March 28-March 31 Heading North Once Again

Heading ashore for sunset cocktails on Isla Espiritu Santo

We left La Paz friday afternoon (March 28th) in the afternoon, amazing how long it takes to scrape ourselves off the dock. We hoped to get to Isla Espiritu Santo, but due to a stronger than anticipated Northerly wind we had to tuck into Bahia Falsa, barely 3 miles out side of the entrance to the channel of La Paz. We passed the rest of the afternoon lazing around, not enticed by the water. 

The next morning saw us up early and heading to Espiritu Santo. A favorable west wind allowed us to put up our sails and test out the newly repaired genoa. Mainsail alone saw us doing 1.5 knots and the genoa bumped us up to 4.5 in a 10 knot breeze! Pretty nice to have large sail area…until it starts to blow too much. Within a couple hours we had reached the island and the wind picked up to upper teens. We had too much canvas up and needed to reduce sail area.

However we had a couple fishing pangas to leeward and a point of the island that we couldn’t quite weather. So with a snap decision we tried to drop the genoa rather than bear away and dodge boats. It didn’t go smoothly. It flogged itself and tore a new hole in the leach, however it was repairable. After diffusing the situation we motored the rest of the way to our anchorage and dropped the hook and took a deep breath. A quick reflection discussed what happened and how to improve for next time.

Puffer fish skeleton on shore

After business was finished Justen and Patrick went for a swim to experience the near tropical waters and clear visibility. The aqua blue of the water was mesmerizing and the rocks were covered with coral. There were lots of tropical fish too, surgeon fish, parrot fish, and wrasses swimming around. The geography of the island is fascinating. There is a probably 15 degree angle of tectonic pieces going upwards from west to east. These layers were split open at sharp angles, lending to the bays we anchored in and beautiful cracks and colors on the cliffs, reminiscent of the south west US.

Early start the next day wit the goal of making up ground. We motored all day with a couple interruptions to haul sails and take advantage of a south wind. While nearing Bahia Agua Verde, we hooked a fish that proceeded to leap out of the water and show itself, proving to be a Dorado. Unfortunately, the leap and head shake pulled the hook from his mouth. It turned out this was the exact same location we had hooked a Dorado on the way down, but with the same result. No dorado for us :(  We did manage to bring in a nice needle fish, probably about 2.5 ft long. These guys supposedly can get up to 5 ft long and have wicked teeth. Yikes!

We arrived at our anchorage, Puerto Los Gatos right around sunset. The warm sunlight on the red rock cliffs was beautiful, reminding us of a sunset in Zion national park.  As soon as we dropped the hook we were offered lobster from a local panguero, but politely declined, as we had lots of fish from spearing the previous day. We had made good headway, roughly 50 miles north in one chunk. Tomorrow, Puerto Escon”gringo”.

March 25-28: La Paz at Last!

Today we reached La Paz, our southern most destination. Getting in to the port was an interesting experience though… There is a long(about 6 miles), narrow entrance channel that is dredged to make passage to the downtown area of La Paz. We stayed at a Marina right downtown and on the Malecon to experience the city life. Getting into our side-tie slip was interesting, as we  basically had to parallel park the boat! David did a nice job getting us in safely.

The Malecon

Our first afternoon in town was sweltering. With no water to swim in, we walked around in 90 degree heat, but thankfully we found some convenient paleta shops, allowing us to cool down and Patrick to try out more ideas for his popsicle business.

Posted due to the numerous dogs the cruisers have

The next morning we woke up to the local cruisers net. It is basically a way for the community of cruisers to stay in touch and hear the weather and other announcements. We used it to find Sea Otter Jimmy, a guy who sailed down on a trimaran 30 years ago and fell in love with a local girl who worked at a ice cream store! So he stayed down here and happens to be a highly recommended outboard mechanic, so we paid him to service our Honda. After the net is over, many cruisers head over to Club Cruceros, a little building near our marina that has a library and social area for the cruisers. It is amazing how many retired gringos are living the cruising life in La Paz, but it makes sense. They have a social life right on shore, easy to access with bocce ball, yoga, volleyball, line dancing and more activities nearly every day. Club Cruceros is like a retirement home for gringos in Mexico. Patrick bought a “pink” shirt, or officially apricot ice color for the upcoming Bay Fest, a weekend full of fun activities.

