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August
1-3, 2009 Leaving Playa del Coco was a relief. We liked it there and it is a nice town, but it was time to move on to new destinations. It is not easy leaving places after you have been there for a month or more. You tend to get comfortable with the town and its people. Knowing where the best eats are and which store to buy produce in is a reassuring thing when faced with entering the unknown again. We sailed out of Coco mid-morning for a short 15 mile journey to Bahia Brasilito. The wind helped us out of the anchorage and then promptly faded away forcing us to motor the remaining portion of the trip. We entered Bahia Brasilito three hours later and choose the most southerly anchorage, Playa Conchal. Bahia Brasilito is a large pretty bay and has three good spots to anchor depending on the weather conditions – Playa Flamingo on the north side of the bay, Playa Brasilito in the middle, and Playa Conchal on the south side. We chose Playa Conchal since there was no wind and it offered the best protection from the southwest swell. The anchorage was quite calm and we quickly settled in for the afternoon. Playa Conchal is a stunning white shell beach. It has been billed as the most beautiful beach in all of Costa Rica. So far, we can’t argue with this statement, it is the nicest we have seen. All development has been pushed back behind a buffer zone so that the beach remains unspoiled.
Just as we returned from our dive, Steve and Heather on Kate radioed us letting us know that they were in Playa Flamingo (the most northern anchorage in the bay) and would be coming over to Playa Conchal. Jodie had some of their mail from the states plus a few boat items that they had delivered to my sister’s house. We got together with them later that afternoon and they got to open six months worth of mail. They had been hanging around in the area waiting for Jodie’s return and they now had to high tail it south to get back on their original schedule. We awoke the next morning to a strong north wind blowing across the bay. We decided to follow Kate over to Playa Flamingo, hoping to get a little better protection from the wind and wind waves. The wind didn’t abate at Flamingo and it actually seemed to be flowing down the valley and into the bay, but the wind waves were significantly reduced due to the limited fetch that the wind had coming off the beach. Although the wind waves weren’t an issue, by that afternoon we were tired of the constant 25 knot wind. We decided to move to the middle anchorage, Playa Brasilito, hoping to get out of the direct flow of the wind and still try to remain tucked in close to the beach. We radioed Kate to let them know where we were headed. They decided to stay put because their wind generator was putting out some massive amps in the 25 knot wind. We said our goodbyes since they were planning on leaving early the following morning to make the run down to central Costa Rica. The middle anchorage turned out to be a good idea. The wind dropped from the mid-twenties down into the mid-teens and the wind waves weren’t an issue as well at the new spot.
August
3, 2009 With the new lock system, we tossed the boards in the water this morning and paddled to the beach to have a look around the small town of Brasilito. Not much to see, but it was nice to get off the boat and stretch our legs. We followed the main road out of town, heading towards Playa Conchal. At the beach, the main paved road dissolved onto the beach where the “road” continued along the beach and up over a small peninsula into Playa Conchal. Playa Brasilito and Playa Conchal are separated by a river estuary, and rather than drive all the way around they have found a quick route between the two.
We give them the run down on the anchorage and depart for Tamarindo. We will catch up with Mandy in the Gulf of Nicoya after they pass by us in a couple days. We have been playing leap frog with them since January, where we met them in Chacala, Mexico, just south of San Blas, meeting up every few weeks to swap tales. The trip to Tamarindo was uneventful. Always a good thing. Tamarindo has a sneaky reef submerged in the middle of the bay. At 5 feet deep, it is just deep enough that waves do not break on it as the swell crosses over it, and just shallow enough to bump your bottom if you are unlucky and cross it at low tide and hit a high spot. We follow the guide book waypoints and make our way around the reef to the anchorage spot. Well it wasn’t quite that easy. The mooring field has grown each year since our guide book was written. It is just two years old, however the coordinates given as the anchor location is right inside the current mooring field. To our surprise, we also find Kate anchored here, taking a spot in between the field and the submerged reef. They have left us plenty of room alongside the mooring field to anchor, but I need to back up a minute here. The first spot we went to anchor at was located adjacent to the mooring field and the beach. As we went to drop the anchor, a local fisherman waived us off. We stopped what we were doing and headed over to him to see what he was so alarmed about. As we pass slowly by, the captain says, “There’s a big 60’ catamaran that moors right there. Just anchor off to the side (by Kate) and you’ll be fine.” I thought he was going to tell me about a large underwater rock hazard or maybe that the area we were going to drop our hook is foul and eats anchors. I can see the mooring buoys. We were plenty of distance from them. Trust me; I do not want to get close to any moored vessel. I swing. They don’t. ‘Nuff said. But we take his advice and go out alongside Kate. It is not that much further out. In fact, for a decent size bay, things are a bit cramped inside here. Between the mooring field, the reef and a wrap around beach, there is not a whole lot of room left. Add to that St. Georges Island just behind us to the West. You are surrounded by stuff here.
