Sailing and Boating in Pavones, and Golfito Services: Insider Travel Tips

Sailors visiting Pavones find
provisions and customs in nearby Golfito.

No Somali style pirates in Golfo Dulce, but common sense safety precautions are taken by sailors and boaters in the bay of Pavones, the larger Golfo Dulce and the port of Golfito (8°38.16'N, 83°10.0'W), as in all Costa Rican ports.

Most visiting vessels anchor near the Cantina in Pavones, where watchful eyes can be on alert. 
The Quicksilver boat visits several times a year with pro surfers and adventure travel clients, and someone is always on board. Landowners in the area often anchor in smaller coves close to their homes, farther up the coast. Vessels are never unoccupied at night, and if the owner must be away then a trusted caretaker is hired to sleep on board.

Golfito is a good port for provisioning and customs bonding.  For large yachts, diesel prices in Golfito are significantly higher than they are in Panama, so captains typically fuel up before arriving in Costa Rica's high-tax waters. 

Cocaine smuggling up and down the Pacific coast has increased in years, with drug runners typically using large speedboats  that will do anything to fuel up, and if they can't get to port they've had no qualms about stealing fuel from fishing boats.  Golfito remains very safe, and is home to the US trained and provisioned Costa Rican Coast Guard.

On arrival into Golfito, hoist the Q flag and call the naval base on Channel 16.  

Katie at Land & Sea provides excellent docking services at an economical price, and offers docking and mooring and a watchful eye for security.  Bruce at Banana Bay Marina offers a full suite of services as well as the best hamburgers on the 8^th latitude, a lively bar and good rooms.  Other good choices for docking, provisions and hotel rooms are Fish Hook Marina and Samoa del Sur.  More information for sailors is available at Noonsite.com.

Do you have something to add or correct?  Please let us know in the comments or e-mail us.  Thanks!