Seabiscuit and Beyond: Victoria, BC Inner Harbor and Vacation to Costa Rica

Location: Victoria, BC, Ship Point Wharf

We arrived at our home for the winter on November 1st. We secured a berth at the Ship Point Wharf in Victoria, BC's inner harbor. Located at the foot of the Empress Hotel, we are right in the heart of downtown Victoria.

The Empress Hotel, downtown Victoria. Seabiscuit is docked
at Ship Point Wharf, left side of the photo.

As soon as we were docked, securely tied up and had checked in with the marina, I started my journey to Costa Rica for a vacation with my mom, Louise, and friends Barbara and Marilyn. We all met in Houston and did a little sight seeing before our flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Barbara, Marilyn and Louise.
Houston, Cancer Survivor's Memorial in the Medical Center.

Thursday morning we flew to San Jose, checked into our hotel and met the rest of our tour group, 15 people total, plus our tour guide Gloriana. We wandered around downtown and tried some of the local cuisine. Friday morning we started off the day with a lecture about Costa Rican history and then went to the gold museum.

Stone incense burner on display at the Gold Museum, San Jose, Costa Rica.

We checked out of the hotel, loaded onto our bus and headed out of the city toward Selva Verde on the Caribbean side of the country. We stopped along the way for lunch and stopped at a local fruit stand for a lesson on the local fruits.

Local fruit stand

We arrived at the Selva Verde Lodge in Sarapiqui mid-afternoon with time to stroll around the grounds and to relax by the pool. After supper, we listened to a lecture on conservation and the building of biological corridors.

JC (Jesus Christ) lizard, named this because
it walks on water.

Poison arrow frog

Saturday morning we went for a nature walk and then loaded onto our bus and headed up river for a white water rafting trip on the Sarapiqui River.

Our group and guides prior to launch.

Louise, B, Marilyn and Barbara ready for rafting.

Right side - B, Marilyn, Barbara, Cuca - our guide;
Left side - Loel, Gail, Louise

We did some bird-watching along the way and saw a sloth in a tree. We stopped for a pineapple break about half-way down. Our guide, Cuca, put some pineapple on a fish hook, cast it into the river and caught a fish.

The guides cutting up pineapple while we bird watch.

Louise kissing a fish.

After lunch, we went for a walk in a primary forest and toured an organic pineapple plantation. Then went to a lecture at the local learning center to hear about growing and processing peppercorns and making fresh cheese. Next, dance lessons with a very enthusiastic instructor; we learned salsa, meringue and several others.

Louise and B learning to dance.

Sunday morning we checked out of the lodge, took our bus to Puerto Viejo and boarded a boat for a sight seeing tour of the Sarapiqui River. This is the same river that we rafted; our tour was further downstream with no rapids. We saw lots of different birds, some caymans along the shore and a sloth.

Cayman on the shore of the Sarapiqui River.

After our boat ride, we journeyed to the Arenal Volcano area and the town of Fortuna. Arenal used to be the most active volcano in Costa Rica but it went quiet in 2010 after 43 years of activity. We checked into our hotel and then spent some time relaxing in the thermal pools.

An iguana - our guide called them "Chicken-of-the-tree"

Arenal Volcano.

Monday morning, we walked the Hanging Bridges, with 16 bridges total, 5 of them hanging, Arenal Hanging Bridges. We saw lots of birds, plants and insects plus a two-fingered and a three-fingered sloth (they used to be called two-toed and three-toed, but both have the same number of toes).

B and Louise in front of Hanging Bridges Waterfall

Looking up at a hanging bridge.

Our group with Arenal Volcano in the background.

Back at the hotel, we had a quick lunch and then six of us went zip-lining. It was beautiful and exhilarating, through the tree canopy and over a river, 11 lines total. They gave us the option of going upside down on the last line and most of us did.

B and Louise ready for zip-lining.

Louise coming down the second line.

B coming down the second line.

The six zip-liners, Cathy, B, Carin, Louise, Jo and Mary Jo.

Late afternoon, we went to an organic farm. We started with a tour of the farm, followed by a demonstration of squeezing juice from sugarcane; the farmer's children danced several traditional dances and then we made tortillas to eat with our supper.

Children ready to perform traditional dances.

Tuesday was a travel day. We took a boat ride across Arenal Lake and then a bus over the continental divide and into the Monte Verde area. We stopped along the way for a tour of a coffee plantation and a chocolate making lesson. Supper at our hotel followed by a lecture on climate change and conservation.

Sloth climbing a tree.

View over the continental divide, looking toward the Pacific.

Traditional ox-cart.

Wednesday we went on a walk in the cloud forest and saw lots of birds, a family of coati following each other through the forest and an agouti. After lunch we went on a tour of a bat jungle and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and touring some of the local art stores. Supper that night was with Marvin Rockwell, one of the original Quaker settlers of the Monte Verde area. He is now 96 and is full of interesting stories Marvin Rockwell.

The next morning, we went to visit a butterfly and insect garden, then checked out of the hotel and started our journey back towards San Jose and the airport. We stopped in Sarchi for a tour of the ox-cart factory where they still use some of the same equipment that they have been using since the 1920s Sarchi Oxcarts.

Our last supper was buffet at our hotel near the airport with a mariachi band as our entertainment. We said our goodbyes and thanked our tour guide for a wonderful trip. Friday was travel day with flights back to the US, followed by a flight back to BC on Saturday. Sunday I arrived back in Victoria. Dave had been busy with maintenance chores, learning the local area and settling in.

On Monday, November 14th, we took the boat out for a cruise up to Sidney. Our goal was to have the tradesmen at the boatyard up there do a detailed walk through of our scope of work so that they could provide firm quotes. Tuesday morning we met with the boatyard folks. Tuesday afternoon we went for a nice walk along the waterfront, did some unlaxing and had dinner on board the boat. We left the dock early Wednesday morning for our cruise back to Victoria.

Picture of our chart plotter: notice the Speed (SOG) of 11.3 kts.
We had a strong current pushing us; our normal average cruising speed is 7.5 kts.

Trial Island Lighthouse.

Hanjin container ship, moored in the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Because of the Hanjin bankruptcy, it may be there for a long while.
Hanjin Bankruptcy

We have been keeping busy with boat projects, maintenance and exploring the city. We joined a local gym, got temporary library cards and have figured out the local transit system. The pictures below tell most of the story.