Tramonto is roughly 50 nautical miles from Panamanian border securely rafted alongside the sailing vessel Synergy in Golfito Harbor. It's been over a month since I've compiled my log for posting on the Web, not due to lack of motivation, but primarily due to a flurry of boat work and lack of Internet access. Costa Rica is PARADISE. I know this is a bold and definitive statement, yet there is a reason that so many people have come here for vacation and have never left. Only the locals' kindness overshadows the breathtaking landscape and curious creatures. I will try to recount most of the details since my arrival here, however due to the discovery of some amazing Costa Rican Rum and several days spent surfing brain-smacking, adrenalin-laced waves my memory could be a bit hindered.

Surrounded by pilot whales, Tramonto and I made our first Costa Rican landfall. Bahia Cuajiniquil is the perfect spot to stop and rest before rounding Cabo Santa Elena. Santa Elena is one of those points where you can always expect interesting weather. Given the prevailing wind direction, the sail to the point is pure pleasure. With 20 knots of wind off the stern quarter, Tramonto was charging along at 6.5 knts. With one reef in the main and fully jenny up we rounded the point. For some reason I had decide to set a course that would take me through a group of islands just to the south of the point. If I were to do this trip again I would definitely not follow the same route. The islands act as a funnel, increasing the wind strength significantly. Once around the point in the islands I was treated to 40 to 45 knots right on the nose. After leaving the islands behind, the wind decreased to a steady 15 knots. Tramonto and I charged on for EL Coco, sometimes hitting 7.3 knots over ground.

El Coco is a small town in the southern part of the Golf of Papagayo. It is your first port of entry, so technically you're not supposed to stop anywhere in Costa Rica until you have completed the check in procedures. As long as you keep a low profile and don't fly your Q flag you should be fine stopping in the ports north of El Coco. The entire time in Costa Rica I have seen the Coast Guard once. El Coco is a great town. There are plenty of services, including the ability to get some boat parts, which has proven to be a rare thing south of mid-Mexico.

My alternator was still having issues, so I decided to head for Marina Flamingo, where after talking to the owner I was convinced I could get it fixed. Because there are quite a few boats traveling the coast, people gather and chat and rumors develop. I had heard of Marina Flamingo while in Mexico, particularly how three boats were lost there last year due to the negligence of the marina. Early on, I decided that I would listen to the stories and note, but make my own decisions. Up until this point, this strategy has worked in my favor. I would have never gone into Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador if I had relied solely on the fully inaccurate stories of a life-threatening entrance.

In the case of Marina Flamingo, unfortunately, all the stories were true. The marina facilities were old and run down, the staff surly and unconcerned about anything outside of their personal phone calls (which I always seemed to interrupt). Jim, the owner, outright lied to me on the phone the day prior to my arrival, promising me a shop on site with the ability to fix my alternator. Upon arrival, there was no shop and I had to bus to Liberia with the alternator, only to find out it was fine and the regulator was dead. Although it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, I would never stop at Marina Flamingo again, nor would I recommend it.

I was anxious to get moving again and set off for Tamarindo as soon as I finished wiring in the automotive regulator I bought in Liberia. My sailing guidebook doesn't recommend the anchorage at Tamarindo, but I was determined to stop here. Tamarindo is considered the center of Costa Rican surfing. It is used as a base by surfers from around the world to access spots like: Playa Negra, Potrero Grande (Ollie's Point), and Roca Bruja (Witches' Rock). The town itself is also very nice with great stores for provisioning. We ended up spending several days there the settled weather made for pleasant and safe anchorage.

Once in Tamarindo, I arranged with Witches' Rock Surf Camp to jump aboard a panga and head back north, spending the day surfing two of Costa Rica's most famous breaks that were featured in Endless Summer II: Ollie's Point and Witches' Rock.

My trip began at 4:30 am as I loaded up the dinghy with the two chosen boards for this adventure. Ollie's is a point break, possibly one of the best longboard waves on earth; for this wave I brought a modern 9' 6". Witches' is a steep fast beach break with plenty of opportunity for tube. I brought the shortest board I have aboard for Witches' -- a 7' 4" gun. When I showed up at the camp there were about 12 people milling around and talking about what the day ahead held.

Witches' Rock Surf camp is a great place; the trip included a bus ride to El Coco, breakfast, lunch, and two hours in the minute panga ride all for 50.00 US. Breakfast down, the panga loaded, we were off! Surfing is an internal and highly personal sport; while in the water, surfers rarely talk to eachother. In the panga today, everyone was talking: discussions about home breaks, different waves around the world, and of course the waves we were about to surf. Meeting and surfing with these people turned out to be a great part of the experience.

