Golfito

Golfito, Costa Rica

Two days ago, Monday, we left the anchorage at Bahia Drake, bound for Golfito.  Basically this consists of circumnavigating the Osa peninsula, entering the Golfo Dulce, then ducking through a narrow entrance channel into the Golfito estuary.

Since we had lots of time (it is only a 70 mile journey), we elected to leave in the early afternoon with the hope that we would be able sail some or all of the way.  We did sail for the first 4 hours, trying to beat into a light headwind to get around the top of the peninsula.  After a very frustrating 4 hours, making no more than 6 miles towards our destination, the wind totally died and we motored for all but about 2 hours of the rest of the passage.  The only consolation was another spectacular sunset - over Isla del Cano.

We watched some huge storm cells on the radar screen all around us throughout the night but never got a drop of rain.

We were on the final approach to Golfito by 9:30AM.  There is every shade of green you can imagine around here - very lush - definitely rain forest.  Just inside the entrance to the estuary we found one of the yacht delivery ships - these are very cool boats that transport sailing and power yachts throughout the world - this is one of their main stops on the west coast of America.  It is nice to know we have alternatives if we get tired of sailing the boat everywhere.

Can you pick out the port-side channel buoy?  Hint: It's green.

 

We found a nice spot to anchor and took the dinghy to shore.  There is a very cruiser-friendly business here that provides a dinghy dock, WIFI Internet, a clubhouse with a shower and an honor system for cold drinks, all for a nominal fee.  We have met up with several other cruisers that we have seen along the way from El Salvador.  This place is sort of the hub for cruising boats in southern Costa Rica.  There are a couple of nice restaurants within walking distance and the town is not all that far away either.  The only real problem for us is the humidity.  A lot of the boats here have been telling us about the incredible amount of rain they get here every afternoon or night, so we have battened down our hatches and tried to rig everything for some heavy weather.  Of course, since we have been here, there has not been a drop of rain.

BTW: Of the 11 cruising sailboats in the anchorage and the marina next door, 7 are Canadian.

Tomorrow we intend to check out of the country, with the intent to leave the day after, which is a Friday.  We wouldn't mind staying here for another day or two but the problem is that this Friday is payday and we have been warned that it will take forever to pay our port fees at the bank on that day, and the official offices are not open on Saturday, Sunday or Monday - thus if we don't check out tomorrow, Thursday, we will not be able to do so until next Tuesday, and we really did not want to linger here that long.

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