In our first year we traveled 2,268 nautical miles and never did more than an over night passage. In our second year we’ve covered 9,100 nautical miles, and have done many multi-day passages including a 22 day, three thousand miles Pacific crossing.
When I started outlining this blog we were anchored just behind a large reef which protected us from the ever increasing ocean waves but not from the 25 to 30 knots of wind screaming over us. We were in a remote spot miles from any form of civilization. With the sounds of crashing waves over the reef and the howling wind around us we got on with our daily routine. We were pretty 
confident that our anchor was set well in and we were reasonably secure under the current condition. A year ago I would have been very, very, very unhappy.
The following morning we decided to move to another anchorage as we wanted better protection if conditions changed for the worse. We set sail in nearly 30 knots of wind, slamming into huge waves, tacking side to side, fighting currents, avoiding reefs, exposed rocks, small islands and blind roller waves. As we approached our destination we had to carefully negotiate our way through gaps in the reefs to the protected anchorage behind a small island. Always tricky in strong weather. This is also the place where less than a month ago, a couple we knew ran into the reef and sank their boat!
A year ago I would have been scared witless sailing under these conditions and would have completely panicked at seeing all the breaking waves and swells approaching our anchorage. Now days we just do it. Our time in the Tuamotus and the Society Islands taught us a great deal about entering dangerous gaps and passes into atolls and reefs. So we were aware of possible hazards and confident about our approach.
Although we’ve grown as sailors we never underestimate the dangers of the wind, sea and sailing near land. We check the weather daily, never over rely on our charts, always take visual clues, are aware of tides and current and we generally side on caution. If we become too complacent we should quit sailing.
Another big difference for most of the second year is that we’ve had a crew member on board with us. John our eldest son joined us in Panama last December and crewed with us until we reached Tahiti in June. Two weeks after John returned to England, Ben our middle son joined us and will be staying with us until we reach New Zealand. Having a third person on board has been extremely helpful especially during long passages. Sharing shifts and watches between three people during passages allows for longer sleep, more free time and keeping ones sanity!
Having said all that, I would say that we only spend about five percent of our time out at sea. Most of the time we are safely anchored off some beautiful or interesting place, exploring the land and enjoying new sights and cultures.
This leads to the highlights of our year. Once again there are just too many. What I’ve decided to do is make a list of the countries we’ve visited in chronological order and briefly mention some of my favourite places and moments which I can remember at this moment.
Columbia: The historic port of Cartagena, one of my favourite cities. The old city is considered one of the most beautiful on the American continent and I agree. Charming little squares, medieval style narrow streets, wonderful Spanish colonial architecture and its amazing city wall. It is also considered the safest city in Colombia so we were not too worried about being kidnapped and felt reasonably secure wandering the streets. One of the highlights during our stay there was being invited to the Colombian Navel Officers club by Derek & Martha a lovely couple we got to know there. We tried sailing on little Sunfish boats for the first time, had a wonderful lunch at the club house and explored the old fort which was exclusively inside the club’s compound.
Caribbean side of Panama: We spent Christmas and New Year in the beautiful San Blas Islands. Our time made more special by having our two sons John and Sam and also Annie (Sam’s girlfriend) joining us.
On our way down to the Panama Canal we visited a couple of ex cruisers who have rescued and adopted four sloths. Holding and cuddling those sloths kept a grin on our faces for a long time.
While waiting for our slot through the Panama Canal we went up the Chagres River for few days. Taking our boat up the serene river, banked by lush jungle was magical. We explored many side streams and openings looking for an elusive waterfall we had heard about. Every night we were serenaded by howler monkeys, a cacophony that kept poor Annie anxious and awake most of the night. Finally finding the waterfall on our last day, a little gem, where we swam and washed in the clear pool under the falls. Unforgettable!
Panama Canal: Transiting the Panama Canal on our own boat was an awesome and unique 
experience. John, Sam, Annie and myself acted as linesmen while Steve was the helmsmen. Being part of the process inside those gigantic locks was fascinating. Entering each lock level, watching the massive gates shut, controlling our boat and keeping it away from the walls as the turbulent water rose. Then at the top, spending the night on a 
tranquil fresh water lake. The following day, motoring through lakes and man made channels, seeing with our own eyes what man has achieved. Finally reaching the other side and descending down the locks to the Pacific. Amazing!
Panama City: Although I wouldn’t say that Panama City was one of my highlights it was certainly a momentous place. Sam and Annie left us there to return to the States and college. Except for the old city its a pretty horrible place. However it’s a mecca for bargains and cheap shopping so was the perfect place to provision for our Pacific crossing. We spent days filling our boat up with excellent cheap wine and beer, dried goods, cans and luxury treats, snacks and gifts for children in the remote Pacific islands. With a much lower water line, we happily left Panama City and headed out to explore the waters of the Pacific for the first time.
