but the wind just kept on increasing. Once it reached 20kts we were faced with a problem: beating into this under reefed main and staysail we could not make Carrillo by nightfall so, as we were only nine miles short of the bay, we decided to motor sail with just the reefed mainsail assisting. This system seemed to work and we gradually clawed our way along the coast in heavy rain squalls and reduced visibility. It turned out to be not such a good day after all!
We did however get reasonably close to a Whale that was doing head-stands and thrashing its tail around on the surface, in the distance we could see another whale breaching. It was unfortunate that the rain was coming in sideways and was disappointed in not being able to take pictures.
We arrived at anchor around 1700hrs which was just about as late as you’d want to be coming into a place like this. We anchored where shown in the Guide Book, behind an outcrop of rock and reef which was supposed to give us some protection. The book warned that there could be quite a lot of swell in the anchorage and it was right, in particular at high tide when the swell just rolled on over the reef. It seemed however to be better than being outside so we settled down to roll heavily and uncomfortably, throughout the night.

The next morning we would have liked to have got away early however the wind was blowing out of the northwest which would have been right on the nose. Whilst the anchorage was uncomfortable it was not “unsafe” so we decided to stay in the hope of more favorable conditions. That happened in the late afternoon, just as it was getting dark the wind shifted to the east and started to increase. Now our anchorage was becoming unsafe and we decided we were better off at sea. A little after 1900hrs we groped our way slowly out of the anchorage and out to sea. The swell in the entrance to the bay was really quite big, our propeller got very close to the surface and cavitated heavily as we lurched over the top of some of them; a situation that would have become much worse had we delayed our departure longer.
Once clear of the many outlying rocks and reefs, we bore off and made good speed downwind, this lasted for about an hour or so when we ran into some very heavy frontal rain and the wind decided to come from every direction at once. It was really ‘Icky’! The swell was also most confused and quite large but we had no alternative than to try and motor through it. We were now off Pta Guionos and the stretch between here and Cabo Velas has quite a mean reputation so we were actually quite fortunate to motor into better conditions about an hour north. The wind went back to the east and increased to 12/15kts so we were able to stop the motor and enjoy a short period of sailing, especially as the rain cleared off and some stars appeared.
It wasn’t that long however before the wind dropped and we had the motor going again, although we did get the best we could from the sails when the conditions allowed. The night became quite clear and ran into a beautiful morning, thus it was quite pleasant when we eventually rolled into the anchorage at Playa Panama in Bahia de Culibra at 0900 on the 26th of August.

On the way in, we passed Playa Coco, a hang out for many cruising yachts during the dry season when this part of the coast can get quite busy. There were a couple of local boats on moorings off the beach but I could see their masts swinging from side to side in the swell and I’d had enough of rolling around for a while! Playa Panama however was quite calm and very acceptable; we quickly came to like the place as it offered us peace and tranquility with a good degree of protection no matter what the weather was doing.
The next day we went ashore in the dinghy and found only gentle surf on the beach, beach landings round here can get quite exciting if you are unable to get away from the ever pervading swell! Ashore, we had not gone more than a hundred meters when we encountered a small troop of Howler Monkey’s in a tree just above the main road. They were oblivious to the traffic and didn’t mind us either! Further on we saw a large Grey Squirrel and, playing around the roots of a large Palm Tree, three Chipmunks (well they seemed to be Chipmunks but a little larger than what we were used to!). There were lots of birds around too so we were most pleased to find nature so close!

We were to spend ten very relaxing days in this area. Our first discovery was that there is a good Bus service from here to Liberia the provincial capital of Northern Costa Rica. On several days we caught the 1000hrs bus up and the 1530hrs bus back on an almost door to door service that cost less than a dollar per person each way. It was well worth it just to see the countryside!
In Liberia they have a nice Supermarket (Super Jumbo) right across from the bus stop so it was a very convenient place to take a few provisions. There was also an internet, a building supply merchants and a whole host of other shops. Further into the old town you find the adobe painted white buildings that give Liberia the title of ‘The White City’ and one of the oldest churches in this part of the world; it is a relaxing and low key place where you can sit in the Plaza and watch the world go by.

