Golfito

Hi there everyone! These pictures take you from our late afternoon sail from Drake's Bay out to Isla Cano at sunset, and our arrival the next morning in the Golfe Dulce, Golfito, including the little Land Sea Services Yacht Clubhouse and dock, and Mandy and Sidewinder out in the Golfito Bay. (There are only two double bays like this in the world.) It is a cloudy day so far, and we are doing chores. I am going on a hike later this afternoon with some beautiful French women who are cruising on the yellow yacht in the last picture.

We're here in Golfito getting stuff done and meeting some great people. This Land Sea Yacht Club is a welcoming little clubhouse established by a couple from California. Tim grew up in Newport Beach and is a diver, and Katy is the one who really makes it all happen. They have a house across the main street going into town, and they are now building a place next door to their house for some rental income. The yacht club has a kitchen, which is theirs mostly, but we are free to come and go as we like, using the bathroom and kitchen. There is a cute deck downstairs, and upstairs is a huge space where we girls did yoga postures two mornings ago. There is a huge shower upstairs, and the deck is where I am with my computer. There are always beers, soft drinks, and water in a big refrigerator, and we record what we take on a whiteboard next to it. Sidewinder is on a mooring, safe and sound, which only costs $8.00 a day.

Last night we had a delicious potluck and barbecue, which reminded me of the cookouts at home. There are a couple of cruisers in the marina next door, Eric and Cheryl from the boat Sarana, who wrote the cruising guides we have been religiously following from Mexico down through Central America. Eric surfs, so it has been fun following his pointers on special surf spots, although we have yet to find the right surf so far. Lynnie and Brad know just how hard it is to look for surf while sailing the coast. What you have to do, if you are serious, is stop somewhere and paddle in if the waves allow it. That way you can really see the break, which looks very different from the backside.

Our most recent plans are to take Sidewinder and sail across the bay with Mandy to check out some very special botanical gardens near Rincon. Richard and Virginia are checking out of Costa Rica tomorrow and will take off after Sunday for Panama; they have just realized that they have a very limited time to go through the Canal and get to Cartagena and eventually find a safe place to leave Mandy before the marriage of their daughter, Daisy, occurs in New Orleans. We will come back to Land Sea, leave Sidewinder in safe hands, and travel by bus to Balboa, meet them at the harbor, and go with them through the canal. That will be a wonderful way to finally say, "Adios" to our special friends until the next time. We will miss them so much. We have a 90 day visa which started in July, so we will begin our journey through Panama by the end of September. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by! We may make our way to Ecuador after that, and then we will be home for a couple of months. YOW! I think it is time to find some reasonable tickets home. We do look forward to seeing all of our loved ones sometime in November or December. Love to all. Gotta go: the fruit and veggie truck just pulled up! Love you. Suz