After a month a Marina Papagayo it was time to say adios. When we returned from our road trip I did the laundry and we visited the Andaz a final time laying by the pool and having lunch. We had dinner with our friends on Que Vendra and got caught up before heading out. Finally on the May 3rd we got a rental car and drove to Playa de Coco to check out with the port captain with Kurtis and Sam on Summer Breeze. That evening our friends Doug and Patty on Brigadoon organised a nice bon voyage pizza party in the boaters lounge for one last hurrah before everyone said goodbye and went their separate ways. It was really nice and felt like closure after a fantastic first month in Costa Rica.
Dinner with Que Vendra
Sam & Kurtis in Playa de Coco
Pizza Party in Boaters Lounge Marina Papagayo
Our first passage out of Papagayo would be a 17 hour run to Isla Tortuga. So at 2pm on May 4th we threw lines and made our way out. It felt good to be moving on after so much stagnation. We weren't too quick to celebrate because shortly into our run we spotted several long lines and at some point in the over night I had to dodge a small panga with one white light on that I barely saw until the last minute. Rain found us and so did several boobies who wanted a free ride for a bit. Finally at 0900 we arrived at Isla Tortuga and I was exhausted and ready for a long nap.
Leaving Papagayo
En Route
Heading Into the Overnight
Stowaway
Approaching Isla Tortuga
Isla Tortuga
View Outward From Tortuga
Sunset at Tortuga
After a full day of resting, napping, swimming and trying to stay cool we decided it would be best to move along. While Tortuga was nice it was a bit rolly and we knew of another anchorage in the Golf of Nicoya that would be much more calm. So leisurely at 11:00a.m we pulled anchor and made the short 9 mile run to Isla Jesusita (little jesus). As we got further and further into the golf the waves dissipated and the wind calmed and as we entered Jesusita we were the only boat there which was wonderful. We picked what we thought would be the best location, dropped the hook and immediately plunged into the water to cool off. We spent the entire afternoon doing this util 6pm which means generator and a.c. time. The very best time.
Fishing Boat We Passed
Cruising Up the Golf of Nicoya
Another Stowaway
Isla Jesusita
The next morning at Jesusita was spent moving slowly, enjoying coffee and pjs and eventually doing some laundry and chores before moving outside to swim and read. Later that day our friends on Summer Breeze and Brigadoon 3 showed up and anchored nearby. After spending so much time together in Papagayo it was nice to see them again. It felt kinda weird and lonely without them.
Brigadoon 3 and Summer Breeze Arriving Isla Jesusita
Summer Breeze Anchored in Jesusita
Brigadoon 3 Anchored in Jesusita
Locals
Sunset at Jesusita
Sam & Kurtis (Summer Breeze) Dinging Over
Day three in Jesusita we decided to get out and explore a bit. We dropped the dink and took a long ride out to another island called Los Muertos. It is remote and used to have a resort on it that no longer exists so it had kind of an eerie feeling about it. We also visited the glamping resort that was on Jesusita. Only guests or people with a reservation are supposed to be there but they made an exception for us and we were given a very brief tour of their gorgeous facilities, "tents" and restaurant which we would be returning to that evening to celebrate Kurtis's (from Summer Breeze) birthday. We were amazed at how nice these tents were and even I could see myself camping under these kinda conditions. After some rest and freshening up the glamping resort sent over their water taxi to pick us, Summer Breeze and Brigadoon up for our dinner reservation. So nice not to have to drink and drive. The restaurant like the rest of the property was top notch and I was glad our friend Kurtis had a nice place to have his birthday dinner. We drank and ate and laughed and had a great time. After, the water taxi drove us all home. What a place.
Passing Glamping Resort
Our Group Anchored in Jesusita
"Tent" at Glamping Resort
Birds on a Log Like the PNW
Water Taxi to Dinner
Glamping Resort at Night
Kurtis's Birthday Dinner
The Birthday Boy
Isla San Lucas used to be home to a prison colony and for a fee you can go on shore and take a tour of the old buildings and jail cells and learn the history of the place. So that's what we did. We were put with a tour group of about 20 Spanish speaking tourist and fortunately our guide was bilingual. Our Spanish is getting good but reinforcement was nice. The day was hot as usual but the tour was so interesting we didn't let it bother us. After the tour we took a nice nature walk back to the dock. The second we returned it was into the the water we went. Later that afternoon we got our first rainstorm with lightning. Rain we are used to but being on a boat during lightning is taking some getting used to. With alerts flashing on my phone letting me know the proximity of the closest strike which was right on San Lucas Island my anxiety was rising. I kept my phone close as we went to bed and checked several times throughout the night. At some point the storm passed and we survived.
Cruising to Isla San Lucas
Dock at Isla San Lucas
Staring Tour
With Tour Group
Prison Grounds
Walking up to Cells
Jail Cells
Inside Jail Cell
Prisoner Art on Walls of Cell
Courtyard Outside Cells
Nature Walk After Tour
Anchorage Isla San Lucas
Tidings of Joy at Anchor
Dingy Dock
Storm is Coming
Still having San Lucas to ourselves and loving it we decided to stay one final day before leaving the Golf of Nicoya. Like every other day we spent it swimming and paddle boarding and reading. Later that afternoon we had our end of the season zoom call with the Panama Posse. Since we were unable to attend the end of the season party in Panama we were looking forward to seeing people via the call. We poured a drink and signed in and enjoyed seeing some of our friends and hearing everyones tales of their adventures this season. It felt like nice closure and a good opportunity to thank our leader Captain Dietmar for all of his effort in making our group so beneficial and such a wonderful community. I would have to say one of the highlights was hearing from our friend Kurtis who gave a very emotional traditional Scottish toast that fit the moment perfectly, "To a long life and a merry one. To a quick death and a painless one. To a good wife, and an honest one. To a strong drink and another one. Slainte Mhath"
End of Season Panama Posse Zoom Call
Last Night in Isla San Lucas
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