Marina Flamenco Costa Rica -- waiting for John

MARINA FLAMENCO, 4/11 3PM RESTAURANT OVERLOOKING THE MARINA

Well, the last few hours getting here were alternately rough and calm. The rough wasn't really that rough. We had some winds from 15 to 25 knots for a while, but since they were offshore there were almost no waves and so, aside from having to walk around on a boat that is heeled over 45% it wasn't so bad. If we had had to sail against the adverse winds instead of motor sail, however we would still be out there bashing our way uphill.

Anyway we arrived, tied up at the marina and topped off our fuel. We then climbed up the hill to the hotel restaurant that overlooks the bay. It's the sort of place you expect to see in Hawaii or any top notch resort in Mexico but not opulent. For some reason there is almost nobody here so the three of us have the whole place to ourselves. The view is great and there are two pools and a spa with no one in either of them that are available to us just because we are here.

We had lunch and a couple of beers and I would give twenty bucks for a hammock in the shade, but instead I'm sitting at a typical round plastic patio table like the one at home and sitting in a chair of the same manufacture. The bay is laid out before me and there are fishing charter boats coming and going and one solo ketch taking out a sunset cruise charter although sunset is far away.

The bay is surrounded by hills and low mountains, none topping about 1000 feet. The land is as dry as the Baja desert. The vegetation is all dry and lifeless so I guess it must be the dry season in spite of the rain we have experienced.

Last night we sailed into a rain squall that was very showy with lots of lightning and thunder, but not really too much precipitation and I slept like the proverbial diapered consumer.

There is no air conditioning here, but while it is extremely hot in the sun, it is pleasant in the shade if the wind is blowing. Phil sitting at the bar had two requests: someplace out of the wind and change the TV channel to CNN.

Phil just walked up and I said to him: "You know, when I'm in a place like this I nearly turn into a puddle of contentment".

"Write that down" he said. I did.

There are a few people in the lounge chairs lying in the full sun and I don't see how they can survive doing that.

Mark's been promising that as soon as we reached this port he was history. It will be interesting to see if it really happens.

From what I've seen so far there is really nothing here that couldn't be experienced in Mexico, specifically Baja. There is the ecotourism that is accessible by going to the central part of the country, but as far as being on a boat I think I'd take the Gulf of California any day.

There are several dozen Frigate birds lazily cruising the area around the marina. They are such fascinating flyers and can maintain altitude on updrafts that no other bird can find except maybe the Albatross. They're great fishermen being able to skim the surface of the water and dip their head to scoop up a fish, but what they really like to do is find some other bird that has made a catch and then harass it into dropping its prize whereupon the Frigate folds its wings and dives and snatches the meal before it hits the ground or water.

Well, now Phil has marinated himself in the pool and is one of the human barbecues lying around the pool. He discovered that Filet Mignon with all the trimmings is only $12 and so plans to have dinner here. I plan to stay also basically because I don't want to go down stairs to the boat and then up those same stairs again.

The boat is temporarily moored with a "Med Moor" to the fuel dock as we wait for a regular slip to be free tomorrow. The guy that cares for the fueling apparatus helped us do the moor. It was funny because this guy is equally inarticulate in Spanish as well as English. He had a good idea in his advice to us, but it took twenty minutes to decode it.

I see a deck chaise longue across the pool that is now in the shade of the building. I'm going over there and am going to take a swim and then fall asleep in the plastic recliner until dinner...

The shadows are lengthening, now. The lounge lizards have crept back to their lairs out of the sun. The light is changing to that rich and warm evening hue that signals coolness.

The frigates are being joined by Pelicans, now, those other super flyer fishermen. I guess they're all looking for dinner. There isn't a cloud in the sky. I can't help but think that what I'd really like to do is take a room in this hotel. An air conditioned room with a real bed with clean crisp sheets and fall asleep for a day or two before resuming this voyage.

We met back at the bar at about 5:30 and had a couple more drinks and watched a non-sunset and talked stupid for a while. I was surprised at the friendliness of some of the young women there until someone whispered in my ear that these were "working girls". Well I certainly respect women who work for a living and thought that it was amazing that after working all day they would have the energy to hang out in bars.

Mark had been exploring the town so he became our guide in finding a restaurant. We ended up eating Italian. I had some nice watery minestrone and Phil had anchovy pizza and Mark was the only one that made out by ordering spaghetti carbonara. I've never had the chutzpah to order carbonated spaghetti, but he seemed to like it.

