More from Northern Costa Rica

Windfall sailing away.....

 What a true adventure Costa Rica has become for us all. We've really  enjoyed traveling with SOMF (Sand On My Feet) as we set courses for beaches and bays marked on our charts.
As we're now in the "rainy season" of Costa Rica we get some pretty heavy downpours that may last a few minutes to about an hour. We've found leaks we never knew Windfall had till a mix of 25 knot winds driving heavy tropical rains onto the boat. But after several tubes of sealer, and yards of weather stripping, and a bit of frustration on my part (according to the Nancy) we've think we've got the leaks stopped (for now). 

A hike to a very cool waterfall

We took a bus trip to a very cool little village called Montezuma where we hiked to a very cool waterfall. Whew! It was hot, but the cold beer and great food at the local watering hole made for a wonder day. We enjoy the bus trips, talking with the locals, and seeing the countryside... Costa Rica has an abundance of natural beauty to be explored.

Lauren & Nancy hiking the trail to the waterfall

We had friends from "Sunnyside Up" stop by the anchorage and are spending a few days traveling along with us. One afternoon we decided it was time for a tour of the estuary around the bay and look for some monkeys. No monkeys were seen till we stopped at a couple of abandoned houses... there... and there.... in the huge Mango trees....Howler Monkeys! They have a distinctive sound to be sure as they leap from tree to tree in search of the ripe mangoes.
Before long, we were back at the dinghies cooling off and swimming in water...with the monkeys curiously looking from above. We all snorkeled, swam, and enjoyed the warm afternoon...that is till a "few" drops of rain began....followed by a torrential downpour as we stood in the water with no cares of getting any wetter than we already were.

When you are in the water, looking for any sign of the rain stopping and you only see MORE rain....you finally say..."Let's go for it!"
Racing across the two mile wide bay, unable to see with the rain pelting our faces, I reached down and put on my swim mask! I saw Lauren, racing beside us in their dinghy and look over, point at me, and before long Jerry had his mask on to see as well!
On our way back a fully loaded tourboat was stopped in the bay and in the heavy rain. They had ran out of gas! Captain Jerry and crew to the rescue! Jerry was quick to toss a line and give a very welcomed tow to the nearby dock. Well done, Captain Jerry! I doubt the driver got any tips this day...his passengers were all soaked to the bone!

Hey Jerry, didn't you ever learn to come out of the rain?

At times, when we are anchored in nice little places and don't want to leave, only the rumor of "Oh there's a better beach, bay, bar, or whatever that lies just around the next corner" is our only motivator to hoist anchor and leave.
 Currently, the three boats are anchored in a wonderful little bay, Punta Leona, with a white sandy beach, a luxury 5 Star all inclusive resort hidden in the trees, and beautiful Red Scarlett Macaw parrots flying from tree to tree. We dinghied to the beach where Lauren fell off the dinghy into the water - Note: this was NOT the Captain's doing!We went to the resort store for a few well deserved treats and snacks for the crew. Oh, and while we were in the store the afternoon torrential downpour began...just in time for our dinghy trip back to the boats!

I see blue sky...but not here!

 Boy! What fun! You know those "wash and wear" clothes you always hear about? Our's were defiantly "wash and wear" on the trip back. Now,  THAT'S FUN!
We've used our "Bad Boy" WiFi antenna and very pleased with getting internet from the boat, including Skype. Ok, so we've been uhh..."pirating" a few more movies to watch in the evenings.
Tonight we have invitations for dinner aboard "Sunnyside Up"...always a good time when friends get together for drinks and dinners. I must say we've had some great potluck type dinners aboard friends boats, you never know what will turn up.  
Tomorrow we're planning a course to Quepos where we will leave the boat on a mooring ball while we  will travel with Lauren & Jerry (by rental car) inland . Quepos is only 38 miles from our present anchorage, hopefully we will catch a nice Dorado to share.

Howler Monkeys watched from above while we swam

We did have a little problem with our windlass not wanting to raise the anchor. After cleaning out the V-birth completely to get to the windlass, it turned out to be a simple little fuse...Whew!
Well, time to get the dinghy loaded and motor to the neighbor's for dinner..

We plan to leave around 6am to Quepos,

Update.....Quepos was too expensive at the marina ($150 per night), the anchorage too deep and rolly to anchor comfortably, and no mooring balls, so we decided to set a overnight course for Drakes Bay (names after Sir Francis Drake- who stopped by for a while). We dropped anchors in Drakes Bay at 6am. This is a beautiful anchorage to say the least!
....Horseback riding, alligators, and lots of rum...sounds interesting! More on the next blog