As Pax Nautica and Serena Ray were settling into their neighboring slips in Marina Papagayo on April 2, we knew it marked the end of our time together as buddy boats this season. Sea Quest had already crossed the bay to anchor for a few days, and John and Rosie wanted to depart very soon aboard Serena Ray for points further south; their date for transiting the Panama Canal was looming, and they didn’t want to risk being late.
We were sad to say goodbye to John and Rosie. But also relieved to slow our pace down once again, take a deep breath and look around. We sped right through Nicaragua without taking any time to explore. A fierce Papagayo wind was scheduled to start blowing, so we decided to make tracks without thinking our schedule through very well, which we regret. We counted on making up that time next year when we head north again… but now we’re not so sure that’s the plan. Ah well, these things will all work themselves out later on. I’m a big planner by nature. But part of the personal growth that has come from cruising, for me, has been to stop trying to arrange things so far in advance. I didn’t even pull out my land guide to Costa Rica until after we had cleared into the country. Good girl!
One difference we noticed about Costa Rica, at first glance, is its abundance and diversity of birds and wildlife, compared to the other Central American countries. It helps not to have had decades of civil war tearing up the environment. There are monkeys in the trees everyplace, along with macaws and parrots, and all kinds of exotic looking birds I couldn’t begin to name.
The first anchorage we visited was Bahía Santa Elena, which is within a National Park so there are no signs of civilization anywhere. In other words, perfect. Well protected from the wind and swell, we relaxed at anchor there for over a week, exploring its estuary by kayak, snorkeling, and catching up on our reading and snoozing.
Every morning and evening the numerous macaws would cackle loudly in the trees, sounding like they were laughing, or bickering, or both. They mate for life, and seem to stick together at all times.
For our kayak trip up the mangrove channels, I resorted to one of those mosquito nets over my hat and head, to keep the bugs from landing on my face. That and lots of insect repellent got us through with our full blood volume intact.
But you really can’t get the feel of the place without hearing what it sounds like. The video clip below doesn’t show anything, really. Stan only took it so you could hear what we heard as we floated and paddled our way along.
Just a few miles away from Santa Elena, we spent some more time at anchor in Bahía Huevos. It was lovely, with its own river estuary that we drifted up on the rising tide, this time rowing our small dinghy.
After a stop back in civilization to stock up on fresh produce, we ventured forth again…
… this time dropping our anchor in Bahía Brasilito. We were next to a lovely beach called Playa Flamingo.
There was breaking surf at the shoreline, but Stan has gotten very talented at timing the waves, in order to get us on and off the beach without getting soaked. Or anyway, not very soaked.
Now it’s time to start winding down this cruising season, and getting Pax ready to spend the rainy months here in Marina Papagayo, while we jet off in early June to visit friends and relations back in the States. In October, we’ll return to the boat and continue to explore Pacific Costa Rica and Panama.
Stan has started his short list of boat projects:
I cleaned the refrigerators and bathrooms today. Sadly, none of the many photos I took of that activity adequately captured the talent, analytical thinking and sheer bravery involved.
So instead, we’ll leave you with a photo of happy hour, enjoyed while at anchor in Bahía Brasilito.
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