Gay cruises: the charm of the sailboat

Mar. 24 2014

by Béatrice Leproux

Escorted by dolphins, the Star Flyer glides through the Gulf of Mexico. From the Pacific coast, we can only distinguish green, so dense and powerful that it almost turns black. Thin clouds seem to rise from the thick mass of trees. Until the Caribbean Sea, on the other side of the isthmus, they are active volcanoes, thermal springs, caves, and the sea.hot springs, caves, mountains, canyons, rivers and waterfalls, a diversity of ecosystems unexpected in such a small country barely larger than Switzerland.

Seventy meters above the void
Prosperous, peaceful and tolerant, Costa Rica has many things to be proud of: free education and health care for all, an army that was disbanded in 1948 and a former Nobel Peace Prize-winning president, Oscar Arias. And if the Parliament postpones the debate on gay marriage-the Catholic Church, the state religion, is watching over it-the country has long since adopted this important community, with an increasing number of North Americans and Europeans.

Pavilions © Béatrice Leproux

Here, one hundred and twenty of them preferred to cruise aboard a sailboat-sixty cabins-to the gigantic impersonal floating cities usually proposed for gay cruises. it's much more intimate," enthuses Bob. Whether you're a couple or single, you meet several times a day: at the table, at the bar, in the evening or on an excursion. Of course, we make friends quickly. And Claude adds: "Here, there's no show-off, no fuss, we are who we are.

Enough of the casino factories, malls, elevators that look like freight elevators and that pour more than a thousand tourists at a time onto the same spot. Enough of the face you see that you will never see again, of the conversation that will never resume, of the business card that you don't even know who it belongs to. Here, everything is within reach. On a human scale so that everyone can get to know each other and spacious enough to isolate oneself. On board, you can feel the sea, the roll sometimes, the sails that slap and swell, even with the help of the engine. You can wallow on the net stretched on both sides of the bowsprit and watch the dolphins playing in the bow wave. With a bit of luck, we will even see humpback whales. And if we feel like it, we will climb the mast or hoist the mainsail by the strength of our wrists.

In addition to water sports and horseback riding, zip-lining in the Golfito rainforest is a big hit: suspended by a pulley from steel cables strung between trees, helmeted and harnessed, one slides from tree to tree over seventy meters of air. Kim Gustavsson, director of Concierge Travel, makes a point of being present on the trips he organizes: "It's a completely different atmosphere," says Kim. We meet several times a day: at the table, at the bar, at parties or on excursions. Unlike the big liners, which I also enjoy, it's a completely different experience, very personalized. Present on the trips he organizes, among the passengers, Kim takes care of them with a lot of kindness. And also with humor. The first evening sets the tone: underwears evening. Nothing like it to break the ice. after that," says Kim Gustavsson, "there's not much to show or hide! There is no room for cheating. in the big ships," says Bob, "you have to do a lot to get noticed among two thousand guys. It's all about seduction. Here, it's useless, we're all much cooler, we're fine the way we are.

In the same "family" spirit, the artists welcomed on board share the life of the passengers throughout the cruise. "I invite Chi Chi Rones and Amy & Freddy for their talent and because they are recognized by our community," Kim continues. In between a song and a number, their humorous comments on a situation of the day are a hit. The final argument in favor of mini-cruises is the quality of the meals. Cooking for one hundred or two thousand is not the same recipe

Rainforest, Golfo Dulce © Béatrice Leproux

In the early morning, the four-masted ship glides in the Golfo Dulce. From the coasts, we can only distinguish a dense green mass from which rise thin clouds. This is the famous tropical rainforest, specific to hot climates with permanent humidity, which covers a third of the country. In this exuberant vegetation, we guess a life, noises, cries that are still unknown to us. Day after day, as we travel up the coast from Panama to the Gulf of Nicoya, each stopover offers the opportunity for an adventure. In Golfito, the zipline is a great success: equipped with a helmet and a harness, suspended by a pulley from steel cables stretched between platforms attached to the trees, we slide from one tree to another, sometimes without estimating the seventy meters below us as the foliage is so thick. Seeing yourself almost floating above the canopy is worth the adrenaline rush.

Confidences for confidences
At the bar, at the table, on a floating pontoon or in the middle of the forest, one goes from the frank laughter to the most intimate conversations. We evoke an intransigent father, an unjust punishment, a life without salt, a wife we loved, teenagers to raise and then, the break-up, the rebirth, often difficult. The rights of homosexuals on both sides of the borders are compared. Some have passed it to be able to marry. Others resist, militate. Still others have children, born of a surrogate mother. Concierge Travel actively supports theHuman Rights Campaign. Moreover, tonight, there is a conference on board. Neil Giuliano is CEO of the San Francisco Aids Foundation and president ofGLAAD(Gays & lesbians alliance against desinformation). In pictures, he traces the evolution of the status of gays in North America. Edifying. Laughter and tears, the emotion is strong. The music and the party will take care to release it.

Meeting the howler monkeys

In the Osa Peninsula, Drake is the gateway to Corcovado, one of the wildest and most intricate parks in the country. It is the habitat of the jaguar, the ocelot, the peccary (a small boar with a very short tail), the tapir and many birds, including the famous scarlet macaws. In this vegetal jumble five thousand different plants, trees, lianas, ferns, orchids, are intertwined in a perpetual fight for light.

A couple of macao macaws - large parrots with scarlet coats - shrieks shrilly and dry while shelling almonds. The pasdanas those of a guide, the wide eyes, we stop in front of an improbable flower, an insect, a spectacular frog - red eyes and flanks stripeds of yellow - or the nose in the air, we search the canopy in search of a sleeping porcupine or a colony of spider monkeys. When leaving the forest, the coastline is a succession of creeks, small beaches shaken by the rollers and rocky coasts. Between June and November, one of the seven species of sea turtles present in the country's waters comes to lay eggs in the sand. Fishing for them or collecting their eggs costs four years in prison. A crocodile prowls from one mangrove to another by way of the sea.

Quepos is the small gay town par excellence where the first naturist beach, La Playita, was established in the early 70s. A few kilometers away is the Manuel Antonio National Park. Very frequented, with paths a little too well marked, one observes there nevertheless easily iguanas, small deer, sloths and coatis, this species of raccoons. The bathers are careful not to leave their bags unattended: capuchin monkeys would return the contents.

Osa Peninsula © Béatrice Leproux

Further north, the Tortugas Islands mark the entrance to the Gulf of Nicoya. You can choose between lazing on the white sand, diving and snorkeling or trekking to meet howler monkeys in the Curu reserve. Every evening, all the passengers squat on the deck watching the sunset. Some try to climb the mast while others, lying on the net stretched on both sides of the bowsprit, watch the dolphins playing in the bow wave. The bass is already vibrating in the tropical bar. Tonight, it will be another party on board, and even in the pool.

(updated on January 30, 2020)