Why We Will Never Sail Here Again - Episode 77
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2022
- In this episode, we navigate through the shallow channel in Puntarenas to get to the Costa Rica Yacht Club. We don't typically use marina or moorings but the sailing in Costa Rica has us a bit warn out and we need access to land for a few days. After seeing the town and filling up on fuel, water and groceries we experience yet another struggle cruising in Costa Rica. The checkout process is absurd and ends up being a couple day process.
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Second video I have seen this week describing how hard and expensive it is to sail Costa Rica. Good on u guys for detailing all this.
Thanks, Tom! Good news is we can pick up anchor and keep sailing!
You guys are the most optimistic people I’ve ever seen👍🏾
These are the trials and tribulations of any travels, land or sea. Your documentation and patient approach is be admired! No teddy out of the pram, no woe is me response. Just a this is their system what do we do? Your approach determined the help and advice you received. Kudos!
Thanks, John! Yep, exactly our approach is just to get it done whatever that takes! We appreciate the good vibes!
@@SailingOneLife Kindred methods.
What an absolute nightmare of senseless jumping through hoops, well done dealing with that.
Thanks, Alan! It was a total pain! We got through it though and saved quite a bit of money doing it ourselves!
You’ve got the patience of a saint
Thanks Don!
I would not bother either. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for the comment, Robert!
Of all the U Tubers you are the first to show what you had to do to clear costumes that was FANTASTIC ,
Hey Kenny! Ah wow thanks. Happy to hear you enjoyed this video! We thought it would be great to show the whole process!
Friends went to Costa Rica a few years ago and stayed in a highly recommended hotel. After they first arrived they went out to eat. While they were out someone entered the room and took all of their gear. Cameras, video & laptop. They reported it but the hotel and police didn't even pretend to care. Seems to still be the case. Thank you for showing the good and also not so good sides of sailing. We look forward to your post every week. Keep on going happy shores are ahead.
Oh wow that is terrible, very unfortunate. We do have alot of great memories from Costa Rica, it is a beautiful country but we won't be back by boat!
What hotel was it?
This osnt a costa rica thing. Ive read of this and worse happening in multiple companies..it's organised crime. Maid or clerk calls their buddy after svoping you out. You leave..your shit gets sold for .10 on the dollar. end of the week police hotel manager and clerk get an envelope. Youre not a citizen and will leave and never come back. pure win for the gang
@@cdreid9999 yep you are right. Crime is everywhere.
Same happened to me in Colorado.
Very refreshing to watch you two work together
Thank you, Bill! We really appreciate this comment. Team work definitely makes the dream work.
What a frustrating experience. I will NEVER go there! Great seeing you both and happy all is well. Ed
Hey Ed! Good to hear from you! Yep, we would recommend sailing on by CR.
Totally agree. U guys rock
@@williamhalling7744 ah thanks William! 🤙
You don't know what you are missing. To base your opinion of a country on a some bad media or a few bad experiences by a few people on social media is in my opinion no way to go through life. I have spent a lot of time in that tiny country and I would go there way before I would go to some other countries that get all these glowing reviews about them.
But you kept smiling. No tears. I'm impressed with your stamina! ♥
Thanks, Maryanne! It was frustrating while we were dealing with it but looking back now it is comical.
Kudos to the two of you for having the patience to deal with the paperwork. I would have told them to pound sand and left in the middle of the night with a one finger salute.
Ha! We wanted to a few times but unfortunately we needed that golden ticket clearance paperwork to be granted entrance into our next port!
Yeah I agree with you I would have gave him the one finger salute and been out of there
@@SailingOneLife I don't understand what are you saying you could not get into the next country if you didn't have the paperwork just don't tell them you stop there
@@claybornlewis276 In order to enter the next country you need paperwork stating where you came from and where you are going. If we did not get this paperwork from Costa Rica we would not be able to enter Honduras. Our previous paperwork states we are coming from Panama to Costa Rica. It all has dates on it so the authorities know approximately when you've been in the previous country.
