Still heading south or is it east?

During my trip south I wanted to make short hope since not only was I traveling with no other boats I was also still alone. The following are just a brief description of each anchorage. I have not uploaded any new picture but will do so when I have internet.

Punta Quepos very good anchorage. I anchored further into the bay because some of the rocks on Sarana guide seem to be miss placed. The main reason I went there was to avoid paying the anchorage fee for the first night I was there. Not much roll but some.

Manual Antonio park. One of the prettiest and clearest anchorages I have been to in Costa Rica. I was the only boat here for two nights and surrounded on three sides by jungle. It was quite rolly the second night. I got up at 5 and left for the next leg. I only paid one night and the ranger wanted to see my receipt to get back to the boat. He came after hours and looked out at me? I left at 6 that morning so no problem. The park was a very interesting place to walk around. They get hundreds of tourists a day but you still manage to see 2 and 3 toed sloths, monkeys, parrots, and the Jesus Crist Lizard was sort of a topper. I was told it is the only four legged animal that actually can walk on water. It walks on its hind legs so fast it actually walks on water. This is also the only area you can find Squirrel monkeys filling out my list of seeing all 4 types of monkeys.

Bahia Dominicalito it says it is a protected anchorage. Beautiful place right out of Napa Valley huge homes everything looks like Calif. Probably one of the top 5 worst nights of rock and rolling I have had. By far the worst since entering Mexico 2 yrs ago. Large swells and crosswave made for no sleep. I wanted to leave in the middle of the night but there were a lot of fishing nets I had seen them put out the evening before. I left at 4.45 when I could see the flags.

Bahia Drake I got there and I couldn't get off the boat. There was a 6+ ft swell coming through. Mystic Moon forwarded me the bouy weather report to verify what I already knew. I wanted to explore the park so I stayed. During anything but high tide the entrance to where you park the dingy had such huge breakers across it I didn't dare try to enter for three days. The swells were very steep and I would roll off the back side sideways. Bent part of my bow roller because of weird wave action. Once the swell calmed down I went to shore and had a great hike out to the point about 3 hrs away. Only saw green parrots and scarlet macaws. A lot of macaws. No Tucans I would have stayed longer but 5+ft swells were called for the next day. Don't know where they were coming from, but they were unusual.

I decided to go to Puerto Jeminez because the pirate surfer guys said I should. I love it here. It is a great town. As far as anyone can remember I am the first cruising sailboat to come here maybe since the new year. They can't remember the last one. I have been treated like a guest in the town by everyone. The Palms bar and motel has a two and a half little boy who is fluent in both Spanish and english. There is a little neighbor girl who is three, who isn't around right now, but she speaks enlish, spanish and some portugese. Really cool place. I was introduced to a Canadian who took me around the town to show me where to shop and then introduce me to the people she knew. I would definitely not pass this place up. I am going to spend a couple of days or more here then head up to Rincon. Everybody here says don't hurry to get to Golfito. There are a bunch of Tucans here. They are even just hanging out on the wires above the streets. One place I went the owner showed me two of the five thieves in town( really only five) and where not to go, bars on the left side of the road. While I was there one of them was trying to sell stolen DVDs he said were his brothers. Pretty entertaining. I even meet the ex ambassador to Tonga and Bolivia. He now owns a bar in town. Really cool older man. He owns an entire city block for his gardens and bar. He also has a bonsi collection back in Sausalito that has several 150 year old specimens that he has someone from Japan come over and take care of a couple of times a year.

Thats about it. I have not seen another cruiser since Ballena. Every anchorage I have had to myself. Actually a family on the beach in Manual Park were the only people I talked to since I left Panchita and Vida Libre. There is just no one down here. Both Equinox and Mystic Moon left Sunday for Panama. I wasn't here yet.