Our neighbor mother hummingbird

La Paz seems like a pleasant little town. At night the Malecon wakes up and is full of Pacenos(what people from La Paz are called) exercising or strolling with their lover and ice cream. It is really great to have a couple mile long walk that is totally protected from cars!

The famous Pearl of La Paz

After a few days in La Paz, we started to get restless for the sea. It was just too darn hot and our area was full of old cruisers, not people we were stoked to hang out with. Finally, with a few scrapes of the dock on our way out, we were heading back north.

Vicious locals (Free tire puncturing if you park there!)

March 24: Tropical paradise (well, almost tropical)

Our anchorage today is about 60 miles away from the line known as the Tropic of Cancer.

Our anchorage's beautiful water color

 At 23.5 Degrees north this line officially designates the northern border of the "tropics" - the portion of the earth's surface that is closest to the equator.  Although we are not in the tropics, it sure feels like we are.

The temperature is in the 80s or low 90s, the water is very clear (30+ ft visibility), and a cold beer tastes oh so good.

The amazing water clarity at Ensenada Grande

 The water color is an amazing turqoise/light blue color, and the only people sharing our anchorage are the members of a family on a kayak vacation on the beach.

This is pretty amazing!

March 23: Flying the kite

We have moderate to light winds today, and our course takes us dead downwind.  So we push past our hesitation and pulled out the "dangerous" sail - the spinnaker.

Hoisting the spinnaker

We have three hands aboard (e.g., three crew members with one hand each for themselves and one hand for the boat).

We rummage around the boat looking for all the sheets and guy-lines to control the spinnaker.   After about 30minutes of unfamiliar prep-work, we are ready to raise the sail.  The wind is a gentle 4-7 knots, so there is minimal risk at this time.

A full spinnaker pulling us along

Long story short, we get the spinnaker set and are able to make 5.0-5.5 knots of speed in about 7-8 knots of wind.

Its the first time this trip, and is pretty satisfying!

PS - anyone else notice that our spinnaker is good for the Mexican colors.

March 21: A Panga Harangue: Isla Coronado to Puerto Escon"gringo"

Fishing regulations in Baja?? Who knew?!

Woke up and quickly went snorkeling/spearfishing to take advantage of the beautifully clear water. We had 20-30 ft of visibility, the best in a long while. Motored around the southeast point of Isla Coronados and started diving. We some some huge Cabrilla and grouper and Patrick and David started employing a group hunting tactic to herd the fish towards the spearer. A panga stopped by wit dive gear to tell us that we were near a thoroughfare for pangas and to be careful. We had seen them coming and avoided them by a good distance. After Patrick speared a nice spotted cabrilla, another panga stopped by again telling us that we were in a dangerous place and should have a dive flag. It is true, we should have a flag, and were not aware this was such a panga highway. They saw the spear gun and got a little upset with us for it was forbidden to use a speargun in the national park. We had no idea we were even in a national park, let alone a rule allowing regular fishing but not spear fishing. That must be why there are such big fish around… David saw the lady on the panga hop on her phone and feared that she was calling the authorities, whatever that would be in Mexico. So we scooted to our dinghy and quickly motored back to Blue Eyes. A couple passing pangas gave us a little bit of elevated blood pressure, fearing that they were the “authorities”, but after quickly getting underway, we left our fears at the anchorage. It took a little to shake the tone and attitude the lady in the panga had towards us, but we justified her behavior by this: how would we feel if we found someone hunting in Yosemite and simply said they didn’t know it was forbidden or that they were in a National Park?

Very important provision

Whale shark stare down

So we headed the 6 miles to Loreto for some re supplying. Loreto is a bustling town compared to Mulege, with the largest super market Justen has seen in Mexico. We stopped at a well supplied fishing/chandlery store. Secured a dive flag and some more fishing gear, but no hose for the dinghy. 

After finishing up groceries we headed south to Puerto Escondido to anchor for the night. It was surreal entering the nearly enclosed natural harbor, as we saw some 50-75 other sailboats anchored/moored. We are no longer in the desolate Nortern Sea. Some cruisers calls this port “Puerto Escongringo” and listening to the radio chatter and seeing the boats we now see why. We anchored in the larger bay and turned in for the night, to figure out paperwork tomorrow.

"America!": Repairing our gringo pride!

March 20 - rememberance

Remembering Marc at the cruiser's shrine

After Patrick spears us some ceviche ingredients this morning, we head ashore once more in San Juanico. 

San Juanico is home to a cruiser's shrine, in this case a tree where passing boats leave mementos containing boat and crew names.  We left our own, but we also took the time to hold a short memorial ceremony. 

