Early Monday morning, we hoisted anchor and sail and made our way down Bahia Culebra and into Bahia del Coco (Coconut bay) to do our country check-in. An hour or so later, Alanui, Paloma, Komara and Fandango followed us. We knew we needed photocopies of our Nicaraguan zarpe, so off we went in search of a copy place. The main one was closed, and four other places suggested by other shopkeepers were either closed or couldn't make copies. Finally we found a computer store above a supermarket that would make our copies. A trip to the Port Captain's office revealed... nothing. Closed. We waited and waited until another cruiser, Paul from Manureva II, showed up and informed us that the port captain wouldn't be there until midday. When he finally did arrive, it was 12:30. After an hour or so there, it was off to immigration. She started our processing, then went to lunch. So we did. Back to the port captain to see if customs had arrived from the airport in Liberia. Back to immigration. After getting our passports stamped and copies of our passports stamped (for customs), back to the port captain. Customs showed up at around 3pm. They processed our documents, then the port captain said we'd have to come back the next day for our national zarpe, the document that lets us move from port to port in Costa Rica. When will he be in the office? Around 9 or 9:30 or 10 because he had to check in a cruise ship in the morning. Oh, and by the way, notice that Kena's registration is out of date, so please get the unexpired version. There went our plan to leave early for points south. Back to the ATM for cash, but it didn't work. To an internet cafe to download the email with the latest registration (thanks, Peter!). Back to the boat. Print the registration.

The cruise ship arrived sometime in the dark of early morning, so we awoke to the sight of Wind Song anchored in the middle of the bay. She's a smaller cruise ship, but a huge sailing ship with a row of identical masts and cranes for books. Apparently the sails on this boat are the largest sails ever made. It's pretty clear they also rely on the engines for the bulk of the power, but apparently they get about 30% of it from the sails. The port captain didn't finish processing Wind Song until after 10am. However, he dealt with us very quickly when he did arrive, so we were able to set off by 1;:45am, following about 30 minutes behind Komara and Fandango. All of the officials were extremely friendly and polite, and although it was a two day process, there was no charge for any of it.

We noticed in the little town at Coco that the buses are more modern... no longer recycled Blue Birds. There are many gringos around, and things look considerably more prosperous than further north.

The wind was favorable as we left, and we raised the heavy spinnaker rounding Cabo Velas (Sail Cape). However, Fandango reported over 25 knots from almost ahead, so we had to take it down again fairly hastily. From then until after dark, the wind was crazy, gusting in the high 20's, dropping to almost nothing, switching 90 degrees, dropping, up, down, around. Sail changes and adjustments were almost constant. After dark, the wind steadied, and we were able to make 5-6 knots on a beam reach. Near dawn, Komara's AIS system alarm went off. All big commercial ships now have to broadcast AIS (automatic information system?) signals that can be picked up on a special receiver that uses a VHF antenna. It gives the ship's name, size details, speed, etc. and it signals when the ship makes changes. The alarm had a large ship coming up behind us, and on a collision course. We changed course, and for quite some time, it appeared to make no difference. Finally, the freighter changed course slightly and went by a little under a mile away. The sun was coming up when we turned the corner at Cabo Blanco, rounding the tip of the Nicoya peninsula and heading into the Gulf of Nicoya. We dropped the anchor in Bahia Ballena (Whale Bay) at 11am. Larry from Komara, Sal, Tane and I went exploring for a place to snorkel, but after touring most of the bay (it's 3 miles long) and getting in for a short while, gave up as the visibility was poor.

We all (Larry and Julie from Komara, Doug and Mary from Fandango) went ashore for drinks and a meal at the Ballena Yacht Club, but the plan was thwarted by the unfortunate fact that is was closing when we got there. The dock was littered with about 30 French tourists, all waiting for a boat back to Puntarenas. The boat was late. We decided to have a potluck on Komara, and as we headed back out to the boats, a large catamaran pulled in to take the tourists. We had a great night swapping yarns. Larry and Julie have a concrete pump business in Canada---their company supplies the pump units. Doug and Mary have done just about everything. He's a South African and she's a Canadian with family going back to the first explorers. They say they've changed what they do about every two and a half years. Right now, they're living on the Bay Islands on the Caribbean side of Honduras...they had just set up a tourist business when hurricane Mitch wiped it all out. Fandango is a French built wooden double ended ketch, 1960's vintage, in great shape. Like many recent purchases (houses and boats), they bought her on eBay. They're experienced sailors---I asked them what boats they've had before and the list went on for some time. They have several circumnavigations and 27 Atlantic crossings under their belts, and have been to New Zealand several times and are familiar with Tutukaka.

Doug and Mary's daughter is flying into San Jose on Saturday, so this morning they headed further into the Gulf of Nicoya. We have decided to head for Golfito near the border with Panama, where we can do some inland travel and get the boat ready for the next phase of the trip. If we can manage it, we will go into Panama as far as Isla Coiba, then head out to Cocos Island (Costa Rica), then on to the Galapagos Islands. Much of this is in the ITCZ (doldrums), so we'll need plenty of fuel. Larry and Julie have decided to accompany us in Komara. Right now, we're about half way from Bahia Ballena to Isla del Cano. From Charlie's Charts: "The island seems to act as a massive lightning rod protruding from the ocean, for it gets struck by lightning more frequently than any other place in Central America. It's a biological reserve under the jurisdiction of Corcovado National Park."

We've passed the dividing line between the drier north and the wetter south of Costa Rica, and it shows. There are rain clouds and thunderstorms all along the shore. The area around Golfito gets over 200 inches of rain a year, so I believe we're in for the true tropical rain forest experience.

Current plans are to go diving at Isla del Cano in the morning, then check out Bahia Drake.