Sailing, Fishing

There are 4 types of sailboats that are currently offering charters in Costa Rica. They are Schooners, Ketches, Sloops (mono-hulls) and Catamarans. MONOHULLS that charter in Costa Rica are typically 40 to 53 foot in length and are 12 to 15 feet wide. They weigh approximately 20,000 to 40,000 pounds. About 1/3rd of their weight is located in the keel that extends down 5 to 9 feet under the boat. This mass and weighted keel allows a mono-hull vessel to punch through steep waves and keep going. The weighted keel,working together with the proper sail combination, allows a mono-hull to safely sail extreme wind conditions (such as the Papagayo Wind). In the past 15 years of Chartering history, mono-hulls have had a perfect safety record.

Costa Rica has no hurricanes!

Hurricanes form at about 13 degrees north latitude and go North-North-East or North-East. However, Costa Rica does have the " Winds" that blow from Mid-December thru march. These winds extend as far north as Southern Nicaragua to the North-West coast of Costa Rica. There are no storm systems associated with these winds. They are caused by a high pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico and a low pressure system in the Pacific. The 2 pressure systems try to equalize. Lake Nicaragua extends from the Costa Rican northern border north into Nicaragua and there are no mountains in this area. This becomes the passage for these winds. The more the pressure-differential, the harder the winds blow. Normal is 15 to 55 knots.

The waves generated (OUTSIDE OF THE POTRERO BAY) by the Papagayo Winds are short period, steep and usually 12 to 16 feet tall. The fact that they are so steep makes them dangerous. It is almost like sailing through the surf. The waves are almost vertical. Part of the wave will slam the boat and the remainder of the wave will break over the boat. Sailing within Potrero Bay during the Popagayo winds provides the winds for fast sailing - without the waves!  So even if you are not an adrenalin freak, you can still have fun sailing within the bay.

To safely sail outside the bay in the Popagayo Wind conditions, the boat must be the right type of boat and rigged/outfitted properly. If so, sailing in these conditions can be one of the most exciting adventures of your life. If your boat is not suited for these conditions, it will be a trip through hell!

Ketches have 2 masts with the taller mast being forward. Ketches are typically used as family cruising boats. They have smaller individual sails that can be handled by 1 or 2 people (sail area distributed over two masts). Ketches are typically faster than schooners especially when sailing closer to the wind. A ketch normally is designed to sail its best with a heal angle (leaning) of 8-10 degrees.

CATAMARANS chartering Costa Rica are typically 32 to 36 feet long and are 16 to 20 feet wide. A catamaran is basically two pontoons connected by a deck. They weigh 8,000 to 12,000 pounds but do not have a keel. Being light, a catamaran performs well in light air and smooth water and can be a lot of fun (such as within a bay). They are wide and the pontoons provide excellent stability under most conditions. . However if the winds exceed the ratings for the pontoons and sail combination, or if the weight distribution changes, the catamaran can flip over-and will not come back. During the last 9 years there have been 3 cases where limits were exceeded.

Take for example a Catamaran that weighs 10,000 lbs and 18 to 20 people are on-board (3,500 to 4,000 lbs). Now, 1/3^rd of the weight of the Catamaran is on the deck and free to move about at-will. All is well until, for example, a school of Dolphin comes by and all the people race to one side of the boat. If they go to the lee side and a gust of wind hits along with waves, the Cat probably will flip, as was the case of the power Catamaran in the gulf of Nicoya 2 years ago that capsized in high winds. A sailing Catamaran from Playa del Coco has capsized 2 times under similar circumstances. Therefore if you plan to sail on a Catamaran during the Papagayo season, it is best to make sure that it stays within a protected bay.