As the panga rounded the point entering Potrero Grande, I strapped on my leash, standing ready to jump as soon as the boat slowed. The driver went for the anchor, and I went overboard, paddling as fast as I could for the line up. I positioned myself at the far left of the line up, watched a couple of waves pass thinning out the line up. Seeing an outside set, I paddled hard for the outside, spun my 9'6", and threw two strokes. Feeling the familiar grab of the wave, I popped. Now I'm sure there have been other moments similar to this one throughout time. The big bang, a solar eclipse, Halley's comet … one of those moments when the conditions are perfect, the planets align, and something truly spectacular is created. During the 2 ½ hours at Ollie's I experienced approximately 20 more of these moments.

Heading toward the second break, Witches' Rock, I was tired but pumped and feeling confident. I brought a second smaller board for Witches, but after my successful morning session I decided not to switch from my 7'4" gun. The waves were much smaller than Ollie's, but they were steep. I had several great rides, but I also got tossed several times. On the ride home the talk decreased, and some slept. I stared off into the distance reliving the day.

Beth would be flying into San Jose in a few days so it was time to pull anchor and head south. Puntarenas seemed like the best place to leave Tramonto while going inland to explore. At a casual pace, we were three days away. The big surprise of the trip was finding an unknown break in Bahia Carillo, a little hip- to shoulder-high point break that provided hours of entertainment. The entrance to Puntarenas can be a bit tricky. It's a voyage up a shallow river filled with sandbars with only three feet of clearance at some points, requiring precise maneuvering. Using paper and electronic charts, we safely made our way to the Costa Rica Yacht club. After meeting Carlos the manager and seeing their outstanding security measures, I felt comfortable leaving Tramonto here for a few days. On shore, we met Eric from Na'ia, a fellow surfer who was here preparing for the Pacific crossing. Eric mentioned that he had surfed Boca Barranca the day before and it was perfect.

Boca Barranca, another of Costa Rica's famous waves, is about 3km south of Puntarenas. It's such a fickle break requiring just the right swell that I never intended to surf it. Deciding it was worth a look, I headed off the next morning at 4:30 with a few other guys. It was still dark when we got to the break, but a group of locals had already started to form. As soon as there was enough light we paddled down the river and into the lineup. What a great wave: head high, and so long my legs burned. Just another perfect Costa Rican day.

When Beth arrived, we met her inland at Rancho Mastatal, between Puriscal and Quepos. Getting to the ranch from the coast turned out to be a challenge. After three buses and a 7km hike down a deserted road through the jungle, we finally made it. Beth showed up the next day and we were off. I've spent the last 6 months aboard, so it was nice to get away for a bit. We spent the next nine days in a whirlwind tour of Costa Rica.

Puntarenas isn't a pretty town, but it had most of the supplies I needed to finish up a few repairs. After a week of boat work we were ready to get underway again. Waiting for high tide to exit, we finally left around 3 pm and headed for Isla San Lucas, approximately 6 nm away.

I really wanted to make some southerly progress so we shoved off early the next morning en route for Quepos. We had already traveled there by land but I was anxious to return. It was 14 hours of frustrating windless travel. Our first night in Quepos was quite rolly. During our land trip, we had seen a small bay just to the south that appeared to be a bit more protected. We raised anchor the next morning and headed for it. We anchored off Playa Biesanz, still a bit rolly but 10 times better than Quepos. The bay is small but capable of holding several boats. Althea pulled in our second day there. Mark and Laurie had spent the last four years cruising and were northbound headed for home. With our common bond of surfing, Mark and I hit it off immediately and started planning a surf adventure to Boca Damas.

Boca Damas is about 5 nm away. It would be a long dingy ride, but hopefully well worth it. As it turns out, the surf wasn't great but as I would later learn we were very lucky to make it home. About an hour after returning to the boats, I started having problems with the outboard motor that we purchased brand new in Mexico in November. It took several pulls to get her started, then once started she seemed to run rough. My first thought was that I had possibly mixed the oil a little rich, simply fouling the plug. If all horror stories have sequels, I was headed straight for a blockbuster opening of "The Beast 2". When I pulled the spark plug, it was coated in a milky brown liquid. The sight, or even a mere mention of this liquid, makes sailors take off their hats in an automatic sign of reverence usually reserved for the dead. The Beast of the Outboard is once again dead. The saga continues in our next log entry.