We decided to leave Bahia Santa Elena and head to Bahia Potrero Grande, which is only 23 miles down the coast of Costa Rico in the Golfo of Papagayo. We downloaded the grib files, giving us the most up to date weather that the predicated winds should be in our favor and would be 20 knots for the next 24-48 hours. Perfecto! We would be able to sail the whole way to Bahia Potrero Grande. Potrero Grande bay is well known to those that surf, as Ollie's Point or maybe you remember this famous wave from the movie "Endless Summer II"
As we were leaving Bahia Elena, this was when we came to the conclusion that the bay was really protected from the prevailing winds and that grib files usually predict winds much lower then what is really blowing! Because of the small islands at the entrance of the bay along with the confused seas with some swell, oh yeah the strong winds, our start towards Bahia Potrero Grande was a rough one. We had the mainsail doubled reefed. Winds were gusting up to 30 or so knots, just as I asked Brian if we really should be out here since there were pre-gale winds, of course his response was, "Oh sure, we will be fine". Just as he finished saying this he got whacked with a large wave, swamping him at the helm! We just laughed. We decided that Brian didn't have the last word! What do they say about the difference between an ordeal and adventure is attitude! As we got past the small islands and out of the bay, we were able to trim the sails and point to our destination, sailing 6.5-7.4 knots at a close reach most of the day. We had variable winds at times throughout the day, but for the most part blew 20-25 knots. We sailed past the Murcielagos Islands (Bat Islands), which are group of islands and rocks all in a line that are pretty much inhabited except for the Park Ranger (per guidebook).
We arrived at Bahia Potrero Grande a few hours before dark, just enough time to check out the surf! There were a couple of pangas that had brought a few surfers over from Playa del Coco that were just packing up to head back. Lucky for us, because we had the whole place to ourselves!
The next day we got up early and surfed Ollie's Point, again, Brian and I had the area to ourselves...what a great birthday present! So awesome! Our friends from Arctic Vixen hiked the beach area, looking for the Turtle Observatory area but found much, much more! They did see all the turtle tracks leading to the water, however, in the wooded area just off the beach, they came across monkeys and a possible sighting of a crocodile, well this is the story we got anyway!
After surfing, we decided to pull up the hook (anchor) and head to the next cove, Bahia Huevos (15 miles). The wind was 22-27 knots and we had an awesome sail, which took less than 3 hours to a beautiful secluded area with a variety of wildlife.
What a great birthday, to surf and sail in one day! Arctic Vixen invited us over to their boat for a birthday celebration. We all enjoyed a plate of Ratatouille and birthday brownies, well maybe a few margaritas too! Boy, it feels good to turn 30!
Today, we have been thinking about and wishing our daughter-in-law, Karrie, "Happy Birthday" too. Hope it was a great day for her too! Unfortunately we have had no Internet access or skype to contact anyone for the past 2 weeks. We hope to be able to once we get to a town.