COSTA RICA

COSTA RICA

So far things have gone pretty well here in Costa Rica! The only bad thing has being able to check in. As I typed we made it into the gulf with only 2 gallons of fuel left. I nursed every ounce of fuel, and zephyr of wind to get here, but we’re here.

Fortunately through the kindness of Zepplin we got 10 gallons of fuel, and local information too. We motor sailed over to Caldera from Ballena Bahia. The guide we aquired told us we could do all check in there. We dropped the hook at 4pm, and had been hailing the Port Captain since 3:30pm. There was no reply, so we figured they had closed up for the day. You never know when you will run into a Holiday in a foreign country.

Yacht Zepellin in Bahia Ballena

Bay of the Whales settlers

The next morning come, and Mel is on the radio first thing at 8am. No reply at all, and throughout the whole morning there is no reply. Then just before noon the Port Captain comes on the radio, and tells one of the freighters it will be noon. We try to hail him again, and still no reply. Mel has now found a channel where the freighters talk to each other. Apparently some of the freighters had been sitting for days with no replies.

Imagine on Bahia Ballena

This almost too funny, but it’s the way it is at times in Latin countries. About 4pm on the second day. The freighter got through, and was told the Port Captain was on one of the tug boats cruising around the bay. He got with 150 feet of us, and completely ignored us. Imagine’s color scheme stands out, and is always remembered by many we meet along the way. So I know he sees us, and hears us too. We’re the only pleasure boat anchored among about a half dozen freighters, and right in front of his office. Finally the freighter got through too the Captain once again. Or should I type the Captain finally decided to answer the call on the radio! He asked what happened to noon? The reply was oh it will be Manana. I knew then it was time to raise anchor, and get over to Punta Arenas to check in. We pulled in the anchor at 7am., and made our way here.

Here wasn’t much different than Caldera. Once again no reply came from the Port Captain’s office. After numerous attempts finally we got an answer. After a couple of conversations back, and forth with this voice on the radio. I began to suspect he was not the Captain, but an agent. Mel asked directly if this was true, and the reply was I work for the government. He directs us to come along the waterfront, and anchor in front of a certain business. As we approach we’re hailed on the radio, and he’s on the wharf directing us exactly where to anchor.

We drop the hook, and dinghy into shore. He has an official looking badge, but Mel is suspect, and demands an honest answer. Turns out he is an agent, and works through the government, but for himself. I am looking around, and can plainly see this is no spot to leave the boat. Not in the hands of incapable crew, or alone. It’s obvious these are hard working people, and by the looks of things the rewards for working hard are not much. A boat like Imagine would just be easy pickings if left alone. The swing of current, and strength is reason for not leaving the boat in incapable hands.

So it turns out the man admits he is an agent. Seems Captains don’t reply to calls, because this way you fall into the hands of a third party. This can be good, or bad,, and this time it turns out too be good. Mel haggles with him. She explains our situation, and the man lowers his price to 1/3 of what he first asked. Turns out he worked hard to get what we paid him, and it took a whole day, or rather 2 half days to finish the paperwork.

There was a lot of misunderstandings, and misinterpetations with the paperwork. It may have taken another day, and had officials pulling out their hair if he hadn’t been there too smooth things over. Turns out this man had a tumor removed from his neck. While at breakfast on the second day after the work was done. He had all kinds of advice on herbal healing. Some we already knew, but there were others new too us. If it was up to Mel I wouldn’t eat a meal, but my complete intake would be some herbal healing potion of some kind! It can’t be denied though that something is holding back the growth of my tumor. Something is shrinking it, and making it hard. It is not really visible anymore, but I can feel it still there.

The agent guides us up the very shallow waterway leading to the end of the small bay of Punta Arenas. He gets us up to the Costa Rica Yacht Club where for $25 (plus 25% surcharge for not staying a month)  a day we have a safe place to leave the boat, so we can provision. We’re out of fresh fruit, and veggies. There are lots, and lots of canned ones, but those are out of necessity. We have some canned meats too, but those are also out of necessity. There’s still 2 weeks of meat left in the freezer. Not to mention weeks, and weeks, perhaps months of Pancake, oatmeal, and dry cereal left. Mel has tried to bake bread, but it turned into fish food, so bread was on the list too. Especially since there are lots of small bakeries on the street with fresh made bread, yummy! We can get fuel here, and just plain get off the boat.

Now getting off the boat has been an experience. After a month of movement from Imagine. Terra Firma is another challenge. We rock while standing there, and laugh at ourselves. If there’s seasickness there has to be land sickness too, right? Well there is, and thank goodness it doesn’t make you green. Just a wee bit unstable. To others it probably looks like we have had several drinks, or more.

So here we are, and we have only seen a small part of what there is, but I like it already. It seems civilized compared to Panama. There are no outrageous buses here with sometimes gaudy, sometimes sexy, and sometimes even downright beautiful paintings covering them. The old Blue Bird school buses with suspensions knocking, and belching smoke like an active volcano are not here. I am really glad the blaring Latin music is gone too along with the pressing flesh of crowded buses. Although if it is a young beautiful woman that smells fresh. There’s really nothing to complain about when she presses against you. Usually though it’s another man, or some stinky old woman with tons of perfume on. Not to mention a guy working in the heat of the day, and all sweaty. Everybody has a seat here, and they wait in line patiently to board the bus. In Panama it is every dog for himself to get aboard, and off!


As far as the natural beauty here. The water isn’t gin clear like the Bahamas, and I miss that. There are many rivers dumping into the bay, and that either browns up the water, or at least darkens it. It depends on how close to the river you are. The closer the browner the water.

