Where to begin.......our last post from Playa Cocos, was after getting through numerous Papagayo's. Unfortunately, there are no pictures from those exciting times,.....we have often clocked winds of 40 mph during our passages to Costa Rica. We did get through it, and made it to Bahia Ballena in the Gulf of Nicoya.
I thought...... the next day our solar charge controller stopped working! Now the only way to charge batteries is to run the engine, or the gas generator. No chartplotter, or anchor light, no movies at night, just trying to keep the refrigerator going. I'm really getting tired of fixing things! So, next step, get a charge controller shipped from the states. A week later, and more shipping and duty than the part is worth, but again with Aldo's help we had it shipped to the local Century 21 office. I can't begin to explain how difficult it was to get a shipping address. All of the directions are... 50 meters west of the school, or 50 meters east of pizza hut headquarters in San Jose, and there are no zip codes! Fedex finally came through, and our batteries are charged up again. Aldo and Billie were so helpful, and fun to hang out with... they drove us around, introduced us to their local friends, and shared many good stories about living in Tambor.
We had adjusted our schedule to meet up with our skydiving friends,... we only saw them for a few minutes, but it was fun watching planes and canopies from the boat!
Not all of the landings were perfect.
Just after we arrived in Tambor, the boost pump for our watermaker went out. Fortunately, Rich at Cruise RO was able to get one out to Az. in time for a friend to bring it down.
When I opened the packaging, it was different than the original, and required more connections, and installing a new control panel! I got it installed and working the same day. We had been getting bottled water for a week, now we were back on track, until the next day.
Returning from shore, we noticed our friend Erlin on Venurted had anchored nearby, and decided to go say hello. 20 yards from his boat, the outboard died, and would not start,... sad and frustrated, we rowed back to the boat.
A few days earlier, we were at the bar at Tambor Tropical, and met a nice couple who offered to give me a ride to get gas for our generator. Luckily, he gave me his number, so I called in desperation, asking if he knew a mechanic? He called back 5 minutes later, and told me that the mechanic would come to the boat the next morning. When they arrived, Aldo and Billie were bearing Bloody Mary's, and Fabio the mechanic tore right into the motor. About an hour later, after a good cleaning of the carb, and a few adjustments, it was running great! The next morning, Fabio came by to check if the motor was alright, and offered some lobster for sale! What service! O.k., things are getting better!
I thought...... the next day our solar charge controller stopped working! Now the only way to charge batteries is to run the engine, or the gas generator. No chartplotter, or anchor light, no movies at night, just trying to keep the refrigerator going. I'm really getting tired of fixing things! So, next step, get a charge controller shipped from the states. A week later, and more shipping and duty than the part is worth, but again with Aldo's help we had it shipped to the local Century 21 office. I can't begin to explain how difficult it was to get a shipping address. All of the directions are... 50 meters west of the school, or 50 meters east of pizza hut headquarters in San Jose, and there are no zip codes! Fedex finally came through, and our batteries are charged up again. Aldo and Billie were so helpful, and fun to hang out with... they drove us around, introduced us to their local friends, and shared many good stories about living in Tambor.
Our plan was to keep going south to Panama, to meet my friends for our annual surf trip. After the last couple weeks of fixing things, we decided that is would be much easier for me to fly down from El Salvador.
While discussing our plans with Aldo and Billie, a canadian that works at the resort, had a friend with him who was trying to get to Cocos, we said sure! He came with us for the overnight trip, and I think he enjoyed the experience, even though we were bashing into 40 mph winds and 4' seas!
Of course, Aldo and Billie came out to the boat to see us off, and apparently, the night before, Aldo had a dream,.. it was making these banners!
Following our check out in Cocos, Karin checked the weather, and it looked good for the next 72 hours. We decided to do the rhum line to Bahia del Sol... we made it in 44 hours, with calm seas, and light winds; what a treat! Being back in a marina after 3 months is a nice change, especially, having A/C! We'll finish out March here, and then take off for Mexico. That trip will be another 48 hours or so to Chiapas.
This season has been great, but, has also taught us some good lessons.
