Punta Arenas
- Capt. Eric
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
Costa Rica is known for its surfing beaches so, unsurprisingly, good swell free anchorages are rare on the Pacific side. After trying to hide from the swell in various anchorages along the way we decided to stop in a marina, for the usual provisioning run but also to get some calm and rest.
Many had told us Punta Arenas was "industrial" and not really worth a stop. Despite having a small cruise terminal, it seems tourists use the port mainly as an entry point to the nearby national parks, rather than to explore the city.
The city, at its core, is a fishing village that has grown into slightly more industrial center. The main part is located on a spit of sand jutting out in the gulf of Nicoya, so in our area we could easily walk from the sea on one side to the river on the other.
I can see why many would prefer more polished destinations , but we were very happy to stop there, and discover a less touristy side of the country.
We got lucky and managed to reserve a slip at Ocean Marina, a tiny little marina with about 20 slips accessible at any stage of the tide and without pilot help, contrary to the large "yacht club"marina further up the estuary.
We arrived around 09h00 in the morning to enjoy a long first day, but this meant we had a very strong current against us on arrival. To top things, our assigned slip wasn't yet free and necessitated backing in. I kept the boat in place by going around in circles while the previous occupant of the slip left, then squeezed the boat in backwards using copious amounts of engine power.
We had a large sports fisher boat next to us, with no fenders on our side, and its Captain was visibly nervous as Di guided me in via our Bluetooth headsets.
Our river and strong current experience paid off, and we were able to squeeze Enfin in the tight spot and against the current, to the relief of our neighbor.
Soon we were safely tied with electric and water connections, and Princess chomping at the bit to go out and explore the place.
We found a city that reminded us of many others we'd visited in the last few years in Mexico or Nicaragua. In many ways I feel "at home" in those places, helped a lot by the many friendly faces and big smiles greeting Princess and us as we explored around. Amazingly, after only a few days, we already were "locals" in a way, being recognized and greeted as we went by families sitting in the shade on the sidewalk or their front yard.
The main street had everything wary cruisers might need, from fresh baked bread in tempting bakeries, a large supermarket, to small specialized shops.
A local pizzeria reminded us of our Nicaraguan friend in Puesta del Sol: An Italian immigrant married to his Costa Rican wife, cooking amazing Italian specialties from scratch.
The bicycle shop owner, who'd been there over 40 years, would come out of his shop to pet Princess and chat. The baker, always pleased to see Princess would concentrate her attention on petting her, only getting our bread order once all the petting was done!
All in all it felt like we were welcome in a small village where many knew us.
The city itself is not amongst the prettiest, for sure, but is very pleasant and benefits from slightly cooler air flowing from the gulf across the narrow peninsula.
There are public parks and a long beach promenade (Malecon), all suffering in the dry season, waiting for the rainy season to become green again.
Back on Enfin I worked on the engine room, keeping up with routine maintenance and taking the time to detail it all the way down to the bilge. I always enjoy having a nice clean engine room, where any problem can be caught immediately.
It wasn't all work and no play though. We got to also enjoy the relaxing pool area at the marina: A small, beautiful shaded area, away from the heat of the day.
We stocked up on provisions at the "MegaSuper", slept well in the calm waters, discovered a more authentic Costa Rican town, and met plenty of friendly people.
Ready for our next adventure: We'll be heading towards Golfito, to again seek calm waters.
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