There aren’t large mountains that we can see. I don’t know how tall the country gets, but it is very hilly, and many small mountains. These give off all kinds of shades of blue, gray, purples and even at times reflections of the sunrises, and sunsets. Through out the day the colors of the mountains change. At times they completely disappear to due rain squalls that pass through. The rain is yet another plus. This means catching water, and a whole lot less of carrying 5 gallon jugs to the boat, and around the boat.

There are large ocean swells that come in to the wide mouth of the bay. These are dramatic, and beautiful like the Ca. coastline. With huge geysers spewing out of cracks, and crevices. White foam cascading down the sides of the coastline, and many islands through out the bay. The other side of the island can be very tranquil, and these will discover a wee bit before we leave this bay.

Isla Tortugas (Punta Coral)

The anti fouling paint we used is really horrible stuff. The idea is to keep creatures, and grasses from growing onto the bottom of the boat. A smooth bottom makes for the best chances of getting more speed. A fouled bottom makes a boat slow. This paint is only 2 months old, and already the growth is quite a bit. We will need to go into one of these tranquil sides of an island, and scrape the bottom clean.

Because there is fresh water dumping into the bay. It has helped clean off some of the growth already. What has died will still need to be scraped off. A fouled bottom can knock off a knot, and at times much more speed than that from Imagine’s progress. A knot is 1.2 miles an hour, and that doesn’t seem like much. After a 24 hour run that is equal to 28.8 miles loss, and if the bottom is worse the loss of miles are worse. Over a week it becomes a complete day lost, so you can see a clean bottom is important.

The thing about being here. Is that there are no cruisers. Meeting cruisers means gaining knowledge quickly of the location. Not that the locals have not been helpful, but cruisers know what another cruiser needs, or wants. Those that arrived before you. Usually get information of where to buy filters. Where the most inexpensive stores are for any merchandise. Hopefully by moving to Golfito we will run into more cruisers, and therefore enhance our stay here. Especially my stay since Mel will be leaving in 3 weeks, and gone for at least 3 months. Possibly up to 5 months, but as always time will tell how long she needs to stay in the states.

I will need too find some products too work on the boat. I have paint, sand paper, varnish, thinner, some small pieces of wood, brushes, but eventually I will need to refill what is used, and some things I don’t have any longer. An example is when we boarded the boat in May. We found a small oil leak in the shop. It soaked a bag with about 30lbs of triaxle cloth, and ruined it. I want to rebuild one of the chain locker hatches, and I will need fiber glass cloth for that. I used all the U.V. sewing thread on the sail, so more thread will be needed. Not to mention some new needles. I broke several trying to push them through the extra thick layers of cloth on the sail.

As we see more, and experience more I will add it to here. Just so you know I am not just soaking up the tropical sun, and having drinks with small umbrellas in them as I watch sunsets! I would hate to think any one is thinking I am living large like a millionaire. Living large? Well, maybe I am, but not anything close to a millionaire. We’re just hardworking people that have decided to live a not so normal lifestyle.

We have made our choice to not live in a house with a white picket fence, and a pet, or 2. Our house can go most places where the water is 4 feet, or deeper, and explore this lovely planet we call home, Mother Earth. From our dining table, back porch, and galley our view changes often. Sometimes a wee bit intense, and sometimes so seren it makes one wonder who is painting that sky, or scene that is being gifted to us at the moment.

Off Isla Alcatraz

Isla Tortugas

For me it sure beats looking out onto the same tree waiting for it to grow, and give me shade. Taking half of my day off to mow the lawn, and keep the yard tidy. Instead I scrape, and varnish, or crawl into a hot engine compartment to see why the engine won’t start, so we can move our home against the tide with no wind. I look for, and replace lines that are worn. Shackles that are suspect to failure at the wrong time. Cutting out soft wood, and replacing it so the boat is safe. It’s not much different keeping the boat tidy. We just change the scenery now, and then.

MAKING LEMONADE

Sometimes in life you’re handing a bunch of sour lemons. Now as a kid I made lemonade in my Grand father’s concession stand at the Illinois state fair. You just add a little sugar, and stir a lot. What was once sour, and distasteful is now a treat to drink.

This turning around to Costa Rica was a bunch of lemons of life. Last night sitting in the cockpit while Mel prepared dinner I was busy making lemonade out of our situation.

Here we are sitting in a tiny cove that is well protected from the prevailing winds. There’s a tiny resort on one end, and a tiny home on the other. The sun was setting through grey clouds with a beautiful rose colored sky here, and there behind the clouds. There are no insects biting me, the water is tranquil. While in the distance I can see the water is ruffled from wind. It took us only 4 hours to get here from Puntarenas, and several more to go to our destination. There is no rush, or stress to be anywhere at this time. The pain in my neck, and eye are gone. Mel has bought a fresh snapper from a fisherman in a canoe. So in my mind I was busy making lemonade out of the lemons of life.

I use to use a phrase as a very young man. Some days you eat the bears, and some days the bears eat you! Where it came from I don’t know. What I do know is over time I forgot this phrase. Several years ago when we were struggling with the economy. My friend John asked me what happened? How did I forget that the bears are still roaming. I had to laugh, and told him we were pretty young then. Some where along this time line I have forgotten that you got to take the good with the bad, it’s life. So there I was last night taking a long cool drink of delicious lemonade. Watching from my back porch the scenery swing back, and forth as we hang on the anchor, and swing.

It could be a hell of a lot worse. I could still be under a microscope being probed, cooked, and having toxins dumped in my veins, but I am not. I am here in Costa Rica. Swinging gently in semi circles as the wind, and tide changes. The morning air is cool, and the sun is peeking out through those clouds again. I am eating cinnamon pancakes as my scenery changes from tree, to resort, to small house, to mountains in the distance wrapped in clouds. Let me take another sip of that lemonade, uh I mean morning tea!

Wheres the beef?