BAHIA CULEBRA, Costa Rica — Marina Papagayo is the first boating facility you reach as you enter Costa Rica from the north — and it just opened, Dec. 15.

Photo by: www.CentralAmericanBoating.com photo Grand Opening — The 164-foot Westport motoryacht Sea Quest, making its maiden voyage, was one of the first yachts to glide into Costa Rica’s new Marina Papagayo.

Billed as a five-star marina, Marina Papagayo is nestled into the north end of Bahia Culebra, in the Costa Rican state of Guan­acaste, so the location has always provided good shelter from the notorious Papagayo gales. Bahia Culebra is famous for its many jungle-clad anchorages and great sportfishing close offshore.

Marina Papagayo is flanked by the lush Papagayo Peninsula development, which has a Four Seasons golf resort. Brandy Marine of Sarasota, Fla., performed the feasibility studies, designed and assisted in overseeing the construction of the facility’s ShoreMaster floating dock system.

The first 180 full-service slips were christened during the arrival of several mega-yachts — including Sea Quest, a 164-foot tri-deck Westport motoryacht making its maiden voyage. For the ceremonious occasion, Sea Quest was escorted into its brand-new slip by a marina tender.

In-slip amenities include electricity, water, WiFi Internet access, cable television and dock boxes – plus, full concierge and provisioning services.

The marina also opened a 950-foot fuel dock with five high-speed pumps for diesel and gasoline, and will have a port captain’s annex for official clearance into Costa Rica. When completed, the marina will contain 350 slips for yachts 35 to 240 feet.

For more information on Marina Papagayo in Costa Rica, contact Capt. Dan Eaffaldano at (888) 863-0301, ext. 2268, or e-mail dan.eaffaldoano@marinapapagyo.com.

— Capt. Pat Rains