5January 2006
Passage Notes: Central Costa RicaFrom the Captain's Log:
0900: 5January 2006
Depart Bahia Guacamaya
(N 10.32 and W 85.46)We had an excellent overnight sail down from Bahia Guacamaya,. We were the last of three boats to leave on the same day. I have to admit that I am getting more and more confidant with Encanto as we sailed further than either of the other boats and passed them both by midnight. We started off in light wind doing 2.5-3 knots and watched as RDreamz (Royce and Pam) sailed over the horizon. Turns out they had the engine running so Pam could make meat loaf! They continued on, about 2-4 miles offshore while we went out about 10 miles. By late morning we had 15-20 knots from behind, and we were running wing-on-wing doing 6.5-7.5 knots.
Gabe and Sam (us too) were particularly excited as for most of the day we never had fewer than 50 dolphins playing around the boat. The babies, about 3' long were particularly fun to watch as they were constantly jumping about. BTW, wing-on-wing is when we are sailing dead-down-wind, the jib is on one side of the boat, and the main is on the other. Judy loves the look of this sail arrangement. It makes the illusion that we are catching all the possible amount of wind; therefore sailing the fastest. Actually, a beam to broad reach (wind coming over the beam or just aft of the beam) is the fastest point of sail. In big seas, sailing dead down wind can become uncomfortable, as most boats tend to roll a lot. With Encanto having a flat bottom and wide stern, we tend to be quite stable down wind. The other bit that helps reduce roll is to use a whisker pole. This pole is attached to the mast and then to the jib sheet where it is tied to the jib. I also use a topping lift (the staysail halyard tied to the jib end of the pole) and fore and aft guys. The combination of these three lines keep the pole, and therefore the jib clew from moving. If the whisker pole isn't used, as the jib fills and collapses, the added motion causes the boat to roll even more. The pole also reduces wear on the jib. For the main, because it is let out as far as it can go, I use a boom vang. This line goes as close to the end as possible and then down to the toe rail. The vang keeps the boom from rising and falling as the main fills and empties. Again, all this reduces roll. I doubt that Judy and the girls realize all I'm doing, but then they aren't complaining about being uncomfortable, so all is well.
By late afternoon the wind started to shift from the north to the east so down came the whisker pole, the jib was gibed to starboard and by early evening we were on a hard beat doing 7-8 knots. With the shoreline going southeast we needed to sail close towards shore so we wouldn't be 50 miles off at the opening of the gulf. The really great part of this is that being relatively close to shore, the waves didn't build to more than three feet.
By midnight we passed between RDreamz and land, and Soy Libre, the other boat, was 10 miles to the west-north west. I was very happy the way Encanto was sailing. I think the new main has the most to do with how much better she is sailing. While all this was happening, several thunderheads were passing in front of us. At one point I turned around to give them (the thunderheads) more time to pass. It was a bit scary watching huge bolts of lightening hit the water 5-7 miles away. After they passed, we got going in the right direction again and just after midnight the wind stopped. There was a west setting current so on went the motor so we could make headway.
Fortunately, the wind came back three hours later so we were able so sail again for the remainder of the night. Just as we reached the entrance of the gulf, the wind died again, or just enough so we were staying in place with the current going the opposite direction. After three hours of that we motored the remaining fiftee miles to the anchorage.
06January 2006
1530 Arrive in Bahia Ballena
N 09.44 and W 034.59