Dorado! Or the story of lucky Jean

So as you stop at each location to recoup and use internet, you run into other cruisers along the way and find out their stories. One such cruiser had been on his way out of Golfito towing his dinghy behind his ketch (two masted sailboat) when he looked back some hours later to discover his dinghy was missing. Now the thing about dinghies is that they are a relatively necessary item for cruisers as otherwise you'd need to swim into shore or always use a marina and a dock (with an acceptable depth). Swimming into shore can be problematic when one has items that need to keep dry, such as computers and passports. So Jean (our hero in this tale) had to go back to Golfito because it was getting dark and he still hadn't found his dinghy. The next day, I was talking to another cruiser, Ron, and he suggested we check out this cute little fish place for lunch. We invited Jean but he was a bit depressed and worried about his dinghy, and didn't have his wallet, so initially he refused. But then Ron also backed out because he realized he also didn't have his wallet. So I offered to spot them both for lunch and after a bit of convincing Jean came with us. On our way to the lunch spot, some Ticos (as Costa Ricans apparently call themselves) asked if we wanted to buy some fresh fish as they were unloading a fishing boat that had recently returned. We said no we were going to lunch, and they suggested we have lunch there. Sure enough between the two buildings was a cute little restaurant with a fish cleaning station and several freezers in the back. I had red snapper and the boys had dorado. It was lovely entertainment watching young boys bringing in huge dorado (mahi mahi) from the fishing boat that had just arrived and then watching them get cleaned in the back. Also the parade of patrons visiting to buy the fish was fun too. At the end of our lunch, the boys were talking to the Ticos to ask them to keep an eye out for Jean's dinghy and then they asked "is that it there?".
And there is was, one dock over.
But today lucky Jean's generator is not working despite Alex's effort, so we may have to take away the "lucky" title.
We are leaving for Panama tonight or tomorrow morning, will be back in a couple of days!
Photos: Ron (L) and Lucky Jean (R) at our impromptu lunch spot, you can see the patrons sussing out the fish in the freezer in behind them, the young boys bringing in the dorado, Alex very happy with his beer that is half slush, and me getting on the Che train.

In Golfito, Costa Rica

We finally made it to the South of Costa Rica! No more papagayo adventures after that one biggie, and the leaks are fixed now, so it was a good shake down cruise. The whole anchor locker thing I mentioned earlier is Alex trying to bail out an anchor locker full of water while the bow keeps getting slammed under waves. Anyhoo, he's drilled some holes in it so it should drain now. We were experiencing 35-40 knot winds and leaned on a 45 degree angle. Rail and winch under the water. Our traveling companions lost their depth sounder and autopilot in the same weather, but their cabin stayed dry. We lost them after the first 12 hours crossing the bar in El Salvador and only just met up with them again here in Golfito.
On the fun side of things, I think I saw my first pod of whales. We think they're pilot whales, the one that got right beside the boat was 10 feet long, had a smushed in nose and flat forehead and was either black or dark gray. I'm posting a video of their fins, you can hear Alex and I deciding that they must be dolphins, but after they got closer we're pretty sure they are whales. We did see dolphins too, small 3 feet light gray guys that like to jump completely out of the water (so did the whales), what I didn't know is that if you cheer them on (the dolphins) they will hang out longer and do tricks. I just sat there with my jaw open when the one guy jumped up twice right beside the boat. Next time I'm cheering...
Photos: Alex hanging out on the back of Reflections, the coast of Costa Rica, Reflections at Playa del Coco, Alex at the bus stop when checking in to Costa Rica, and finally Alex's spotted mackerel that we let go because I was seasick.

Papagayoed

papagayo (′pä·pə′gī·yō): A violent, northeasterly fall wind on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Yes, it total kicked our asses. I was really sick and terrified, and Alex tells me it gets a lot worse. Ok, thanks for making me feel like a pansy after waves crashed over the boat and fell into the cabin while the opposite side of the boat had its railing buried nice and deep into the waves. But admittedly he has been through worse, I am hoping however to avoid it.
I will expand on this later, but Alex wants everyone to know that the anchor locker makes a nice bath....
We are in Playa El Coco, in Costa Rica, we will be heading out to Golfito shortly....

Moving on.....

Well it looks like we're gearing up to leave El Salvador. The boys are at the customs station getting that sorted, and then it's off to immigration. We are also looking for Rojilio to help us cross the bar. As I mentioned previously, the "bar" is a huge sandbar at the mouth of the river that needs to be crossed delicately otherwise it can be a mess with boats rolling over in the waves and all the disaster that would entail. So it's Rojilio's job to show us the best route, usually by ponga, but I think he now uses a jetski.
We're hoping to go straight to Costa Rica, Golfito specifically--which is in the south. But if I turn out to be a pansy and can't take it, or if something else arises, we may stop sooner. To Golfito will take about a week, but depending on winds could take longer...so don't fret! I will be in touch again as soon as possible!
Photo--Reflections at anchor in El Salvador

