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Marina Flamingo news

         Updated 18Sept. 2008

 

Extreme Sailing Photos

    SAILING COSTA RICA WITH THE PAPAGAYO WINDS    January – March

This Video was taken in winds of 45 and gusts to 60 knots while rounding Punta Eleana (North west coast of Costa Rica). "Shannon" was rigged with a storm jib, staysail and triple reefed main. Our windy season sails are all made with two ply (6.5 oz each), 13 oz dacron. With this combination we safely and consistently sail in 30 to 45 knot winds. Above 45 knots we drop the hank-on staysail. Check out the other pictures and the information about sailing in Popagayo conditions.

A local group of Mariachis play and sing during 30-40 knot winds.  We are within the bay , so there are no big waves.

Here we are on a rescue mission.  A transient sail boat was up near the Bat Islands and were registering 90 knot winds.  They were in a "Wind Tunnel effect" around Punto Elena and the Bat Islands.  We rescued them. With Shannon we sailed into 14 to 18 foot, steep waves driven by 45-60 knot winds and brought the sailboat and passengers back safely.

TYPES OF SAILBOATS

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!

 

TYPES OF MONOHULLS

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.

  Schooners have 2 masts with the taller mast being aft (to the rear). Schooners were originally designed to sail with the trade winds and perform well when running with the wind or on a"broad reach" (wind coming from the side of the boat). These vessels are typically wide and can carry a lot of people (originally designed for carrying cargo) and do not lean very much in strong winds.

Spinacker from surfing

Sloops have one mast that is typically taller than the masts of a similar sized ketch or schooner. Sloops were developed for speed and performance. Since the mast is taller, the individual sails are larger and heavier – more work for the crew but more fun for the passengers. For this reason the sloop design is not a favorite choice of cruisers. A sloop also is designed to sail its best healed at 15 to 18 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, 1/3rd 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.

 

 

So, what is the point to all this! Everyone associated with sailing in Costa Rica should know the risks and options available, because during the Papagayo Wind Season (our high tourist season), there are risks!

Sailing can be a fun, exhilarating adventure; however people need to be informed and make their decisions based upon hard information, not marketing BS.

 

 

By: Jim McKee, Owner-Capt of S/V Shannon

f you are into extreme sports or adrenaline rushes, come with us on a 3 to 7 day trip north during the popagayo wind season (late december - march).  we will either have you hooked on extreme sailing or you will never get on a sailboat again!

Photo albums

Using the arrows, browse through the thumbnail photos below.  If you see one that you would like to enlarge, click on the thumbnail and you will see the enlarged version appear below.  Enjoy!

        Album #1, Jan 2004 trip to BAT Islands

 

        Album #2, 2003 trips