4-5-2015 Passage to Costa Rica II



7 29.533'N: 81 13.421'W---Ensenada de Naranjo, Isla Cebaco—-Safe Haven


As we sailed to Cebaco Island we had some concerns as we had read that the protected bay on Cebaco had moorings laid and that they charged $2/ft. Per day. That worked out to $104 a night for Serenity to tie to a mooring that we did not know was good or not. As we sailed past Punta Mariato we were hit with winds to 28 knots and wind waves to five feet—rough going. We started to cross the gulf between Isla Cebaco and the mainland which gave the waves a long fetch and they got even bigger. Then we got hit with a double wave and we got soaked in the cockpit—again. We did not have many options as there were no 'safe haven' harbors to head to, so we continued on. The strange thing is that as we headed further into the center of the gulf, the winds and waves calmed down a bit and we were not getting sprayed every few minutes. But as we approached Cebaco the winds piped up again and we were bouncing through the waves once again. We were getting tired and decided that the $2/ft was not such a high price after all. As we tucked into the bay at Ensenada de Naranjo the wind died down to about 10 knots and the waves disappeared. We were also happy to discover that there were only about 12 moorings and although they occupied the choicest spot, there was plenty of room to anchor off the pretty beach. We spent a 'quiet' and calm night—the best night so far on our Passage to Costa Rica.


4-6-2015

7 45.690'N: 81 31.968'W---Bahia Honda---Kennedy’s Place


After only 32 miles we were anchored in Bahia Honda—a protected deep bay with some houses visible on shore. We anchored in the spot designated by the guide book, but lifted anchor right away as we saw our depth sounder go from 40 feet to 3 feet under the keel. We anchored further out in 45 feet and put out 150 feet of chain—scope is king. As we were doing our anchor drill we were hailed by a catamaran anchored a bit away from us. Minoch was a U.S. Flagged boat and they saw our big American flag so they hailed us. They have been here for three days waiting for the winds to die so they could head south to the canal. They were nice giving us advise on our next anchorage before Golfito. We soon had a man in a panga pull along side who welcomed us to Bahia Honda and told us that he would bring fresh fruit to sell to us next Sunday (all in Spanish). We thanked him but said we were heading out tomorrow early—he left wishing us a safe passage. In about half an hour, another 'pangero' showed up who introduced himself as 'Kennedy' and he explained that he worked at the house on shore that was owned by an 'Americano'. He said that he would bring us fresh fruit this afternoon and we negotiated a price for some lemons, bananas, grapefruit, and onions. Sherry gave Kennedy some pencils and activity books for his kids and he took off.
At around 1630 Kennedy showed up again this time with his wife and son—Olivia and two year old Octavio. We paid five bucks for some small and tasty bananas, limones, tomatoes, grapefruit, and an onion. We also gave them some batteries and some of Sherry's old shoes—which they really appreciated. It was wonderful to talk with them (again, all in Spanish), and interact with people that live in an isolated world—they were nice. We had a great night at Bahia Honda and were up and gone by 0600 for our next stop—Isla Parida. P.S. If any cruisers are heading this way, please bring some old clothes, school supplies, and especially a back pack for Kennedy and his family—they are isolated and need supplies.