On the third of September we made a day trip to Playa Coco with the boat so that we could ‘Clear Out’ of Costa Rica. Our three months was up on the 8th and whilst it would not have been difficult or expensive to extend, we felt it was time to be moving on. We were not keen on the anchorage off Coco, it was rolly and there were a lot of fishing boats amongst which we had to anchor. There was also more surf for getting ashore in the dinghy but we managed without incident, however we were concerned about leaving the dinghy on the beach even with it locked to a tree and the oars also locked. We had secured the boat well and stowed all loose items below as Playa Coco has a bad reputation for theft. In town there were some good shops, enough for most things anyway. I did internet whilst John took care of the Clearance, it was a bit of a run-around, the most frustrating of which was the Bank. He got turn number 72, it was 0910 and the bank had opened at 0830hrs and they had only got as far as turn number seven! Thus it was almost noon before he got to pay the dues for the Port Captain ($20).
Immigration was only a short distance down the road so he did manage to get that dealt with whilst awaiting his turn. The Port Captain closed promptly at noon for a lunch hour and got back there five minutes too late! We decided to take lunch also and sat in the Plaza watching the locals who were watching the tourists. We got going just as soon as I had the Clearance and motored back to Playa Panama on a calm sea.

The next day John spent cleaning the hull and clearing barnacles from our skin fittings. This whole coast has been very heavy for growth and any form of antifouling gets well tested down here.

We heaved up the anchor and departed under sail at 0600. There was a nice little southeasterly breeze but it was fickle. Not to be cheated out of a dying breeze we even tried the ‘Chute’ but by 0900 there was no alternative but to start the engine. We motored around The Bat Islands and the Murcialagos Islands, all looking very green and scenic. It was tempting to go in and explore however the heavy southwesterly swell ruled out that idea, instead we continued onwards to Bahia Santa Elena where we knew there was a swell free anchorage with good protection.
On the way we saw a couple of water spouts to the north of us and we watched them in awe and fascination. Maybe also a little trepidation as we knew that we would soon be headed that way and we have that gauntlet yet to run!

A favorable breeze sprang up for the last couple of miles so we rushed into the anchorage at Bahia Santa Elena with the rail down. Rounding up, we managed to get our awning rigged just before the afternoon down-pour arrived. The thunder clouds had been building up early and we were glad we’d used the motor when we did. Certainly this is a magical and very beautiful spot, even in the middle of a thunderstorm! There were a couple of small fishing dinghies in the bay but apart from that we were alone.

We had been reading up on the walk ashore, previous cruisers had commented that there was a walk to a waterfall. Reading between the lines however, it was more of a wet scramble, even during the dry season! We decided that we would just admire the beauty and tranquility of the place from the boat.

On the 5th of September, with Hurricane Felix burning itself out over Honduras about two hundred miles north of us, we decided to move on. Felix had got our attention for a while when it was headed our way, in particular when it was upgraded to ‘Category Four’. We may be in a different ocean but the Isthmus is quite thin here and should a real Hurricane come barreling in from the Caribbean the effects could well reach the Pacific Coast.

Early in the morning we were rewarded with the presence of a Coyote walking the beach, it must have been part of his normal routine as he was there again the next morning at the same time. There were lots of birds and Paula thought she heard a Howler Monkey over on the north shore.
We had anchored in the Southeast corner of the bay in about thirteen feet of water (LW) and found quite a large plateau of muddy sand where we were confident that our anchor would hold well. Thus it was a very relaxing anchorage for us and one we would always recommend.

The morning of the 7th September saw a nice breeze out of the Northeast, the weather charts indicated that there was at last some wind over on the Caribbean side which was going to spill over and give us a mini-‘Papagayo’; a wind after which this area is named (The Gulf of Papagayo). We decided it was a good time to go as any wind is better than no wind!
In 18/20 kts we charged off to the North West making good speed and watching Costa Rica fall slowly below the horizon astern. That was the end of one adventure but hopefully the beginning of another.