Pacific side of Panama: Our first stop was the Las Pearlas islands, another set of beautiful islands. Considering these islands are only fifty miles from Panama City, they were surprisingly unspoilt and non commercialized. It was here we really learned how to anchor in tidal changes of up to 20 feet. What depth to anchor and the consequence of letting out too much or too little chain. At one place, we anchored at high tide only to find rocks popping up around us as the tide decreased. John slept up on deck keeping an eye on how near we got to the rocks as the tide went down. Fortunately there wasn’t any large boulders under us and our chain was just short of reaching the nearby rocks. Not our best anchoring moment.
Journeying along the Panamanian coastline we stopped at many remote and isolated anchorages. The coastal stops were not as nice as the islands but all were new and interesting to us. One of the most beautiful anchorages we’ve visited was off the Secas islands. Definitely in my top ten.
For Steve and John, probably the most memorable event along this coast was catching nine fish in one morning. This was never to be repeated. As we left the coast of Panama the fish left us too. Since then on most passages, the catch has been zero.
Costa Rica: This is the country where we had the most difficulty checking into. It took a day and half and a lawyer to finally clear us in. Having said that, once we were in, we really enjoyed our time here. Costa Rica is famous for its Eco tourism and fabulous national parks. Ella, John’s girlfriend joined us for a two weeks vacation and we explored the coast and nearby national parks with her. We saw plenty of wild life, especially monkeys and colourful exotic birds.
Later, Ben and his girlfriend Jess joined us for their Spring break. With them we explored the inland cloud forests and the area around the volcano, Mount Arenal. We also had a lovely time visiting with Jason Bell my ex colleague from Solomon Schechter Day school, who is now living and teaching just outside the capital of San Jose.
The Doldrums: During our 8 days crossing from Costa Rica to the Galapagos we had to avoid many squalls and a water spout (tornado) before we hit the doldrums. In the doldrums we had absolutely no wind, the air completely still, the ocean totally flat as far as the eyes could see. It was like floating on a clear blue silky mirror so utterly mesmerizing and beautiful. At Sunset, the red sun reflected itself over and over again on the mirrored ocean, turning the water into molten metal of gold, purple and red. Absolutely awesome and the most memorable sunset so far.
A migration of turtles passed us causing continuous ripples and patterns on the smooth water. At first we thought they were floating coconuts and then realised that they were humps of their shells. We must have hit their migration highway as hundreds passed us for hours going in the opposite direction.
Crossing the Equatorial line: Once we cleared the doldrums our next milestone was crossing the Equator. Keeping with tradition we placated Neptune by throwing gifts into the sea. We didn’t dress up as many sailors do but instead we placed our boat over the imaginary equatorial line and swam across the Equator. To complete our celebrating we each had a glass of bubbly, the only alcohol we allowed ourselves during the eight day 
passage.
The Galapagos Islands: I would not describe the Galapagos as being beautiful. Dramatic is a better description with interesting basalt formation, long white sand beaches and striking lava flows. Most of the vegetation are cacti, bushes and small trees. For many people, including us, the unique fauna and marine life of the Galapagos is what we’ve come to see. And we certainly saw them. Giant tortoises, lava lizards, land and marine iguana. We scuba dive and snorkeled with hammerhead sharks, white tip sharks, sea lions, penguins, rays and turtles. A once in a life time place to visit.
The Big Pacific Crossing: Three thousand miles and twenty two days out at sea. It’s difficult to explain what goes through ones mind. Steve, John and I wrote a daily blog during this passage. Here is the link to these blogs if you interested in knowing a little of what was going through our minds while floating in the middle of a vast ocean. http://aboarddignity.com/blog/?cat=37&paged=9
The Marquesas: How can I describe to you the thrill of our first land sighting after more than three weeks out at sea? I just can’t!!! Our landfall was the island of Fatu Hiva, a true paradise, with spectacular jagged mountains, open plateaus and lush deep valleys. We anchored outside a small village nestled in a fertile valley. The village was perfectly immaculate with each house surrounded by a profusion of tropical flowers and fruit trees dripping with oranges, grapefruit mangoes, papayas, breadfruit, bananas and more. Not only a paradise island but with a Garden of Eden too. The locals were full of smiles, children running over to chat to us, everyone welcoming and friendly. Throughout the Marquesas this was typical, with beautiful places, immaculate villages and friendly people.
On the islands of Ua Pou, Steve and I each had a Marquesan tattoo done as a rite of passage. Tattoos are something I didn’t really approve of but Marquesan tattoos are very unique and special. We found an excellent local artisan called Kina who worked on our tattoos from his front porch. His house was up a hill, surrounded by a lush garden and a lovely view out to sea. Being in such lovely setting helped nullify the discomfort of being tattooed. The theme of my small tattoo was the waves and seas of the Marquesas with intricate motifs and symbolic meanings. Steve’s larger tattoo was a manta ray with a staff of life, again with detailed symbols. After finishing our tattoos, Kina invited us to share a delicious lunch with him. Before we left he insisted on picking us fruit for from his garden. We walked away with two gorgeous tattoos and two huge carrier bags full of tropical fruit. Just wonderful!
