SV Gallant Fox

Costa Rica Redux 2014

Golfito's a nice place. If they let you in.

By 2014 we were pretty well experienced with checking into and out of all kinds of countries, and we'd already been in and out of Costa Rica once. Our check-in with Immigration this time went as smoothly as usual. However, our next stop - Customs - is where it all fell apart. It seems that the Customs supervisor who was processing our paperwork said "we" had a "problem" with our documentation...FROM THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN COSTA RICA. IN 2010. FOUR YEARS PREVIOUSLY. She claimed that we had failed to properly check out of Costa Rica back then, knowing full well that we'd be unable to prove otherwise because (1) she insisted on seeing the original documents, which (2) back in 2010, we'd had to submit them to Golfito's port captain before we left the country. I showed her the official exit stamps Costa Rica Immigration had made in our passports in 2010, and the following Ecuadoran entry stamps that showed we'd arrived legally in Ecuador with all of Costa Rica's exit paperwork in order. Yeah, that didn't work. Customs Lady claimed that was insufficient to fix the problem now, and only the payment to her of a US $500 "fine" would make things right.

Never before nor since have I encountered such an overt invitation to bribe a government official. 

Pacific Panama's Islas Secas

Islas Secas translates to the "dry islands." I assume this means there are no natural springs anywhere on these islands, but I don't know for sure because I have been spoiled by The Fox's reliable Little Wonder watermaker, tra-la.

We sailed 34 miles from Bahia Honda to the Secas for 3 days of fishing, snorkeling, and seashelling because we were way too cheap and lazy to pay for a permit to the nearby-but-much-more-popular Gulf of Chiriqui/Coiba National Marine Park. Instead we enjoyed Isla Cavada in hot and calm weather, which made for easy viewing of dozens of blue-chinned parrotfish while snorkeling along the anchorage's northern reef. On the last morning, however, we saw that clouds were beginning to cover the mainland so we decided to move on toward Golfito, Costa Rica, about 116 miles away, northwesterly-ish. Our only obstacle: Punta Burica, the long, skinny peninsula that straddles the Panama-Costa Rica border and which we'd have to round and then sail up the far side of, to reach Golfito.

Southeast to Northwest in Panama

Still talking March 2014 here. Don't judge.

Almost immediately upon reaching the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, we encountered flocks of cormorants, brown pelicans, terns, and gulls fishing among the anchored fleet o' freighters waiting their turn to go through the locks. We saw more sea life in that one spot than we had in 3 years on the Atlantic side. It was great to see. Our first destination was Bahia Honda, in the area of Panama's Islas Secas, roughly 200 miles away.

Seas were rolly and by sunset we'd gradually reefed...reefed again...and eventually were sailing with staysail alone on a broad reach. Rounding a couple of points of land meant that winds and seas became variable and we raised, reefed, and lowered sails accordingly. The sea critters were unimpressed with our busyness - the terns, laughing gulls and frigatebirds flew calmly along, and the spotted dolphins, a sea turtle, and even a yellow-bellied sea snake glided through the choppy waves without giving the distant lightning flashes a second glance.

We were underway a bit less than 45 hours on this leg as we entered Bahia Honda. Using the Sarana guides' waypoints and our radar to correct for chart errors, we anchored in the bay without incident in about 41 feet depths near Don Domingo's home on shore. Bahia Honda is very reminiscent of Washington State's San Juan archipelago, with its mountainous tree-covered islands, deep, steep-to water, and excellent shelter. Except Bahia Honda is much warmer. Much. Warmer.

A few locals occasionally rowed by to chat with us during the next few days, and it was fun to learn a bit about the area with such pleasant people. We even traded with Don Domingo, giving him some useful items we no longer needed, in exchange for some of his wood carving. We are now proud owners of a large acacia platter, plus a platter-mortar-and-pestle combo. Sweet.

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About that Canal Transit

Some details: The weather was typical for Panama in March - humid daytime temps in the 80s, intermittent showers alternating with sun breaks. In contrast to our DIY south-to-north transit in 2011, this time in 2014 we decided to hire an agent for the north-to-south transit. We had our reasons; among them, that the logistics of getting tires, giant fenders, & line handlers seemed more involved on the Caribbean side than they had been on the Pacific side. We were glad we chose Erick Galvez as our agent. He and his line handlers made sure the prep, the transit, and the winding-up at the end all went as smoothly as possible. Bonus: Guillermo, our Canal advisor, looked just like Denzel Washington. Hubba-hubba.

All Is Still Well

Criminy. No posting in FOUR YEARS? Inexcusable.

As is always the case, life got in the way. Amazingly, none of the life events was very negative. To summarize 2014-2018:

On March 21-22, 2014, we successfully transited the Panama Canal from north (Caribbean) to south (Pacific) -- no thanks to adverse breezes & currents, and a large catamaran we had to repeatedly tie up to in each of the locks. Sure; that's what those giant fenders hanging all over The Fox are for, but come on, people: have the required number of FOUR line handlers on board who will actually, you know, HANDLE THE LINES; and please use all the required 125-foot-long mooring lines instead of the 15-foot dock lines you use in marinas. Gah.

Minor adventures in Costa Rica (corrupt Customs official) & Nicaragua (one of us fell overboard) ensued, but no permanent harm was done to us anywhere. All parts of Mexico treated us very well as is their custom. Weather came and went. The Fox came and went. We became reacquainted with old cruising friends and made some new ones. Did some new upgrades & refitting in Mazatlan during the 2015-2016 cruising season. The weather for the 2017 cruising season in the Sea of Cortez was predominantly suboptimal throughout the region, but sailing is like that sometimes. All in all the days were just packed. For four whole years, it seems. Heh.

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