CONCLUSIONS on our Costa Rica visit.
It had not been our intention to spend three months in Costa Rica; if we had been on our original schedule we would already be in Baja. Having spent too long enjoying Eastern Panama we were late through the canal and by the time we crossed the boarder the first East Pacific Hurricane had already formed. Thus we decided to remain south of the hurricane belt until October and that meant an extended visit to Costa Rica.
I counted up all the bays and anchorages and multiplied them by three days; it worked out that we would have enough to keep us occupied! We were however determined that we would not extend our three month visas; that we would move on into the Gulf of Fonseca in early September. This having taken into account the likelihood of a Hurricane strike and the protection offered in the secluded mangrove areas near San Lorenzo in Honduras.

We were very lucky to have “Land Sea” in Golfito as our first point of contact. Tim and Katie were really fantastic. Not only did we have a great and relaxing time there but they helped prepare us for the rest of Costa Rica when we left. It seems that some time ago there were other ‘Tim and Katie’ type places in Costa Rica where the cruising yachts were welcomed and certain degree of security was offered at a very reasonable price; unfortunately that is no longer the case. These places have closed up and gone, one or two maybe around but not operating as they were; not offering support. So apart from “Land Sea” (and perhaps Banana Bay Marina for those that can afford it), there is nowhere where the average cruiser can relax.
There are mixed reviews about Putarenas which is the only haul-out facility in the whole of Costa Rica…….They do have dry storage and claim to have excellent security. We did however visit Puntarenas and would not recommend it unless you were actually forced to go.
The “Ticos” as the Costa Ricans are known are a delightful people, very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately they are also known to be very light fingured and often the information they pass to you is just fabricated on the spot. They have a different set of morals to ‘most’ of us westerners; in Costa Rica, ‘Thief’ is a perfectly valid job description!
There are no places where you can consider yourself safe and the more you have the more you have to loose. Outboards, oars, dinghies, washing off the line, just about anything, its all a target! This unfortunately takes a lot of the appeal off the country which otherwise is very beautiful and full of interesting things to see.

For us there was another problem, also never far from our thoughts. It was rainy season and that’s a very different set of sailing rules to dry season. The main problem was the ever pervasive swell that comes rolling in from the southern ocean winter storms. It makes Costa Rica a great surfing destination but completely rules out anchoring in any of the South Facing Bays and reduces the chance of anchoring anywhere that has not got considerable protection from the south / southwest. One may wish to brave a couple of days of being rolled gunwale to gunwale to achieve certain anchorages but it’s not fun.
On top of this, every afternoon the thunderstorms build up and move slowly offshore. In their passing strong winds of over forty knots can be experienced from any direction. In general they do not last long but one has to be very sure of the security of any chosen anchorage and you cannot afford to leave the boat long unattended.

During the rainy season there are NO nice clear waters for swimming in Costa Rica. During the dry season there may be, particularly north of Nicoya but even then it would be nothing to compare with the Caribbean or Mexico. The Golfo Nicoya is a sewer and the amount of debris floating around during the rainy season makes it a hazard to navigation. You may hear stories about Blue Flag beaches on such places as Tortugas but I can assure you that they are not to European Blue Flag Standards; swimming in the Golfo Nicoya could seriously damage your health!
There are also Crocs in a lot of the anchorages; however I’d be more concerned about the water quality than the Crocs.

Overall though, it must be said that there is probably no other place on earth that you can get so much wildlife, so much nature, so many beautiful vistas all crammed into such a small area. You don’t have to go out of your way to see nature here; you are almost falling over it where ever you go. One day the Ticos will get there act together and start to provide services for those people that come to visit. The first service could be just a little security! When this happens Costa Rica could become a major cruising destination; our rainy season of 2007, we hardly saw another boat!

John & Paula