22 March 2013; Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica.

 At 3 am we started entering the Golfo di Nicoya at which end Puerto Caldera is located. As expected the fishing boats were out in force and as usual they were sitting right in the approach route to the pilot station. It is a given factor that the best fish are swimming where the big ships are travelling and that accounts for the reason that everywhere in the world fishermen are always in the way. It meant winding our way through them but luckily progress has also reached Costa Rica and the end of the nets they now all had lights on them and that made it possible to refrain from cutting through them. So we zigzagged our way through the boats and the nets and the quartermaster behind the wheel felt as if he was driving a Grand Prix car on the streets of Monte Carlo. Port Control had a bright morning and called us before we got the chance to call them and that was a first. By 5 am. we were at the pilot station and while we were approaching the dock, the pilot hopped on board and confirmed that I was going the right way. So all was well in the world. 

The only worry we had for today was the swell. If the ocean swell is from the SW or SSW, then it runs unhindered into the bay. When it comes close to the port is increases in height as the water depth gets less and less. According to my 3rd officer, who is a Kiwi and lives on a surfboard while at home, it is very good surfing here, especially during the incoming tide. Maybe good for him, but not for me as I do not like a surfing ship while alongside the dock. That is exactly the danger. Although the cargo dock is protected by a breakwater for exactly that reason, it does not fully solve the problem as the surf tends to bounce back from the beach further inland. As a result the ships are normally riding along the dock to a more or lesser degree. We had been assigned berth 2 and 3, the part of the dock best protected by the breakwater. When we came alongside, it turned out that the movement was less than a foot. With keeping the ropes tight we could reduce that even more and in the end the gangway only moved about 3 inches. With a security guard at each side of the gangway, going on and off could be achieved very safely. That ended my part in the proceedings.

The rest was up to the guests of whom about 90% were on tour. The tours are the main reason we are calling at Costa Rican ports as the country is all about eco-tourism with large portions of the country being designated as National parks. Fascinating to visit but it is a tropical rain forest and with it comes the appropriate temperatures which were starting to soar well into the 90’s by mid morning. However we had a stroke of luck here. By 11 am a sea breeze started to come in and it bounced nicely off the mountain ridge on our starboard side and it brought some relief. The temperature on the outside deck dropped from 92 to 88oF (33 to 30 oC) Still warm but every degree less helps. It was not only the guests who had to face the warmth, for the crew it was not much different as the Staff Captain had decided that this was the most opportune day for a General Emergency Drill. This time a sort of refreshment drill for all the crew to go through the paces of assembling properly and getting tested on their knowledge. It gave me the first chance to run around the ship and question the various crew. Drills are a never ending story and needed as the crew is forever changing so each time a new crewmember gets integrated into a team, that team has to be trained and turned into a seamless operating unit again.

That kept us happily occupied until noon time and then it was almost time to start preparing the ship for departure again. All on board was 1400 hrs and by 14.15 the Staff Captain was maneuvering the ship off the dock and out of the harbor, as it was his turn to play with the ship. Tomorrow we will be at sea, sailing past Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and passing the border with Mexico. Tomorrow night we are in the Golfo de Tehantepec but as the wind in the Caribbean Sea is not south west at the moment, The Tehantepecer is not blowing so we should have a very nice and smooth ride.