Mowana, a Trimaran Reborn
The restoration of the Mowana trimaran began with an odd little journey in Costa Rica.
My cousin Jean-Luc, now captain and manager of Mowana Sailing, and I took an inflatable kayak out to see an abandoned sailboat near Playas del Coco.
Halfway there, the kayak sprang a leak. A passing boat dropped us at the mooring, and we swam back to shore.
The Buccaneer 33 trimaran had spent eleven years at anchor. We bought her in 2022 and towed her to the beach at Potrero without a keel.
On the sand, we worked on the hull, the wiring and the mast. We added wide trampolines up front so our future guests would be more comfortable. We still had to track down sails, deck hardware and other equipment before we could launch her.
In 2023, we welcomed our first guests. Today, Mowana leaves Playa Flamingo Beach on private tours. If you’d like to sail along the Guanacaste coast, you can join us in the morning, at sunset or for a full day.
How Mowana Sailing Began Over a Drink
The idea of starting a business together came up in a bar. Jean-Luc was already working as a skipper. We talked about how much we wanted to sail and share this stretch of the Guanacaste coast with guests. We still had to choose a boat.
We’d considered a catamaran in Bocas del Toro, Panama, but the asking price was over budget. We dropped the idea of buying it and kept the name we’d picked for the project, Mowana. Jean-Luc also knew the American owner of a trimaran near Playa del Coco. The boat had been at anchor for eleven years. The next day, with a kayak under our arm, we went to see what she looked like.
Eleven Years at Anchor off Playa del Coco
The boat that picked us up after the kayak sprang a leak dropped us at the trimaran. Once aboard, we could see how much work she needed. Even so, the conversation soon turned from what we had to fix to what we could do with the boat once she was restored.
The trimaran’s design suited the trips we had in mind. On a Buccaneer 33, the main hull sits between two floats. We wondered how to arrange the space so guests could enjoy the sailing and gather on deck when we stopped.
We were already thinking about small groups, swimming and snorkeling. First we had to make sure we could finish the restoration.
The day after our visit, we got in touch with the owner to make an offer. He liked the idea of seeing the boat sail again, and we soon agreed on a price. Buying her in 2022 marked the start of the restoration.
Towing Mowana to Playa Potrero Without a Keel
To get the sailboat out of the water, we first had to tow her back to Playa Potrero. Mowana had lost her keel. She was hard to steer under tow, and getting her all the way onto the sand took quite an effort.
When I think back to the restoration, that tow is as vivid as the day we launched her again. The marina had just been completed, but it was beyond our modest budget. So we hauled the trimaran up onto the sand. That became our boatyard, right by the sea under the Costa Rican sun.
We already knew this stretch of the Guanacaste coast from the water. For several months, it was where we went to work on land.
The Hull, the Mast and the Gear We Had to Find
The restoration took several months. We worked on the hull and redid the wiring. Then there was the mast. To get Mowana sailing again, we needed a set of sails and the right hardware. In Potrero, we got on with what we had to hand. Finding the rest took time.
Some parts were hard to come by in Costa Rica, so tracking down equipment was as much a part of the job as working on the hull. A day spent looking for deck hardware could matter just as much as a day on the sand. We were already thinking about the trips ahead and how comfortable the boat would be under sail.
As the work progressed, we thought about how much room the crew would need to handle the boat and where guests could make themselves comfortable between stops. On the beach, those were still decisions to make.
Spend some time aboard today and you can see what those choices did for the boat.
Launching Mowana with an Excavator
That day, an excavator towed Mowana back toward the sea. We watched her move across the sand until the hull floated again. After months of work, there was something magical about that moment.
There she was at last, the boat we’d pictured on our swim back to shore.
In 2023, we welcomed our first guests. Every departure brought back the excitement we’d felt dreaming up the project over a drink. The trimaran had a new purpose. She was sailing again, and we could finally share this stretch of coast with others.
How the Trimaran’s Design Shapes Life on Board
When we talked about the project, we were thinking about two very different ways to use the same deck. Underway, the captain and crew need room to move as they handle the boat. At anchor, guests need space to get ready to snorkel, go for a swim or simply stay on board. We kept both in mind as we planned the layout.
Mowana was originally built for racing. Today she’s a cruising sailboat.
You can spot a trimaran at a glance. Its main hull and two floats are joined by crossbeams, and wide trampoline nets span part of the space between the hulls. If you’re used to monohulls, that’s often the first thing you notice.
On Mowana, you can settle into the nets to watch the coast go by or catch a breeze during a stop. Ashore, we saw the boat differently. There was the mast to deal with and sails and fittings to track down before she could go to sea again. Looking back, we learned to see the same boat through the eyes of the people who work on her and the guests who come aboard to spend a few hours on the ocean.
From Potrero to Private Sailing in Playa Flamingo
We worked on the boat at Playa Potrero, near Las Brisas restaurant. Today our tours leave from Playa Flamingo Beach, in front of Pleamar restaurant. Guests staying in Tamarindo and nearby also meet the crew in Flamingo.
Jean-Luc captains Mowana. The trimaran takes up to twelve guests, with the whole boat reserved for one group per trip. You can choose a private morning sail, a sunset tour or a full day at sea. The captain chooses where to stop based on sailing conditions.
Snorkeling is part of the private tour, with one planned stop on a half-day trip and two on a full day, conditions permitting. Fishing gear is available on board.
Choose Your Sailing Tour
If you’re planning a trimaran tour on Costa Rica’s west coast, start by deciding how much time you’d like to spend on the water.
A morning sail leaves the rest of the day free for other plans.
On the afternoon tour, you can watch the sun sink over the ocean.
The full-day tour gives you eight hours on board and includes a meal.
Drinks are included on every tour. Meals and snacks vary with the trip. Before you book, check your group size and choose a trip length, then look up the corresponding price on the website. The price shown is for the whole group.
You’ll also find departure information and available dates on the site as you plan your stay.
We sail when conditions allow, and the captain uses those same conditions to decide where to stop. You can snorkel, try the paddleboard or use the fishing gear on board. Some guests are just as happy sharing a meal, watching boats in the distance or seeing how the crew handles the sails.
When I see Mowana leaving Playa Flamingo, I sometimes think back to that inflatable kayak and the excavator on the beach. If you’d like to see what all that work made possible, come sail the Guanacaste coast with us.