@@SailingOneLife I just thought sailing around the world would be something that was fun to do you know you stay in a town for a few days and move on but they have to go through what you guys went through just to come in and then to leave he seems like you should be able to just come in and check in and tell them when you're going to leave and leave but you guys had to go through way more than I would have been able to put up with like I said I would have just sailed out of there and then when I got to the next country I think I would have lied to them and told them I came straight from Panama here decided we didn't want to stop him at Costa Rica LOL yeah I think if I go sailing or buy a boat I'll just make the Great Loop and things like that I don't believe I want to go through all that but I was younger and had more patience I probably would have but I'm 67 now and I wanted to get a boat to live on just to travel around but I would go straight up solar and wind all my Motors would be Electric everything on my boat would run off of batteries don't want to pay for the fuel don't like to smell a diesel don't want to listen to the noisy motor LOL my patience level it's not as high as it used to be but you guys look like you're really enjoying your life so keep it up I wish you the best and watch out for pirates I was reading that you are allowed to have a gun on your boat if you are flying an American flag but I wonder how safe that would really be if they boarded your boat and saw you had a gun 20 minutes ago even though you're allowed to have a gun the United States a countries that don't allow citizens to have guns I don't know how they would act and I don't think I want to put up with all that legal mumbo jumbo I get thrown in jail till they figure it out if you know what I mean sorry there are no periods something is wrong with my period in my commas they don't work for some reason well you guys enjoy your lives I'll be watching you I'm keeping an eye on you LOL
My parents moved to CR in the 80s, then my brother and sister moved there later. I’ve visited CR about fifty times over the years. I love the country and the people. However, after seeing the bureaucracy they’ve all had to endure, there is no way I’d consider retiring there. My parents have now passed away and we’re still dealing with the courts over the probate process after five years.
The country is beautiful and the people are warm and welcoming but your right the bureaucracy is no joke. We've heard from many Costa Ricans that they avoid government agencies as much as possible. So sorry to hear about the loss of your parents. Good luck as you continue on sorting out probate. We've heard things such as this are a nightmare to deal with there.
Same as Argentina , it is a trick to take your belongings or make you desist by the crooked governments year after year !
The bureaucracy can indeed be a nightmare in CR but with the right attitude and lots of patience visitors to that beautiful country should be able to have the time of their life as the people there are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you if you don't become impatient and start making demands of them. One should remember that you aren't at home and regardless of what you are used to there are always going to be places that do things differently. After being in Costa Rica for awhile most people adapt to the locals ways and find it to be a wonderful country
P to either live in or go there for extended visits. If you love nature that tiny little country is a gem quite unlike many other small countries in the variety of what they have and how they want to protect what they have. It wasn't that long ago that Central America had a lot of problems including warfare and Costa Rica has come through all that literally unscathed. That says a lot to me about their people.
@@richardwestmoreland4796 I have to say also that I have encountered no evidence of corruption in the courts, and though one of my evil siblings would resort to bribery at the drop of a hat in any other country, he is not able to in CR. I was born in Venezuela and lived I. Ecuador too. Bribery is practically mandatory in both of those places.
I will definitely sail by that country, with all the bad stories from cruisers!
Yep! We would recommend sailing on by!
I've had similar experiences when crewing for my sister and brother-in-law on their yacht Erica in Indonesia, Mauritius and French Polynesia. On our Galapagos visit we hired an agent. Your experience was a little exreme I must admit!🙂
That's amazing that you've been able to crew on their yacht in such awesome places! Yes, we've heard the Galapagos have some strict policies as well. Seems like we will be skipping that spot when we cross the Pacific next year!
Great video!! I really appreciate the fact you guys keep it real and don't sugar coat the reality of each place, even the inconveniences... Very informative!
Thanks, Ellen! Happy to hear you found are video informative. Appreciate your comment!
Thanks for sharing your life and taking us on adventures that a lot of us will never make. Another great video!
We are really happy we are able to share the ups and downs of our life with you. Thanks for following along!
Watched both SV Delos and Calico Skies latest videos yesterday, hearing pretty much the same thing, cost of entering, cost of landing a dingy, cost of exiting, red tide, rolly anchorages... they said they might enjoy returning by plane, rent a car... I heard more than once that the country was great to tourists, but not so much with cruisers.. It's too bad, with all the different species of animals and plants it would be a great place to take a hike...
