ADVENTURE
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Web exclusive: the voyage of the Broken Compass
By Bret and Chad van RodenPublished: April 01, 2010
March 2010 blog from the Broken Compass
Just prior to sailing south to Panama, we applied our finance degrees and evaluated the price of diesel in Costa Rica at just over $5 per gallon. So we decided we could save $145 by filling up in Panama at $2.76. We only picked about 20 gallons, which forced us to sail the entire way. The shifts at the helm were easy, with four people – a nice change from the two-man crew that sailed down to Costa Rica. With minimal wind, downtime was spent improving neglected areas of the boat, reading, and relaxing.
Bahia Drake, in southern Costa Rica boasts good surfing and diving, as well as lots of monkeys. Excited about the new surfboards purchased from a shaper up north, we tested Firefox’s 30-horsepower engine as she pulled each of us up with ease. Makai even took a turn and she stood up first try (with a little help).
Day 2 in Bahia Drake we procured food. We dove off a nearby reef and took five decent parrotfish and about a dozen oysters. Tyler concocted a sautéed oyster and pasta dish, which has become a staple in our diet. We shared the extra fish with a couple we met the previous evening and concluded the evening with drinks and foosball at a bar overlooking the bay.
Makai found her own entertainment as she sighted her first monkey. She climbed half way up a tree to get a closer look. The monkeys didn’t take to kindly to this invader and threw branches at the playful puppy as she clung nearly 6 feet off the ground.
Eventually it was time to leave Costa Rica and head farther south. The 130-mile sail from Bahia Drake to Panama provided light wind in the afternoons and calm seas at night. After hours of carving and painting, Tyler’s creativity paid off and his plug named “Mexican-American” lured a whopping 47 inch Dorado into the boat. The Mexican-American also hooked a Wahoo for breakfast under a full moon.
We completed the last sail repairs underway. We flew the mended Gennaker off the port bow until the first of dozens of islands off the coast of Panama came into view, Isla Gamez (below), where we anchored.
Out of fish and in need of food, we grabbed the spears in search of lunch. After two areas with shallow water and small fish, we anchored Firefox next to an exposed rock and three large coral heads. Chad dove the coral heads with a sling and quickly resurfaced to grab the high powered Riffe speargun. I swam over about 15 minute at the end of a battle to see Chad wrestling a mammoth sized fish and Tyler repeatedly stabbing it in the head with his dive knife. Chad’s Pargo (Red Snapper) kill.
Scanning the area, we motored to the only place that looked inhabited to find a fisherman with his family of 18. The father skillfully worked our speared fish as his wife, Rosa, prepared a meal for us. Their hospitality far exceeded any expectations. The grandfather took us on a nature walk, the children shared local fruit and played dominoes, and the father talked of fishing and diving. We ate the cooked Pargo for lunch before departing, leaving the rest of our fish to feed their family.
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March 2010 blog from the Broken Compass Just prior to sailing south to Panama, we applied our finance degrees and evaluated the price of diesel in Costa Rica at just over $5 per gallon. So we decided we could save $145 by filling up in Panama at $2.76. We only picked about 20 gallons, which forced us to sail the entire way. The shifts at the helm were easy, with four people – a nice change from the two-man crew that sailed down to Costa Rica. With minimal wind, downtime was spent improving neglected areas of the boat, reading, and relaxing. Bahia Drake, in southern Costa Rica boasts good surfing and diving, as well as lots of monkeys. Excited about the new surfboards purchased from a shaper up north, we tested Firefox’s 30-horsepower engine as she pulled each of us up with ease. Makai even took a turn and she stood up first try (with a little help). Day 2 in Bahia Drake we procured food. We dove off a nearby reef and took five decent parrotfish and about a dozen oysters. Tyler concocted a sautéed oyster and pasta dish, which has become a staple in our diet. We shared the extra fish with a couple we met the previous evening and concluded the evening with drinks and foosball at a bar overlooking the bay. Makai found her own entertainment as she sighted her first monkey. She climbed half way up a tree to get a closer look. The monkeys didn’t take to kindly to this invader and threw branches at the playful puppy as she clung nearly 6 feet off the ground. Eventually it was time to leave Costa Rica and head farther south. The 130-mile sail from Bahia Drake to Panama provided light wind in the afternoons and calm seas at night. After hours of carving and painting, Tyler’s creativity paid off and his plug named “Mexican-American” lured a whopping 47 inch Dorado into the boat. The Mexican-American also hooked a Wahoo for breakfast under a full moon. We completed the last sail repairs underway. We flew the mended Gennaker off the port bow until the first of dozens of islands off the coast of Panama came into view, Isla Gamez (below), where we anchored. Out of fish and in need of food, we grabbed the spears in search of lunch. After two areas with shallow water and small fish, we anchored Firefox next to an exposed rock and three large coral heads. Chad dove the coral heads with a sling and quickly resurfaced to grab the high powered Riffe speargun. I swam over about 15 minute at the end of a battle to see Chad wrestling a mammoth sized fish and Tyler repeatedly stabbing it in the head with his dive knife. Chad’s Pargo (Red Snapper) kill. Scanning the area, we motored to the only place that looked inhabited to find a fisherman with his family of 18. The father skillfully worked our speared fish as his wife, Rosa, prepared a meal for us. Their hospitality far exceeded any expectations. The grandfather took us on a nature walk, the children shared local fruit and played dominoes, and the father talked of fishing and diving. We ate the cooked Pargo for lunch before departing, leaving the rest of our fish to feed their family. |
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