Colorful Costa Rica: April/May 2019

April 17th - April 25, 2019: We spent the next few days after the transit exploring a little of the Pacific side of Panama. We explored the anchorage right off the canal and found it was ok. The marina there charges if you want to tie up your dinghy for a while. Going around the point to the other side, the swell and chop weren't as bad, due to the lack of canal traffic. Here, there were many more boats anchored. There is a small floating dock to tie up to at no charge. Garbage cans are nearby for disposing of trash and there are many shops nearby at a walkable distance. 

We decided we'd like to get out of the city for a bit and so treated our guests/crew to the neighboring islands called The Pearl Islands and they were indeed the Pearls of the Eastern Pacific. These islands boast lovely soft white sand and coconut tree-lined beaches, absolutely beautiful to visit. If you are a Survivor fan, then you are familiar with the location. We sailed right by those camps. 

We stopped at Isla Pedro Gonzalez and San Jose Island. There was lots of birdlife to watch, dolphins, and beautiful, quiet anchorage spots to enjoy. We waved to a small fishing village as we sailed by. The people were super friendly and I wished we had more time so we could get to immerse ourselves in this culture a bit longer. 

There is one spot to be careful of on Isla Pedro Gonzales, as old shipping containers are underwater when the tide is high but reveal themselves as the tide drops. Granted, they are very close to shore, but just be wary if you decide to stop there. Beautiful backdrop surrounding the spot though! We encountered several large logs in the water, which Jared and Mike drug away with the help of Hermes (our faithful dingy).

We treated ourselves to a stay at Flamenco marina for a couple of nights. Stef celebrated her 40th birthday and we all went ashore to a local restaurant to celebrate. After saying "see you later" to our crew (except for Mike, who was going to extend his stay to tour Costa Rica for a bit), Jared and Mike went back to Shelter Bay marina via taxi to help out as line handlers for our friends on Zephyrus. Stef and the kids caught up on boat schooling lessons and made friends with Ata Marie, who was heading on the same northward path. They had a daughter close to Cadence's age, so it was a great buddy boat to have.

A couple of days later, with all crew back on board, we pointed Roundabout north and sailed towards Costa Rica. We passed by a few more islands,  but having already cleared out of Panama, we didn't want to get in trouble for stopping (they give you 48 hours to clear out). As we were making way, there was a coast guard boat just behind one of the smaller islands, checking out the traffic. They did not hail us, but drifted along for a while.

April 24, 2019: We rounded Punta Mala at night and after hearing all the bad stories for this area, were very happy to experience smooth and fast sailing. We picked up a following current and hit over 10 knots SOG! Two days later found us anchored off of Banana Bay Marina in the Bay of Golfito, Costa Rica. The entrance to this bay is a stretch of water surrounded completely by an overgrown jungle. Howler monkeys sounded their greeting off in the distance. Colorful birds flit amongst the branches. We dropped anchor right in front of the marina, with the manager's approval, and it was time to head to shore to check-in.

We lowered Hermes into the water, grabbed our boat bag with our documents, and Mike with all his gear, and headed towards the marina for check-in and a celebratory meal. Michael, the marina manager, was very friendly and helpful. He gave us a map and told us about the places to check into the country ourselves. He will do this for you for a small fee, but we actually like the experience of completing this ourselves. We get to see a bit more of the country that way. 

We walked down to immigration to get stamped in and then to the Coast Guard office and finally to Customs. Mike was removed from our crew list and arranged for his travels on land. After walking back to the marina, we grabbed a tasty dinner and ice cold drinks. Later that evening, we said our goodbyes to Mike and just like that, it was our own family on Roundabout once again. After having several guests on board, it was strangely quiet. 

The next day we decided to go exploring a bit. We loaded up snacks and cold drinks into Hermes and with cameras fully charged, sunhats and sunscreen applied, we set off into the nooks and crannies of Golfito Bay. We saw so much wildlife! One of my favorites was a bright pink bird called a Roseat Spoonbill. The flash of pink against the deep green really stood out! 

The sounds that surrounded us reminded us of Shelter Bay, Panama. Monkeys, birds, and insects are constantly in the background, along with the sound of other cruisers having happy hour at the bar drifted out to us. 

The only thing we did not enjoy was the heat and humidity. While usually wanting to shower first to get the hottest water, we all wanted to go last to get the coldest. I remember telling Jared that the water just wasn't cold enough! Thankfully, a breeze would filter through the bay and frequent rain showers would cool things off just a bit. It was tolerable. We could not go swimming due to the crocs in the area. Michael told the story of how he was cleaning boats and looked over once to find a croc swimming in the current next to him! He slowly backed away, keeping close to the boat until he quickly climbed aboard. He has not cleaned boats in awhile, but as the money is too good to pass up, he is considering it once again. 