I'm back on the boat in my sauna posturpedic bunk putting the finishing touches on this since there's an internet cafe where I can send it in the morning.

4/12

The owner of the Internet cafe wouldn't allow floppies in his machines so didn't get a chance to upload the latest installment. Don't know when I'll have the opportunity now.

Today we took care of a few problems. Fixed the water system which was malfunctioning. Got rope and parts to fix part of the jiffy reefing system that was worn out. Checked the shore-power charging unit which was in suspicious shape, and gave the boat a good cleaning.

Mark wanted to go explore in the dinghy so we put the engine on it and an anchor and Phil gave him some instruction on how to run it. He asked how much gas was in it and when Phil said he didn't know, Mark took off without checking the tank. After ramming Misty a couple of times and backing into the dock a couple of times he was tally ho out of the marina without ever checking the gas.

We shrugged at one another and went on with our repairs, occasionally looking out over the bay to see if we could see where he was. He was soon out of sight, but a couple of hours later came back. He said he didn't know how long the gas would last and so he cut his exploration short.

We met Shandar a guy from San Diego delivering his boat to his new home in Miami. I suggested that Phil and he just trade boats and they would neither have so much distance to go. Well, that wasn't actually true but they didn't do it so who cares?

In the afternoon I walked a few blocks to one of the beaches. It's about a mile long and had pretty good breakers so I got to play in the surf in water that was about 82 degrees. I walked the beach and generally just relaxed in the water for the first time since this furshluginer trip started 18 days ago. We may get away tomorrow for some snorkeling, but don't know for sure.

Called the Iridium satellite phone people again and found out why we are unable to send email. The replacement unit they sent in Panama was not data capable. The stupid bastard in Miami sent the wrong unit. No way to get the right one now until Cindy brings one down to Acapulco when we get there.

The plan is now to take off Monday morning and go about 17 miles up the coast to a little bay where the local port captain has his office so we can check out of the country. This is a real wham bam thank you Maam sort of cruise, but I guess I can't complain since I will be pretty happy to bring this adventure to a conclusion and the only way to do that is to get on with it. I've never been a great fan of the underway part of cruising, it always seemed like the crust of the bread when you really like the soft center. Well, this loaf just happens to be all crust. Oh, well...

SATURDAY MORNING THE 13TH

Cool and pleasant with a soft breeze. Sounds of fishermen preparing their boats for the day. Shandar is coiling electrical and water connections in preparation to getting underway for Golfito. Phil's down below reading and the pelicans are diving nearby for a wet slimy breakfast of fish. The Frigates are hanging out waiting for the chance to steal the pelican's fish. One ponga is hotrodding out of the harbor. Their wake sets all of the other boats rocking and rolling. A flight of pelicans arrives from somewhere. About fifty of them in a herd looking for a nice school of breakfast fish. Not much in the way of clouds. One thunderhead reaches for the stratosphere off in the distance but, all in all, it looks like another very dry day.

Soon the coolness will be displaced by the rising sun that will dispel this great coolness. Don't know where the flock of pelicans went, but our two local ones are having great luck in filling their bellies near the boat.

There's a light breeze from the east which will be ideal for leaving the bay and I hope we have the same when we get underway day after tomorrow.

We are in the Gulf of Papagallo area that has sudden unexpected winds much like the chubascos that one experiences in the Gulf of California. These are strong winds that appear seemingly from nowhere. They blow like stink for a few hours and then dissipate.

Checked the mail this morning but was unable to send the log.

Started the morning by visiting the hotel pool and partaking of their free coffee then went to Marie's restaurant for a breakfast of French toast and ham. Enough food for at least two people. Marie is a fugitive from Canada. I get the impression she may have fled due to a divorce. Anyway she's got a pleasant little house/restaurant. She has an 8 year old son, an awfully nice little boy with olive skin, dark eyes and black hair, as well as snaggly teeth and a big smile. He told us of his previous life as a pilot in the first world war and his encounters with Baron Von Richtoven. He had quite a wealth of detail so maybe he was right on about that being his previous life. Mark picked up on this and soon he was describing in rich detail his experiences in his former life as a pilot in the second world war. He was pretty well able to top his young counterpart since, as a professional pilot he does have a great deal of detail. Phil and I listened to the two little boys with their fantasy lives for quite a while before moving on.

Shandar gave us some information on possible stops in El Salvador and we will probably stop at least one of them on the way north. I'm getting quite anxious to get on with it as I'd like to make it to Mexico in time to have a few stops at interesting places before getting on the plane in Puerto Vallarta. So far haven't seen anything more interesting than what I know is in Mexico.

