July 1991.  ​We stayed five-and-a-half weeks at the Yacht Club in Punta Arenas.  Sue, our neighbor from Dana Point, CA, came for a few days and gave us something very different to do.  She stayed with us on the boat, and also at the Club when Bijou got a little tight.
 
While she was with us, we took two days and sailed to nearby Playa Naranjo.  A pretty beach only a few hours sail away.  It did take us five hours to get there and only three hours to get back.  We bought “use” passes, giving us access to the resort’s amenities—showers, pool, restaurant, laundry.  We had fun just hanging out. 
 
Also lots of fun animals.   

June 1991.  While we really considered Bahia Ballena our home port in Costa Rica, Puntarenas was the place to go for boat work, parts, shopping and the launch point for trips to San José, Costa Rica's capitol.  Since we needed to refresh the paint on Bijou's bottom, we decided that Puntarenas was the spot and the yard just down the street from the Costa Rica Yacht Club was the place to do the work.  We loved our stay here.  Convenient with lots of company.  Sue, our neighbor from Dana Point came for a visit and we stayed here for that.   This was a river, not a bay and the current was horrific and made getting settled a challenge.  We did OK, others, not so much.  Many gray hairs popped out as boats maneuvered.  

June 1991.  Getting a coat of bottom paint on Bijou was the goal, but we were able to other things too.  The yard was helpful and efficient.  All the recommendations that went through the "fleet" were right.  We got to the right place.  Carl is on the right in the blue shorts, overseeing the process.

We left Acapulco on April 18th for the 10-day passage to Costa Rica.  When we got close to the dreaded Gulf of Tehuantepec, we began looking closely at weather patterns.  If caught in the wrong pattern, it can cost you your boat.  The idea is to hug the shore at the 10-foot depth line in case the winds become off-shore.  Strong off-shore winds, typical here, can build up scary-sized waves and chop that aren’t good for small craft.  Care also has to be taken when close to shore.  If strong on-shore winds kick up,  being that close to the beach can also cause problems.  As we got close, we saw there was a good chance we were in a good pattern, so we continued.  With one foot on-shore, we rounded the Gulf.  We saw shrimpers working in the Gulf, which confirmed our decision.  They, more than anyone, would not be out there if the winds were due.   
 
Once around the Gulf, we had a good sail.  The last two days, off Nicaragua’s coast, we tried to avoid papagayos, strong winds that can howl for days.  To lessen their impact on us, we moved into shore, but then got caught in an on-shore current.  No matter what we did, it kept sweeping us toward shore.  It took us nearly a day to work ourselves free of the current and winds. 
 
After ten days at sea, we arrived at Bahia Elena on the northwest corner of Costa Rica.  We spent most of May moving from Bahia Elena to Bahia Ballena, our major stop in Costa Rica.  The longest stop along the way was in Playa del Coco.  Many cruisers stopped here to regroup and replenish supplies.  We stayed there over a week and then cast off for Ballena.  

Bahia Ballena didn’t disappoint.  Many boats in the anchorage and a bar/restaurant with support facilities and run by American ex-pats, Brian and Scruffy, made Ballena a real comfortable, easy place to stay, long-term.  The Gulf of Nicoya became our main body of water for months, with several other anchorages, towns, and marinas to visit.