A short while earlier we had received word of the passing of Marc Hersch, the husband of one of our mom's dear friends Monica and a long-distance cruiser.  So we dedicate a moment to remember him. 

Marc's guidance was integral to David selecting Blue Eyes.  Marc's teaching instructed Patrick on how to sail larger boats.  And Marc and Monica's  cruising to Panama and to Europe and Back over several years has inspired us to pursue this cruising adventure while we can.  We hope that Marc and family can be at peace in the to come.

We each take a (small) swig of rum, the traditional sailor drink, and then pour a swig for Marc and all other cruisers who have moved on to an eternal cruising ground.

Fittingly, we have fair winds and a following sea almost all the way from San Juanico to Isla Coronados, near Loreto.  We drop anchor in 15ft of water with crystal clear visibility, and enjoy beer and the ceviche that Patrick had speared earlier.

Marc and Monica were on to something with this cruising lifestyle.

March 19: Guest post by Justen - Sashimi and Kuub: The Dude Abides

March 19
San Juanico

Sashimi and Kuub: The Dude Abides

Sailing down to San Juanico, we snared a Kawakawa on the fishing line we've got trolling out behind us, a beautiful, hefty tuna-beast. Absolutely delightful. So we did the only natural thing and that's to kill and eat it, the meat's fine enough to eat raw,

Sea caves near Punta Pulpito

dipped in soy sauce and wasabi, the rich meat melts  in one's mouth with every bite. I can see why the cruising crowd returns every year to the Sea of Cortez. And when we pulled into anchorage at San Juanico, crowded, those were the other cruisers we met.

The further south one sails in Cortez, the more cruisers one meets. Here though, it's an older crowd, regulars for years or even decades, all aboard Catamarans or real nice 50-foot monohulls . One of the couples pulls alongside us in their dinghy and invites us ashore for beach games.

It's a cool contrast to our time spent with Eric & Pam, Cliff and & Giselle, twenty-something cruisers like us. Their spirit here is the same: jovial, friendly, and ballasted by drinking. It's a youthful way to live, and we play bacci ball and some sort of old Norseman's game, Kuub. While Patrick and David get serious about Kuub, I join forces with an older photographer named Jeff in the hunt for what they call Apache Tears, smooth chunks of obsidian buried in the sands around here. Jeff looks like if the Dude were skinnier, and references The Big Lebowski in the first five minutes of our meeting. He once was assigned a gig to photograph for a book about the Nevada desert, expected it to take a few weeks, roaming the deserts off-roading. After five years he finally finished, with a house in the

David and Patrick learning Kuub

Mohave. in the beach-side desert now, picking burrs from our bare feet and flicking them back in the sands, heat and the winds and the ancient geography, stratified layers of crumbling and unforgiving rocks in turn, and it's impossible for me to say whether the hills are coming down or climbing, all at a scale imperceptible to our short-lived eyes. I don't know if I've got words better than cliches for the desert, so I won't try to describe it. But I will say that, if one is patient and carefully observant, you can get a taste of the ecological richness so often totally missed behind car windows on drives through to Las Vegas or Phoenix. We find our Apache Tears, and although I can't tell if it's really all that good luck for white guys to be hoarding the supposed tears of native people (according to the myth), the obsidian mesmerizes us. We shake hands and will probably never meet again; quite literally two ships passing in the night, sans romance. The cruising life is curious in that regard, a long stretch of insular living with one or two companions, punctuated by a series of brief and fulfilling encounters with others living in the same distinct and quirky way.

   
Back at the shore, the older cruisers are departing, see you here next year, they say, shaking hands, hugs going round, stories they've told before and all heard before winding down. As they leave, the wife in the couple who invited us flashes us from their departing dinghy, with the world's fattest boat-dog weighing down the bow, and on the shore some of the guys moon back. I get the impression that maybe they've got the youth thing figured out better than I do, and they're all 3 decades or more ahead of me. Maybe it's a learned skill, and reassuring at that.

Patrick and David gather up the hollowed, skeletal pale wood of dead and dried cacti to make a Kuub set of our own, and we head back to the boat around sunset.

March 18 - Under. Way. Once. More.

We awaken early.  By Sunrise we have departed our anchorage in El Burro cove.  Still under motor, we soon head north, toward the entrance of Concepcion bay.

