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Limerence Update #22 Costa Rica – Bahia De Culebra Lat. 10d 35’ N – Long. 85d 43’ W Air Temperature 91 Water 77
Departed El Salvador on Friday – March 30 and set our GPS heading to Bahia Santa Elena on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It lies a few miles southwest of Nicaragua. The forty-two hour passage was one of the most delightful we have made. The winds were a gentle 12 knots, and the seas calm. We had a favorable half knot current, and sailed at about 6 knots on a reach toward our destination. We had a new moon so for most of the night we were treated to clear starry skies. We were relieved to have escaped the nasty Papagayo winds. Central America is a narrow isthmus of land that is affected by the highs and lows in the Caribbean. Fierce winds build and come roaring with very little warning. The worst season is from November to March. We dropped anchor early on Sunday morning, April 1, in the protected harbor of Bahia Santa Elena. Six other boats were already anchored there. Four of them took off that morning leaving Limerence in the Bay with Joss and Kumbaya, and later joined by Kolika. Bahia Santa Elena is the shape of a keyhole. It is totally surrounded by mountains and gives the feeling of being on a lake. It is wildly isolated and is part of the Santa Rosa National Park. Little did we know that this pristine bay would become almost a prison for us! By late Sunday night, the Papagayo winds began blowing and Limerence strained on its Bruce Anchor in the 30 knot winds. The winds are astounding. The sound is like the roar of an airplane engine coming down the mountains . . . and then it hits! The boat strains on the anchor chain and shudders in the turbulence. After a few seconds, the gust is over, only to be followed by another in less than ten seconds. This pattern occurs over and over around the clock. The highest gusts we recorded were 40 knots. We became trapped in Bahia Santa Elena for the next eight days, pinned like a teeny insect to the water. The other boats anchored with us became great comrades. We left our VHF radios on channel 68 and had regular chats during the day. At times we braved the wind in our dinghy and met on each other’s boats for dinner and movies. As our food supplies dwindled we joked about making bread and dreamed about fresh vegetables and fruits! We talked to other boats in bays north and south of us who were also stuck. They were alone . . . at least we had each other to help the boredom! Several times we fought the wind and waves to the nearby shore and beached our dinghy so we could hike. April is the end of the dry season in Costa Rica, so it is like early fall as the dry brush waits for rain. We were able to see birds and animals that would be difficult to see had the trees been in full bloom. The country of Costa Rica is spectacularly beautiful. There are exotic trees and flowers we’ve never seen. As we hiked a dirt path and rough dirt road we saw black howler monkeys in the trees. They grunted and made noises like “woo woo woo” as we stared in disbelief. There were several kinds of monkeys living in small groups in the trees. We also saw parakeets and green parrots the size of crows. There were many colorful birds like Kingfishers, Herons, Egrets, Jays and Orioles. We saw thousands of hummingbirds massing in the trees and chirping their tiny sounds. From the boat we observed Black Hawks, Ospreys and Falcons. A delightful experience was seeing a Blue Morph butterfly. It was the size of our hand, black underneath and pure sky blue wings on top. It fluttered between us as if looking us over and made it’s way down the path like an animated cartoon. Aside from the nature experience and the spectacular sunsets, we became prisoners of Bahia Santa Elena. I wondered if the winds would ever subside, and the weather forecasts were not promising. I inventoried my can goods and tried to imagine another week of tasty meals from a can. I made a loaf of bread and got real creative with the few fresh vegetables left. On Monday, April 9, we noticed a slight drop in the barometer, an increase in the temperature of the water, and a few lulls in the monotonous winds. We decided to leave on Tuesday and make our dash around the daunting Peninisula De Santa Elena (known as the SLOT ) and sail southwest to Bahia De Culebra. We battened down Limerence, and planned for a boistrous sail to the next destination. As we pulled out of the Bay at 5:10 AM the sky was clear and light and sunrise was thirty minutes away. Joss and Kumbaya and Kolika followed us. Outside of our protected bay the seas were rolling in at about five feet and fairly choppy. The 20 knot winds were on our beam and we were heeled over but comfortable. We sailed ten miles to the point of the Peninsula and rounded the corner. We could see the color of the water change ahead, whitecaps, and remembered our friend Sea Angel who ripped out his mainsail at this place. The winds favored us and we rounded the treacherous corner with no problem. The rest of the day we sailed in various conditions of low and high wind across the Gulf of Papagayo, but were always in control and comfortable. In the early afternoon we dropped anchor in the protected Bahia De Culebra. Civilization at last! A real restaurant and a chance to provision at last! The Bay is very calm and the water warm. The Papagayos are still howling overhead, but we aren’t affected as much in this location. We will spend the Easter weekend here. The beaches are lined with tents and families camping . . .so it is a very nice atmosphere. We took the bus into the city of Liberia yesterday and reprovisioned. So, Limerence is at rest for awhile. Fair winds friends, Captain Doug and Judy |