Quepos, Costa Rica

In case any of you are wondering where Quepos is. Here is the location

It's a nice clear morning in beautiful,downtown Quepos today and I have had a change in attitude. Not much point in being angry and irritable due to the non-service from Volvo and it's time to enjoy the surroundings and go with the flow. After all, we could be butt deep in snow like the US northeast or freezing in Europe. Also, Medicare didn't cut my fees by 22% because there haven't been any, so no more whining.

Mi amigo Roberto from Volvo will get here when he does, hopefully on Wednesday.

There is plenty to do. Fiberglass and stainless steel always need polishing and even though I'm not too keen on that particular endeavor, now is a good opportunity to get it done. Rust and oxidation never sleep.

I'm also going to get all the books and programs on celestial navigation and the trusty sextant out and attempt to relearn this arcane process. I can feel the headache coming on already but it will be a worthy effort.

No other disasters to report except that the pump that supplies seawater to the refrigeration condensers decided to go tango/uniform yesterday and leak all over the engine room. I doubt that this was related to the lightening strike, just nearly three years of continuous service.

Fortunately, I noticed it wasn't working before the freezer defrosted and ruined the contents therein. I have two spare pumps, so switching it out was quite simple. My batteries are getting worse and worse and I have to run the genset quite frequently to keep them happy.

The sooner I get to replace them the better.

Ron will join us in Quepos on Tuesday and we hope to meet Van and Marsha in Golfito on Thursday. Roberto permitting.

.The new Marina Pez Vela (sailfish) promises to be a first class facility. Unfortunately, it's not open yet. Had it been, it would have made our time here much more comfortable

Town of Quepos from the boat. The domed structure is the Hotel Kamuk, the source of our internet signal

Quepos sunset from the afterdeck. Life could be much, much worse.

Quepos, Costa Rica

I just got off the sat phone with my newest, best friend, one Roberto Gutierrez from Volvo in San Jose who casually informed me that the parts we have been impatiently waiting for will be delayed until next Wedesday. I don't think there will be any chance of any service before then. So it looks like another few days in this very rolly anchorage as I have very little option at this point.
We have been getting supplies in and once we get to Golfito we can do the tranmission work and get going within a few days. One bit of good news is that the new batteries I ordered from the US have arrived in Golfito, so we have to go down there to get them, otherwise, I guess we could have left from here.
My friend Roberto also sent an invoice. The labor and service charges are quite fair but the price of Volvo parts for this job will make a grown man cry.
Ah the joys of cruising, it can only get better, I think.

Quepos, Costa Rica

Well, we are still here! No response from Volvo In San Jose and they say they are waiting for parts, coming from where? Even if it was Sweden, I would have thought they would have been here by now. We've had no new electrical problems, except that I am concerned about the reliability of the watermaker in the future. It is a vital piece of gear.
We have been doing some provisioning over the last few days in order to decrease the amount of stuff to do once we get to Golfito. I had expected to be there by now and I certainly hope we do get there by March 8/9 to pick up Ron and also Van and Marsha Hughes, our crew for the Pacific crossing.
We also have to switch out the battery bank and get some transmission work done prior to departure.
We have a neighbor in the bay in Quepos, a 47' Lagoon hybrid catamaran called Dignity,with an English couple , Steve and Helen Southwood aboard.
Steve, an ex-IT guy, has been very helpful trouble shooting problems with my GPS since the lightening strike. Also, the cruising sun downer ritual has been far more prolonged since their arrival. It's very good to have the company.
We have also had some interesting dinghy drills while going into town to do our chores. The tidal current int he estuary is quite fierce especially at the time of the full moon and my little 5hp outboard at full throttle barely gives us forward progress once we are loaded with supplies.
Much excitement!
We will see what the day brings

