A Very Short Holiday - in Costa Rica!

Zac is out dodging fishing boats and their nets this evening but asked us to update his blog as he has had an incredible day.

After a long night of lightning storms and Panama-bound shipping Zac took an unexpected and very welcome detour today to the beautiful, tropical shores of Herradura, Costa Rica.

Talk about amazing coincidence! Blogger Neil Kahn has been following Zac for a long time and late last year emailed to say that if Zac was ever in Costa Rica he would be happy to host him for dinner. We have been in touch once or twice over the year but didn't plan on Zac heading in to Costa Rica until recently.

While in Herradura today Zac fueled up (many thanks to Neil for arranging), had an incredible Canopy Tour over the rain forest (see photos and link) and ate the best pizza he has ever tasted with one whole pizza for the road (so-to-speak). Zac hasn't eaten pizza in a year!



















Zac on Intrepid with Neil Kahn's Ashuma in the background - photo courtesy Neil Kahn.




















Canopy Tour in Herradura - photo courtesy of Neil Kahn

A canopy tour, from what I understand, is like an extreme zip line.

From Vista Los Suenos web site:

Our Costa Rica Canopy Tour is located in Herradura next to Jaco on the central pacific coast of Costa Rica and offers breathtaking views of the Gulf of Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean. Our canopy tour is set on approximately 222 acres of land and 50% of this is transitional forest which is a mixture of the dry forest of the north pacific and the rain forest of the south pacific.

The Vista Los Sueños Canopy is a very contemporary tour; it was designed by Costa Rican guides that have more than 8 years of experience in conducting Canopy Tours.

The main idea for our canopy tour was to give our clients the adventure of their life, so we made some of the longest cable runs in the central pacific area while maintaining safety as our number one priority. Thousands of vacationing families and friends have visited our tropical canopy adventure with shrieks of laughter and big smiles. Please join us during your Costa Rican vacation for your own personal zipline thrill of a lifetime!

http://www.canopyvistalossuenos.com/index.html


As Zac heads back out into the Pacific tonight he sounded tired as usual but happier than I've heard him in awhile. Just some good fun with no hassles.

We are watching for any Eastern Pacific hurricane developments. The area that is currently being watched remains unorganized with less than 30% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. David is watching everything closely and will be advising Zac as to his options. Zac will be making his decision on whether to head offshore or to hug the coast very soon.


From The National Hurricane Center at NOAA:

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
500 PM PDT SUN MAY 31 2009

FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE..

SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF
DISTURBED WEATHER LOCATED SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF ACAPULCO
MEXICO REMAINS POORLY-ORGANIZED.  DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM...IF
ANY...IS EXPECTED TO BE SLOW TO OCCUR AS IT MOVES WESTWARD AT 5 TO
10 MPH.  THERE IS A LOW CHANCE... LESS THAN 30 PERCENT...OF THIS
SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

Interesting view of water temperatures in the Eastern Pacific. The dark red area is the hottest water and also the birthing ground of most hurricanes in the area.


There are some very real dangers in the coastal waters of Central America. Not only are there a lot of fishing boats and nets but there are those who would try to steal Zac's boat or belongings. It is a small proportion of the population but still worth watching out for.

A site that we all frequent is www.noonsite.com. It is a site that has all kinds of practical and safety information for cruisers for the entire world. It has been an invaluable help during Zac's trip.























Intrepid Heading out of Bahia Herradura into the Horizon
Photo courtesy of Neil Kahn