St. George Island. Basically, it's something to hit.
We spy a
small area behind (downwind) of the mooring field, right off the
beach. We head over and end up anchoring in 12 feet
(12!). At least the anchor was set. I wasn’t
thrilled being in such a shallow area. Not to mention the
reef and island behind us. If anything was to go wrong here,
we would be in trouble fast. The winds were calm so we
decided to just stay here for the night and re-anchor
tomorrow. Things stayed calm all night, but we
slept with one ear open, listening for any sudden changes in the wind. We stay on the boat and the wind comes at us at 20-30 knots all afternoon. I can feel the anchor slowly dragging across the bottom during the strongest gust. But we stay set during most of the afternoon and at the end of the day when the winds finally calm down, we see that we moved a total of about 50 feet downwind. Just a bit more than a boat length. Still, we aren’t willing to leave the boat without the hook properly set. In the afternoon, I left Jodie aboard and did some surfing. On the way back in the dinghy I stopped at the location where we were going to anchor originally, before the local fisherman waved us off. I didn’t have any gear with me, like fins or a mask, but I dove as deep as could to get feel for what the bottom might be comprised of. It was near dusk, but it seemed that the floor was light in color, indicating a sand bottom. The next day we re-anchored AGAIN. It was a little tight being between the two lava tubes that extended out from shore, but we favored the up wind tube and got the anchor to grab on the first try. Finally we could go ashore to explore town.
The
downtown area of Tamarindo
When the town is described as a premier surf destination, that can only mean one thing for us; that we were in for a surf dinghy landing. We chose a spot that seemed to be the calmest and had no problem coming or going during our visit. The town of Tamarindo has been built up during the last 5 years and the build-it-quick attitude shows. Most buildings here are new and there has been little thought to planning as things have been put together. The streets are mostly dirt and the sidewalks, where existing, appear at different distances from the street. One of the strangest “sidewalks” I have ever seen was built here, over a drainage channel. There were one by four foot concrete “steps” that were spaced with 3 inch gaps between them. You could look down into the drainage channel below through the gaps. Then, as the road curved and dipped away, the building side remained level and the street side dropped down. By the time you got the end of the sidewalk it was slanted at 40 degrees or so. Jodie avoided the whole thing and just walked in the street. As we walk through the town, the layout was: restaurant, souvenir shop, surf shop, repeat. We did manage to find a great bookstore in town that does trades in used books. It’s basically a two-for-one exchange. Can’t beat getting rid of two books you don’t want for one that you do.
We spent
another day here enjoying the surfing before moving on. Jodie
got some practice in surfing before being stung by yet another jelly
fish. She is a magnet. She stiffed me when I asked
for my $90 dollar lesson fee. Probably a good thing; she
would start charging me $100 for dinner every night. There is little wind and we motor the entire day. I troll a cedar plug off the back of Savannah for the first time, hoping to bring in a tuna or dorado. When the reel signals us with a strike, we cut the engine to slow down. The line is flying off the spool and I tighten the clutch fully to slow it down. We have caught something big. Just then, a huge blue marlin broaches off our stern. Yikes! What the heck are we going to do with this beast? I take the opportunity to bring in some line and walk the pole to the front of the boat. This begins our struggle with this 200lb monster. When he runs, Jodie chases after him preventing him from taking all the line off the reel. We have 600 feet of 100lb test and it’s a challenge to keep at least half of it wound on. We bring him within 50 feet and he flies out the water trying to throw the lure. Jodie keeps hollering, “What are we going to do?” Like I know the answer. He seems to be tiring and then he dives under the boat. I tell Jodie to take it out of gear but it’s too late. The fishing line gets wrapped around the prop and a minute later we see the marlin come out of the water heading away from us. What a thrill. Not one I want to repeat however.
