Bahia Herradura

Bahia Herradura, Costa Rica

29 – Marzo - 2016

It looked like a convenient stop along the way

We left Bahia Ballena knowing it would be a long time before we would again drop our anchor in that lovely bay and visit with all those friendly people. A sad departure.

It was a short, 22 mile sail across to Bahia Herradura, another legendary anchorage from the stories of the early cruisers. It is a beautiful bay with lots of smaller boat on mooring balls. Several years ago Marina Sueños arrived, placing breakwaters in the best protected corner. The marina is full of 30 to 40 foot charter fishing boats who go out for sailfish and marlin. The boats are mainly owned by American skippers and their customers are also mainly American. We know this because every boat leaving and entering the marina must report by radio to the security and the accents of the reporting skippers tells the story. The short term mooring rate at the marina, if they have room for you, is $3.50 a foot but based on a 60 foot slip. Your math is correct, $210 per night. Dinghies from anchored boats are not welcome in the marina – for any price. The beach is lined with high end condos and we were warned that even the pilapas were ridiculously priced. Being out from the old protected corner of the bay, and beyond the mooring field of small boats, the anchorage was exposed to the southern swell and made for a rolly anchorage. The swell hits the beach making it a precarious dinghy landing, now that the protected corner is taken. We pulled the hook and headed to Quepos forty miles south the following morning.

For cruisers following the blog, Bahia Herradura does not have much to offer us and could be skipped.