No Bad Days was a day spent on a sailboat with this name sake. We sailed along Nicaragua’s beautiful Pacific shoreline without a care in the world. The views were astonishing to say the least. Follow along with us on this fabulous tour and explore the sites through our eyes and explicit descriptions.
We arrived at the Port of San Juan del Sur ready to go. Captain Ralph called role around ten in the morning. We were all present and accounted for. We boarded our shuttle and were tendered out to our awaiting vessel for a day of sailing. The captain directed his Sea Scouts to prepare for anchors up. We all took our places on the boat and received last minute instructions. They were to have fun, respect the boat, respect your fellow mates and if someone falls over board don’t jump in after them because we only save the person who fell in and the other is shark bait. The fourth rule is go back to rule number one.
Once we motored out of the bay the sails went up and the trip began. We sailed along Nicaragua’s picturesque shore and marveled at the cliffs that withstood the Pacific Ocean’s powerful surf. The rugged shoreline was filled with adventurous terrain. The statue (pictured upper left) is of The Christ of Mercy” that is proudly perched high
above the bay of San Juan del Sur. The other pictures
illustrates how powerful the cliffs are along the shoreline. The out cropping’s of rocks all have such names like Pirate and Morgan rocks. The sheared off cliffs seem to go from jungle to blue waters. It looks as if a pair of scissors divide them in half in one fail swoop.
From the sailboat you can look south and see one of Costa Rico’s protruding Peninsulas. The Bahia de Salinas is very visible from either outside of the bay of San Juan or higher up on the northern cliffs looking south. Costa Rico is one of Nicaragua’s neighbors and is only 45 miles away from the town of San Juan del Sur. They are connect via the CA 1 (Central America’s intercontinental highway). Captain Ralph kept us close enough to shore so we could easily view all the beautiful scenery, but far enough away to pose no danger to the crew and his passengers.
Our next stop was Playa Blanco Beach (pictured below left). It is a quaint little bay that offered calming waters with perfect temperatures for a cooling dip. Most everyone aboard made the easy swim to the beach. The crescent shaped bay had beautiful light brown sand that melted between your toes. There were rocky bookends at each end of the bay. They offered very clear and sandy bottom tide pools that provided a perfect place to relax and stay cool on a hot and sunny day. After frolicking around for awhile, it was time to make the swim back to the sailboat and head south. When we got back to the boat the Sea Scouts had a freshly prepared lunch that topped off our perfect beach excursion.
On the way back to port Captain Ralph took us by one of the sites where the reality show Survivors filmed Redemption Island. It was shot up and down the southern Pacific shoreline of Nicaragua. The terrain played many parts in the outcome of the show and its participants. It sure looks a lot different in person than watching it on television.
On the way back to port
Captain Ralph let everyone have a chance at the helm. What a feeling it was to quietly float across the ocean under nothing but pure wind power. It had been a gorgeous day for sailing. To see a country from its shoreline puts it in a different perspective. The jungles that hug the distant hills and ocean cliffs side’s can really be appreciated from a sailing vessel that is effortlessly gliding along the waters. If you ever make it to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and what to experience a great day on the water, go to www.sailingnicaragua.com and book a seat. You have to experience “No Bad Days” for yourself!
Anthony Scopel
YMATD