Funny how we think Costa Rica is a step above northern neighbors but here is where the crime threat is highest

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 18 Oct 2010 02:06
We woke to sun edging over the bay, and down on to us, on when the Sunday
Bach concert, (a tradition with Tracy and I), around the bay there day fish
men out with their family, and it was not even 8 am.
We pulled up anchor early as we moving around the point to explore Bahia
Culbria, we toured through a couple of the bays, before getting up the top
end and then came back to lovely sandy beach on the north side, dropping in
25 feet (using the handheld depth gauge as my main one is on the blink,
still work in progress). We had run into mid morning winds coming up the bay
of 30 knots, but this is wide bay 1 to 2 miles wide with little bays all
around it. Green hills rising up on the sides green grass and then darker
trees, the steep sides make an ideal view for the many houses that disappear
into the trees.
We went ashore and played with the boys, the beach is yellow sandy beach
with many day trippers out, but the thick jungle with it's tall trees and
vines comes down to sand making a dramatic setting with the clear water. for
a couple of hours this afternoon I towed Sean about the bay he was on his
boogey board and got to standing on the boogey board being pulled along by
the dinghy a first.
But we started the day to an email from Two Amigos a yacht from Bahia we
left a month a head of us, and is a 200 miles a head of us, they had been
boarded by 6 bandits armed night before last and all their electronics and
money taken. This is the worst one we have heard it, but all the cruising
guides and all the people we have run into rate Costa Rica as the crime
capital, with it easier to count a the boats that have not been effected.
Nearly all boats coming through Costa Rica now have things stolen at night
off the boats, Two Amigos have had 2 hits.one in Coco (near us now in Costa
Rica where they had their dinghy fuel container taken) and now 200 miles
further down the track. So our locks have increased on everything, and we
travelling with Sunsenation so John and I are making sure one of us is
always near the boats, and when dinghies are on the beach we close. Tomorrow
Tracy and Sharon are going for fresh supplies so John and I are taking the
boats to a closer beach and then we will play with boys and one will stay
with the dinghies. It is funny that from the outside everyone was saying be
careful of El Salvador etc, but reality is Costa Rica through it's tourism
has developed a criminal business. Our biggest tactic is staying away from
populated places and playing a low profile. We will see how it works.
As we go to sleep I sit here and see a partially star night, lights on the
other side of the bay, and howling monkeys calling to each other from the
jungle just to our port, there is a slight breeze no swell (last night was
bit rolly) and the evenings are cool, but as we discussed this evening we
think it is less humid, (but one 20 minute shower in 3 weeks signals we
close to the end of the rainy season if not at the end) and the water
temperature has dropped from 82 to 79 actually chilly by our standards. But
unlike many of the boats who left a couple of months before us, we loving
northern Costa Rica the forests and beaches and most of all the clear water,
we will be a week in this area exploring before moving on to central area.
Stay tuned.