Gavin Howard came to Costa Rica from Anaheim, California In the 1960s. His destination was the Costa Rican North Pacific West Coast, in Potrero Bay. He had heard that in this area, he could buy a large tract of land cheaply and, with promotion, sell it at a premium price. Gavin purchased the area, now known as Flamingo Beach, for $10,000. Sales did not go as well as expected, and the Government officially declared Gavin "Persona non grata" (Not Welcome) in Costa Rica. While in the USA, he sold the Costa Rican property to the Marcelo Brothers on a promise that they would pay him, as they sold the Property. Roger Olson later bought the land from Gavin Howard and the Marcelo Brothers. He segregated the property and began the development of a marina in Flamingo. Most of the area reserved for the marina required dredging. Dredging the marina required an area for the disposal of the dredged material. Robert now realized that he could increase his share of Flamingo Land by dredging the Mariana and properly disposing of the dredged material. Roberts’ new land, created by dredging, resulted in greed and jealousy between Robert and the other early developers of Flamingo. They wanted their share of this New Land, and Robert wanted to keep it for himself! From 1984 through 1986, the Nicaragua-Iran/Contra war and decisions made by the Central Intelligence Agency changed Costa Rica. In January 1989, Jim and his family departed California aboard their sailboat, Shannon. They planned a 6-month leisurely sail from San Diego, California to Costa Rica, where they would explore Costa Rica for a couple of months before continuing to the Panama Canal. The transient through the canal would take them to the Atlantic Ocean. They would sail to Europe and beyond. However, cruising life seldom follows a schedule. The only applicable certainty is that your plans will change!