The water continues to stay blue, calm and beautiful as Anna Mae and crew move down the coast of Costa Rica. We have been anchoring in bays and staying in marina’s along the way. We anchored one night in Bahia Herradura and took a panga to shore. The Marina Los Suenos was hosting The 2014 Triple Crown Fishing Tournament. The docks where full to capacity with sport fishing boats.
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| A fun panga ride to shore |
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| Fun on the beach |
Our next stop was Quepos. We stayed at Marina Pez Vela and struggled with more surge… The facility was very nice, along with helpful and friendly marina staff. Surge continues to be a problem with our heavy trawler. Anna Mae groans with the pull of the turbulent currents that tug her lines. It makes for a noisy bumpy night and a frustrated crew. Our bumpers and dock lines are looking sadly used.
While at Quepos we explored Manuel Antonio National Park, the most famous biological reserve in Costa Rica. Our guide pointed out various animal and plant life, we would not have seen much without his help. The tour was relaxing and interesting, but not as much wildlife as we had anticipated.
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| The whole family |
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| High up in a tree, a Sloth with her baby. |
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| A male iguana relaxing in the sun. The razor wire didn’t seem to bother him. |
I have decided that we are all very spoiled with the amazing wildlife we have experienced while at sea. It doesn’t matter how many times I watch the dolphins race to our bow and perform for us, it’s always a thrill. We have learned to lean out and wave to get the dolphins attention. They turn sideways and look up at us as we clap for them. Yesterday I took Bill’s harmonica out and blew a few notes. They stayed on our bow for about twenty minutes. We slowed the boat hopeful they would hang around to swim with us. No such luck, as soon as we slowed, they swam out of sight.
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| Dolphins on the bow of Anna Mae |
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| Anna Mae anchored at Cane Island |
Our one night stay at Isla del Cano or “Cane Island” was magical. It lays 12 miles NW of Oso Peninsula. There are at least 5 plateaus with 10 spectacular dive sites. Tom and Susanne paddled over on their SUP and checked us into the Isla del Cano National Biosphere Preserve. We paid our $6.00 anchorage fee, $8.00 per person snorkel fee and the numerous documents needing our signature. We set our anchor and settled in for the day. We snorkeled coral reefs with pinnacles reaching up from the white sandy bottom. The fish life was colorful, plentiful and amazing. Several sea turtles entertained us with their slow easy movements in the clear blue water. Numerous Manta rays hugged the bottom as we swam above. A couple of white tipped reef sharks swam by along with a large school of grouper.
We have learned many lessons while in the waters of Costa Rica. Don’t try to check into a Port or a marina on the weekend or before 9am and after 5pm. When asked how long you will be staying, alway request the longest amount of time available and get your fingers ready to sign, sign, sign on the dotted line. This country is very ecologically friendly but they use an entire forest each and every day with the mountains of paperwork they require. The country is lovely, but not boater friendly. We anticipated more boats in these waters, now we understand why. We are still working on paperwork to exit the country. Hopefully we can get everything resolved prior to our scheduled flight home to Oregon in the next few days. Currently tied to the dock at Banana Bay Marina while will continue to struggle with customs and emigrations issues. Thankfully we are in paradise…
