Brisa Elegante: The Journey
Brisa Elegante is the wooden sail cruiser in Marina Pez Vela in Quepos. She has become the landmark of the marina. It is an impressive sight when she enters the marina after sunset.
Hearing of Brisa Elegante’s heritage from Fethiye, Turkey, our guests regularly ask us how Brisa Elegante came to Costa Rica. Well, here is the whole story.
After her completion and initial operation in Turkey, she sailed from Fethiye from east to west through the Mediterranean and past Gibraltar to the Canary Islands. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean to St. Lucia in the Caribbean and sailed to her new home in St. Augustine FL, USA. This whole journey took her three months and has proven one thing—she is seaworthy!
In the Municipal Marina in St. Augustine, we took her over precisely one year ago, in April 2021. This was following a thorough one-week survey, crawling through the bilges, climbing on masts, and testing all systems. It was the highlight of the survey when she left her berth in the marina, sailing under the Bridge of Lions into the open bay for her sea trial. All systems worked, the bilge remained dry, and she moved confidently in the swell rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean. So, nothing stood in the way to take her over and plan her journey to Costa Rica.