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Heading South

My overnight trip down to Bahia Bellena was pretty much uneventful. The only catch was I was by myself and I wasn't going to get there for about 20hrs. I stayed awake the whole trip except for four 15 minute timer naps. That is where I set the timer for 15 minutes and close my eyes. The timer goes off and I am awake, if I went to sleep at all. Once I arrive around noon I set the anchor and went to sleep. On the way in I had talked to friends on Mystic Moon and they had invited me to Isla Tortuga for Easter dinner and meet their son. I said I thought I would be too tired but thanks. I woke up 3 hours later and decided to make the six mile trip up to Tortuga. Had a great night and was very glad I went. They left for points south and I headed back to Bahia Bellena to be with Equinox and Lea Scotia . We went ashore and made a hike out to the point to look at rocky shoreline and a bunch of howler monkeys. Once we got back we had a great lunch at the Bar and Restaurant in the bay call Bahia Bellena Yacht Club. We spent two more days there pretty much enjoying the area and the food. Equinox headed south to Golfito and I headed to Isla San Lucas. the sight of an old prison. Somewhat like Alkatraz but a smaller scale. It was closed in 1997 but it looked like it had been closed for 30 yrs. The jungle had reclaimed its land. I only spent one night there and said good buy to Lea Scotia for a couple of weeks. I went back to Isla Tortuga to try and do some snorkeling and relaxing alone. I only spent on night because the wave action made in very uncomfortable. I was going back to Bahia Bellena. I wanted to be there for the Saturday organic market. It turned out to be a great find and bought a couple of weeks worth of veggies. While I was back there Panchita and Vida Libre were also at the anchorage so I went with them on the same hike as earlier to show them the monkeys, They were not disappointed, and again we had lunch at the yacht club. It would be the last, I was heading south the next day.

There was a lot of worrisome hype about thefts in Golfa de Nicoya. I had no problems and would recommend this are to everyone behind me. I had a great time, but I also always locked my dingy when I went ashore and put it up at night. I doesn't hurt to be cautious. I have updated picture file I sent to Picaso the link is on the side bar.

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Dolphins and Sunsets

It doesn't get much better that this. I have about 10 dolphins gliding through my bow wave while the sun slowly set to a beautiful orange hue. No green flash, I was hoping. The only thing better would be to have Helen here with me and not 3,000 mile away. Helen went home for a couple of weeks to see her mother and spend some time in Portland. Last year it was my turn this year hers.

I have been in Costa Rica for about 3 weeks and have spent most of my time around the Cocos area. Northern Costa Rica is not jungle green at this time of year that was one my big surprises. Most of it is brown until the winter rains begin in about a month or less. The low valleys are green with palm, mango and other ever green trees, but the hills are brown and bare. I have explored 4 different anchorages all having something a little different to offer. Playa de Coco is the hub of activity for the area. It has 3 grocery stores and two banks. Pretty much all that is important to me. Oh ya then there is Coconutz. One of the gringo hangouts. They have happy hour every day and beer and well drinks are only about a dollar and a half. Which for this area is a great deal. They also have Pizza and salad buffet with a movie on Wednesday. I made it there twice. Playa de Coco is also where you have to check in and out of Costa Rica. I then anchored in Playa de Panama. This is a very nice quite anchorage. A little more protection from the strong afternoon winds and waves. The only other attraction in Playa de Panama is a very nice small eco resort. Lea Scotia's relatives stayed there and had a fantastic time. I was able to make one inland trip with them to a Volcano Nation Park. Had a good time hiking through the true green jungle. We were very disappointed because we saw no wild animals, and hardly any birds. I then went back to reprovision (which is about double the cost of anywhere I have been)and meet up with Mystic Moon for a well deserved reunion, that lasted 3 days. Together we moved to Bahia Gaucayama a very small bay. Room for just a couple of boats. The snorkeling was supposed to be good, but the water clarity was not very good. There wasn't much to see. We did find a Sea Horse washed up on the beach giving us hope of seeing them in the water. They were too elusive. I then moved back to Coco for a couple of hrs to get a National Zarpe. This is a piece of paper letting me travel along Costa Rican waters for 90 days. When I was done with check out I moved out to Bahia Heuvos and meet up with Lea Scotia and Equinox the two boats I am traveling with right now. The water was a lot clearer but the temperature dropped to 72 degrees. I cleaned the boat bottom and that was pretty much my underwater adventures. We also had a power boat friend come into the anchorage Panchita. They will be there a few more days to check into the country then head our way. A schooner called R-Dreams share our anchorage very nice people coming up from Panama they share a wealth of information with us. After a short night stop back in Gaucamaya I am on my way heading south to Bahia Bellena. It is an overnight passage, the first I have done alone, but I am in the company of 2 other boats. The coolest thing about Costa Rica so far is the Monkeys. There are monkeys everywhere. Even in the town of Cocos. One night in Bahia Heuvos I watch 20 or more Howler monkeys play in the trees for about an hour about 15 minutes before sunset they all moved up the hill and sat there in about 5 trees looking west. I swear they were digging the sunset just like me. When the sun set they all dispersed down into the other trees. It was totally cool. So far I have seen three different types of monkeys. There are four types in Costa Rica so I am doing pretty good. That pretty much brings everything up to date for Jammin. Except for not having Helen here and what she, her family, and her mom are going through life is good down here in Costa Rica.