Herradura

So for those of you that don't know, Reflections #1 is currently anchored in a river off the ocean in El Salvador. This river is a neat little highway for those that are fortunate enough to have a dinghy with an outboard, and as I previously blogged we are now a part of this esteemed group. So we decided to take this highway to Herradura, a cute little town/city at the end (??) of the river. The first thing one has to decide while pulling up is which cute little boy will look after the dinghy while away on errands. It is important to decide this prior to docking to decrease the likelihood of a fight.
We were not that decisive.
Alex recognized a young boy that had looked after his dinghy previously and we tried to set him apart from the others by throwing the rope in his general direction, but this led to another young boy diving into the water and soaking himself as he leapt for our line. Splashing into the water he was thoroughly mocked by his "friends" that surrounded him. At first he was a good sport, but then he gave a full round house punch to his successful "buddy" in the right upper arm. I was taken aback by the force of the punch, but our mini security guard laughed it off, and there were several more very forceful--in my mind at least--upper right arm punches before we left. All in good fun I suppose since everyone was laughing, including the individual I had mistook as a parent. I think he was just an adult involved in the process. Anyhoo, no long-term damage done, and the unsuccessful children asked for money anyway.
Admittedly the young lad that watched our dinghy was very good--never leaving his post--and always with a smile and seemingly genuinely happy. But I was smart enough to ask his name so that in future we could avoid soakings and arm punches. Raul--we'll ask for you by name next time.
Photos--the first one is the fishermen coming in and bartering out a price for their fish, the second is Alex and Christa and Richard hanging with Che, and the last is our approach to Herradura from the river.

Our new car! Or, the story of Blue Balls

When Alex and I arrived at Bahia Del Sol after putting Reflections in the water, we were surprised to find that there was his dinghy--Blue Balls--with a motor on her waiting at the dock. Blue is a row boat that Alex had been using until he bought a new dinghy with a motor sometime last year. The motor was a '72 and blew up near the end of his trip so he had been expecting to use Blue Balls once he returned again since he couldn't use the new dinghy without a motor. Looking into the matter further turns out that Blue Balls had been sold.
Really??!!
The new owner was very nice, if slightly embarrassed, and offered to pay Alex instead of the "seller" that shall remain nameless. Alternatively, he also offered to taxi us or to take off the motor for Alex to have a row boat while things got sorted out. This was all needless since Alex got himself a 15 HP, 2 stroke Yamaha in town a couple of days later. Yesterday to be exact. He is very happy with his new toy--our new car--and brags about being able to plane with four people. He is also very proud of himself for getting a free ride back from San Salvador and two beer cozies thrown in with the purchase. Since she's such a fancy motor we've got our t-shirt on her to keep her cool as is custom in El Salvador....

Luggage Arrived!

Gotta love El Salvador, they can’t open Alex’s toolbox because there is a lock on it, so instead of cutting it off they ask that he opens it for them. So he tells them the combination over the phone, and they open it up and ship it to the hotel. Honestly, these people are rad, the customs agents are so patient, try having that done in the States! Anyway, all the luggage has safely arrived, now Alex can get to work.
There was work waiting for him when he arrived, he’d been emailed by this lovely couple from Edmonton who decided to travel the world by sailboat after practicing for a bit in Europe. Ok, so they had practiced three years ago, and after teaching English in Japan decided to buy a sailboat in Mexico and sail down to Costa Rica. After 42 days at sea--sunburned and seasick--black smoke was being emitted from the motor, so they wisely pulled into El Salvador. But a gentle pull-in wasn't in the cards. As most sailors know, visiting Bahia Del Sol means crossing a sandbar that can easily roll a boat over if not timed/guided properly. So most sailors wait for a guide to take them in. Which they did, but the ponga flipped during the process leaving them free floating in the middle of the waves with a very questionable motor until someone else could be sent to help. Luckily no one was hurt. Anyway, this story doesn't make crossing the bar seem like a fun process. I've done it before, back in February when Alex and I sailed from Costa Rica to El Salvador in two weeks (not recommended), and Alex has done it many more times than that, but it is still a nerve-wracking process. Anyway, Alex went to their boat and thoroughly checked it out and there was nothing wrong. This has happened before, where Alex will just look at an engine and it decides to fix itself. Magic.

In the water!

Well we got Reflections in the water without too much ado, which is nice. Kinda nerve wracking though with the sling balancing precariously on the edges of the cement slabs that lead into the water. I guess I should learn proper sailing terms for all this fancy equipment. I will also have to learn more about this blogging business and posting photos etc....
Most importantly I need to learn Spanish, anyone in Central America that doesn't speak Spanish is a fool, and I am that fool. I feel pretty helpless right now, Alex is picking it up again pretty quick, but it would be nice to not have to rely on him always. Smiling and nodding only gets you so far.
I also need to realize that we're not in Canada anymore, and as lovely as it was leaving raining Vancouver and snowy Toronto behind, there are some disadvantages to the South. Before leaving shelter into the sun I need to remember to slather myself with sunscreen, which takes far longer than it should--when you're as pale as I am I can leave no slab of flesh unturned. The water at the hotel is also brackish, so I also have to remember to use bottled water to brush my teeth, and realize that no matter how much I shower I will always feel unclean. But this is a small price to pay for being as warm as I am--I'll just slip in a little siesta during the hotter parts of the day.
But a simple exploration walk is not to be taken lightly, one must avoid the taller grass for fear of scorpions and ticks. And speaking of ticks, the cute dogs that come up for a snuggle are covered with them. So the petting process is not as nice as could be. But really, am I complaining? Heck no, just filling all in as to the switch in mind-set that needs to occur to avoid potential unpleasantness.
As to the missing baggage, apparently we need to head back to the airport since customs can't remove the lock from Alex's toolbox. Yep. So we'll keep you posted on that one.

Holy crap, I'm bloggin!
Is this thing on?!!