SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

We've arrived in Bahia Ballena, which the guide book says is one of the best bays in mid Costa Rica. Well, at least it was. We are anchored next to a pier with pangas tied just about everywhere on it. Nolan, a young man on the dock helped us tie up and said he would watch the boat. It needed watching not so much for theft as for destruction when the tide came in and all the one hundred panga lines ensnared it. He was a solid young man with a huge smile. He jumped in our dinghy and shortened the line to the anchor and then swam back. It was as if the water were no issue at all. Apparently he was already wet and perhaps perpetually wet. When I turned around from the group, he saw me returning and offered me some of his fish...not for money, just because it looked like I might like some to eat. I wish I spoke spanish a little better. These people are frequently very nice. But, I am getting ahead of my story...

It is a long walk to town and we headed out. It wasn't long before Larry decided his back just wasn't ready for it (the last three days have been really bad back days as happens sometimes). So Larry is back on the boat writing blogs while everyone else continues on into town to have fun. They have a radio and a good flashlight and enough money to get food and drink and internet access. Its the internet access that Larry wishes he were going to get. This message goes out by SSB.

If you look at the bottom of the blog, you'll see that we moved another 50 nm or so today. I would like to tell you we headed south, but apparently we actually headed East. By the time we reach the Panama Canal, we will be further east than Miami! Of course, then we have to turn around and go west all the way across the Pacific. This is why people leave from La Cruz Mexico for the Marquesas. We're going this way only because we wanted to see Central America and the Galapagos....which is reason enough to go the wrong direction at least or a while.

We're working on schedule. We were planning to spend an extra day here swimming and resting and playing ashore, but we may decide that another place would be better for that...we'll see. Where we are anchored there is a severe red tide....not very appealing for swimming. I'll probably just take a shower on the swim step and call it good.

Just FYI, the communication network that I am using is entirely volunteer. The station that I'll send this through is WB0TAX, from Shreveport LA USA 1437 nm from Costa Rica. The hams provide a very useful service and the scope of the service (worldwide) is a tribute to a whole lot of worldwide cooperation and hard work that incorporates the latest communication technologies. Amazing actually. It works so well!