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El Salvador heading to Costa Rica

After waiting 3 days for a bar crossing window we were given the ok for 7am Monday morning. The bar had been close because the waves were too large for safe crossing. We had no problem waiting til the right time after what we went through coming in over the bar. Our pilot arrived at 7 sharp and Lea Scotia went first again. It looked a lot worse than it was. We tipped the bar pilot $10( a whole days wage) to try to insure a dry crossing. It worked but not until sitting in the middle of 6 ft breaking waves waiting for that right moment to climb over the top of 3 no breaking waves and escape into the open sea where we were at home again.
We were on our way to Golfo Fonseca 72 miles away. The trip was uneventful and we arrived just before dark. The amazing thing about the Golfo is that every island is a volcano and two very large ones guard the entrance. The Golfo is territory of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. While sitting at anchor getting ready for an early bed time, I heard the strangest noise coming from our boat, or at least I thought it was our boat. I can only describe it as the sound a thousand frogs would make if kept in a small room. I could not figure out what in the boat would be making that sound. I finally called Lea Scotia and they were hearing the same sound. No idea what it was but it quit about midnight. The next two nights were spent off of quaint little villages all painted in brilliant colors. Cows, pigs, horses, and dogs roamed the only beach in front of the homes. We were serenaded by really bad sing along music coming from the church on the beach. The next night we again anchored off an area of homes and one very small resort. At midnight firecrackers and bottle rockets were set off for some unknown reason. It lasted about 20 minutes and it started all over again at 4 in the morning. We took the hint and left at five for our trip down the Nicaraguan coast to Costa Rica.
(Thursday night)The coastal view of Nicaragua is amazing. No matter what direction you look on shore you see multiple volcanos. At one point I could see 8, all incredible sights. Very few beach front resorts or properties were visible from the water. Just before Costa Rica we did see some amazing European style villas. Huge water front estates. I could guess where the money comes from! We are now about 70 mile from Costa Rica. I have the Big Dipper on one side of the boat and the Southern Cross on the other, pretty cool. Orion's Belt is always our center of attention as the night sky flows overhead. The wind is just picking up and it is expected to blow about 25knt by morning. These are the Papagallos which we have been trying to avoid. I hope they are only 25 for a short period of time. Tomorrow we will be in Bahia Santa Elena Costa Rica. It is suppose to be a wonderful place. Monkeys, big cats, and many kinds of birds await us. Coooool!
(Friday)The wind blew us in to Costa Rica, or was it a gale? We saw and felt 45 mph gust for over 5 hours. It started at midnight and its now 3 PM and still blowing. It pays to notice the barometer swings--3 down equals windy conditions. If the grib files shows it might blow a Papagallo believe it! If it shows 25knts it will probably blew 40 to 50 in some locations. If it doesn't show anything it will probably blow anyway. I am glad it is over. We had a reefed main and no jib all the way down since morning in 35mph constant and one peak gust of 49. The boat did well, I was only afraid of my 4 scuba tanks breaking loose in the middle of everything. One strap may not be enough. Nothing happened to them but I will be resewing my jib's sun edge which ripped out for the second time.