Quepos, Costa Rica

We have been here now for days and days. Watching and waiting for more systems to fail due to last week's lightening strike.
The watermaker went down yesterday and the tech in France talked me through how to bypass the electronic control circuitry and the device is now making fresh water again.
I also got my navigation instruments to work again by putting a separate GPS input directly into the chartplotter and that too is now looking good.
Final fix will be done when Ron brings down a new GPS unit from the US.
The main thing holding us up now is the Volvo main engine. It turns over but will not start. The fault codes on the computer suggest there is a problem with the electronic fuel injection and metering system and this I cannot fix.
There is only one Volvo dealer in Costa Rica, in San Jose, about 3 hours from here. They are very polite though not very speedy. They have ordered some parts and these will take at least 5 more days to arrive and then they will send a tech down to Quepos where we are anchored in the bay. The anchorage is a bit rolly and we have some rain but we are safe and have access to the town by dinghy.
We will make the best of it and get started on the provisioning for the Pacific from here. If you're given lemons why not make lemonade?
Current plan is to get to Golfito once I get the main engine repaired with one stop instead of two or three and it should happen by next weekend. Hopefully, our departure across the Pacific will not be delayed.
Callisto getting a tow from the Coast Guard. Joanne on the bow.

Next installment in a day or two.

Quepos, Costa Rica

We got to Quepos a few days ago after a pleasant 30 mile sail down from Heradura. The batteries were ordered from the US and should meet us in Golfito.
Quepos is a quiet little town close to its major attraction, the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is a separate tourist area. The marina at Quepos is not yet finished but when it is, will be spectacular and probably better than Los Suenos. We spend a few days provisioning as I'm not sure what will be available in Golfito when we get there.We went to the park and it was really excellent. Lots of critturs. The beach in the park was also perfect. Manuel Antonio Beach

an Arouti. looks like a cross between a rabbit and a rat

Bamboo

Howler monkey howling

White faced Capuchin monkey


Cruise ship Windstar in Quepos, Callisto next door

Joanne arrived on Sunday night and we went over to Manuel Antonio Bay yesterday to anchor up for the day and do some swimming and snorkeling.
A bit of a disaster happened late in the afternoon. We had a lightening strike very close to the boat and my engine won't start and some of my nav instruments are out. I can't find any visible damage so I think this was a near miss and the EM pulse is what caused the damage.
We got a tow back to Quepos from the Costa Rican Coast Guard and I spent the day trying to track down Volvo technicians and also an electronics dude. This will require many boat units but I'm stuck otherwise. Literally dead in the water.

Will post some photos soon and report on the progress of repairs

Bahia Herradura, Costa Rica

We are back in Bahia Herradura after spending the weekend with our old pals in Tambor. The yacht club there is still not finished and the place is as quiet and secluded as ever. We went to

Spencer and Mark (Not Marks and Spencer)from the Howler Cafe

the Howler Cafe again for dinner and a good time was had by all.
We also made a road trip on the chicken bus to Montezuma, which a small beach town again full of hippies of indeterminate age and decrepitude. We also noted another class of individual, locally known as Trustafarians, namely white kids with dreds and funny hats who also happen to have a trust fund.
The beach and surf were excellent and also some small, boutique type resort hotels looked

Montezuma beach

Montezuma Main Drag

pretty good.
We went back to Herradura to the Marine Store at Los Suenos as my house battery bank has completely failed. The batteries won't hold charge and maintain voltage for more than 12 hours and they will need to be replaced. It's very difficult to get anything but auto batteries here and they will have to come from Florida at a ridiculous price but I don't think I have a choice other than replacing them prior to crossing the Pacific.
Oh well. The joys of boat ownership.
Off to Quepos tomorrow to see the Manuel Antonio National Park

Bahia Ballena, Golfo Nicoya, Costa Rica

We spent just over a week at Los Suenos, Bahia Herradura and rather than proceed directly to Quepos we decided to go back to Bahia Ballena, 20NM across the Gulf of Nicoya and spend a few more days in unspoiled, peacefulness before re-entering civilization.

We had one unpleasant, very rolly night in Herradura when the swell came from the southwest and Ballena is much more protected.

We will probably do some more horse-back riding trips from here.

While in Herradura we made a road trip to Jaco, which is about 3 miles from Los Suenos. It's a fairly seedy surfing beach town, lots of Americans and Europeans of all ages and types, replete with all manner of piercings and tatoos. Place looked a little bit like South Florida rather than Costa Rica. The surf looked really good though.

Surf at Jaco Beach

Some more photos of Los Suenos

Los Suenos Marina

Marriott Hotel at Los Suenos

Rows of gigantic sportfishing machines

Bahia Herradura