I just posted a comment on Delos about the same thing...three different channels, all the same story!
Colin on Parlay is still to post his vids of CR. I will be watching that one closely.
It really is an amazing place for hiking and nature. And the people are wonderful. Just perhaps best visited by land instead of by water.
The mountains of Panama have much of the same fauna and flora, plus great coastal regions like Kuna Yula, Bocas del Toro, and the Pacific islands. In Panama they are too busy laundering money in Panama City to be bothered with growing world class bureaucracies.
Welcome to Cost Rica. People don’t believe me when I tell them that Panama is a FAR FAR better country to sail. I know Costa Rica is the land of peace bla bla. The infrastructure sucks. As do many of the anchorages, and crime is a problem. We spent 2 yrs in Panama and hated to leave. We spent 3 months in CR and couldn’t wait to move on. We did have some great experiences there but nothing that we didn’t have several time over and better in Panama. And we really did have to eek out those experience in CR. And Pay! You are sadly correct, CR is more hype than anything.
Hey Fred! Yep, if we were going to do it over we would leave the boat in Panama and fly to CR and backpack. Lesson learned!
What a nightmare. God bless you both for being so patient.
We made it through! 🙌
Don’t let anyone in that business know that you’re in a hurry!
Good advice! 😂
I’m glad I found your channel. Awesome sights and so much to learn. 😎
Thanks, Francis! Welcome aboard! Happy to hear you are enjoying our vids! 🤙
Wow! I admire your patience for bureaucracy. You are living the dream! Keep doing what you do because you will look back on your life with no regrets ❤️❤️
Thanks, Cindy! Patience is definitely something we have learned while out here! We appreciate you cheering us on out here! ♥️
Bribery … it’s all about bribery
Easy come, easy no go! What a maze to negotiate. Glad you were finally able to escape.
It was quite the challenge, but I think we came out winners! 😂
Wow! That looked like one big cluster f*** of running around! Like you said in a previous video, great place to travel to on land, but definitely not by water! Can’t wait for the next video!
Hey Hannah! Yep it certainly was...🤪 New video coming soon! Hope you are doing great girlie! 😘
Great positive attitude. Look forward to see more of your travels 🙂👍🙏
Thanks for the good vibes!! ⛵❤️
Oh, wow! That was a complicated process. You should feel very accomplished making it through all of that. I think we're going to put Costa Rica on our list of places to avoid! 😂 Ted has been asking me every day this week if you guys had a new video up. We were excited to see one today!
We knew what we were getting ourselves into, and made a bit of a game out of it! Saved some money, and got to tour a lot more of Puntarenas in the process. We would say CR is definitely worth visiting, just not by boat!
You two seem to have the right attitude for travelling in foreign countries and Costa Rica in particular. I have spent a fair bit of time in that country as I have family that have lived there for over 30 years. I wouldn't let one bad experience turn you off of returning to CR as once you have had the benefit of spending some more time there it has a lot to offer. Costa Rica's approach to environmentalism and all the wonderful parks they have protected is something that a lot of more developed countries could really learn from. I have been fortunate to have travelled the world rather extensively and Costa Rica is a country where the people are as nice as you will find anywhere. They just aren't exactly in a hurry to get things done sometimes. We are very spoiled in North America and too often we forget that there are other beautiful places that do things differently. I'm enjoying watching you sail the world and am entertaining the idea of getting myself something similar to what you two have. I live in Vancouver and the market for boats here is very much a buyers market,particularly at this time of the year. May the winds be favourable wherever One Life takes you.
Wow! Admire both of you for your calmness in such a runaround. : - ) NIcely done video.
Hey James! Thank you! It's all part of the journey out here! 🙃
Always great videos. Stay safe
Thanks Booger! ♥️⛵
Great epi!! That was the most involved check out EVER! I bet it made the Curaçao check in look like a walk in the park. Travel by boat they said....🤣
Thanks guys! Ha! Yeah Curacao was a walk in the park compared to CR! Especially since we had Steve! Miss your faces. 😘
What a drainer😳, one destination crossed off my list
Yeah it was exhausting!