Conditions are calm. The seas lie flat and windless.  We pass through a pod of dolphins, jumping through the water, escorted by diving sea birds.

Nothing hits the lines.  The dolphins dash in and play around us.  Despite their animal presence, or perhaps because of it, we catch no fish this morning.

The wind picks up.  Wind and seas build from the southeast, our destination.  Although not too extreme, conditions force us to motor, much water sloshes before tonight's goal.

Early evening arrives.  Our destination rears up from the horizon.  Providing shelter, Punta Pulpito towers to the southeast, calming the near-empty anchorage.

We are not alone.  One other sailboat is anchored nearby.  Down south feels so crowded, tonight is almost lonely, only one other boat.

Back underway.  We see new sights and sounds.  As we head farther south, we feel once more at sea, living our dream.

Day 24 Farewell to El Burro and New Friends

Today is our last day in Playa El Burro. David and Justen headed into Mulege to refill water and buy some last supplies. Additionally, they used the internet to upload blog posts.

Saying goodbye to Batwing our neighbor junk

Meanwhile back in the cove, Patrick had a leisurely morning. He searched in vain for the blue dinghy pump hose that we lost when the dinghy flipped in the storm the day previously. He was encouraged by our friend Cliff finding his oars one cove down, but alas, no hose which means no way to re-inflate it. 

After his search, Patrick joined Cliff for some spearfishing. They dove the sailboat wreck in the bay, about 20 ft deep, and supposedly full of big fish. They saw some decent ones, but nothing huge so they moved over to Punta Ballena, known spearing grounds. They each netted a few dog snapper and Patrick caught an unknown fish. All this fish was to be used in the farewell potluck tonight. All the young cruisers are getting together to have one final meal together and celebrate our new friendships. (while writing this blog post I was interrupted by the cry of “Fish on the meat hook!” and we pulled in another Black Skip Jack, our fourth, but unfortunately not good eating) 

One of Justen's many friends

David and Justen got back around 3 and all three had afternoon beers at Bertha’s the on the beach restaurant in the anchorage. Headed back to the boat around 5 for late naps and to prep the fish for the potluck. Eric and Pam hosted us on Emma Belle our first look at their 32 ft boat. They shared more of their story and cost of their outfitting and spent $4000 for the boat and $2000 on extra outfitting gear for cruising. So for the bargain of $6000 (and of course many hours of do it yourself maintenance) they had a boat ready for cruising, truly inspiring on the low cost of cruising. In addition, with fish so plentiful through spearing and groceries cheap in Mexico, it can be quite inexpensive to live the cruising lifestyle. Eric and Pam were great examples on the merits of budget cruising.

The potluck consisted of fried and bbq’d fish with chips and guacamole. Oh yeah, of course healthy servings of margaritas made by Eric. It was a very enjoyable evening spent chatting, looking up fish in Eric’s ID books, and of course eating and drinking. As the night progressed, someone got the idea to jump in the water, being as the moon was full and providing bright illumination. So everyone stripped quickly and dove in for a very pleasant skinny dip. What was most spectacular was the bioluminescence. Every paddle, kick and even wiggle stirred up the plankton and phosphoresced, creating the illusion of a ghost like motion or a covering of lights reminiscent of being “beamed aboard” in Star Trek. Magical. After exchanging fond farewells, we began to pack up and return to our boat.

As we headed back to our boat we stopped at Sound Discovery and scrounged an o-ring from their extra pump nozzle to go with the extra pump Eric gave us for the dinghy. As Eric told Justen, we were getting an introduction to cruising 101, improvising materials. At least now we had a way to inflate the dinghy to motor, but not plane. 

We turned in late after a fun evening despite a planned 6AM departure the next morning.

The local Firefighting department

Damage at Bertha's from the gale force winds

March 16 - a big blow

We were up all of last night.

It blew like snot.  That's the expression, though it is unclear where it comes from.

The wind picked up in the middle of the night and boats started dragging their anchors.

We had to periodically re-anchor during the night to avoid some of the unattended boats that were dragging towards us and around the anchorage.

The maximum wind speed in our cove was around 60-65mph (54kts), but a nearby cove clocked gusting windspeeds over 70kts - those are hurricane force winds.  Sheets of water were blowing across the water, just plastering everything in their path.

Our dingy flipped in the wee hours, dunking the motor and spilling the contents.  But we were amazingly fortunate that we caught it shortly after it happened.  We were able to flip it back over, give it a fresh water rinse, and get our two stroke outboard running again later that morning.  Hopefully no major damage, only a lost pair of flip flops and a pump hose.