Mark will be leaving today and John Corallo will be arriving tomorrow. John is not an experienced sailor so it will be interesting to see what new interactions develop from the close proximity and stress of sailing north in adverse conditions.

The biggest barrier ahead is the Gulf of Tehuantepec where the winds from the Gulf of Mexico can accelerate when passing over the isthmus and cause pretty exciting conditions for small boaters. When the "Tehuantepeckers" blow it is not unusual for a boat to get blown a hundred miles or so off course. It is not normally a matter of boats being sunk or wrecked, it is just a colossal inconvenience that may take a couple of days to rectify.

We will first try to determine that the meteorological conditions do not favor such winds and then will probably hug the shoreline as much as possible in order to avoid high waves that would form several miles offshore as a result of such winds. It's a matter of judgement to determine how much risk you want to take by staying near the shore where most of the dangerous obstacles are. I don't mind the shore option during the day, but am leery of it at night since the charts for this area are from 100 year old hydrographic surveys and may not show some serious obstacles. I always feel safer off shore at night. It might get rough, but that's better than crashing the boat into some reef that's not charted.

I think that to check out of Costa Rica we plan to sail north 17 miles to a little bay where the port captain has his office rather than taking a taxi there. The unknown about this is that I don't think there is a pier there so we may be taking the dinghy through surf. Don't mind doing that but if we come back with a load of supplies it might be awkward getting out through the surf. Ah, well, it will be another good story.

This is about the half way point in the voyage for me. I know the time will pass quickly and that there will be much of interest, still, I admit to being a little ready to head on back.

This is really a boat delivery in nature rather than a pleasure cruise and so the schedule leaves limited time for exploration or just kicking back and enjoying doing nothing. A boat underway is a demanding item of machinery and there is always something to repair or adjust.

Winds shift requiring sail adjustment or changes. Engines run out of fuel and have to be refueled at sea from jerry cans--pretty exciting if it's rough. Instruments get out of adjustment, tools and instruments rust, food rots, etc.

We got underway about noon to sail over to the other side of the bay to do some snorkeling. That was a big thing for Mark so we wanted him to have the chance before he took off for his next destination that I think is the canopy tour and the volcano at Arenal.

Anyway, we found a likely spot and anchored about 300 yards off the beach. Mark started to swim in and got about 25 yards and decided it was too arduous a swim and came back to the boat. We moved the boat closer and went in for a swim. The snorkeling was not too great but it was good to get a good swim in. I'm afraid I burned my shoulders pretty good. So we came back after an hour or so and on the way back broke out the storm sail so we could see just how to deploy it and to develop a strategy for how to handle it in case of extreme winds. Found we could deploy it without leaving the cabin by working through the forward hatch which would be a lot safer than having to go forward on the foredeck in extreme conditions. I'm glad Phil does have it because since it is hanked to the baby stay it has a center of effort or "pull" from near the center of gravity on the boat which will be very manageable in tough conditions. The hard part will be to get the main down and stopped off under high winds, but I think we can handle that. Since we have a strategy for the worst conditions that makes me feel better about venturing into notoriously windy areas like the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

I am always surprised at how many people leave practicing for emergency conditions until the emergency happens when it is almost impossible to act quickly or to compensate for missing rigging or fittings. Right now I feel the boat is about as ready as can be expected.

I think Phil is sometimes over cautious about how much sail to carry and so we probably motor a lot more that is strictly necessary, but that's more an esthetic judgement and it is usually safer, faster and easier to motor sail under reduced sail.

Decided to cut down on the restaurant and bar hopping and eat on the boat tonight. Had hotdogs with trimmings and rum with pineapple juice. That covers most of the main food groups and certainly is a specific for preventing scurvy.

Flamingo bay is in a very dry area of the country, at least at this time of the year. The hills are so dry that it reminds me of Baja or California hills. They say that the wet season is about to begin and tonight I do see lightning in the mountains behind the bay so maybe we are within a few days of lots of rain. I don't mind rain so much but that usually means unpredictable winds with sudden strong gusts and then absolutely nothing during the rain. Well, I will let you know about that.

As near as I can tell we'll be in our next stop in El Salvador about Thursday the 17th and then the first port in Mexico (skipping Guatemala about a week later, maybe less.

