Golfito, Crew Change

After an excruciatingly slow trip from Isla Secas, we got into Golfito yesterday afternoon. The wind was consistently out of the west of north of west and the current that follows the coast was from the same direction, making sailing difficult. Around 3 AM I decided it was time to motor so we motored for about 11 hours to make it into Golfito around 1:30 PM local time.  And on the way in, we saw two baby whale sharks swimming around in the bay! We followed them at a distance for a while until they swam off.

The first thing that struck me was the utter cleanliness of Costa Rica versus Panama. As beautiful as many parts of Panama were, it was difficult to enjoy sometimes because of the about of trash just thrown everywhere on the side of the roads. It was exceedingly common to see people on the bus throw styrofoam cups out the side of the bus after they were finished. Costa Rica, however, has either educated their people better or they have very good sanitation crews that clean up, because there's no more trash on the roads here than in the U.S.

But upon our arrival and getting solid internet for the first time in over a week, Aimee and Jed had multiple emails that indicated they needed to travel back to the Bay Area. They are supposed to be getting on a bus to San Jose and then on a flight back to the Bay Area today.

In any case, that leaves me sailing solo! Because of the lack of crew and the need to press on further up the coast, I've decided to take an offshore route from here to the Gold Coast of Mexico, leaving in the afternoon tomorrow and landing hopefully in Acapulco around February 3rd. I just need to find a way to fill up my propane tank before I leave, which is easier said than done in Costa Rica.

I have good internet here so here are some photos from Panama. The islands between Punta Mariato and Punta Burica are some of the most pleasant and peaceful I've seen. It was hard to leave.

I probably won't be able to update the blog again until I reach wherever I land in Mexico, but follow me on the Yellowbrick tracking page.

Sirocco going through the Miraflores locks. Thanks to my mom for managing to take this picture from the online webcam feed as we were transiting!

From Panama City we went 170 miles to Isla Cebaco, the first of the so called "West Perlas Islands." Though much less well known than the main archipelago just to the southeast of Panama City, these islands are incredibly secluded and very beautiful. Through our 9 days in these islands, we only saw one other sail on the horizon and had every anchorage to ourselves.

Instead of going to Isla Coiba, which I heard can be very expensive because of the park fees, Aimee, Jed and I dcided to take a dive trip there from Santa Catalina. Santa Catalina is a unique town made up of almost exclusively surfers, divers and really good Italian chefs. We did a two tank dive, seeing some really nice coral on the first and attempting to spot a whale shark on the second. That didn't happen, but it was fun.

Aimee having fun on one of the many beautiful white sand beaches in Coiba National Park. We had coconuts freshly cut from the tree. The water in those tastes different than the stuff you buy in the store, but it's still an acquired taste. 

Snapper for our last meal in Santa Catalina. Nearly identical to the one I had in St. John's, but half the price! There was also an amazing pizza restaurant that had an actual brick oven. You can take the Italian out of Italy, but they'll still cook the best food in the world.

After Santa Catalina we moved just a bit more up the coast to Bahia Muertos. Despite the foreboding name, it was the coolest spot yet. If it wasn't for the jellyfish in the water, it would have been perfect. Instead we decided to explore on shore. 

We found a river running up into the jungle and paddled up it. The little trip felt like something out of Indiana Jones, with birds and howler monkeys calling back and forth constantly. It started getting dark, so we had to travel back to the boat to have dinner.

Sunset at Bahia Muertos

Pancakes to get us ready for a big day of hiking!

Flower I found the next day on my hike

Aimee, Jed and I started on a hike up a trail that is maintained by a foundation set up by the billionaire that owns an island just south of Bahia Muertos. Aimee and Jed decided to hang back and I continued up the hill a bit more.

I'm glad I did because after talking to a local installing some new signs at a fork in the road, I asked him where the other fork went. He said it went to a pool at the bottom of the hill. Sure enough, I got down there and there was a nice little waterfall going into a pool that was about 5 feet deep filled with clear, cool water. I jumped in and had a really nice bath, just hanging out in the middle of the jungle paradise.

After hiking in the morning, we left around noon from Bahia Muertos with the intent of making it to Isla Cavada, about 15 miles away. But when we were less than a mile from the anchorage, I noticed a small fishing boat hailing us. I approached cautiously and saw it was a family of 5 with their cover off their outboard, the universal sign for I need help. After we tried to get the engine started without luck, I decided to tow them 10 miles to their home port up the Rio Santa Maria to Puerto Yurre. The tow went fine and the Panamanian Coast Guard even came out to finish up the tow up the river. We followed behind and after finishing up some paperwork the coast needed to complete the boats owner treated us to dinner. Same amazing snapper as we had in Santa Catalina! 

The next morning we explored the town of Quebrada de Piedra. Not much there so we decided to press on to Isla Secas, about 20 miles south west.

Isla Secas was what we had been trying to find the whole time. Beautifully clear, jellyfish free waters. Amazing snorkeling with all kinds of puffer fish, trigger fish, turtles, eels and rays. Coral that had more variety than even Coiba. And a very protected anchorage. The only downside is the anchorage is very steep to, so you have to anchor in deep water (40 feet) to avoid hitting the bottom if a northerly starts blowing at night, as we found out... But other than bouncing on the bottom for a bit this island was perfect. On shore there is a eco resort that is currently under renovation. It is truly a work of art and it would be nice to see it when complete.

Last view from the almost completed restaurant on Isla Secas. I'm confident the resort will respect the marine life around the area. As it's part of their primary draw to the island, it would be prudent to keep it in pristine shape. After this, we left for the overnight trip to Golfito where we are now.