When I first arrived in Nicaragua I headed straight for the beach at San Juan del Sur. I stood wiggling my toes in the sand taking in the beautiful horseshoe bay, the dramatic headlands pointing far out to sea and the white boats bobbing in the surf. I focused in, scanning past the fishing boats and the motorboats and stopped on a nice looking yacht sitting proudly in the water. I was determined to have a sail.

The yacht is called Gypsy and yes, she’s available for charter.

The coastline around San Juan del Sur is stunning. Travelers rave about the beautiful bays of Nacascolo and Marsella, the famous surf break at Madera, the enchanting Playa Majagual with its prominent pointed bluff, and Playa Ocotal, a crescent shaped beach and home to Morgans Rock, the upscale eco-resort.

My sailing trip was headed south to a secluded beach known as Brasilito a couple of hours away. We set off in mid-morning. The offshore winds filled our sails and we quickly rounded out of the San Juan del Sur bay. Keeping close to the shore I was able to watch the beautiful beaches slide by while sipping on a fruity rum cocktail. The geography in this part of Nicaragua is similar to Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region, and easily it’s equal. The only thing missing are the brand names, now firmly a feature of the Costa Rica property scene.

We passed Yankee beach on the way to Brasilito and saw the swell rising. If we were lucky, we’d be able to fit in a bit of surfing on our return journey. But right now we had lunch on our mind.

Brasilito is stunning. The beach is slightly curved, fringed with shade trees and very sandy. The Gypsy staff got us settled in comfortable loungers, served us another drink and set to preparing lunch. Our fishing line that we had trawled from San Juan del Sur had not attracted any bites, but it was still fish on the menu – red snapper cooked over a barbecue. Delicious.

On our way back we anchored off shore at Yankee beach and swam in with our boards for a spot of Nicaragua surf. Just the five of us picking up the left beach breaks Yankee is so famous for. The offshore wind that had powered our yacht now sculpted the waves into perfect peaks.

And the perfect end to a perfect day? Drinks on board watching the hills turn slowly pink at sunset.