Willow is now anchored in a fantastic spot called Bahia Ballena, located in the Golf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Once again I am amazed that we have a wireless signal out here in the anchorage when all you really see on the beach is a small fishing pier and some local homes amongst the palm trees and forested hillside. I have to admit that I really do like this technology and its consistent availability when we would least expect it.
Not much has happened since the last entry, but all that did happen was good. Jim was with us up until this morning, when he hopped into a cab to catch a small plane back to San Jose and then on to Seattle tomorrow. He was a great boat mate and would gladly have him back any time. Besides being an all around entertaining fellow, he has helped me with my computer skills, hopefully making this log a bit more entertaining. Thanks Jim.
I have received some feedback from a few people requesting bigger, better pictures, more shots of wildlife and local color. It has been noted, and I am aware of the issue. Others in the past have asked for more pictures of the boat and us. What to do… Well, I will do my best to make it as interesting as possible. One of the biggest obstacles for wildlife photography is our little camera. It has little to no zoom at all, making it difficult to capture the really cool creatures we see. Perhaps our next work cycle will involve buying a nice camera. It has also been suggested that I somehow set up a donations button on this site for just such a reason, but I need to consider more deeply the moral issues involved in asking for money. To be truthful, when I think about heading back to Seattle and hopping on a tugboat bound for the Bering Sea again, the donations ideas has great appeal. Oh well, enough on that.
Another note about my skill as a writer. I am aware that there is much to be worked on; grammar, spelling, sentence structure, that sort of thing. Well, no need to get to hung up on that I suppose, I will either improve or not, and hope you all can suffer it. Another suggestion or rather request is that Bonnie write some on here. I have no effect in that area, but she is working on a wildlife log that she has been keeping in writing during all of our trips. Perhaps she will get it set up and online; there is some really good stuff in there. Here, for example, is a creature we scooped up floating by Willow just this morning. We do not know what it is; it is in none of our books. Perhaps someone seeing the picture can ID it for us. It is only about the size of a thumbnail. At the moment the entire bay we are in is choked with a red tide algae. It is not an uncommon phenomenon, but makes going for a swim a bit less appealing. This critter was floating amidst the red tide and is the first time we have seem anything of its kind. So please, send an e-mail if you know what it is.
OK, that brings me to our latest crew, Jim LaGasse. Here he is blending in nicely with the local flora. It took him all of about 10 minutes to relax into our pace of life out here (which is rather slow). That is the most important trait for a guest on board boats of our limited size and speed. The most we moved in one shot while Jim was on board was 45 miles, and that took us about 11 hours due to no wind at first, and then winds on the nose later. A few other things to keep in mind should any of you consider visiting us or any other boat out there: Pack very, very lightly. I figure if it does not fit into a carry-on bag, it is too much. We are living in a place where a Hawaiian shirt is considered foul weather gear. A pair of walking shoes and a pair of flops (i.e. flip-flops, thongs, slaps, go-aheads) is all that is needed for the feet. In fact, I can honestly say that I have not put on a pair of shoes that has laces in nearly 4 months. All of the bottles of shampoo, lotions, soaps, herbal this-and-that, various hair care products, forget it. Have toothbrush, will travel.
Done here. The point was that Jim was the ideal crewmate, low maintenance and low impact.
We were visiting with the crew of sv Swagman last night for Jim’s birthday. Here is the man taking in the music and conversation from a very comfortable spot.
The following few shots are back a week or so in Bahia Garza. Jim was making new friends.
Here is the same beautiful little girl. Her family owned the beach restaurant we often ate in. The dogs also seemed to be part of the family. She was thrilled with the instant look at herself digital cameras offer.
The next two pictures are of Bahia Carrillo, simply put, awesome.
For everyone headed this direction on his or her boats. Note the breakers extending way out from the right hand (northern) side of the bay. The south side is clear. That is Tara and Willow outside of the sports fishing boats mooring field.
This afternoon I will try to get some good shots of our current anchorage in Bahia Ballena and surroundings. For now, Bonnie is napping the heat of the day away and I am considering going for my swim. The thick, red water really is a deterrent and I am not sure if I will follow through, it will clear up eventually.