August 8, 2009
Sleepy Samara
August 9, 2009
We find Mandy and Sidewinder anchored off the yacht club (really just a restaurant/bar). The yacht club is owned by the Heart family, famous for their Heart invertors and battery monitors. The floating dock attached to the restaurant has long ago vanished and a working fishing pier is available to tie up the dinghy. We turn down an offer to join Sidewinder and Mandy for dinner and drinks at the yacht club; we are tired from the trip south and had already eaten some fresh yellowfin tuna that we had caught on the passage.
August 11-12, 2009 We venture into town, Tambor, to have a look around. Tambor is billed as an upscale area with private golf courses and exclusive housing communities. The town itself is small with one grocery store and a couple of restaurants. The previous day we had seen advertised on the internet a hostel/campground with a restaurant/bar just off the beach for sale in a nearby town. I am always looking forward to the future and any opportunities that may come along. This one was interesting to both of us, so we stopped at a local real estate office to find out more information. One thing we found out is that there is no license requirement to sell real estate in Costa Rica. Anyone can be an agent. Like the former night club owner from San Diego we met inside the Coldwell Banker office. Our visit goes something like this: “Hi, we are interested in a hostel for sale in Mal Pais that we found listed with another agent.” “Hello. Yeah, I know the place. I’ve got this great bar in Puntarenas that’s for sale.” “Well, no thanks. But let’s look at the hostel.” “Yeah, sure. I also have these condos in an exclusive community for sale. Great deal.” I’m getting the felling that there is no such thing as a split commission in Costa Rica. “No, we are just interested in the hostel. Here I’ll find it for you.” As I commandeer his computer. The hostel turned out to be a big bust. A half built bar in the middle of nowhere. Total false advertising, but that’s what you get when there is no license requirement to do business. It’s for the best, the hostel would really mess up our cruising plans. Maybe one day in the future something else like this will come up.
The next day we board the bus to Mal Pais. Mal Pais is a fishing village turned surf town that, like so many other places in Costa Rica, has been built up over the last few years. A single dusty dirt road passes through town. Restaurants, hotels, hostels and wellness centers dot the landscape. The beach is a wide expanse of golden sand and rocky outcroppings. The tidal pools are the highlight of the beach and we take some time to explore them.
A quick lunch at a “soda typical” where the advertised “Lunch with drink” means that you get to pay for your food AND your drink. Well, they did discount the drink price a little. Then we head back to the bus stop to catch the 2:30 bus back to Tambor. While waiting for the bus we meet a group of people, one of whom was a CNN correspondent. She was here in Costa Rica doing a travel segment and interviewing travelers. When she heard our tale, she was disappointed that her crew had left earlier that day. She wanted to set us down for an interview. I guess our fifteen minutes will just have to wait. I felt the day was a bit of a bust. Mal Pias was a disappointment to me (Jodie didn’t think it was so bad). Not much “town” to the town. And the stellar surf spot, wasn’t that stellar. It certainly wasn’t worth a return trip to do some surfing. Maybe it was just the bogus hostel for sale that was bringing me down. Tomorrow we plan to travel to the new age town of Montezuma to checkout a famous waterfall.