Tuamotus: The Tuamotus are an enormous arc of coral atolls. A true atoll is formed of unbroken circular reefs with an interior lagoon. Fortunately for us, many of the large atolls have one or two broken opening in the reef forming passes for boats to enter into the protected calm interior. These inner lagoons are stunning with turquoise clear waters and fringed with islets of golden sand and palms trees. However great care has to be taken entering and exiting these atolls. The current flowing in and out of these passes is very strong. During mid tide and bad weather, whirlpools and standing waves form in the pass making it very dangerous to enter. So timing for slack tide and careful eyeballing the pass is a must.
Our first atoll entrance was pretty nerve wrecking. We were going at six knots, the counter current was four knots, so we were moving at only 2 knots and trying to keep away from the eddies that was to our port side. The water was so clear that the bottom looked a lot shallower than it really was. I think I held my breath all the way through the pass.
My favourite atoll was Fakarava. It had the best scuba diving and snorkeling we’ve ever done. The water was crystal clear, the coral life was immense and colorful and marine life abundant. Drift diving through the south pass was incredible. We saw dozens of sharks which wasn’t that many as many other divers saw hundreds. Fortunately these white and black tip sharks have no interest in us humans. No other snorkeling or diving sites has measured up since. We say we’ve been “Fakarava’d”.
We also visited a black pearl farm, the main industry in these atolls now. Fascinating to learn how they grow and harvest the pearls. Steve bought me a necklace with a lovely single black pearl for our wedding anniversary.
The Society Islands: Arriving in Tahiti after months of being in remote and undeveloped islands was a bit of a culture shock. We saw more cars in five minutes than we’ve seen since leaving Costa Rica. We spent nearly two hours in a supermarket just looking at all the things we could buy.
In Tahiti we joined the Rendezvous rally. This ended up being a three days fun packed event for us sailors. We met up with many old friends and also made many new ones.
After the rendezvous John left us to return to London and the rat race. Since we had two weeks to wait before Ben joined us, we traveled down to the south coast of Tahiti. Here we discovered the beautiful unspoilt part of Tahiti. It was also the perfect place to launch ourselves out to sea to view the total eclipse of the sun that we had been anticipating for some time (four years in fact). We were able to sail out far enough to view the total eclipse for a full minute. Even though some thin clouds went over for part of the total viewing, it was still an incredible experience.
After Ben joined us we set sail to visit the rest of the Society Islands. Each one was beautiful and on each one we had our little adventures.
Ben celebrated his twenty third birthday on Bora Bora, considered the most beautiful island in the world. Even though 
it’s quite touristy now with a number of upmarket resorts, it’s still pretty damn stunning. O
n Ben’s birthday we climbed up to the top of Bora Bora. A challenging climb with ropes to help get up steep rocky surfaces and a long a ridge that dropped off on each side. The view at the top was brilliant and well worth the effort.
The last island we visited in the Societies was Maupiti, the most remote and unspoilt. Here we swam with these amazing giant manta rays. They must have been more than eight feet wide. Have I mentioned how often we see dolphins and whales? They often escort as we approach land, as if they’ve come to welcome us. Each time is just as thrilling.
Cooks Islands: The passage from The Society Islands to the Cooks Islands took us four days. This was Ben’s longest time out at sea (so far) and he managed very well.
After more than twelve months of being in either a French or Spanish speaking country it was wonderful to arrive at an English speaking place. Dealing with immigration and custom was a pleasure and we could read every sign and information posters.
The most extraordinary island we visited in the Cooks was Palmerston Island. The inhabitants of this island are all descendents of William Masters an English man who settled in Palmerston with three Polynesian wives. The island has been divided up for the three branches of the family, each branch being descended from one of Williams’s three wives.
Two of the families vie to host cruisers who arrive on the island. They feed their guests, give tours of the tiny island, offer laundry and showers and generally make their visitors feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible.
We were hosted by Edward and his family. Our six days at Palmerston were fantastic. We got involved in many of the daily routines and activities of the island. Ben and Steve went fishing and sea bird catching with Edward and his two sons. Ben learned how to husk coconuts properly, while I listened to Edwards’s mother tell stories of old times gathering copra and life on Palmerston when she was a girl. We help pluck and prepare the sea birds caught. Only Ben had a go at wringing one of the birds neck to kill it. We went to church with the family and had a special Sunday lunch of chicken and sea bird that we caught and prepared the previous day.