It is evening, and we are anchored in Bahia Santa Elena; it feels visually like the northwest and it looks to be a fun place to explore. One parrot sighted,no monkeys yet!! But tomorrow we will walk in the jungle, and up to a waterfall. More later, Dave and Helen

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Exploring Around Bahia del Sol

The blog now has some new pictures to support this story and some of the previous experiences. Our first exploration was a dinghy ride to the end of the estuary to a town called Herradura. We landed at the pier, a working fishing village and walked through the water front food court. Then we entered the town, its streets, and traffic. As we walked we passed store fronts that use garage doors at night to close their store fronts. With national elections in full swing, the liberal communistic party headquarters were full of supporters and flag wavers--Americans are not their favorite people right now which explained the stares and suspicious looks the males in our party received. Our goal was the weekly market for fruit and vegetables. There the stalls and stands were so tightly packed that one had to walk sideways to get through the narrow path. Everything from toilet paper to strange looking vegetables was available for a price. The people were friendly and helped us with our Spanish. With fresh produce in hand we walked out and down to the local bakery. Using huge ovens fueled by burning wood they bake incredibly delicious bread. The batter is stirred by hand in stainless tables that are 4 feet by six feet and 5 inches deep. The lady dipped her hand into the batter and slopped it into the cooking pans and then handed them to the baker. No utensils to wash and few pans this way. Some of the party bought bread and cookies shaped into butterflies. Now being hungry we took a 3 wheel taxi back to the pier for a delicious lunch. Dave and I shared a sausage plate and a shrimp dinner--garlic and butter grilled.
The next morning we woke and completed a few projects before setting out to the structures that sit on piers in the entrance of this bay. The structures are restaurants where ladies grill fish or serve freshly made clam cocktails. While you wait you can lay in hammocks and toss back a few cold beers. The scenery is stunning and the atmosphere is definitely, "No worries, no problems." If they run out of something they yell over to the next structure and borrow whatever they need.
Another day we walked down the main road to a local store and bought coca light and ate pupulas. Earlier that day we explored the island across the way, visited their store, school, and the local goat farm. Animals are plentiful and roam from shore to shore. We caught a ride with Jan, from Canada, one day and saw the carts delivering goods, the cattle free roaming to find food, and the volcanoes in the distance.
The buddy boat we are traveling with had a birthday. Kiera turned three. Jan invited children to her house and bought a pinata. We played games and everyone swung at the Tweedy bird. The chocolate cupcakes were so good.
Having now decided it time to hit the tide and pull out for points south, we provisioned one last time in a town further in called Zacatecoluca. This town has banks and more stores, but the market place is the same as anywhere--stalls crowded together, small passages, and such a variety of goods. They did have a super market and there we bought enough meat and hard goods to take care of our needs for another 3-4 weeks. As we left the town there were roadside stalls selling coconuts, honey, melons, and road stops where trucks were being inspected and people unloaded...why wasn't clear.
Many nights were spent with mago salsa and rum cocktails on Jan's porch. One night she brought out her home brew cashew concoction. Blaze, a musician from San Francisco joined us and we philosophized into the wee hours.
So, now here we sit by the pool(plugged into the wi-fi), music and tropical birds in the background, kicking back some cool ones,just waiting for the surf to lay down and let the boat cross the sand bar that stands between us and the next adventure. This morning Dave completed the checkout paperwork and a bit later our sand bar guide came by and said, "Not today, maybe not for two or three more days." What an ideal place to wait out a weather window!

We are in El Salvador

We arrived on a wave to Bahia Del Sol Resort, El Salvador on March 2 at 6 PM. The photos taken of the boat ahead of us altered our optimistic outlook of our own ride in; so when it was our turn we were ready to roll and get wet. However Neptune took mercy on us and we barely caught spray over the side. Thankful for the smooth entrance we had a drink, compared notes with our friends, and went to sleep—10 hours of uninterrupted sleep! When dawn arrived, the sounds of tropical birds, crowing roosters and a blaring horn like on a locomotive roused us from our sleep. Looking around we saw low lying land trimmed in palm trees and one story round huts on the beaches and red roof piers filled our view. We took a walk on the resort grounds and 3 wild parrots perched in the trees cawed, Guinea hens in a pen with geese and a lone sheep and deer ate away at their breakfast. Out on the main road we heard the locomotive horn again and around the corner sped a bright green bus, front tires lifted higher than the rear, and graphics painted up and down its sides—our guide book explains it is the local commuter bus with huge speakers and a blaring stereo that will require ear plugs for the one hour ride to the capital city. That adventure we will leave for another day.