OMG 😱 WOW ‼️ guys, that was an ordeal. You have convinced me that we will skip CR as it wasn't that pretty either. Bummer, yet it is over. Thanks for taking us along to learn the ropes. ✨ 🌊 💨 ⛵️ 🏝 👙 🌞 ✨
Thanks, Richard! Yeah, if we were to do it over we would have left the boat in Panama at a marina and took a bus or plane over to CR to visit.
What a challenge you set yourselves and succeeded in the end well done, not sure I would have been able to do all that.
Thanks, Ian! At the end of it all, we were glad we took the time to do it ourselves. It saved us about $300 vs hiring an agent.
Wow, what a beautiful culture there in Costa Rica. I have been there (by air, not boat) and I have always wanted to go back. But Wow, what a fiasco! Yall definitely handled that better than I would have😉 Thanks for sharing as always, I so love your videos!
Hey Tim! We agree, Costa Rica is beautiful and best visited by air. We really had some great moments here but the cruising was challenging! If we ever visit CR again,it will definitely be by foot! 🤪
Cricky! That was a whole boat load of fun!.no pune intended.won't be popping in there anytime soon..glad you got out..Desparados II
Over an out😆
Gosh have loved CR by land but will never enter by boat after your and Delos’ experiences. So much paperwork to cut thru! I guess they don’t want visitors by boat. Anyway, love how patient and tenacious you two are to reach goals. Thanks so much for sharing and cheers to northward🍻
Ah, thanks for the kind words! We agree, Costa Rica is beautiful by land but lacking in the sailing area.
I have spent quite a fair bit of time in CR and usually really enjoyed it. Yes it is more expensive than other Central American countries and the bureaucracy is a pain in the keester but the people are really friendly and helpful towards tourists for the most part. I have never came in by boat but I suspect that it is much like the rest of the country for its bureaucracy and red tape that seems to be everywhere. Patience and preparation are usually enough to overcome the bureaucracy. I've seen worse believe it or not than Costa Rica.
I learned of CR while working on a carnival cruise ship. We went to punteranus for tourism and water. It was fantastic! My family now stay in Esterillos Oeste south of Jaco, we went to go see what I saw. It went downhill. The Restaurants were not good. It was not fun. We are working towards osa peninsula and mail pairs.
Fun videos!
We think Puntarenas is a cool town but you are right, most of the restaurants and shops are closed. We assumed it was covid related.
Can't wait to hear about your new partnership!!!I (Ally) leave tomorrow for the gulf crossing to Bimini. It's been so brutal planning this trip...ive got an event on every island (chub, Staniel, Nassau and Bimini). Wish i was with you guys!!!!!
Omg, watching you trying to leave is making me so Frustrated!!!!
Hey Ally! So excited for you crossing! Can't wait to see that video! Yeah checking out was super frustrating but comical looking back on it. Looking forward to meeting you guys at the boat show!
That may have been painful for you, but it was fun to watch you solve the puzzle.
Ha! Yeah pretty comical looking back on it!
Several years ago I deployed with the Marines to Tiger Island. Back then it was a dusty little island that had a Honduran Navy base. Spent a month there. Lots of memories. Don't remember a marina. Every Saturday night was "Festival" in the small town. Lots of fun.
Hey Rodney! Ah so cool. You will see Tiger Island in a couple more episodes! There is no marina but they do have a nice anchorage. Curious to hear your thoughts on how it looks now vs when you were there!
Great Video Guys!
Thanks, guys!! 🤙⛵
Damn... that's shallow, hope it wasn't too stressful. That's so cool to get to see a local football game. Great to stock up and have ice cream treats, yummy. It's a shame that the bureaucracy is such a nightmare, as the people are nice and friendly. Love the street art. Omg what a nightmare that was for you both. Well done on doing it yourselves, with guidance from the port Captain. :)
The port captain was such a huge help. Thankful for him telling us what we needed to get the job done!
Wow - so awesome to watch your every video. I am always looking for your next video. On your way north - you should stop by Puerto De La Union El Salvador and Costa Del Sol El Salvador. In La Union - you will have islands to hop around and in Costa Del Sol you will find truism.