In exchange for their hospitality we offered them goods that we had on board. Since a container boat only visits Palmerston once or twice a year, they were thankful and in need of almost everything we could offer.
We gave them them fresh fruit and vegetables (much appreciated), tin food, dried goods and any treats we had to spare. We also gave Ed gasoline for his outboard, fishing hooks, our rusting 300 ft anchor chain and small electrical parts and small miscellaneous items. We fixed a couple computer printers that belong to the school and admin department and a lap top power supply of an extended family member. The island was a strange contrast of basic subsistence with quite advance computer technology!
Niue: This Island is one of my favourite places. Being an uplifted atoll, faulting, weathering and erosion have created many crevices, chasms and limestone caves.
It was absolutely delightful exploring this island. The massive limestone caves were astounding, each cave we visited unique with surreal formation of stalagmites and stalactites. We hiked through fantastic petrified coral forest and down into deep chasms with clear pools at the bottom. Swam and snorkeled in the natural pools formed on the coastal reef. We enjoyed great food in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the main town. At night we were serenaded by whale song from the nearby humpback whales. I even took courage and scuba dived among the famous Niuen sea snakes. Niue far exceeded our expectation. A must stop for travelers.
Tonga: Another favourite place. The Kingdom of Tonga is a perfect sailing ground with some of the most scenic and unspoiled groups of islands. Here we enjoyed the Vava’u Regatta, probably the most fun packed week we’ve had since starting our cruising life. Ben got recruited into helping with the Regatta and ended up having an amazing time and 
making good friends with organizers and locals. He also got the opportunity to teach Chemistry and Math to the children of other cruisers who were here during this get together time. Steve and I once again met up with many cruising friends, some we haven’t seen since leaving the other side of the Panama Canal. We were quite exhausted from socializing when we left Vava’u.
After our busy time in Vava’u, it was wonderful to relax and chill out in the distant islands of the Ha’apai group. While visiting one of these remote island we were invited for lunch by a local family. We were served a feast of lobsters, fresh fish deliciously fried in batter and local vegetables. While we ate our food, our host and hostesses fanned away flies from us and our food. We, as custom 
dictates, gave them small gifts to say ‘Thank you’ for their hospitality. The Tongans are really gracious and affable people.
I could go on and on about all the great moments and places. I feel I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg.
Visiting wonderful places, seeing amazing sights, observing incredible wildlife, discovering unique cultures, tasting their foods and enjoying wonderful hospitality, is what cruising life is about.
There is the other side too. Continually maintaining and fixing our boat, struggling to get spare parts, dealing with difficult officialdom, language barriers and slow communication.
Other low moments were saying goodbye to John when he returned to England and saying goodbye to friends we may never see again. Also hearing about other cruisers who have severely damaged or entirely lost their boat. The worse was hearing that a young cruising friend of ours, just last week, died of a blood infection here in Tonga. It was only four weeks ago that we were sharing a beach fire and BBQ with her.
There are times when I long for land life again. A nice home and the comfort and security it provides. A familiar community with family, friends and good facilities nearby. These thoughts usually occur after an unpleasant incident, when things go wrong with the boat or anticipation of a difficult passage.
When I really think about it, would I give up this life of adventures, exotic locations, remarkable experiences, being footloose and fancy free, returning to a normal, mundane and predictable life on land.
No, I don’t think so! Even on land I remember feeling worried, insecure and faced risks just driving to and from work each day. The highs of the cruising life far far outweigh the lows.
The real question is. Will I ever be able to give up this life!!!!
View 2010 Costa Rica in a larger map
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View 2010 Costa Rica in a larger map
First order of the day was getting to the customs depot in San Jose by 8am. I left the boat around 6am and made it to the region of the airport in good time. My instructions were to look for a [...]]]>
First order of the day was getting to the customs depot in San Jose by 8am. I left the boat around 6am and made it to the region of the airport in good time. My instructions were to look for a named building/address (not sure which) about 1.5km from the airport. I must have looped back some because I had to stop to ask directions and found I had to go back the way I came to find the building.
Using the piece of paper the marina manager had written on for directions I was first directed to the Fed Ex customs office where I was told to go somewhere else. Following these new instructions I walked to the warehouse where I present my paperwork. Within 10 minutes our package was visible inside the building. I asked if I could take it but was told to wait for customs to arrive at 9am – another 45 minutes away.
I walked off to find somewhere to eat and found one of the many ‘Sodas’ which sell food. I picked a fried cheesy thing (tasted as good as it sounds) and a coffee. Having used up all my small change on tolls I gave the lady 10,000 colones. She couldn’t change it so she gave me the food and coffee for free. Nice.
Back at the warehouse I waited until 9am and the arrival of the customs agents. I chatted to a ‘Canadian Tico’, Carlos, identified by his Canada tee shirt who now lived here and spoke the local language perfectly. Carlos proved to be an asset as the morning progressed explaining to me what what going on. As we were both in a similar situation we ended up staying together all the way through.
