Hello Friends and family of the CV-9 crew,

We departed as scheduled from La Libertad, Ecuador on Tuesday afternoon and have a current ETA for Los Suenos Marina in Bahia Herradura, Costa Rica for Friday at noon local time. Time enough to get a head start on removing all the salt build up and finally sample some of the best Ceviche we have ever ran across right there on the marina grounds. Hopefully the “El Galleon” will not disappoint as we have built up the subject as high as possible. The fueling facility was quite a challenge with a 30 foot dock and surge from the ocean ground swell, photos attached.

We had a surprise visit from management just this Monday along with a well known charter broker with Fraser yachts who had nothing but good things to say about the condition of the boat and crew, always nice to get a pat on the back. CV-9 is always in tip-top condition, as any yacht should be, but Tracy and Virginia made up some great snacks and poured our guests a few drinks. No wonder they left happy. An unedited version of the report is attached if interested. That is Tracy and Virginia standing on the swim-step to receive our guests.

All crew were able to rotate out on a much deserved couple of days off and just about everyone utilized the time to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. That was a great experience and I was very pleased that we all got the opportunity. Hopefully we can be so lucky next April when the life rafts are due for their annual re-pack again! I hope we’re still in Fiji, but you never can tell.

Costa Rica should treat us very well, it’s my 6th time cruising there and it is always very rewarding. The crew will enjoy two stints of days off, almost like “normal” occupations, for just the next two weeks. Sounds like some sightseeing mixed in with R&R are in order. When our guests arrive the second week of May we will be full on for about three weeks straight.

We are quite busy onboard preparing for the big electrical refit and also for jumping off of the Americas for the extended world cruise. The great difficulty experienced in trying to receive parts and packages just in South America, really has us thinking ahead in what spares we should carry to save valuable time and shipping costs. We’ll be ready.

That’s it for now from the Bridge.
Best regards,
Ethan