I will be tracing your route one day - hopefully. Best of Luck my friends.
Hey Robert! Thanks so much! We really enjoy sharing our lifestyle with everyone. Happy to hear you are enjoying coming along on this journey with us! We look forward to crossing paths one day!
Thank a lot for all your videos, and specialy this o'ne, that is part of sailing around the world, and we should show the true about good and bad things.
Thank you! This one is a bit of the reality side to this life. Happy to hear you appreciated it!
So crazy the hoops you have to jump through to leave the country of Costa Rica! Your patience is admirable, but I know getting excited won't get you anywhere either! Dane E
This process was ludicrous to say the least...Thank you for showing me why I will not be going to Costa Rica any time soon, by boat anyway!!!!!!
Yeah by foreign boat it's a real pain in the ass!! Definitely a better option to visit by land!
Siento mucho que este pasando por todo eso! Espero todo mejore y tengan mejores viaje! Su mascara de kuna es muy bonita! Saludos desde.Panama!
Muchas gracias! Disfrutamos navegando en Panama!
That's an insane amount of b.s. to go through, everybody needs their little piece of the tourist wallet. Stay safe and have fun guys
Honestly it was quite absurd. I guess that's why they try to get you to use an agent for $500 plus dollars. 🙄
@@SailingOneLife I'm wondering how much you saved by doing it yourself. Edit: just saw a reply below, it looks like you came out well ahead.
Yup about $300, we think it was well worth our time, and we got to explore and experience a little more of Puntarenas in the process.
Yeah for us it was well worth a couple days of hassle for a couple hundred dollars in savings!
Thanks for showing us all this hazzle and uncertainty. After seeing this I would be scared to death entering Costa Rica.
It was a bureaucracy nightmare! Much different if you arrive by plane of course.
So much second hand anxiety from your experience. WOW. Talk about red tape. Costa Rica is pulled out of my bucket list after yours and SV Delos experiences.
If visiting by plane and land the experience would be much different but by sailboat?! Nope! Never again! 😜
@@SailingOneLife Dont blame you one bit!
Wow and what an endurance test to leave CR. Congratulations on your patience to get all the paperwork done. No doubt a pain in the butt; I would need a shot or 3 of scotch. I'll be watching more and so plan ahead; maybe avoid future "get in and out" problems. Cheers. PS. Eat some of those eggs your bought. Huevos Rancheros. Yes. 👍😎
Hey there Robert! It was quite the dance we had to do to get checked out but we made it! Thanks for watching and we hope you enjoy some of our other videos!
I've followed many sailing vloggers for the last 10 years and there are some countries which are even tougher to deal with. I believe India is one of them.
Yeah, can't wait to tackle the hardest of them! 😂
@@SailingOneLife videos like this are what make you sailing youtubers an actual valuable service to the rest of us.
Good to hear, thank you!
On Delos they were saying that Costa Rica is super expensive on top of all that. I think when I get out there, I will stay out of that country.
Best to visit by land! If we were to do it over, we would sail on by.
@@SailingOneLife after what I have learned over the past day, If I go that way I totally will sail on by.
Thanks for advice fixing to sail my on boat hope to meet y’all soon b safe
Hope to see you out here, George!
OMG you guys. Craziness
It was absurd! Pretty comical looking back on it!
Kinda like a really big tarpon springs fl. Very cool.
We've been to Tarpon Springs but not by boat but yes seems similar with the sponge boats!
Man-o-shevitz that was a major cluster!!! Seemed like a bit of a shakedown teeeheeeee.
Hahaha you know I had hives. 😂
What a nightmare! I noticed it didn't seem like there were many people around at all even the streets and restaurants looked pretty deserted.
Good observation! Yes, we aren't sure if that is covid related or if it's because lack of tourism in the area. As we understand there used to be a few cruise ships visit here each week and now they only have one per week.
Btw, a great book from the area fisherman is 5 against the sea. Really good easy book to read. Longest ever lost at sea. Over a year.
Oh wow, thanks Bill. We are always looking for new things to read. We will check this out.
