This week made the 444 NM trip from Puerto Madera, Chiapas Mexico to Bahia Santa Elena, Guanacaste Costa Rica. This will be our longest passage during this cruising 'season'. In the mid-tropics there is hurricane season -- and then there is cruising season. Hurricane season will start in mid-May/early June and we are now 'clear' of that risk area.
The strategy for this trip was to follow the coast as the winds generally would be from the Northwest, providing for a pleasant downwind run -- but towards the end we were to expect a shift to sometimes violent seas and gusty winds along the west coast of Nicaragua and Northwest corner of Costa Rica. By being very close to the shore ("one foot on the beach") we would be able to reduce the impact of wind waves and find shelter if needed. The gusty winds are created as the trade winds from the Caribbean funnel across the gaps in the mountains increasing speed as they go.
We are getting really comfortable with our watch schedule. Dan is on watch from 7pm - Midnight (5 hours); Jeanne from Midnight - 4am (4 hours); Dan from 4am - 7am (3 hours), Jeanne 7am - Noon (5 hours). During the rest of the day, we switch off as needed. Usually I stay on watch and Dan manages the galley. This trip we watched squeezed in a few episodes of Severence in the evenings.
Our first 2 days were lovely with a mix of motoring and 'champagne sailing'. (Urban dictionary: easy, enjoyable and luxurious sailing conditions, often characterized by a gentle breeze, calms seas and favorable weather allowing for a relaxed and pleasurable sailing experience). We passed Guatemala, and then El Salvador, in each country raising our "Q"- quarantine flag and the national flag as a gesture of respect while traversing their waters.
On Day 3 as we approached the coast of Nicaragua, we passed through a frontal system which switched the wind to a less than favorable, slow, wet 'bash' for a few hours. Fortunately as we continued south down the coast of Nicaragua, conditions improved--for awhile. We tucked in really close to shore, within 1 mile. This was much more technical than we are used to as we had to be on a vigilant watch watch for depths, small local fishing boats and commercial traffic at several large ports during the night. We were delighted to catch a beautiful Spanish Mackerel somewhere along the way.
The final 50 miles -- where the Papagayo winds run -- were manageable. We had 15-18 knots of wind at the beam, with heading gusts up to 25 knots. We chose to motorsail for some of it to get through it more quickly. The waves were head on and steep initially. With the motor we were able to keep our speed up. The closer we got to our destination, the more favorable the conditions were and we were back to a fast sail.
We arrived in Bahia Santa Elena in the morning and stayed for two nights. It was so calm and quiet even though we knew the wind was pounding on the other side of the hill. We had some deliciously fabulous sushi.
Our friends arrived the second day so we had a brief chance to catch up, share stories and have coffee before we headed for the last leg. Our friends had become the home for a swarm of bees for 12 hours out....glad it didn't find us!
Feeling confident at conquering the Papagayo winds two days prior, we departed for the 40 remaining miles to Playas del Coco, where we'd clear customs & immigration.
That meant one more day in the Papagayo winds & short steep seas. We left at 10 am and had good downwind sailing for about an hour. We had just made the 90 degree turn around Cape Santa Elena. We were now hard on the wind with 20-25 knots, gusts to 28. We had started to furl our jib to the 2nd reef point to make things more comfortable. However, somehow the knot that secured the furling line to the furler slipped and we ended up with a full jib and a loose line. This was the first time we've put Okisollo's rail in the water! We quickly did a controlled jib and ran with the wind -- in the wrong direction.
Dan was able to get everything squared away after about 40 minutes and we had about 50% of the jib furled--but we were still headed toward Hawaii. So we reduced the main, turned around again and resumed our course for Coco Beach, but this time on the other side of the Bat islands (or Islas Murcielagos). Within another hour, the wind with the protection from the hills completely died. Short lived excitement. All in all, no one got hurt. Nothing broke that couldn't be fixed. And we still got in before dark. We reflect that we both have gotten much better at dealing with these situations by working together, over communicating and staying calm. Life lessons that have served us well.
Upon arrival we finalized the paperwork that Dan would need for clearing immigration, customs and clearance from the port captain in Costa Rica. He had an appointment with 'Johnny' to whisk him to all the offices in the morning... More on that next week.
Sounds like fun! Help!
I like how you are tracking your travels on a map. Doing so helps me visualize where you are, have been, will be.
I’m intrigued with your mention that your friends had become home to a swarm of bees. What does this mean?Please elaborate.