Once the computer switching on / jabbering to each other ceremony had been completed the paperwork began. Our biggest threats were the agents with piles of items to clear but fortunately we seemed to work our way through reasonably quickly. We were soon taken into the warehouse where our packaged were open and the contents inspected. Then the officers went back to their computers and their paperwork. After another wait I was presented my bill. I had to pay the customs 72 colonies. 72!!! The US$ exchange rate is something above 500 to the dollar so that amounts to something a little less than 14 cents. In UK terms that’s 9p. 9 pence!!!! Of course they couldn’t take the money directly and it had to be paid so Carlos and I had to go to the nearby (short driving distance) bank to pay our 9 pence in.
Returning to the warehouse area we then went to the office that ran the warehouse which was a private company. There was a fee to pay for privilege of having our stuff detained by customs. We took tickets and waited our turn only to be told we needed proof that customs had accepted the proof from the bank that our 9 pence had been paid in. So we went and rejoined the scrum in the customs office to show our stamped papers from the bank so that they could in turn stamp them to show they had looked at it and confirmed the 9 pence payment.
Back at the warehouse office we again took tickets to wait our turn to pay for the forced storage. Being a private concern the warehouse had a different idea of enterprise charging me 3,300 colonies for holding the parcel (about 6 bucks). With proof I had paid for the privilege of having my goods withheld to extract the 9 pence from me I was able to go back to the customs office to get some new paperwork (duly stamped) that enabled me to have the package released from the warehouse. I thought I was home free except for being stopped by security less than 10 seconds after having been given the package to double check (and stamp our papers to confirm the double check) that I had the right package.
At the exit to the compound I said my goodbyes to Carlos thanking him for all his help, got in the car and drove back to Puntarenas reaching the marina about 11:50. I asked the girl in reception for directions to the immigration office – a difficult conversation when neither of us spoke the others language. I ended up with a map scrawled on a piece of paper which was almost right – enough to find the place. On the way there I picked up our propane. Processing our passports took a while but there were no obstacles.
The next stops were customs (for clearance) and the port captains office for our international zarpe – the one thing we really need. Both these were 20km away in the port of Caldera so off I went. The customs office was a bit slow and took a while to print out my clearance. They checked every piece of paperwork I had and fortunately found nothing wrong. Next stop was the port captains office. They again inspected everything and discovered that the customs office had put the wrong date on their paperwork and refused to process me until I’d gone back. Back at customs the guy who dealt with me had gone but someone else reworked everything and gave me a correct form which I took back to the port office.
The girl there inspected everything again and then told me (I think as it was all in Spanish) that the port captain wasn’t there and that I could either pay some more money to get my papers a 6 this evening or wait until 8am tomorrow. Leaving well after 6pm was not an option so it has to be tomorrow.
On the way back to Puntarenas I stopped off at the DoubleTree resort to pick up the guy who I had to take to the marina who would return the car. He was due to return in 5 minutes so I sat down to wait. I fell asleep. I think it ended up being around 45 mins but I have no idea really. I eventually got back to the marina and onto the boat and related my days tale to Helen and John over a much needed beer. As with this blog entry I left the worst til last. On the way to the airport I had really tried to be good with the speed limit. As far as I could tell it was 80km/h most of the way. However, coming out of one toll booth the speed limit (I learned from the officer with whom I had a long conversation) was only 40km/h and he’d clocked me doing 92km/h. A large part of me thought I’d just take the ticket and not pay but I was not in a mood to risk much and so let the policeman lead me into the direction of an on the spot fine. He’d showed me other tickets of around US$200 for similar offences so an on the spot fine of $50 didn’t seem so bad. I learned later that Costa Rica are having a huge program against traffic offenses and I’d just got caught up in it.
So, for my 9p ($0.14) government charge for holding my tax exempt pump I’ve had to pay for an additional days car hire, about $20 in fuel, $6 in warehouse fees, $10 in road tolls, about $55 in fines, another nights marina fees and seen a small tree converted into paperwork. I’ve run out of words.
]]>I hadn’t mentioned that on Monday I had spent an hour waiting in the Banco de Costa Rica to pay one of the fees necessary to leave the country. I was following the instructions given to me by the marina manager but the bank officials sent me away with some incompatible instructions and some bits of paper. I had told the marina manager my experience and today he sent me with one of his staff to explain things. We again went to the bank and spent about half an hour waiting by a door only to be not let into the back office and told to get a ticket like everyone else. My ticket was number 49. Why most of the 50s, 60s and 70s were called before my number 49 I have no idea but after 80 minutes of playing with my thumbs I got to argue my point with the same guy that sent me out yesterday. This time I had Markos on my side who explained everything and soon I had the appropriate receipt following, of course, the appropriate handover of Colonies – the local currency.