Costly venture here ! I'd pass myself on that heads up thanks I'll pass the news along to my daughter . Love the videos ! Look what I could of been doing dang it !
Kevin, look on the bright side......you can enjoy traveling with your daughter!
@@SailingOneLife so 👍 thanks for sharing your life with us . Never a dull moment and always entertaining !
It is condensed Milk. Churchill is a very popular snow cone from Costa Rica. ... Churchill made up of ice, syrup, condensed milk, powder milk, ice cream, Puntaranus is the besy place for the best Churchhills. It is a shame you guys did not come our way over to Carrillo and Samara. Is it so beautiful here with spectacular beaches and protected bays.
Ah interesting, it seemed sweeter than condensed milk. It was delicious!! We have friends nearby in Samara!
Thanks for the tips of your Costa Rican trips. Many places have policy processes designed like s***.
I wonder if their goal is to keep agents employed, but such bozo practice guarantee far fewer visiting girls&boys.
Definitely.....the amount we were told by the agent was $350. By doing it ourselves we only paid $50.
@@SailingOneLife With few CR anchorages I'm inclined to follow my pals advice for S. Nicuragua San Juan del Sur. He's sailed to the cape&islands from there to Hawaii&back to SF but always did long layovers there for the surf&anchorage.
If you add up the taxis, hotels, dining out (as well as your valuable time) it is way cheaper to pay for the agent. Lesson learned folks…you get what you pay for (and don’t).
Well the good news is we didn't need any hotels and grabbing lunch out in Costa Rica if you go to the right place along with taxis can be quite cheap. For us it was well worth the couple hundred dollars we saved.
Impressive work to save $350. When you're on sailing time the world revolves around the tide. Congratulations 👏
Hahaha each dollar saved is another dollar we can use to keep sailing!
Had I not read "Costa Rica" I would have thought you were trying to get through the Panama canal! Jeez!
Senor Garylito’s espanol has come a long way! Zarpes ftw! Holy smokes Costa Rica pura taxes …why the country is so rica! 😂 hugs you two 🤗
Si! He's been practicing! Miss you guys! Hope you two are doing great! ♥️
Wow! I have a Catamaran in Panama Caribbean side and will be crossing over and heading north to Mexico soon also. After seeing the issues in Costa Rica coming in by boat form you and others I think I will skip Costa Rica, I have heard Nicaragua is similar. A few years ago I flew to Panama and was told by many not to land in Costa Rica as it is a big process and very expensive for permits etc. So flew right over with an overflight permit. I have flown in via commercial flights several times and toured the country. Its to bad they make it so difficult to enter and exit via private boat or airplane. Its been great following your voyage north. I have a home in Huatulco in the state of Oaxaca Mexico should definitely make a stop there 9 bays 36 amazing beaches.
Hey there! Ah cool, where in Panama is your catamaran? Yeah if we were going to do it over, we would leave our boat at Red Frog and visit Costa Rica by land and then once through the canal do Las Perlas and Coiba then straight to Mexico. It is a beautiful country but the bureaucracy of cruising is insanity. We skipped Nicaragua for this reason as well. Unfortunately we had to sail by Huatulco as we had a hurricane chasing us down but it looks like a great area! Maybe we will get back there one day!
Make sure to hold on to that paperwork or next time cr is in a bind they might think they can call on you guys!
Ha! Funny thing, we just received an email asking for our previous port clearance paperwork from Colombia (over 7 months ago)! Good thing we keep all our documents in order!
For a country that makes a lot if money on tourism they sure havent streamlined the leaving country process. Found yall through Delos, youre a great couple to adventure with watching you cross the pacific currently glad y'all made it through your colds.
Hey there :) thanks for hopping over and checking out our channel! We love our buds on Delos! 💙⛵
Next time (if you head back south) may I suggest checking out (or back into) at Playa Coco...easy! We checked out there about 4 months ahead of you, was less than $75 total (including the cab to the airport) and took me less than half a day. Super simple...hindsight.
Thanks for the recommendation, Dirk. We ended up spending less than $75 but the process was such a pain, comical looking back on it. Where are you now?
