It's so Nice to Have Nature about us in the Open
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Sat 27 Nov 2010 21:14
Over head I heard the cry of Macaws and sure enough 5 scarlet macaws with all their color came in close over head, the boys jump with joy pointing, so nice to see these birds free as normally it is in some captive role. I think this is what we love about Costa Rica, and both Tracy and I commented that we are surprised at how much we have enjoyed the coast of Costa Rica. We had expected it to be not as captivating based on reports back from boats ahead of us, but I think we have had much better weather, and it is amazing how far some sun shine goes to change an outlook on a place. We had expected to spend 2 to 3 weeks here in Costa Rica but we will be spending 2 months by the time we leave.
We caught a taxi back to Jimenez at 18 km ride that takes 1 hour due to very bad condition of the road, up and down ditches holes and rivers, but we got back to catch a 4.20 ferry which we arrived at the end of pier to find it loading, and by the time we got on 10 minutes latter it was full Sean and I were sitting on fuel tanks next to the two out boards with 30 people on, (these are really oversized pangas with too many people on them). So it took off at 3.55 pm as it was full, so we were lucky the boat went up to speed 23 knots and the two big 300 hp outboards put up a nice roaster tail behind the boat, Sean and I were so close we felt like we would be engulfed. The afternoon shower came down as we crossed and the wind came up, but we were back in Golfito in 1/2 hour, and standing in the rain trying to get a taxi.
On return Gijima was in good condition, and a friend John which we had met in Nicaragua had arrived while we were away, he came down last year, and is heading south again single handling. But he has got into a 3 month cruising rhythm returning to US in the other times.
The more and more we look at cruising and see how people have settled in for long term cruising, it becomes clear very few do constant cruising they seam to get into the 3 to 6 months run and then stop and go back or travel for the other period. Certainly we understand this now, and is what we have done, 3 months through Mexico, 3 months south America travelling, 3 months El Salvador/ northern central America, and now 3 months southern Central America, Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicguraua. I suppose it is how you dream it and think you will be on the boat all the time, but as Tracy said at lunch, we are in the last 2 weeks of this first chapter of our new life style, and we organizing our next chapter in Australia based upon this experience, but it will still be a significant lifestyle change from California. We love getting back to boat and knowing you can sail out and be free jumping off the back , canoing and been a family unit, while we enjoy those inland trips and in our new life we have some bases we live in, and have great cruising around them, plus the whole of Australia to explore by land, not to mention Asia.
As I sit here the temperature here got to 36 c today, high 80s and we just got a quick initial shower which has dropped it back 5 degrees, but we need more rain to fill up my tanks which are empty, and I would like avoid using the water maker in this bay.
Tracy is a shore looking at what her plans are as she may go back to USA earlier and not wait for the boat to ship as I have to be here on standby for 5 days before we ship, so she and boys may as well go back leave me free to clean and pack up.
I am quizzing some of the locals on best places to go in Gulf of Dulce as we may leave tomorrow get to a remote anchorage and explore some small rivers and apparently the water can be very clear.
Big decisions, but it is relaxed and free.