Newsletter January 2003

"It’s hard to get the blues in Costa Rica"

That’s right sports fans, the vagabond crew of the sailing yacht Pipe Dream is still in Costa Rica. Jutta and I are very sad about the thought of leaving this beautiful paradise. On February 19, our three month visa will expire and if we don’t vacate the country, we will be classified as illegal aliens. For those of you in Yuma, Arizona we will be “wet backs”. I guarantee you one thing, when we are forced to go, we will be kick’n and scream’n. Of all our travels in the last three seasons, we have loved Costa Rica the best; it’s kewl. The Costa Rican people are very friendly and helpful, and the rain forests breathtaking beauty is indescribable. The topography in Costa Rica is mountainous and, believe it or not, you need a sweater or coat at higher elevations. Yes, it’s hard to get the blues in Costa Rica!!

Jutta’s brother and wife had come to visit after Christmas, and they flew back to Germany on January the 16, “ah, alone again”. After sending them ashore at Puntarenas for their long trip home, we rented a mooring buoy at the Costa Rica Yacht Club to make some much needed repairs on Pipe Dream. It seems, our dreaded electrical demon has returned to Pipe Dream. After much investigation and lots of questions, we were referred to the finest electrical exorcist of all Costa Rica. When he arrived, I was expecting him to use the wing of a bat, the testicle of a unicorn, the eye of a frog, even some kind of native beads and chants, for his exorcism of my electrical demon. Much to my surprise, his recommendation was to throw lots of money at the boat, which I did, and the demon was found and exorcised. As I looked at my empty wallet, I licked my wounds, and we sailed out of Puntarenas, away from the Gulf of Nicoya, and south to new lands in Costa Rica.

Nancy Iwann, formally of Yuma, and Pierre joined us on the boat for a cruise down the coast to Bahia Drake. Nancy and Pierre own a Bed and Breakfast In Jaco, Costa Rica. Since they had just finished with major water problems at their B&B with grumbling guests planning a riot to overthrow the B&B management, they decided it was time to “get the hell out of Dodge”, and join the zany crew of Pipe Dream for a while. Some people just don’t have a sense of humor! Our first stop was in Quepos, where we left the boat anchored in the harbor, caught a bus to Parrita and attended the “Festival de los Mulas”. Jutta and I got to witness our first “Tope” which is my kind of horse event (i.e. I don’t have to get on a horse). This Tope was attended by about a hundred cowboys. At the start of the event, each cowboy ties his horse to a post or tree, then attends a barbecue of fresh chicharrones (deep fried pork skin} and fried yucca. This is washed down with lots of scotch and beer, then more scotch. When the riders are totally hammered (intoxicated) the ride begins. Usually a couple of hours late, this is referred to as Tico time. (Costa Ricans are known as Ticos). They then ride down main street in parade fashion and return to the fair grounds. Upon their return they continue to drink, race their horses and dance. In the late afternoon, they attend another barbecue of pork or beef, a dance, and more scotch. All the drinking begins about 10:00 in the morning. During the rest of the day we watched mule races, my first ever! I’m sure, there was lots of betting between the cowboys about who had the best ass. In Costa Rica, most towns have their own festival usually lasting an entire weekend. In the large cities, some of the Topes are attended by up to two thousand riders. These Costa Ricans know how to party.
At Parrita we bid farewell to Nancy and Pierre. They took a cab home to Jaco to check on their guests and were to return in a few days. After their return, we cut the anchor line, hoisted the sails, and motored all day to Bahia Drake, not a lick of wind as usual. The one highlight of the day was hooking a Sailfish on one of the fishing rods, but we lost him. We arrived in Bahia Drake and again after a few days exploring the area, Nancy and Pierre said their final goodbyes and left for Jaco and home. It was great renewing friendships with Nancy and Pierre.
Jutta and I spent a week in Bahia Drake, named after Sir Francis Drake. (for those of you still working for Merillat, Bahia Drake, translated in English, is Drake Bay) Sir Francis Drake made a stop here and supposedly left buried treasure. I haven’t found the treasure but I have located a wonderful cantina with ice cold beer. One out of two isn’t bad! If there ever was a place which is used to describe the word paradise, this is it. Bahia Drake is located on the Osa Peninsula, receiving about 200 inches of rain per year. This entire area is one big rain forest. There are mountain streams to explore with the Kayak, hiking paths to waterfalls, animal and bird life everywhere you look. On a daily basis you can see Macaws, monkeys, and an occasional Toucan. You couldn’t paint a picture this green if you tried. From what we understand, Panama is very much the same, time will tell! Golfito, Costa Rica is our next port and our final immigration stop to check out of the country.
A lot of you have wondered about Jutta and me and how our relationship is progressing. Well, I want to be the first one to tell you. I don’t want you to hear it from someone else, the word on the streets is,, Ferdy has taken the plunge. Yes, it’s true I took the plunge!!! While anchored in Bahia Drake, I enrolled myself in a PADI open water dive certification class. I am now a certified diver. “Remember divers do it deeper”
I love that saying!
Bye for now.

From the Decks of Pipe Dream
Ferdy and Jutta