Thank you for your videos. And thank you for the information about Costa Rica. I will never go there, it sounded like they were just running you guys around just to get more money from and into their economy. Said that a country has to resort to tactics like that.
We definitely wouldn't say don't go there. The experience flying in and out is completely different. We would just say that perhaps it's not tops on our list of sailing destinations.
New sub here, love your content!
Hey Devin! Thank you! Hope you enjoy our channel!
You learned a lesson. They all work together & if you don't hire an agent they make it as hard as possible for you to clear out. Your video was very interesting to me as in 1959 I helped put a brand new destroyer in commission, ( DD 951 Turner Joy. On our shake down cruise we stopped at Puntarenas. There hadn't been a ship in there for many many years. It was just a small village then, did have one bar. Sure changed, course that was 65 years ago.
Oh wow, I can't imagine what it looked like 65 years ago! We traveled via backpack here 5 years ago and even in those 5 years it changed drastically!
The bar had a small 20 ft bar with stools, then inback in site of the bar was 6 small boothes & prostitutes standingby..@SailingOneLife
This is how they encourage you to hire the agent.
Refuse to be extorted and have fun doing it! 😂
What a cluster… 😎
Totally! 😂
You will pay, and you will like it!
No thanks! We'd rather do it on our own...after two days the joke was on us!
lol 31:10 i thought she was showing the girls in desperation of "will these work???" 🤣
Haha we were pretty desperate at that point.
We cruised through Costa Rica this year (spent six months there) and had an east time clearing in and out. Totally free and very courteous. Best country in Central America snd can't wait to return. Paperwork is just one of those things you have to live with and part of the experience.
Interesting. We'd love to know where you checked out. Even though we did it ourselves, we still had to pay the Coast Guard fee and cancellation fee for the temporary import. You are the first sailor we've heard from that did not have to pay anything for clearing out. Good for you.
@@SailingOneLife We cleared in at Coco Beach (most northern port of entry) and cleared out, 90 days later at Golfito (most southern port of entry). Two other boats cleared in with us and one other boat cleared out with us, all with the same experience. No fees, no agents, efficiency and courtesy. All done in a few hours. We did visit the Puntarenas Port Captains office, on the way down, as that is technically a different region, to ask if we needed a new Zarpe but they said we were good to go. Only lesson we learnt was clear in / clear out while anchored because if you are in a marina they try to insert themselves into the process, complicating the process and trying to extract an agents fee from you. Of all the Central American countries, Costa Rica has been the most professional and painless for clearance and our only regret was the 90 day limit on the TIP.
Welcome to Costa Rica the land of red tape. My sister and her family has lived in that country for over 30 years and I have visited there 8-9 times and so I have a pretty good idea of what it can be like there. The people are generally really friendly and willing to help tourists out when they are encountering some issues that those of us in Canada and the USA take for granted as being one stop and you are on your way. Costa Rica is rarely one stop and you are out the door when it comes to getting all your paper work in order. You really need to be a patient person because what you One Life sailors experienced was not unusual at all for Costa Rica. My Spanish isn't very good and I really wish it was better when I am in Costa Rica but even then I have some serious doubts that things would go a whole lot smoother. The land where their motto of Costa Rica Es Pure' Vida can be very charming but one must always remember that they do things quite a bit different from what us North Americans are accustomed to. There is always Manana (tomorrow)to the Ticos and Ticas of Costa Rica.
Ah yes, always manana! We have heard from many people who live there that the bureaucracy in Costa Rica is harsh!
" Our computers are down " . That seems to be the new catchphrase .
Turns out the systems were indeed down, due to a massive cyber attack against the Costa Rican government.
If you want a tour of the 10 plagues of Egypt, Costa Rica's the place to be!
This is a great Video, I always wondered if you could do all the paperwork yourself instead of using an agent. Although it was a complicated process it worked out well. How much did it cost compared to the $350.00 agent?
Hey Simon! Thanks! There are some countries the require you to use an agent like Colombia for example but in most cases although an agent is recommended it is not required. Between the taxi rides, bus fares, photocopies, Port Captain fee, etc we ended up spending about $50. For us we appreciated the challenge and happy to save the $300!