August 13, 2009 We get a good start in the morning and catch the 9 a.m. bus to Montezuma. Montezuma lies on the southern shoreline of the Nicoya Peninsula. In fact we sailed right past it on our way to Bahia Bellena. It has a nice small downtown area, of which I am a fan. I like the sense of a center, from which things flow out. The towns that have no center to me just don’t feel right. Street vendors sell their handmade jewelry in front buildings of tour operators and restaurants. We spy one reading a “Grow your own” book and another is making jewelry as he awaits his next sale. A Rasta Man does his best impression of the Home Shopping Network, adding more and more items of cheap ceramic jewelry for the same low, low price of $20 dollars. I don’t know if these are “new” new age hippies or not, but some things never change. The waterfall we are seeking out is located just outside of town, a short ten minute walk. We cross a creek and turn right heading up a well worn trail. A short distance away is a gentle cascade waterfall, 30 feet high. We push on and another couple hundred yards we hear the roar of the 108 foot waterfall. The waterfall was amazing. We spend a couple hours swimming and jumping off the cliffs (not recommended in the guide book but I did it after watching a local dive in from an even higher spot up the cliff). We head back into town (spotting some Howler monkeys) and eat a nice lunch. Not on the menu is the begging blue and white bird that will jump right on your table and take food off your plate if you let him. Jodie fed him a bit of tortilla and he gladly accepted it right from her fingers.
We call it a day and head for the bus stop for the quick bus ride back to Tambor. On the bus we had two crazy people trying to out crazy each other. One would burst out speaking nonsense. So the other would hold a conversation with an imaginary friend. Then the first would start talking like a pirate. The second would break into song. And back and forth it went. I’m crazier. No, me, I’m the kooky one. Both of them were white Americans in there sixties. We had such a great day in Montezuma it more than made up for the previous day spent in Mal Pais.
August 15, 2009 We are departing today and heading to the Tortugas Islands. Before we leave, we venture ashore to the yacht club to get some veggies from the weekly organic market they host. Organic market is synonymous with over priced vegetables and this is the case here. The produce is top notch however and we pick up what we need despite the prices. We pull the anchor up out of the soft mud that makes up the bottom of Ballena Bay. I had dove down to help Sidewinder find a lost pulley and found the bottom to be the consistency of whipped chocolate mousse. So if you ever plan on anchoring here, make sure you leave yourself plenty of drag room to move about in a storm. We sail the 10 miles north to the two island chain and we think we discover why the islands are called Tortugas. Not because turtles lay eggs here (they don’t) but because of a natural tunnel formation that has been carved out by the sea.
Jodie wanted to visit another site so we climb back into the dinghy and head over to a sea tunnel nearby. We play around inside the tunnel letting the ocean surge propel us back and forth in the shallow waters. There were tons of different colored starfish around and we also saw our first sea horse here, unfortunately we didn’t have our camera with us. Tomorrow we will leave the Nicoya peninsula and travel across the bay to Bahia Herradura.
August 16
Entering Herradura Bay, we hailed Ed and Cornelia on A Cappella. They have been staying at the new marina that was built here two years ago. It is part of the Los Sueños development that is also home to the 4 million dollar Marriott Resort and Golf Course, as well as a number of condos, a business center, and private homes in a gated community. We head into the marina since we need to fill our tanks at the fuel dock. Ed met us at the fuel dock and explained that they are having engine troubles, which is why they are staying in the marina. It seems that they developed a raw water leak and salt water corrosion has damaged the engine cylinders, forcing them to do a rebuild. Sounds horrible and made worse by the fact that they are stuck at one of the most expensive marinas in the country. We find out later just how bad this marina is with its many rules and fees. With full fuel tanks and dinner plans to meet A Cappella and Evenstar for dinner, we head out into the bay that defines Herradura. Just to the south of Evenstar is a nice spot which we settle into. Rick and Kim on Evenstar were also at Islas Tortugas yesterday and had beaten us to Herradura this morning. We originally met them during our stay in El Salvador and hadn’t seen them for a couple months. The anchorage gets some protection from a peninsula that extends out along the southern portion of the bay, but the swell still wraps around the point and can make some pretty impressive waves crashing along the shore. Because of this, the anchorage is a bit rolly. We toss out the flopper and it helps smooth things out immediately. Around five we head in for dinner. We can’t find a decent place to land the dinghy and wonder if we should just dinghy into the marina and walk with Ed and Cornelia to the restaurant. It seems like a good plan until Ed informs us that they aren’t allowed to have guests arriving via dinghy in the marina (via car is ok). A few days earlier, when Dave and Suzy from Sidewinder came in for drinks aboard A Cappella, marina security informed them that people in the anchorage are not allowed to tie their dinghy in their slip. Whoever heard of not allowing guests to visit in a marina? They do have a dinghy dock that is available, for $40 USD per day. Now we have paid fees before to use a dinghy dock, anywhere from 50 cents to 5 dollars a day. But $40 bucks takes the cake.