Our voyage to El Salvador started last Thursday night when we left the shelter of Huatulco, Mexico to cross the dreaded Tehuantepec, leaving Mexican waters for Central American shores. The crossing can be calm or 8 to 25 feet of confused seas, more like chop, with gusts in the 40-60 mph range. We were fortunate and the first two days were great sailing (10-20 mph) and fairly calm waters. During Dave’s watch the dolphins performed for over 45 minutes darting, diving and doing acrobatics. My watch was the parading of turtles so thick it felt like a land mind field. They were very skillful in diving and avoiding being run over by our boat. It was when we left the Tehuantepec and were approaching the border of Guatemala that the seas built, the wind howled, and we were tossed and dropped for over 36 hours by the winds on our nose known as the papagallo. Taking turns of about 3 hours each we made it and arrived at the mouth of Bahia Del Sol around 10 AM. There is a sand bar, current, and breaking surf to avoid and the hour to enter that day was 5:30 PM(high slack). Being 7 hours ahead, we took well needed naps as the wind blew 20-25 all afternoon. At 5:30 the launch (panga style boat) met our buddy boat and showed him the way in. The attached pictures show his ride which was wet and wild, not unlike the log ride at Knotts Berry Farm. They did get wet. We thought you might appreciate the view we were given. But as stated above we lucked out. This country is friendly, and behind the low lands are numerous volcanoes with a layer of smoke filling the space between the two areas. It is harvest time for sugar cane and they burn the canes down all day and night long resulting in shards of ash floating on the winds and covering your boats, covers, and steps. One cannot escape the sweet odor it creates nor the desire to sweep up the mess.

Good Morning. It is Sunday

It's Sunday at least that is what we think. We had Lea Scotia (Trevor, 39, Carissa ?, and Kiera, almost 3)who we will be traveling to Central America with over last night. One of our discussions was how we never know what day it is. If it wasn't for the computer we would never know. The only day that is different is Friday because there is no weather by Don Anderson on the SSB radio. We are anchored in La India a beautiful little bay surrounded by rocks and reefs on 3 1/2 sides. Our anchor sits in 20 ft of crystal clear water. It is part of a National Park so taking care of the reefs are serious business. We went snorkeling three times yesterday on the third time I set all my snorkel gear on the back step and sometime later it got knocked off into the water and floated away. All my good gear was gone. I got up at daylight and kayaked around the bay and the outer bay with no luck. I have some back up equipment but it is all old stuff. Oh well. Life is still good. We just heard on the SSB weather that it is blowing 60+ knots out in the Tehuantepec today and tomorrow, and 45+ all the way down to Costa Rica. I guess we are glad we are sitting here. The winds come over from the Caribbean side and funnel through to this side. Nasty stuff when it does. It is so shallow the seas build to 15-18ft on a 5 to 6 second period. Even ships have problems. It can extend out 700 miles from the gulf. You don't take chances with the Tehuantepec. By the way the Tehuantepec is where we are headed after a few days in Huatulco.

Two days ago we were anchored behind Isla Cacaluta. This is also part of the parks system but more open to the seas so we just stayed two nights. The surrounding shores are very rugged and rocky. Not something you would expect to see in Southern Mexico. Reminds me of Southern Oregon Coast. Every where we go seems to be magnificent snorkeling in clear water with tons of fish and coral. There always seems to be something new to see.

We plan on staying here till tomorrow or the next day and then move to the marina till we get a weather window. We need fuel, propane, provisions and to check out of the country. Then when the weather opens for a 3-5 day period we will then be off the El Salvador.

Hope everyone is doing well

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