What a racket! Now I know to never go there. I would end up getting arrested having to jump through all those hoops just to leave. My patience would run out.
Ha! Yeah it was a struggle. But looking back it is quite comical.
I wonder how much money, if any, you saved by doing it all yourself 🤩What a mess of a system 😣Well done🙏💜💃
We ended up saving a couple hundred dollars which in the grand scheme of things isn't much but hey, every bit helps!
I can see why you don't want to go back. That place is impossible. Thanks for the heads up, as I will not be visiting there.
Yes, much different experience by sailboat vs flying in!
Churchill sounds like epic
It was so good, cold and refreshing!
What a nightmare. You have more patience than me.
It is comical looking back on it now but definitely no fun in the moment!
Costa Rica...off the plans. Really sorry that the goverment there make it hard for their people to live of cruising tourism. (Same as Mr.Rhodes, seen this on several channels). (edit: How u manage to stay so positive with that kind of treatment is really impressive!)
Hey there, thank you! It seems Costa Rica tends to cater to the big sport fishing tourism sector but doesn't want much to do with recreational sailing vessels. We did have some great times in CR but unfortunately - a sailing destination it is not!
Great video! I wish you could have the days bill clicking upward, in lower right corner, as you jump in the taxi, in this office or that... a running total. :) I'm not sure how you would pull that off, but I'm really curious to hear how much each thing costs. Thanks!
Hi Rick! Ah that would have been so cool! Good idea. We ended up spending about $50 between the fees and transportation to each place.
I think it might be easier there to get a heart transplant than check out of the country... but it did make for an interesting (and exhausting) video.
Ha maybe but we wouldn't want to find out! 😂 Definitely an exhausting process but comical looking back on it.
After watching this, SV Delos and Calico Skies it seems the verdict is in. Stay away from Costa Rica
Yep, unfortunately that seems to be the case.
Been to CR. So many hoops to jump through. You were champs. What was the final cost?
The final cost between taxi rides, bus fares, photocopies and Port Captain's fee was around $50.
for what Costa Rica has to offer I'm happy to have a bit of pain to enjoy it.
It is a beautiful place especially traveling by land. As a cruising/sailing destination it's a bit tough.
You guys were smiling all through that bullshit, why do these countries make it so difficult, I just found ur channel today, I subscribed, thanks.
We had a pretty good idea of what we were in for. It's actually a very entertaining real life "escape room" to solve! We set our attitudes accordingly before starting, and kept laughing as the rabbit hole just kept on going! 😂
So I’m trying to figure out which would be better? You spent two days and how much? Versus the agents $350. Which was cheaper? Remembering that with your time 2 days and taxi x2 plus the cost. Which was better? I still enjoyed the video but I don’t think I would go through all that bureaucracy unless money was an issue.
Ended up costing us around $50 total (buses and taxis are very cheap). Sure we spent a good part of two days on it, but we got to see and experience a lot more by running all over the place.
To much hassle being a boater. You better love it.
For us, the troubles are well worth it. No doubt. A couple of days running around a Costa Rican town and playing with the authorities isn't really so bad after all.
You might want to do some research before landing in Honduras. Hopefully it’s not as near as a nightmare as Costa Rica.
Wait until you see how different it was in Honduras. 😂 Stay tuned...
Maybe it would be good to have a sort of trust pilot for visiting tourists and bureaucracy I wonder if this might get the tourist boards in various countries to realise how to get more tourists!
Hey Simon! Yeah that's a great idea. Costa Rica's bureaucracy is some of the worst we've experienced.
Life hack If you don't check in on arrival you don't have to check out on departure LOL.
Interesting approach, but did you see the old Costa Rican prison in our last episode? 😬
@@SailingOneLife yes but its only illegal if you get caught😄
Curious how much you guys saved by doing it yourselves? We plan to sail the same route in the near future. Looks like CR is not worth the hassles to stop.
I came to ask this same question
Good question, we should have included this info at the end! Between taxi and bus fares, photocopies, Port Captain fees etc. We spent around $50. @Sailing Contigo for what it's worth, if we had to do it again, we would sail passed CR.