Discovery of Costa Rica

Barbara Adams - Tico Times

When asked how he and his wife Cecelia found Costa Rica, this is what long time resident and owner of M.V. Manta Raya said: "We were sitting on the idyllic beach in Hawaii in the early seventies, taking in the incredible beauty. I remember I was trying to learn how to surf. A guy came by and sat beside us and said :"Pretty neat, huh?" We said it was the most gorgeous place we'd ever seen. And he said, "You think this is nice, you ought to see Costa Rica."" The Reid's story of their discovery of Costa Rica is, in many ways, a stereotypical one; they heard of it by chance.

Relatively unknown in the seventies to all but the most savvy travel agents, Costa Rica was one of the best-kept secrets in the hemisphere. The typical question was, "What island is that?" The country was frequently confused with Puerto Rico, or if thought of at all, it was lumped into the Third World as part of the green tangle of small countries south of Texas.

For the Reids, it was the man on the beach in Hawaii who planted the seed of seduction. That began to germinate with an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle, a kind of open invitation to anyone interested in Costa Rica. "There was going to be a party on Mount Tamalpais outside of San Francisco, and we went. The party was crammed with all these people who were so excited about Costa Rica. They were passing around photos, and showing slides, they were just flipped," said David with a wide remembering smile from his graying beard. "We decided we'd better go to Costa Rica."

In a snapshot from the time, David and Cecelia fit in the profile of that era's American icon of youth, bellbottomed and long-haired; they joined the baby boomer exodus out of North America, but instead of thumbing around Europe, they hit the new Baja Highway south in a camper they'd out-fitted for the trip down the stretch of banana republics to a country whose name they were going to learn to love.

The First Trip to Tortuga

Island How did the Reids stumble onto Tortuga? "We rented a boat in Puntarenas and went fishing near Caldera, where a fish hasn't been caught in 50 years. So we asked the guide to take us some place nice to swim. He took us to Tortuga. David swears his were the first footprints the white sand of Tortuga had seen in a month. "The place was totally uninhabited when we went out there," he said. "The guide told us no one wanted to stay on the island because no one would visit them, it was considered that remote."

Making Their Dream a Reality

Puntarenas, David and Cecelia purchased the Calypso and the empty shell of a beach house that was used to tan sharks, and turned the property into Casa Calypso, an evolving reception area, boutique, and bathrooms for guests, and home for the Reids.

They completed the unfurnished boat and did anything with it to earn money: taxi service, fishing trips, and short cruises. David spent a lot of time in San José trying to sell travel agents and hotels on the idea of an island cruise with lunch on the beach. Unheard of at the time, the idea took a year to gel, a year before their first group of 25 or more.

The Yacht Calypso

"Calypso was remodeled six times. We kept changing it to suit the different needs of our passengers," said David. "It took 20 years but we've had doubled our capacity, and the boat was more comfortable."

One key to Calypso's success is the tour's delectable fare. Featured in Gourmet Magazine, Calypso's luncheon is an unforgettable experience, served under swaying palms on one of the planet's most unspoiled snippets of land. The strains of Latin Marimba music from Abuelo's handmade keyboard blend with Pacific breezes. Life is good.

First Class Service

It's no accident that Calypso's lunch is outstanding. David and Cecelia both came from a serious work ethnic background. And their work was in food. "When I met Cecs in ‘68 she was the head chef at a Greek Restaurant in Marin County," said David, who himself had "done some chefing," but was more involved in food management.

After completing a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in San Francisco City College, David was running the kitchens for SAGA Food Service, feeding thousands at colleges and institutions in two western states.

These days, Calypso has a commercial kitchen where full-time chefs create the sumptuous dishes served daily on Tortuga and Punta Coral. Cecelia now oversees food production and on-board service, but at one time she did it all herself: the shopping, preparing, cooking, packing and laying out of a half-dozen dishes for dozens of passengers. "Cecs," as she prefers to be called admits it hasn't always been easy.

The Calypso Family

The Reid children, Celiece and Bryan, for example, rode an academic roller coaster as they switched three times between schools in Puntarenas and San José. Working out of a home that was also a business left David and Cecelia with little or no "off" time, and building up the tour during the lean years was just plain hard work. But the good has been very good. "The whole family has become marineros," pointed out David, unable to squash the pride in his voice.

"Both kids are totally bilingual and at home on boats and in the water. My daughter's ambition is to run the Calypso Company."

Bryan Reid handles himself like a sailor on deck, but is, in fact, more interested in computers at this point. "Bryan may be our business manager with computer back-up," said his father, dynasty written in his grin. He admits though that Bryan is young; it's too early to tell.

The Original "Pacific Island Cruise"

The 'Manta Raya' has now replaced the original Calypso on the same Pacific Island Tour. Dedicated to passenger service as always, David and Cecelia had the sleek, dual-hulled craft designed for ultimate comfort.

"The catamaran design means we can pull the boat right up on the beach and ramp the people off rather than put them into a dinghy," explained David. "It means more safety and comfort and more time on the island since the ‘Manta Raya' is faster than the Calypso. "The ramp design also means greater ease for passengers using a wheelchair, though David says they've made it before, even with disabled guests disembarking via dinghy.

David and Cecelia's 40 Costa Rican employees run the gamut from secretaries to cooks, captains, crew, carpenters, mechanics and 89-year-old Abuelo, the tour's nimble marimba player. Every need is met.

Perfection in Paradise

David and Cecelia have spent their many years in this business polishing the tours like jewels. Greatness, as they say, is in the details, and the Calypso Cruises are a multi-faceted gems, from continental breakfast on the air-conditioned motor-coach to a sunset toast on the deck "Calypso has a tradition of quality and we've been holding up that tradition for nearly 33 years," said David Reid. "I think we've been getting better and better."