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Limerence Update # 28 Cruising the
Gulf of Nicoya Islands North 9d38º
West 84d41º July 2001 The Nicoya
Peninsula and Gulf are roughly halfway down the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and divide the
country’s relatively drier northern part from the southern wet tropical jungles. We
have been at the Los Sueños Marina in Herradurra on the southeast corner of the Gulf of
Nicoya since May 1. The Gulf of Nicoya is a thumb shaped body of water that offers lovely
cruising grounds with a choice of quiet anchorages and uninhabited islands. After trips to
San Diego and Washington DC in June, we were ready to take several weeks in July to
explore the Gulf. After
provisioning Limerence for cruising, we pulled away from the Marina on a Sunday morning
and sailed northwest into the Gulf of Nicoya. This body of water is about 20 miles wide,
and roughly 60 miles long. Our first destination was Isla Cedros about 18 miles northwest
of Herradurra. It was a wonderful feeling to be at sea again and renew our sailing skills.
Limerence was surrounded by tropical frigate birds overhead and diving terns as we sailed
in the fresh breeze. The wind was blowing at 10 knots from the south, and we had a
pleasant 4-hour sail to the anchorage. We saw several fishing pangas and a sailboat
cruising the bay, but otherwise had the Gulf to ourselves.
When
traveling, we use Charlie’s Charts of Costa Rica. In addition to our paper and
electronic charts, “Charlie’s” is a cruising guide with details about every
viable anchorage, including information on land facilities and marinas. We use travel tips
from other cruisers gleaned from our morning radio chats and information in magazine
articles and bulletins from Seven Seas Cruising Association. In
mid-afternoon we dropped anchor between Isla Cedros and Isla Jesusita. The islands are
very quiet with no facilities for cruisers except a small landing where the Puntarenas
city ferry traverses several times a day. We enjoyed two nights of striking sunsets in
absolute silence except for the noises of birds and monkeys. We spent our days reading,
doing routine boat maintenance, and exploring in the dinghy.
On Tuesday
we pulled anchor and sailed northwest several hours to Playa Naranjo to join our friends
Barb and Jerry on Kumbaya. Naranjo is an open bay fronting a lovely beach with thick
jungle behind it. Beyond the beach is a private rustic resort called Oasis del Pacifico.
It is owned by Lucky and Agie Wilhelm who have operated the hotel for many years. They
offer use of their swimming pool, palapa patio, showers, dock, restaurant and grounds to
cruisers for $5.00 per day. There are no laundry facilities. . . just a cement tub with
fresh water under a palapa. The “Oasis” is home to a variety of tame
green parrots, dogs, cats, red squirrels, and huge iguanas. We hiked the acres behind the
property and encountered groups of 10-12 howler monkeys. Doug has perfected his monkey
howls and is able to carry on conversations with the males staring down at us from the
trees. It is a strange feeling to hoot and howl back and forth and wonder what the heck we
are saying to these creatures! Early one
morning we took the 9 am ferry with Jerry and Barb from Kumbaya, across the Gulf to the
harbor city of Puntarenas. It is a one-hour trip and costs 550 colones per person or
almost $2.00. Puntarenas is the location of the Capitan del Puerto and is one of the
larger cities in Costa Rica. There are several grocery stores, banks, restaurants, a
marine store, and hardware stores. One can find almost anything by asking a few questions.
After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and laden with goodies for our boat, we took the 3 pm
ferry back to Naranjo. We stayed
for a week at Playa Naranjo and enjoyed dinghying to shore and using the swimming pool.
The waters of the Gulf are muddy looking this time of year because of the rains. Branches,
logs, and debris float down from the swollen rivers on the tides and make the water
unappetizing for swimming. One day it rained off and on all day, but generally the
afternoon rain clouds threaten but seldom produce rain in this area.
Our last
anchorage was a southeastern sail to Islas Tortugas, a group of wooded islands and islets
that used to be turtle breeding grounds. There is a
white sand public beach that is right out of Gilligan’s Island.
It is so inviting and pristine, that almost everyday from 10 am to 3 pm it is crowded with
hordes of tourists who land in all types of tour boats. However, before and after the
tourists. . . it is a delight! The water is azure and we swam around the boat and spotted
tropical fish and a turtle. Other than several fishermen who sold us lobsters one
afternoon, we were the only boat at anchor the first night. Later, our good friends on
Kumbaya and Wanderlust joined us. After nearly
two weeks exploring the islands, we pulled anchor and returned to Herradurra. The storm
clouds were building as we left Tortuga and sailed east 18 miles to our Marina. We almost
made it as we skirted the edge of an ominous storm sailing at five knots close hauled on a
port tack. Suddenly about four miles from the entrance to the harbor, we were struck by a
fierce squall from the northeast. The winds and rain were vicious for a brief time, and we
endured our first heavy weather experience since leaving San Diego last October. Our storm
story is Doug’s to tell in the following update! Fair winds
friends, Captain Doug and Judy |
