Making Do

If there's anything these last couple of weeks have taught us, its that's sometimes you just have to make it work. A solution might not be pretty, or orthodox, but it can be found. Upon arriving in Puntarenas, we had some issues, engine issues, engine leaking fluid issues. We didn't know how big they would be, if we would be able to afford them, or how long they'd take. We had a few scary conversations of what we would do if our repairs cut into our cruising fund too much for us to continue and finish our journey. Scary thoughts, but when you don't know the extent of needed repairs, the imagined price tag looms large.

We knew we needed new batteries, the old ones were not keeping up a great charge and we also had lead acid and sealed gel batteries, an imperfect charging situation. We knew there was a giant crack in the thermostat housing, which Chris had repaired at sea with epoxy, but it needed a solid fix. We knew we needed either a repair to our alternator or a new one. We knew we had an oil leak, from somewhere...

Our new mutant heat exchanger

We enlisted the help of William Medina the mechanic. After a first glance at our engine he gave us a reassuring “no problem.” Perhaps there was a language barrier. When we think of “no problem,” it sounds like “wham bam, back on the trail”, to William, it meant something different, like “Don't give up all hope -I just might have to bang on it a bit more.” Then engine parts started to come off slowly and laboriously - one step forward and two steps back. But they came back from the welders quickly and looking great. The alternator went to the shop, but was declared DOA. A new one from the Universal parts website was listed at $600, our wallet sqeaked. William Medina put us at ease though when he told a new one would be about 70,000...colones, about $140. Not an exact match, but it would do. Actually it does great, and puts out more voltage than the old one. The heat exchanger also needed to be replaced, but William happened to have one that we could make do with – a little welding here, and new hoses there, and voila!

Chris and William at work

Alex Buchanan arrived towards the end of the week, but he took our repair woes in stride. I mean, who doesn't expect to turn a wrench and get greasy on their tropical vacation? On about the third day of his visit, as we were preparing to leave the dock for Islas Tortugas and Alex's actual vacation, another coolant leak was found, this time in two of the inspection port plugs. Ugh. After consulting with William, Chris decided he'd rather plug the holes with epoxy than tear down the entire engine to replace them. Funds might have influenced this decision as well. The next day we finally got out of Punatarenas – for a couple of days anyway.

We made our way to Islas Tortugas, where we snorkeled and did a SCUBA dive. It was Alex's first time beathing underwater, and besides the requisite flailing (neutral buoyancy is awkward) , he did very well and now has a mild case of the SCUBA bug. The area boast some of the best snorkeling in the Nicoya Gulf. We saw lots of tropical species and big schools, and a few big enough that made Alex and Chris want to come back armed. So in the morning they dropped me off on the beach to do some yoga and while they returned to find dinner. The fishing was fruitful and Chris nabbed a nice golden jack and a gafftopsail pompano.

The roseate spoonbill

Next stop: Curu Preserve, a former banana plantation turned tourist attraction and animal refuge. We anchored out off the beach, took the dinghy in and went off in search of some creatures. We saw signs to Beware of Crocodiles, but none of the ferocious reptiles themselves. But as we were keeping an eye trained along the creek bed, we did see a pretty cool sight – a lizard that runs across the surface of the water on two legs. Yep, we spotted the Jesus Christ Lizard. It's really called that, I promise.

About that time, we started hearing the now familiar sound of howler monkeys. Winding through the forest, we came to a bend in the river and saw a few howlers hanging out in the branches over head. There were a couple of mama and baby pairs, and I saw one little one snuggle up to its mom for nap.

Conga, the dock dog gettin some.

We observed for a while, had a snack and decided to carry on. Just a few hundred yards down the trail, I looked up to see a capuchin monkey running straight at Chris and Alex, as if to scare them away. Undaunted, we lingered and got some great pictures and had some interesting interactions with the little animals. They're very curious and would often come very close to us. A few made sort of aggressive looking grimaces and at least two broke off pieces of branches to throw at us. Once when Chris (of course) decided he wanted to “get one,” three others came from nearby trees to help defend it. Not that Chris had any chance of getting close to it – those suckers are fast!

Also on the preserve were a few spider monkeys that were rescued pets, so they couldn't live out in the wild. They were in an inclosure with a couple of trees, ropes and a goat. We wondered if they ever rode the goat.

We left Curu that afternoon and sailed up to Cedros Island. The boys made a fire on the beach and we cooked up the jack and pompano. I played guitar while Chris was sweating over the hot fire, so it was very pleasant. It was only our second beach fire of the trip – I definitely wish we could build them more often! We woke up early to catch the high tide back into Puntarenas, and spent the rest of the day relaxing at the Yacht Club. Alex had to catch a super early bus to the airport for his flight the next morning, so we had a mellow night with a delicious steak dinner and a beautiful sunset to send him on his way.