One thing I find remarkable and that is that Phil and I seem to have no serious differences. We have some differences of opinion, but basically are on the same track. He seems to have good instincts and he listens if I have an issue about seamanship matters. I'd rather expected that I would have complete confidence in him and he in me considering we know each other's capabilities and since we're essentially both old farts we also understand the weaknesses we face. We both enjoy just being here and if John Corallo turns out to be simpático, I think we'll have a great team for the next and possibly toughest legs of this voyage. John arrives in San José tomorrow at 7:30 AM and hopefully will have no trouble finding some sort of transportation. There are many busses and, of course, taxis and possibly hitching a ride with someone heading this way. Well, we'll see. Goodnight dear diary.

SUNDAY APRIL 14 FLAMINGO, THE FUEL DOCK, 30 MINUTES BEFORE SUNRISE

Here I am again. The sky is lightning in the east. The water is calm but with boils and splashes indicating some serious breakfast activity below the surface. The Frigates and Pelicans are making their first forays into the water to join the excitement.

Misty is gently moving back and forth in a light surge her stern tied to one end of the fuel dock and her bow secured by a mooring holding her perpendicular to the dock.

The fuel dock is a rickety looking affair but works quite well. It's abut 75 feet long and 8 feet wide. It is constructed of a framework of bolted timbers that enclose a series of floats. The deck consists of 2 by 6 planks of some hardwood and are bolted to the timber framework. Altogether it is very sturdy. Six vertical 18 inch square posts anchor the dock as it slides up and down with the tide. The tide is about 15 feet. A fuel shack is on the dock and there are heavy duty hoses supplying water and diesel as well as 110 and 220 power. The vertical concrete posts are stabilized by horizontal steel girders anchored in the earthen and rock breakwater that forms the bayward side of the marina. The structure is further stabilized by diagonal steel cables.

Looks rickety, but is very stable and well designed for this tidal range.

I may have really overdone the sun yesterday as I find my shoulders are a mass of blisters. I don't believe I've ever gotten a sunburn that blistered in my entire life. Guess it's never too late to learn a lesson. The burned skin is a bit prickly and since I don't have any dirt to rub in it right now I'll try to find some sort of soothing unguent. Now, I've never encountered an "unguent" in my life but I know from reading that this is a good idea. I'll check the first aid kit inventory to see what might qualify, but since "unguent" doesn't appear in the index, I think I'm out of luck.

My shadow tells me that I may have a pretty bad hair day today. The silhouette is suggestive of Al Einstein expressing extreme startlement as when he discovered that the Universe was indeed controlled by the throw of a pair of dice and especially that the dice are loaded. Anyway, must remember to ferret out the emergency comb.

The area of the dock right behind Misty is now controlled by a small herd of very busy little birds that show every indication that they know what they're doing, but don't seem to be accomplishing anything -- like getting breakfast. They just scurry back and forth occasionally pecking at the wood and looking busy. Whoops, they all left. Insulted by my words no doubt.

On the breakwater on the other side of the marina near the entrance there are about 10 locals who may be communing with nature and showing reverence for the rising sun. Well maybe they are actually just fishing...

4/14 FLAMINGO

John arrived much earlier than expected. He grabbed a puddle jumper plane right after getting off the airplane in San José at 7:30 and was here about 10.

Looks like he'll be a good and interesting shipmate. I'll describe him another time. Suffice to say we immediately repaired to the hotel pool and sat in the poolside bar drinking Coronas for a while before taking him to breakfast at Mary Ann's. He's a very funny man with a quick wit and a New York accent. He talks almost constantly and was able to put away a double order of French toast and ham and keep his end of the conversation flowing. No mean feat. It will be a real challenge to put down some of his stories since he's traveled a lot, climbed a lot and is a radioactive pharmacist or something exotic like that. He brought a "Wilson" for us since he was inspired by "Castaway". He has no sailing experience but when asked the first rule of sailing said "Toss your cookies downwind" so I know he has the right instincts. I explained to him that sailing sucks, it always will suck and there's nothing to be done about it so that's why it's imperative that we all enjoy the times when we aren't sailing. All three of us got behind that and so we doubled the supply of spirits and ice and expect top notch non-sailing. I think combining non-sailing with non-sinking bodes a very good future.

John brought with him 9 hours of blank tape for Phil's movie camera, a 100 feet of rope for our worn out reefing system and an El Salvador yacht pennant to fly when we make our next stop.

We plan to take off early tomorrow and to sail the 20 miles to the port from which we leave Costa Rica. Hope to do some provisioning there and hopefully will be able to send email.

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