After dinner we head out to search for the dinghy in the dark. Of course, Jodie has things covered as she digs into the backpack and pulls out a flashlight. The rain swelled the creek somewhat and what had been at our ankles when we arrived earlier is now up to our calves. We make it across the creek and find the dinghy with no problems. The dinghy launch was fun. It was impossible to time the swell in the dark. We just brought the dinghy down to the water and when we got waist deep, we jumped in and gunned it threw the surf. We were still wet from the rain earlier in the evening, so being a bit of more wet didn’t hurt.
August 17, 2009
A short 20 minute bus ride and we are deposited into Jaco. We walk down to the beach and checkout the big surf sets rolling into shore. We are definitely going to have to come back here to do some surfing. Seeing the surf here, we realize just how much protection we are getting just around the corner in Herradura where Savannah is anchored. The swell is easily twice as high here in Jaco. We head back to Herradura after lunch and a quick trip to the grocery store. Loaded down with groceries, we weren’t looking forward to the beach launching. Having the dinghy loaded down with any kind of payload really inhibits the performance, if you can call it that. We decide to have the hotel shuttle (which we picked up at the gate entrance) drop us off at the café where we had talked with Cornelia earlier in the morning. Even though it’s been hours, she is still there, avoiding the chaos of the engine installation going on at the boat. This is good news for us. We ask if it would be ok if we use their slip to load the dinghy with our groceries. She doesn’t see a problem with it, so I run back to the beach and launch the dinghy while Jodie takes the groceries down to the docks and waits by A Cappella. When I round the breakwater entrance to the marina, a security guard starts shouting at me from the shore. I pretend I can’t hear him over the dinghy engine. On and on he shouts at me. What gives? I can’t even enter the marina without passing through a gauntlet? This is ridicules. In fact, I could be wrong here, but I don’t think they can legally keep me out. Still, that guy really wants to talk to me. I hustle over to the dock and tell Jodie to jump in quick! She does and I tell her about the Gestapo marina police. On the way out the same guard runs along the shore trying to get our attention. We just ignore him. Come on! We are leaving just like you want us to! Back off! We had a good laugh on the way back to Savannah.
August 19, 2009 We pulled up anchor this morning and head around the corner to Jaco, N 09° 36.87, W 84° 38.82. The surf was calling to us and we thought it would be cool to take the boat over instead of the bus or a taxi. Well, it sounded like a good idea at the time. When we arrived, the swell was huge and it made anchoring the boat difficult. Up and down Savannah went with the swell, plus add the occasional roll to the left and right. Deciding it was too big for her, Jodie tells me to go and get in there so we can get out of here ASAP. I go forward to unlock the surf board cable, and promptly drop the key to the lock over the side. Oh, man. Not good. I yell to Jodie to get the lead line we used when the depth sounder was broken and drop the weight over to mark the spot, 30 feet below. I dive over and take a look around. Visibility is marginal as the swell is moving the sandy bottom back and forth. I don’t have any luck finding it while free diving, but with the scuba tank I should be able to find the key. So we drag out all the dive gear. Suited up, I dive over the side. I begin to do a grid search starting from the lead weight and moving out from there. After ten minutes, I begin to think that its hopeless. No way am I going to find anything but broken sea shells down here. I try to return to the weight and I can’t seem to find it. I circle around and still nothing. How did I get lost? Once around again and there it is. Odd. Then suddenly it rises up and away. Jodie must be hauling it up. Must be something wrong for her to do that and I ascend to the surface. “What’s wrong?” I ask removing my breather. Jo replies, “I found a second key.” Yeah! “I couldn’t figure how to get your attention. Tried lifting the weight, that didn’t work. Tried banging on the hull, nothing. Then I thought I’d try the weight again.” Now I know why I couldn’t find the weight for a minute. I climb aboard dragging the heavy dive gear on my back and Jodie quickly helps me remove it. All this just to go surfing! Next time I’m getting a taxi. I take a minute to catch my breath and then drop the short board in and paddle into the surf. The surf is big and fast. I surf for a bit before going ashore to catch my breath. I have a heck of a time getting back out through the crashing surf. I call it quits when I finally punch out and begin to paddle back to Jodie. And paddle and paddle and paddle, seems I have a problem with the current. It’s taking me away from the boat. Also, the wind is coming directly at me, which isn’t helping me get there either. So I paddled and paddled till my arms felt as if they were going to fall off. I knew if I stopped paddling I would drift away and have to catch a wave to the beach, and then try to break through the surf again. It takes me 30 minutes to paddle 100 yards while Jodie watches helplessly from Savannah. As I get closer to the boat, she throws me a line so I don’t have to paddle the final 50 feet or so. I’m beat. What a day. We pack up the board and pull up the anchor to head back to Herradura. I tell you, some days you should just stay in bed, and that is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow.
