Last Sunset Age 64
My last blog left off at Marina Papagayo, with Michael having installed our new inverter. Many miles have traversed since then. What a trip this season has been with 2000 nm, 6 countries, some trials, great adventures, many laughs, a few lessons, and above all breathtaking vistas. Best told with pictures, so here goes:
Gulfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica
Underway again!
Frustrations from boat repair delays fell away as we left Playa del Coco to the Gulfo de Nicoya in Costa Rica. As promised, the Papagayo winds did finally ease. First stop was Bahia Samera to rest then Ballena for Michael’s birthday. Making short trips daily, we anchored and enjoyed many new places, briefly sublime.
Bahia Drake
Footloose at Bahia Drake
We usually travel in daylight, but seriously overdone by the sun (85-90 average temp with humidity to match), we decided to travel over night to Bahia Drake. It was a calm and cool night, arriving at dawn to a quiet anchorage. Bahia Drake is situated in the lush Oso Peninsula. We reunited with our buddy boats Paradisea and Sonamara and lingered a couple weeks there, enjoying walks around the small town, and taking a couple tours to Corcovado Park and Isla Cano, ominous for being the place where more lightening strikes occur annually than anywhere in the world. We hired a panga to take us there. We were able to tie our dinghy to the Oso lodge dock to walk about and explore. The staff at Oso were helpful in setting up the tours. All in all, Bahia Drake was a favorite stop in Costa Rica.
Rainforest Tour in Corcovado Park
Bittern, Corcovado Park
Getting to this tour was perhaps the most thrilling part. The panga picked us up from our boats and then traveled around the point to the beach where our park tour would begin. They drove through the rocks and crashing waves and backed us in to shore. It was hair raising. On shore, we took a great hike through the forest with our guide, trying not to think about the perilous return trip. The panga crew and boat were both strong and brave and we were back aboard our boats before sundown with more stories to tell.
Snorkeling at Isla del Caño
We didn’t swim as much as I’d hoped for this year. The water was either too rough with strong current or too muddy or too something else to encourage diving in. At last, we had it almost just right snorkeling at Caño. Alas, I did get stung by jellies, but still worth it.
Gulfo Dulce
We departed April 14 for Puerto Jiminez. A large delightful group of dolphins escorted us along the way. It was hot, humid, calm, no wind for sailing. We anchored at 1430. I was somewhat distracted on this trip, thinking about the Masters. I am a huge golf fan and that’s something I miss out here. We had wi-fi at anchor and I quickly logged in to check on the tournament. Tiger won his 5th green jacket, a momentous comeback in the sport. We spent a few days in Gulfo Dulce, with Bahia Rincon being a favorite, though it did have its anchoring challenges with very uneven bottom (depths quickly vary from 15 to 50 feet). After a few days at anchor, we checked in at Golfito Marina and appreciated the air condition after a few weeks of none. Golfito would be our final stop in Costa Rica.
Panama
Isla Parida Anchorage
We began the season thinking and planning for the end destination of Panama. It’s hard to explain the emotion behind accomplishing this goal. We set off from Golfito eager to see some of the anchorages in western Panama on the way to Vista Mar Marina. 300 nm, let’s do this!
We are so glad we allowed time to stop at these anchorages on the way to Vista Mar. Secluded, Tranquil, and Gorgeous!
Isla Parida
Isla Seca
Bahia Honda and Ensenada Naranjo
Bahia Honda is a large bay with many anchorages, which we could have explored for days. We stayed only one night and still had several visitors including the National Park Police and the well-known Domingo and his son Kennedy who both visited with their pangas bringing fruit and welcoming smiles. Ensenada Naranjo brought visitors of the insect kind!
Punto Malo
We had our weather window to face the final navigation test of the season – Punto Malo, known for extreme currents and winds. Looking good, we departed Ensenada Benao at 0530 to round the Point. All calm, Vista Mar here we come.
Punto Malo
We made it! Grateful for all we’ve seen, the people we’ve met, the countries explored. Grateful for the Panama Posse, a rich resource and community for making this passage. Grateful for our fabulous boat Footloose, which continues to be a strong and beautiful home for us at sea. Grateful for our buddy boats and friends on Paradisea and Sonamara, who made the challenges easier and the celebrations sweeter. We are back in the United States for the summer. Looking forward to Season Four and more footloose adventures in Panama…
Fair Winds everyone-
Lisa and Michael