The next stop, to pay for my zarpe, was a breeze. We went into the municipal building and following some more colonies handed over I now had a receipt for my zarpe (clearance papers). At this point Markos and I parted company. Markos indicated that I did not have to go to Caldera to immigration and that I was now free to leave. Feeling relieved I had less to do than I thought I tipped him well. During this time Helen and John had been really busy cleaning the topside of the boat which was getting dirty after all these days in Puntarenas.
Back on the boat we had a quick lunch before Helen and I went out for our almost final provisioning. We brought back all the food and put it away (at least Helen did) before realizing we had forgotten the bread of all things. At 4pm I had 1 hour before I had to hand the car back so I whizzed off into the main shopping area and picked up the bread. I decided to wait ashore for the guy who was coming to collect the car. While waiting the marina manager came to me with the ‘package’. My spirits were high. Could we really be off in the morning?
No.
The ‘package’ was just the paperwork and no pump. The manager called Fed Ex to say that the pump had been held by customs and I needed to go to San Jose to clear it. Why they were unable to tell us this in the morning when I could have used the car I don’t know. I went outside and found the guy who had come to collect the car and asked if I could keep it one more day. This turned out ok. In my conversations with the marina manager I also learned that what I had been told by his chap was incorrect and that I still had to visit immigration and customs, etc.
So. We’re not leaving in the morning. I’m off around 6am to drive to San Jose to sort out this pump which I’m beginning to wish I’d never ordered (and Helen saying she told me so). I’ll come back and do immigration in Puntarenas and pick up our propane. I think I have to go to Caldera to get my zarpe but I’ll review that once I’ve done immigration. There is a small possibility I could be done with all this and out before dusk tomorrow but that is a slim hope.
Life on a boat.
]]>We extended the hire car for a 7th day. We get 7 days for the price of 6 and the only extra we have to pay is for insurance. That took the pressure off yesterday and allowed us to relax a little, particularly during the heat of day which leaves us sweating profusely. I took two trips into town to sort a few things out including filling our used propane tank. That will take two days for collection which we can pickup at 9am tomorrow morning. This is the time we want to be refuelling then leaving to catch the high tide out of here. We have some leeway on this but this will be interesting. May be all academic if we can’t resolve the Fedex issue today.
We ended the day having a delicious Chinese meal in town.
Today I expect to do the runs to clear out. I wish I didn’t have the uncertainty about the part as this is the last day we’ll have the car and the customs and immigration offices are 12 miles away. It’ll be a pain if this doesn’t work out.
]]>After dropping them off we headed off to meet Helen’s ex-colleague Jason outside a huge supermarket called Hipermass. We had 3/4 hour to spare so we shopped meeting Jason at the end where he helped us at the check out.
We followed Jason to his home which was right next to the school where he currently teaches. We stayed there a while before going out for an excellent rotisserie chicken meal at a nearby local establishment. Our thanks to Jason for this meal.
We were soon on the road back to Puntarenas along a newly built highway/road. It took much less time than we expected and were aboard before dusk. We’d left the freezer on while away and had no idea how the electrics had stood. We must have had plenty of sunshine and wind while we were away as we found the batteries topped up which was pleasing.
We loaded all our shopping aboard and set about settling in. John’s PC and Helen’s eReader had both run into problems while we were on the road. John was able to fix his PC with his repair disk. I earned a few brownie points by fixing the buttons on Helen’s eReader.
Today we have lots to do. We need to check out everything on the boat to make sure there are no impending issues. The dinghy needs to be prepared for ocean travel. I need to drive 20km south to Caldera to check out of the country. We need to do some final shopping. We had hoped to leave tomorrow but high tide is at 8am leaving us little time for contingency. We are expecting a replacement sump pump to be delivered tomorrow. Right now it’s in the capital and could possibly arrive today which would allow us to possibly leave tomorrow. It’s looking more like Wednesday now. When we do leave we want to stop somewhere nearby to check / clean the hulls one more time before setting off for the Galapagos. The current wind forecasts suggest a very slow ride but that won’t stop us. Reports from other boats suggest winds a little stronger than we see on our downloads so we’ll see when we’re out there.
]]>Reaching our accommodation in El Castillo we [...]]]>
Reaching our accommodation in El Castillo we a short drive on from brunch. We had chosen to stay at Essence Arenal which is an incredibly well located (for mountain viewing) hostel. Unfortunately we could not see the volcano due to the clouds and mist covering it. We were welcomed by Kelly who runs the place who gave us some advice on where to go nearby while our rooms were being prepared.
We headed off to the nearby Arenal Observatory Lodge where we had a short hike to see a waterfall. The weather was not being cooperative as the steady drizzle meant we all got a little damp and certainly no chances of seeing the volcano which we’d come to Arenal to see.
