Our love / hate relationship with Nicaragua has come to an end. The wind was always strong, in the 20-35 knot range. The wind chop and ground swell and ocean current were always going in different directions, which made sailing difficult. But then, these pesky offshore winds groomed the surf to perfection, and even made the anchorages comfortable everywhere we went. Yet by the end, we learned not only to sail comfortably in these conditions, we grew confident in our sailing skills and our boat. With a fully reefed mainsail and staysail alone (sometimes reefed too), our vessel excelled in these conditions as we learned to handle the reigns. Regarding Nicaragua, we found it to be quite beautiful, green and peaceful (not overrun with tourism, resorts & developments).

We reached Costa Rica and tucked into the first northern bay, called Bahia Santa Elena, located inside a national park. It is shaped like a huge ankle sock with great protection off to the side of the bay and it can hold 100+ boats. But the greatest thing is that there are no roads, no trails, no lookout points, and no tourist groups here. The only real access is by boat, and in a majestic way, it's as if time forgot about this little piece of the world and nature has prevailed. From the edge of the water to the towering hilltops, a thick jungle canopy covers the earth and birds are safe to sing their songs, butterflies float across the green-scape, fish are constantly jumping all around the boat, and the song of the jungle emanates from the bush. We were the only sailboat here, and for 6 days we appreciated every moment in this heavenly creation. The water is crystal clear with an emerald green tint reflected from the jungle. Green macaws host sunrise & sunset concerts. Barracudas leap thru the water, turtles paddle by, and manta rays glide along just below the surface. We spent hours just sitting on deck soaking up the display. Our time in Santa Elena was our reward for coming this far.

And, being a dedicated surfboat, we spent a few nights at Ollies point and made a quick stop at Witch's Rock (2 of Costa Rica's premier surf spots) on our way to Playa del Coco.