Samara,
Costa Rica
24 – Febrero
- 2016
South of the
main Papagayo Winds, time to start to slow down again.
We left
Bahia Brasilito early for the fifty-one mile sail to Samara. The coast was a
mix of rocky headlands with beautiful sandy beaches interspersed. From a couple
of miles offshore, to avoid unmarked rocks and islets, we could see huge
crashing surf pounding up the beaches and sending mountainous plumes up the
rock faces, reminding us that this is a surfer’s paradise not a sailor’s.
From Cape
Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, a coastal voyage is defined by
the progression of Capes (Cabos) and Points (Puntas) one rounds. They are areas
of changeable weather more noted to sailors for the storms they generate than
their raw beauty which is often awe inspiring. This leg had Punto Guiones where
the Costa Rican coast turns east west as it runs down the Nicoya Peninsula. Fortunately,
the weather window held and we rounded the point with dolphins, flying fish and
a mother whale with her exuberant baby doing dolphin leaps. This also took us
to a line where the Papagayos are less frequent and less severe.
 |
| Samara, low tide at the village end of the beach, reef beyond |
There are
few anchorages on this area of the coast and those that exist are better known
for the rolling motion of the ocean swells than their tranquility. With the
recent long run of Papagayos from the north east we were hoping the Pacific
Ocean southern swell would be lessened and we chose the anchorage based on this
probability. Samara is a beautiful crescent shaped bay about two miles along
the beach. Our best anchorage location was to tuck into the southeastern end of
the bay behind a central reef and an island and reef on the eastern shore. The
gap between the island and mainland is open to the south so we were rocked to
sleep every night but generally not too heavy. The rest of the bay was open to
much more surging conditions. This location meant you have a mile and a half
walk to the village.
 |
| Kanilela a speck in the distance at south end of the bay |
Samar has a
lot of small beach hotels that cater to Ticas (Costa Ricans) and expats from
Europe and North America, an interesting mix. It is known as a safe beach where
the surf has no rip tides so Tica families have long visited Samara. There are
some exclusive resorts in the area and some expat gated communities. The bars
and restaurants are the gathering places for these people, some who have been
down here for twenty years. It was more relaxed than Cocos and we were not
worried about pending gale force winds so we slowed down. Beach walks to the
village, long lunches visiting with local expats and enjoying the view of waves
breaking on the reef. There are two good stores for provisioning, a Pali, and
Super Samar with the Super Samar having a much better liquor selection. Water
and fuel could be carried in jugs to your boat but we fortunately, did not need
any. The surf in and off the beach was generally manageable but it was another
beach where dinghy wheels were magic. More kudos to our friend Steve at DaNard
Marine in Oxnard, California. He has the best made wheels on the market and
will ship them to you, as he did for us to Vancouver. Dinghy wheels are an
absolute “don’t leave home without them” item.
Of our several beach landings and exits, only one exit was a bit wet,
fortunately the dinghy did not flip and the motor stayed dry! The skipper did
get another lesson in patience though, as the surf died down within the hour.
When will I learn?
 |
| Sunsets, they never get old |
Watching the
sun set into the Pacific is a great pastime but the allure of Bahia Ballena
(Whale Bay) and Golfo Nicoya beckoned.
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