Via Sailmail from CR

Sorry that the pictures did not get to you; we will send them from Costa Rica when we can. Pretty cool that they play sand volleyball here, eh? And the girls were good. After a yummy meal with Scott our last night, we rose early to prepare Worm (dinghy) and Sidewinder for departure and pulled the anchor. Mandy and Sidewinder were ready for new adventures.

We immediately raised the sails to greet the surprisingly strong 20+ knot winds around the eastern point: very gusty, a bit scary, and quite invigorating after a week of security. The intense, gusty winds carried both Sidewinder and Mandy toward our destination and the race was on! Without a staysail, we partially pulled out the headsail and reefed the main, and Sidewinder felt fairly balanced. There were quite a few tense moments during gusts up to 28+ knots, but she seems to like wind; David and I are both a bit on edge after having blown out the staysail.

As Mandy hit her first great gust and Richard was adjusting his headsail, I do believe his toes got a bit wet as her rail went under water for a second; pretty exciting, eh? (He may have a different story and I know he will write about it!) Our first destination was a small clover-shaped bay about 20 miles down the coast, and here we are, in Bahia Guacalito. Having won the first leg of the race (:)), although I do not know what our handicap is, Sidewinder spotted the bay and dropped anchor in the North leaf cove; we took a deep breath. The high, wind-swept reddish-auburn cliffs, lush green on green dotted with wild plumeria jungle, smooth tan flat rocks, a stunning white sand beach, and crystal clear emerald blue-green water embraced us. The afternoon breezes sometimes clocked 34+ knots, but most often there was incredible peace as the wind laid down.

Diving into the refreshingly cool (but warm) water was a delight and with mask, snorkel, and fins, I ventured to shore. The tiny sea crabs and brilliant bluish-purple, red, black with orange faces land crabs greeted me shyly, hiding at first, then peaking out to see; their faces look like smiley faces painted on black pumpkins. Sailing heightens one's awareness of color, and it was everywhere. Every hue of smooth rocks and shells littered the soft pearl sand. Doing yoga postures and meditating was magical. My swim out along the rock shelf brought more colors of fish and even some coral. I love Nicaragua. What an amazing, lush, seemingly untouched country this is, and I will someday return to explore her more thoroughly. We leave late this morning for Santa Elena Bay, our first stop in Costa Rica. This is the essence of cruising.
Love you, Suz

We are now in Bahia Santa Elena which is even more secluded and pristine than Guacalito, much bigger but just Mandy and us to soak it all in. Parrots and monkeys in the shore line trees and fish waiting to be caught and eaten. Very cool place! But the sailmail reception is lousy so we haven't been able to send this message. Will try again right now. See ya, David