August 21, 2009 Provision trips to Jaco take up the rest of our time in Herradura. Of course, we also spent some time snorkeling and surfing, a little closer to home this time, just behind where we are anchored. We plan on leaving tomorrow for Manuel Antonio National Park.
August 22, 2009 Winds out of the southwest allow us to sail a close reach to Manuel Antonio, a state park that is packed with wild life. There are 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds. Two and three-toed sloth’s, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and capuchin monkeys climb overhead. Spiny-tailed iguanas, green iguanas, basilisks and many snakes and coatis are roaming around the park as well. Toucans, woodpeckers, vultures, parakeets, macaws and hawks rest in the trees and fly overhead. Entering the park (we are actually anchoring within the park boundary) we get a minor scare when the depth sounder quickly climbs from 150 to 20 feet! The bay is full of reefs and we are alarmed at the sudden rise of the sea floor. After registering 20 feet, the depth begins to increase up to the 90 foot range. That underwater feature wasn’t shown on our chart or mentioned in our guidebook. We thought we were about to run into a reef! Blood pressure dropping, we continue into the anchorage. We anchor off a white sand beach, deploying our stern anchor to keep us pointed into the swell. This is a fair weather anchorage and we hope that we can avoid any real weather during our stay. The scenery is spectacular, lush and tranquil. People in the park sun themselves on the beach and we can see others walking along trails when there is a break in the foliage. Tomorrow morning we will explore the park.
August 23 Landing the dinghy on the beach amid breaking waves and other park visitors was an exciting start to the day. There is a low lying land bridge that connects a large land outcropping. This land bridge must be awash during storms for the high tide line is barely a foot below the highest point. Dragging the dinghy up the beach and tying it to a tree we were ready to set out and explore the park. We’re about 6 feet from one of the trails in the park and people aren’t sure what to make of us, giving us some funny looks as they pass. Leaving the dinghy behind, we blend in with the other visitors and make our way through the park. The trails are, for the most part, under the tree canopy that provides plenty of shade. It is still hot and humid and the trails are wet and slick from the rains. The park has provided concrete stepping stones in the more steep and eroded locations. Often, there is a trickle of water running down the path. Not the best conditions for the white sneakers which we saw some visitors wearing. Much of the wildlife was seen from a distance, making photography a challenge. The guides have spotting scopes that allow your small digital camera to get a better shot. We were able to capture a few of the critters we spotted.
Timing our departure from the park to coincide with low slack tide, we grabbed a few coconuts from the beach and were able to launch into the breaking waves without getting dunked. Launching from the beach into breaking waves is really just an exercise in patience. Usually we bring the dinghy down into about a foot of water and wait. At a foot, we can easily lift the nose of the dinghy up when the waves come into shore. Jodie will be on the left rear area of the dinghy and I will be on the right front lifting the nose. We watch the wave cycles till we become familiar with the pattern and identify the best set to launch into. Rarely does the water go flat, but there is always a best time to make your break. After identifying the ideal set, we wait for it to come again. We aren’t going to launch this time; we just want to be able to recognize it when it occurs. Then we wait again, this time we are going for it. “Now!” Jodie will start the engine while it is still out of the water and then we hustle into the surf. I pull and walk/run into the water and Jodie pulls till she is thigh deep and then jumps into the dinghy. I will give one last pull as Jodie guns the outboard and then I jump aboard, lying prone on the tube as we bust through the surf. All in all, it takes about 15 seconds. Sounds all neat and clean. It isn’t. The engine might not start on first pull or the wave sets will have fooled us. We’ve been lucky so far and haven’t had any major mishaps yet. Knock, knock.
