In April, 2021 Barrett & Peggy traveled to Costa Rica, including a four-day stop to windsurf at Lake Arenal. After being postponed for over a year due to the COVID Pandemic, we were really looking forward to the trip. Lake Arenal is on a continental divide between the Atlantic and Pacific where wind funnels through a low point in the mountains. The result is epic conditions for windsurfing on Lake Arenal from December into May. Water temperature averages 72ºF throughout the year.

We stayed at Mystica Lodge, two miles from on-the-water windsurfing rentals at Tico Wind. Unless you walk, the road to Tico Wind requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle, especially after a rain. Conditions looked good when we arrived, but a bank of clouds on the horizon quickly blew overhead, bringing rain and gusty conditions. I sailed out from shore with on an 85L wave board & 4.4m sail in time for Peggy to take a couple of photos before the rain hit. Peggy headed for cover while I was alternately blasted by intense gusts alternating with lulls, all while riding huge swell in stinging rain. I lasted an hour and called it quits. That evening I warmed up by the fireplace at Mystica Lodge. The next couple of days sunny skies quickly alternated with storm clouds, so we went hiking, and drove to a lower elevation for dry weather and wildlife viewing. Fortunately, conditions improved dramatically on my last day at the Lake and I had a great time sailing in strong, but steady wind. Swell builds from wind blowing down the length of the Lake, making for exciting sailing.