After a few overnight stops, we anchored in Tamarindo, a small surf town in a wide bay. There were good waves here and we could paddle to them from the boat. The anchorage was rolly so we only stayed a few days. Next stop: Gulf of Nicoya. In this 20 mile-wide gulf, we visited Bahia Ballena, Punta Leona and Los Suenos marina. Punta Leona was the best part of Costa Rica. There is a resort there that welcomes cruisers and offers good anchorage, use of pools, guided nature tours, showers, access to transportation to anywhere, a store and, of course, beaches. One beach had three breaks, so we stayed in this area for two months. From here we also had access to Playa Escondida, which is a well known reef about 2 miles away. Sometimes Escondida was crowded, but not always and it was a great wave on a rising tide. We also surfed Playa Hermosa and Manuel Antonio which were close by. After leaving the Gulf of Nicoya, we sailed down to Gulfo Dulce, home of the famous Pavones and Matapalo. We got good waves here but there is no place to anchor nearby so we had to make it a short surf session on both places. We spent the next few weeks in Golfito and Puerto Jimenez, a small town across the gulf. Golfito has that "third world charm" but it was worth it. The Hotel Gaviotas provides calm anchorage, water, showers, dinghy dock, t.v. and restaurants to cruisers, free! Before leaving Golfito we spent several days at the Banana Bay Marina. Now our 6 month visa was ending so we headed down the coast to Panama.

Hotel Gaviotas offers good anchorage, water, showers, bar and restaurant	Zephyr likes Costa Rica