August 24, 2009 Today we are headed for Dominical, an overnight anchorage about 30 miles away. Light, fluky winds plague us so we roll up the head sail and continue on with just the main. The whales have returned and we must keep a sharp lookout for our humpback friends. We encounter one pair floating in the water, doing their part to ensure the survival of the species. Other than giant mammals, its logs and trees we avoid on our way to Dominical. The anchorage is exposed to the west and we drop our hook outside a group of moored fishing boats. We contemplate putting out our stern anchor, but the slight breeze has blown us out of position. Things are fairly comfortable at the moment, but we know once the wind dies down it will become very rolly. We can drop the dinghy in the water to set the stern hook that way, or we can wait till the breeze dies out before trying to put out the stern anchor from the back of Savannah. As we are discussing what to do, all of a sudden the wind begins to build, blowing off the land at 20 knots. Then the rain begins and the wind climbs to 30. We quickly gather up the cushions and loose items and bring them below. The rain is falling in huge drops, stinging us as we travel around the deck. During the next hour or so the wind clocks around, pointing us every direction before calming. We felt lucky that we didn’t have the stern anchor deployed. The anchor line would have taken on tremendous loads from the storm. The water has taken on a muddy brown color as the rainfall brings silt down from the neighboring hills and the sea surface has turned into a washing machine. But all is well as we settle down for the night.
August 25 Not much sleep last night as the boat rolled from side to side at infrequent intervals. By the time the storm had passed last night it was dark and we were unable to set the stern anchor. As expected, when the wind died the anchorage became very rolly. After being woken from sleep by the motion, things would settle down as the boat turned more or less into the swell. Then, after falling back asleep, the boat would turn sideways again and begin to rock and roll. At first light we depart Dominical. The town of Dominica is nearby but the swell is still rolling in making it impossible for a dingy landing. We had hoped to surf and go into town and explore a bit while we were here. However, after last nights lack of sleep, we want to push on to the calmness of Drakes Bay. After a days sail, we arrive at Drakes and it is indeed calm at the anchorage. A mild swell wraps along the western shoreline and fades into the bay. Things are quiet here, a fishing village that only received power hookups in 2004. Modest homes line the bay and a few small all-inclusive hotels can be found. The Osa peninsula runs south from here and is home to Corcovado Park, Costa Rica’s largest park. There are a series of trails that allow one to walk the entire length of the peninsula, more than 60 miles. Isla de Cano lies 12 miles to the west, a favorite dive location and infamous for its lightning strikes. It has been struck more recorded times than any other location in Costa Rica. During our stay, the lightning storms did seem to hover offshore around the island. One afternoon however, lighting flashed and the thunder boomed instantaneously after, directly on top of us. We could then hear the thunder roll away from us as it receded into the distance. We turned on some of our instruments to make sure our electronics were still operating. A lightning hit on our mast would destroy every electronic piece of equipment on board.
August 27 We take a walk into town today. It is hot. Really, really hot today and we meander between bits of shade along the roadway. But it feels good to get off the boat and stretch our legs. We follow the road to the top of a ridgeline before heading back to the bay. Along the way, we stop at the only store in town to get an ice cream bar. It does little to cut the heat but it sure tastes good.
