Race 11 - Day 28
Skipper Report
27 May

Good Morning All,

I am assuming that everyone got a chance to chat to their respective crew while we were in Golfito Bay.

What I thought I would do was tell you a little about the bay and our brief stop. As we made our approach towards the port, the rain forest became more and more evident. Hills of thick green canopy with mist wafting up and down the valleys, just like some picture postcards we see of the Amazon. Dotted in amongst the trees are the most amazing looking dwellings just poking out along the beach fronts. Not that the beaches are of much use, due to the crocodile issue. Swimming would probably not be a recommended pastime. Or lying in the sun on the beach for that matter.

We then made our way into the port itself, where we were greeted by not just a friendly voice on the radio, but one that spoke excellent English. Always a relief when officials speak good English. There they were, waiting on the dock for us. We parked up on a vast, beautifully kept dock, with an astro turf island in the middle, what that’s for I'm not sure, but it did look quite special.

After making fast and checking the lie of the land, we headed off to a lovely little beach bar, with a nice little walled edge to the water to keep the crocs out. Ice cold beer and a great catch up with other Skippers and their respective crews. Lots of story's regaled, while the crews relived each and every drama, triumph and failure of the race. And of course used the available wifi network to call loved ones.

We then headed off to the hotel, a whole 50m walk, and tucked into a very nice dinner around a long table looking out at the sea, enjoying the cool evening air. Perhaps more beer and wine was consumed, we are not sure?

The morning brought the serious matter of getting fuel and heading off to Panama. It seems like in all beautiful spots, the locals are in no real hurry to get you sorted, which was all too true of Golfito. Friendly and helpful, but oh so slow with the admin. The boats were fuelled up and still we were waiting for passports to be stamped. How long does it take to stamp us in and then out again. Well I can tell you - hours, long frustrating hours... But eventually we were handed our passports back and could head off.

We did just that, eager to resume our trip, having just had a quite unexpected and enjoyable evening in what proved to be one of our most beautiful stops.

So once again we are heading SE towards our Panama Canal transit and the indulgence of a day or so relaxing.

Cheers

Wavy and a relaxed crew