I had hoped to sneak in under the radar and spend the night in Golfito. We accomplished our main objective, the refueling of the boat. (My fuel consumption calculations were accurate to 5%!) But when we tied up at the marina around 1500, I found out that it was too late to clear in, so I would have to spend the whole day tomorrow clearing in and then immediately clearing out. I asked what would happen if I didn't bother to clear in, stayed overnight and left first thing in the morning. The marina manager told me that customs might come and seize the boat.
I decided not to take that chance. Although the crew undertook a covert mission to get some fresh vegetables at the market, slinking their way through the alleyways of Golfito as illegal aliens.
For a tourist-based economy, Costa Rica is not a yacht friendly country.
We are now sailing overnight to Isla Parida, a pretty little island off the coast of Panama about 75 nm away. We'll arrive in the morning, get some R&R and stay overnight at anchor.
No clearing in required.