A tranquil estuary at Drake's Bay
A rocky section of coastline along Drakes Bay
August 28, 2009 As I mentioned before, Isla del Cano lies 12 miles away. There is some debate as to whether Sir Francis Drake actually ever stayed in Drakes Bay in 1597. After robbing the English ship Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion in Esmeraldas, Ecuador he stopped at Isla del Cano to caulk his ship with bark from the trees. There is a mix of sources saying where he actually anchored. – excerpt Explore Central America! Part 2 by Eric Bailey The island is reported to be a prime dive site, but its location makes it a difficult stop for us. There are no decent anchorage spots for an overnight stay, not to mention the lighting issue, and it is a bit too far to reach and get back to Drakes Bay in a single day. Not if you want to spend any time diving or snorkeling. A panga trip to the island costs $60 U.S. p.p., which is a bit out of our price range for a day of snorkeling, especially when we can dinghy to a nearby reef and have a look. Which is exactly what we did. There are several new fish species here that we haven’t seen before. That’s a nice surprise. While I was harvesting some oysters, Jodie got to swim with a sea turtle and was able to reach out and touch him before he moved off. Our plan is to leave Drakes Bay tonight around midnight and head to Gulfo Dulce. After snorkeling we spent the afternoon getting the boat ready for the trip. In the late afternoon it began to rain and didn’t stop till 1 a.m.. Around 10 p.m. the wind arrived and soon Savannah was riding atop some impressive wind waves during the course of the storm. We noticed the local panga fleet tying 55 gallon barrels to the sides of their boats. This is done to prevent them from sinking from the rainfall and wind waves during storms such as these. Needless to say, we didn’t leave at midnight. We’ll wait till the next night to depart.
August 29, 2009 A beautiful sunny morning greets us and as we come out to the cockpit with our cups of coffee we see that s/v Kate has slipped into the anchorage during the night. We also see that the 30 foot sport fishing boat that was anchored near us has sunk during the storm, the vessel having turtled itself at some point during the storm. Looking at the underside of the hull just breaking the surface of the water makes one think, “What is wrong with this picture?” Our guess is that the massive amount of rain water caused the bilge pumps to be overwhelmed or the batteries powering the pump failed. More water coming in than going out, regardless. Several pangas and crew begin the job of righting the vessel, pumping out the sea water and then towing it over to a dock to begin the real work of putting her back together. Steve and Heather from Kate stop by during the day. They are currently without a working transmission and making their way to Golfito for repairs. I can’t think of a better way to become an expert at sailing your boat than not having an engine to fall back on. Same plan for today as yesterday, wait for midnight and depart for Gulfo Dulce.
August 30, 2009 We leave Drakes Bay and the lightning storms that plague Isla del Cano behind us. It is midnight and the sky is as clear as it has ever been. The stars sparkle and glisten. Jupiter and Venus look like tiny spotlights, clearly outshining their larger fiery cousins. When morning arrives we find ourselves nearing the tip of the Osa peninsula. We have traveled halfway to our destination, Puerto Jimenez inside Gulfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf). During the night we passed one minor and one major river outlet. Our fear was hitting a tree trunk that had migrated out to sea. But luck is with us and we round the southern tip of the Osa and make a brief stop at Matapalo to surf and eat lunch. We drop anchor off the beach and we can see that with an outgoing tide, there aren’t any surfable waves. However, it is a beautiful place to have some lunch and it feels good to stop the boat and relax. After lunch we resume our trip and finish the final 12 miles to Puerto Jimenez inside Gulfo Dulce. The bay is extremely deep in the center and around Puerto Jimenez the bottom rises quickly near the shore. So much so that when we anchor in 40 feet of water, we can see as little as 9 feet when we swing towards shore and 60 feet when we swing away. The cruising guide book said that this would be the case, so we don’t spend any time searching for a more gentle sloping area. Not an ideal anchorage, but we are just planning on staying for a night or two and the conditions are very calm.
August 31, 2009
Another thing we found was a pizzeria. We passed it on our way into town, so after grabbing a few groceries we make our way back to the pizzeria. Mail-It Pizzeria is operated by a nice Italian couple and the pizza was fantastic. We opted for the “Tica” style pizza. The owner said that most of the locals get that type so we did as well. The one ingredient that set it apart from the others was ground beef. When the pizza arrived, they set out some olive oil that was steeped in red pepper flakes. We enjoy hot and spicy food so the hot oil was a real treat and we thought it was a vast improvement over just dry pepper flakes. Jodie said that we had a salad dressing bottle that wasn’t being used on the boat, so when we got back to Savannah we made up our own hot oil mixture. Tomorrow when we eat the remaining portion of the pizza, we will try it out.
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