Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima - Exploring Papagayo Peninsula, what amzaing trees and Golf Coarse

Exploring Papagayo Peninsula, what amzaing trees and Golf Coarse

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima

Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex

Wed 20 Oct 2010 20:45

Over the radio this morning came the news that Wahalie and Sunsation were going to town by dinghy, we had no need, so they left at 8 am for a 1/2 hour trip in the dinghy and then 1/2 by taxi, we would look after the main boats. The mist was rising to a very clear day, the turquoise water surrounding the boat beckoned to swum in. We rowed the family ashore and pulled the dinghy up and locked it to a tree, as we wanted to go exploring inland around the Papagayo Peninsula. We set off walking passing through a well laid out, challenging golf coarse apparently it is rated 53 in the world (that is what they say) but you have great ocean views from 14 holes, and you are passing through dense jungle. Designed by Arnold Palmer it did look challenging and if you walk it you will get a good work out as it goes up and down, I would loose a number of balls in the dense jungle along the side (with my slice I usually pass to next fairway but there is no way I could get it through the jungle), and then the water.
We found the club house well laid out great views, and great coffee shop, and ice creams for the boys, all a positive start after a steep walk up the hill, through the greenery of so many different types of trees. Howling monkeys growl across the valley, and we continue to see different birds, causing us to buy a Costa Rica bird chart as our bird book is only north America.
We then caught a ride to the hotel at then end of the peninsula to see what it had to offer, (nice but expensive) but the ride along the ridge was worth it, looking at over the blue ocean on either side.
Returning our beautiful beach, dinghy still there positive, boats not touched positive, and we pulled out the snorkeling gear and went around the rocks just wonderful. Alex played under and through the mangrove trees, chasing little fish.
Sean is now driving the small 6 hp dinghy well, he did a 1 mile trip to the marina with me there and back he drove the whole way adjusting speed, and direction, this is a huge step in concentration, and confidence.
I suspect he will take over the dinghy in the next couple of years, or want his own.
Because we staying a week we have settled in a bit and put up shade cloths over the fore deck, and I started to work through a list of small maintenance jobs, like changing fuel filters (I am doing it approx every 50 hrs as a precaution, keeping the old one just in case as it not too bad now), I am finding the 20 micron water maker filters need changing every 8 hours they do not get clogged I do not wait that long, but find rotation regularly as soon as they go brown, means I can clean them and reuse a number of times. We all seam to have our own means of cleaning them, the best is dragging them behind the boat a good 10 miles at 6 knots does a good cleaning, (sure it is not in manual but very practical).
Boys have run out batteries and are having the afternoon nap before going to beach again, which means I have stop all work for noise, and reading is nice. Tonight we are all gathering on Sunsation for a barbeque, it is very social cruising usually at least one gathering a day somewhere.