By popular vote we decided to skip the hot springs and head back to the hostel to rest the afternoon. Helen and I, then later Jess and Ben, took a stroll on the hostels properties, walking trail. This entailed a steep descent into the secondary rainforest surrounding a couple of streams. The descent implied a muddy ascent on the other side which for us was rewarded by spotting some large birds exhibiting some interesting mating behaviour.
For dinner we drove back down the hill and along the lake to Jardin Escondido (aka Pizza John’s). We were warned that if we ate there we may not return until 11pm. The place was quite small and friendly tucked away in the ‘jungle’ 40m from the road. John’s hospitality was simply awesome plying us with free rum shots and bags of his own brand Zombie Coffee as well as serving excellent pizza and home made ice cream. The weather was showing no signs of allowing us a sight of the volcano. While we were disappointed by this, our time at Pizza John’s more than made up for this. For our last evening together things couldn’t have been much better.
This morning we’re all gradually waking up. We’ve had glimpses of the volcano but not the top. We’ll have breakfast soon then head off for San Jose and the international airport to see Ben and Jess off. We’ll meet up again with Helen’s friend Jason before heading back to Puntarenas this evening, picking up provisions along the way.
]]>While our first pickup wasn’t until 10:30, no one really had a decent lie in as the latest we could have breakfast [...]]]>
While our first pickup wasn’t until 10:30, no one really had a decent lie in as the latest we could have breakfast was 7:30am. As we were all up we popped into town in the morning to pick up drinks for later.
At 10:30 we were picked up and taken the Extremo Canopy Tour to participate in one of around five different zip line activities in the area. The activity comprised 14 lines, a rappel from a tall tree and a ‘tarzan swing’ which began more as a freefall than a swing.
Of the 14 zip lines, 4 of them cross the valley giving runs up to half a mile in length. 12 of the runs we took solo but a couple we had to take in pairs. The last of the 4 runs, and in fact the last run of all, was called the superman run where we were suspended horizontally and zipped hundreds of feet above the valley at around 50mph. All very exhilarating.
After lunch we were taken in a mini bus for our waterfall rappelling activity.
Helen bowed out of this one but the rest of us geared up to rappel down 6 separate waterfalls. Most of them were quite small but the 4th was well over 100ft high. It turned out to be quite exhausting but a lot of fun. There was a sneaky trick on the last waterfall as the rope was just a little too short causing us all to fall in the cold mountain water. The following video shows us all descending the 4th waterfall and a demonstration by one of the helpers.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2DHfC4Cjag[/youtube]
Having been dropped off back at our cabins we had about 90 mins for our final activity of the day – our night hike. This turned out to be a 
guided tour through some woods. Jess’s disposition was not helped when the second creature we were shown was a tarantula. We did see a variety of creatures though from leaf cutter ants through to a sloth in a tree.
We were all quite exhausted by the day’s activities and all were asleep shortly after wolfing down pizza.
This morning had an earlier start. We had been advised to get to the Monteverde Reservation at 7am to avoid the lines at the ticket office. This meant breakfast at 6am. We arrived in good time and soon met our guide. Unfortunately, the other four people assigned to our guide arrived much later causing us to wait nearly an hour for the start of our tour.
Being in the clouds, we were subject to mist and rain for our entire tour. Few animals were out but we did get to see a number of rare and interesting birds. Our guide, Eric, was excellent as he told us all about the plants and animals in the cloud forest and all the various natural remedies they were used for. He also had a good sense of humour. For example, when Helen asked if one particular fruit was edible he replied “only if you want to howl like a howler monkey.” We thought it was funny.
This evening we were up for our sunset horse riding trip. John, Helen and Jess all bowed out of this one leaving just Ben and myself going in this one.
We had a really good time. The ride was for two hours. For the most part we followed winding trails through woods and fields. Despite being novices we were allowed at times to pick up the 
pace over and above just walking everywhere. Noone else joined us on this trek so with the two helpers we made a party of four. It seemed my horse was used to being behind Ben’s horse as every time I tried to pass Ben’s horse took it on itself to block the way. If I left my horse alone it would follow on behind Ben’s. This kept us entertained for some time.
The highlight for us was ending up in a sort of field where we were allowed to gallop the horses up the field three times. The slight downside was at the end of the third run when I fell off the horse. Not quite sure what happened but the saddle ended up being on sideways and I had to pick the best place to take a dive / roll. I ended up with nothing more than a few scratches and found the episode quite funny although it could have been more serious.
The ride ended up at sunset when we saw the sun set off to the right of the Golfo de Nicoya – a spectacular sight.
My body now aches a little too much so it’s off for a hot bath and cold beer.
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simple enough although the last 10 miles were along a dirt road. This was fine until we came up behind a truck with no intentions to let us pass by. Nevertheless we were in the town of Monteverde by around 8:30.
