Bahia Drake to Golfito

The sail around the Corcovado peninsula was a day sail in beautiful weather. The only excitement was a line of floats as we were sailing up the Golfo Dulce as we approached the channel into Golfito. We stayed clear of the line of floats but they went on and on for miles. We got to the channel and they just continued across the channel. What to do? We approached closer and discovered the floats in question were actually coconuts. There was an eddy line running the length of the bay caused by the big tidal range here. So we ventured through our imaginary fishing net and entered the channel.

The first boat we saw as we entered the harbor was Jeff Bezos’s three-masted schooner.

We got a slip in Banana Bay Marina. We really enjoyed our time here. The restaurant was great. The staff was really helpful and full of info about local area. There was also a half dozen cruising boats in slips or at anchor here which made for a little community of cruisers to share our adventures with. Octopus from Poland whom we met in Chiapas Mexico. Fern from Seattle. Houdini from Florida. All boats with kids so Syd enjoyed the community too.

This was the main drag when i was here 20 years ago. The plantation era buildings helped take you back to a time when this was a company town. Now most stores have moved down to the highway.

One project I had was to figure out why the output of the alternator was so low. We found this alternator repair guy in Rio Claro a half hour bus ride from Golfito. Great experience.

One of the old locomotives left behind by Chiquita Banana when they were done exploiting the area. The locals got rid of the bananas and planted oil palm trees; seem to be doing well. Saw dozens of oil tankers everyday heading to a ship in port to upload.

Every afternoon just about dusk a tropical downpour would arrive which made for some great sunsets for happy hour at the bar.

One of the afternoon tropical downpours.

Syd playing at the water park at Marina Golfito the new upscale marina resort. Not sure what Syd thinks is so funny.

Riding the bike down the waterfront.

The big shopping area was an hour bus ride to Walmart type stores with well stocked groceries in Paso Canoas on the Panamanian border. Panama is much easier and cheaper to have things imported than Costa Rica. You can have Amazon deliver to a business in Florida. Those folks airfreight it to their outlet just 20 feet across the border in Paso. You just walk across the street to the Panama side of the street get your package at the shipping co and walk back to Costa Rica.