[cassandra1]

Me, my husband, and another couple are planning a trip to Costa Rica early next year. Our plan originally was to sail out of San Diego hitting a few key ports in Mexico then Costa Rica, panama and finally meeting up with friends in Columbia. We have a 40' on the east coast in New York and our friends have a 45' on in San Diego.
Time constraints have limited our travel time and now sailing either boat into the region would no longer be practical. We are open to many options. I am struggling to find many charter companies on the pacific coast.

We are open to purchasing a boat if it priced right or if anyone is planning to sell they could easily make a lions share of their sale price just renting it to us for 1-2 months. Whether charter, sale, or rental, the boat needs to be suitable for live aboard sailing for two couples. Tight quarters are fine. Suitable navigation and safety equipment a must. We are flexible on the type of boat. These requirements apply primarily to the purchase or rental options of course.

If anyone has contact info in Costa Rica for anyone looking to sell or make a killing renting, please reply or PM.

Contact info for any charter companies on the west coast would also be greatly appreciated.

If someone has a boat that fits the bill in neighboring countries, we could pay for delivery and pick up personal, travel, expenses.

If no other options exist.... does anybody want to take the sail of a lifetime delivering our boat from NY to Costa Rica?

The trip will take place throughout most of January and February of next year.

If you have any info that can help us out please PM so we can jump on a call and discuss. Thanks in advance.

 

[cassandra1]

I am a bit suprised that nobody has replied with at least charter company info. If you know any SN members with knowledge that can be helpful please forward this along to them in case they missed it.

If anyone is considering selling a suitable boat anywhere, and wants to consider getting paid for the sale and the delivery please contact us.

Deal sweetener- Our travel agent can get killer all inclusive packages touring all the hot spots throughout costa rica. anywhere from 6-10 days. We would be willing to throw something like that in for yourself +1.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pura Vida]

Hello! Sounds like you are planning an amazing adventure.

We live in Guanacaste, Costa Rica and go sailing here quite often. I can give you the name/number of at least one local chartering company called Gold Coast Charters. If you can't find their contact info or if they can't help you. I can dig up the names for some of the others. There are many sailboats and catamarans in the area so I think you should be able to find something without too much trouble. It seems like sailing cats are the most popular in this area.

I believe you'll have to charter the boat with captain and crew. We were told that they don't do barefoot charters around here because they can't get insurance for it. But, I don't know how accurate that is.

Sailing in Costa Rica, especially Guancaste, can be very interesting in January and February. The Papagayo winds are intense!

Happy planning! Let me know if you need any more help or have more questions. I love this place and love telling other people about it. Pura vida!

 

[cassandra1]

Thank you Pura Vida!

A grand adventure indeed. I appreciate the charter info you replied with. I will certainly reach out to them to look at rates.

I have actually made some headway since I originally posted this. I got in touch with a few boat dealers in Costa Rica. There seems to be only a few dealers around but all have been very helpful and claimed that my request is fairly common a few times a year from others. We are now looking at purchasing a suitable boat to then be sold fast at substantial discount after our use. The brokers seem eager to sell a boat twice in one year. Any one in the market down there keep your eyes peeled for a great deal early next year. If we find a great boat we may split it with a friend who lives in country to be kept for future use.

My guess is we can take either path and save compared to the charter option. I will get in touch with Gold Coast this week to see. Regardless, we'll catch you out there early next year! Thanks again.

 

[rgvsailor]

Hey, I saw that you know a bit about Sailing in Costa Rica. I am currently in Guanacasta and am looking to crew. Could you offer advice on how I should go about doing so?

 

[captain.k]

Hi everyone,
I'm familiar with the sailing community on the west central coast, and there are no sailing charter companies here. The best bet is Guanacaste, as previously stated. RGV, we have a couple regattas a year out of Puntarenas, and there's always some boat in need of crew. next one is probably in a half year or so. The last one was in November 2014.
I'm working on setting up some day tours in this area...to explore the islands like Jesucita, Cedros, and Tortuga, but it's probably too far for you to do regularly.
Saludos,
Captain Kris

 

[seabirdcr]

Our 45' Marine Explorer and sailing tour company have just been put on the market. The owner of Sea Bird leased the boat to me so that I could use it to start a business and live the Pura Vida here in Costa Rica. He has already bought another boat and now wants to buy beach front property so he needs the money for his boat and since we have such a great business going now, we decided to sell the whole thing as a turnkey opportunity. I love it down here and don't plan on leaving Costa Rica and in fact will probably continue selling tours for the new owners.

The name of the business is Sea Bird Sailing Excursions and you can find us on facebook, TripAdvisor, Google +, our website...
but since I only have 5 posts up to this point, this forum will not let me share the link to the sale info sheet. Need to get 5 more posts in first!

It is 100% legal for an ex-pat to own a business and boat here. We have done everything by the CR book since Sea Bird sailed into Coco Bay and everything about this business opportunity is legit.

Feel free to inbox me for more info.

Gracias! Pura vida!

Heather