It was delightful to be up in cool fresh air away from the heat and humidity of Puntarenas. The town was quaint and obviously aimed at local area tourism with plenty of restaurant, concessions, bars and hostels. We sat down and ate our packed sandwiches before having a little wander around. On the main street was a lovely looking restaurant built up around a tree. It looked a little pricey but they had ribs on the menu and other attractive fare.
We decided to check out our accommodation, Cabinas Capulin, a short way out of town. As expected the place wasn’t ready yet 
but we were able to speak to one of the English speaking brothers about local attractions. We decided to drive further up the ‘road’ to Selvatura where we took their canopy hike which included 8 suspension bridges.
This was a great experience. We were immersed in the sounds of the rain forest which was incredibly peaceful. The bridges took us through and over the forest canopy. The variety of scenery and foliage was quite stunning.
After the walk we visited their reptile and amphibian house. This was interesting although we saw little more than one would see in a reptile house in a 
decent zoo. We therefore considered it a little pricey for what we got.
After this we drove back to our cabins to find it was all ready. The ‘casa’ we have looked a little boxey on the outside but inside it is very nice. 
The inside is all wood. We have four bedrooms including two doubles so we have plenty of room. Outside the views are pleasant. From the upstairs we can see all the way to the Pacific Ocean or at least the Golfo de Nicoya.
In the afternoon we went back into town to have a look around. We separated by generation but as it seems to happen with us we bumped into each other in the same bar. The kids had stopped by for a beer and we were just looking in. We ended up having a long conversation with the owner ‘Ran’ who gave us some very good feedback on the local attractions. He also told us what he thought the best accommodation was in Arenal which turns out to be the same place as we’ve already booked: Essence Arenal. That was reassuring.
We split up again to do our various things. Helen and I booked all the attractions we’re interested in for the time we’re here.
We again bumped into each other in the main street so we visited the supermarket together before heading back to the cabin for a rest. 
We had one little piece of unplanned excitement when we spotted a scorpion near Ben’s head. While it was probably harmless I don’t think Jess was too impressed.
In the evening we walked into town to eat at the Treetop restaurant. While very nice in appearance it turned out to have mediocre food and was pricier than first thought. I wouldn’t recommend it. We followed this by returning to the bar we’d met up in earlier as they were celebrating St Patrick’s Day there. The festivities hadn’t yet started so we chatted for a while outside around a fire and a beer each. Helen and I left the younger ones there and took a taxi back to the cabin.
Today we have a lot planned although all of it after a bit of a lie in. We’re going on a zip line adventure followed by the option of rappelling down some waterfalls. We’ll have an hour back at the cabin before going out on an evening/night hike. The only flaw is the latest we can have breakfast here is 7:30am which messes up the lie in.
We had around 10 knots of wind for our trip to Puntarenas but guess what, it was on the nose again. We could have tacked our way but that would have taken a lot longer and time is precious with the family here on limited time.
We again had lines out to see if we could catch something. Closing in on Puntarenas we came upon a patch of sea with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds either sitting in the water or circling above. There was a lot of fish activity which in turn was attracting the birds. I circled Dignity through and around a few concentrations of activity and we picked up a fish on one of the lines. Sadly, it got away as Ben was hauling it in. It did look like a Spanish Mackeral from the distance.
Arriving at the west end of Puntarnas just past the ferry dock we contacted the Costa Rica Yacht Club who advised us to wait til 12:30 when the tide would be higher and a panga would come to show us in. We had lunch while waiting and around 1:15 the panga came. As we progressed further up the estuary the heat and humidity rose higher and higher. We had been expecting a mooring ball but were given a dock on the far side of the river from the club. We weren’t quite ready to make the dock the first time as we had to change our lines quickly. The current was nearly two knots so I had to turn and swing in again so we could tie up.
The kids had to get off the boat quickly as we were all pouring with sweat. They called the panga over and headed off while Helen and I got on with finalizing our plans for the next few days and some boat chores. We both eventually went ashore too. After exploring the club for a short while we went out on the road and started walking towards town.
We saw the kids board a bus in the distance and decided to do the same. It gave them a surprise in town when we appeared right in front of them crossing the road. We wandered around town for a while checking out supermarkets for our later provisioning before returning by bus to the yacht club.
We all returned to the boat for our shower gear and headed back to the club. The kids used the pool and showers while I sorted out the rental car which had just arrived. Helen arrived later on. We had a beer by the pool before going to the club house for dinner.
We’ll be off soon. We’ve rearranged our itinerary a little. We’ll drive to Monteverde and stay there for three days before heading off for one night at Arenel. We’re all looking forward to this not least for the coolness of the mountains.
Incidentally, this is the furthest north we will be for years. Also, look back at the last couple of blog entries for new pictures.