We had access to wifi for the cost of a drink or meal at the restaurant. They had great food and a lovely blended "lemonada con herba buena" drink that I still make to this day. It is ice, lime juice with a bit of sugar, and mint leaves. That drink was the treat I looked forward to each day we were there. It was cool and refreshing and helped to beat the heat. 

We met two California families in the bay, as well! Secret Waters came over to say hello one morning and we hit it off right away! They later introduced us to the Talisen Rose crew. We spent the next week hanging out and I even taught a STEM class with robotics and a science lab. It's always more fun with other kid boats around. The kids sailed in one of their sailing dingies and spent many fun hours playing with their newfound buddies.

May 1, 2019: The clock was ticking and its a resounding reminder that we had to get back to California before August pushed us to haul anchor, wave goodbye and set our course for Mexico. We celebrated Matthew's 13th  birthday while at sea. After 7 days and a little bit of a rough passage, we diverted to Huatulco, Mexico to check into the country instead of Acapulco. We sort of wish we had continued on as we had the worst check-in experience and the scare of our life in Huatulco. More of that crazy story in the next post! 

Sailing Venice, Italy

Glass flowers climb the wall of a glass factory in Murano, Italy.

What sailor doesn't dream of sailing their vessel to Venice? It surely is a magical place and there are so many places to explore!

Sunset at sea.

The passage from Pula, Croatia to Venice was about 11 hours from start to finish. We tied up at the marina on Certosa island and set off to check in. There are only two marinas in Venice that are able to take catamarans, and Certosa appealed to us as it is like a nature preserve with all the wildlife and tranquility.

Nature trail at Certosa marina.

We caught the vaporetto (water bus) to the Pl. Roma stop and walked across the bridge to the red building on the right, the State Polizia station. We filled out a one page form, handed over our passports, and five minutes later were on our way. They did not give a Constituto di Arrivo, as we had read about. I guess it is different in each port, but it made for a quick to check out later on.

Checking in with the authorities for passport stamps and boat permit.

We spent the next two weeks exploring Venice and the surrounding islands. Quite a wondrous place, with so much history and architecture. Definitely take advantage of the family museum pass, where you can visit many of the museums for one low price. The easiest and cheapest way to get around is by purchasing the city unlimited ride pass for 7 days. It paid for itself by the 2nd day, as we were constantly going to different stops around the islands to explore different things. Taking a regular water taxi would have cost 80 euro one way for our family, and the vaporetto was only a few dollars, if you worked out the math.

Lido is a long island, nicknamed the Golden Island, due to the sandy beaches. It has a lot of shops and a large Conad grocery store near the vaporetto station. One main chandlery is about a 45 minute walk, so take your dinghy through their main canal if you want to visit that shop.

Murano is nicknamed the Glass Island, due to all the glass being made there. According to legend, all of the glass makers were forced to move there due to risk of fires in Venice. It is home to many glass factories and you can tour them and see for yourself how the glass is made. They do close down in August, but we were fortunate to catch one of the factories offering tours. There are quite a few art installations of beautiful glass-work all over the island. Popping out from hedges was some green glass flowers, a large blue glass globe was in the town square, and many small details appear along the way as you walk along. The artists have done a brilliant job integrating their glass art with nature.

Burano is the Lace Island, and you can find all sorts of beautiful handmade lace items. It is about a 45 minute ride away from main Venice though, so plan accordingly.

Venice is made up of many islands close together. It sort of resembles a fish, if you use your imagination a bit.

We visited Doge's Palace in San Marco's square, next to the Basilica. This place is huge and you need at least a full day to explore everything.

Long ago, it was a castle with towers and moats. After several fires (700 years ago) it was rebuilt into a magnificent palace, like lace out of stone. Every inch is decorated with either delicate stonework or painted scenes and statutes.

The government was housed here as well and there are many chambers leading through to others. It houses the famous Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners had their last glimpse at the outside world before facing their judgements.

Bridge of Sighs outer view and from the inside.

The time went by so quickly, as we thoroughly enjoyed getting lost around Venice and seeing new sights each day. The kids took an art class with pottery, we got to know a few of the locals, and overall just had a fantastic time. We even met up with a few other sailing families! Such fun!

After eating way too much delicious food and gelato, we found ourselves sailing back into Croatia for navigating south through the islands. We took a week to do this, as we needed to make tracks south to Greece for a quick visit with friends, before heading west to Italy and beyond.

Next up: we sail back through Croatia and encounter the Croatian coast guard while trying to exit their waters.