We had to keep a close eye on everything the rest of the morning until the winds died down later that day.  Finally at the end of the day we were able to go ashore and walk around.  There was debris everywhere, and a couple of homes had lost their roofs and patio furniture.

Here is a picture of Patrick once the winds died down a bit and we could take some pics:

On Tuesday we hope to leave early and head farther south to Loreto and Puerto Escondido.  But we will be stopping along the way, so dont be surprised if we dont have any new blog posts for a while

March 14 - A relaxed birthday

Today was David's birthday.  It was a nice mellow day, with a morning hike up above the anchorage, and lots of petroglyphs along the trail.  It is believed that they may be as much as 3000 years old, or more.

From up on the ridge there was a sweet view of El Burro Beach, with the boats anchored out and the palapas/homes along the shore:

Then we hung out on the boat until we saw a whale shark coming by.  Justen and David hopped in the dinghy and raced off to swim alongside.  This picture is not great, but it gives an idea of what we saw:

We then spent the rest of the day snorkeling and hanging out at Bertha's Beach Club drinking Micheladas.  Our host at Bertha's:

Patrick and Justen managed to surprise David in the evening with a birthday cake and a singing of happy birthday along with some of the other youngsters in the anchorage.  The only thing missing was a round of "up and down the coast" by the Beekeepers.

The surprise:

 The happy birthday boy:

Good days and great days!  This was a great day!

Day 19 Playa Santispac to Playa El Burro

Today was a FANTASTIC day. We moved anchorages to another cove in the Bahia Coyote, and were rewarded for our move in many ways. The snorkeling is MUCH better than at the previous spot, as Patrick managed to spear some yellow tail snapper!

 Patrick was able to ride in the hammock chair on the trip to the new anchorage:

But the highlight of the day was swimming with Whale Sharks! We had heard they were in the bay the morning before we got there, but didn't expect them to return! When Patrick and Justin returned from snorkeling they saw David following a large black fin only 50 yards from Blue Eyes! So they hopped right in and were rewarded with a glorious, large whale shark moving at a gentle swimming pace (with flippers, so poor Justen couldn't quite keep up). What a moving experience. Such huge and peaceful animals feeding on tiny plankton and fish. We tried grabbing on to the dorsal fin and tail to hitch a ride, but they didnt seem to like that and bucked us off! Still a great experience.
 
That evening we had our fellow young cruisers over for Micheladas on our boat and proceeded to have a bonfire with S'mores on the beach. Eric brought his guitar to the beach and Patrick was playing a Mason Jennings song when they started joining in! Fellow Mason fans! What a treat. Beer, fire, friends, on a beach with a full moon after spearfishing and whale sharks. Quite possibly our best day yet!

Photo courtesy of Sound Discovery

March 11: Guest post by Justen - at anchor in Concepcion Bay

Day 18: Playa Santispac

     Spent the morning spear fishing with Patrick. It was a first for me, and something about cruising around in snorkel and fins with a spear gun in tropical waters feels distinctly James Bond-esque, although all I accomplished was losing a fish off the line that Patrick had caught earlier. Apparently long history with spear fishers around the islands here have made the surviving fish either small, or very leery of anything shaped like a man with a spear gun.

     We hit the restaurant on shore, expecting fishermen and a few Canadian Rvers of the snowbird varieyt, I guess. Instead, retirees in their 50's pack in the place, with watercolors painting class critique and snatches of sentences like "Harry's got Rotary on Tuesdays..." in the air. After being 1,000 kilometers deep into Mexico, it's kind of a culture shock. We drink our micheladas, survey the crowds, then drink our beers, escape back to the boat. It's all somehow just too much.



    We're invited by a couple aboard a passing dinghy to a dinner party aboard the Sound Discovery from Alaska. We join two couples who'd been cruising in tandem down the west coast since Ensenada, coming into the Sea of Cortez from the south. It's a fine meal of fish tacos and beer biscuits (and beer in cans), hearing stories of free-diving school in Thailand ("make the mermaid want you," they advised for a graceful ascent), a boat bought cheap in La Paz from the estate of a dead nudist Nazi and all his sordid rumored stories (not purchased by any of us in the anchorage).

    As the night goes on we get an idea of what it takes in a relationship to live together aboard a boat for six months, a year at a time, in anchorage in Alaska (cold), or sailing through a foreign country with no refrigeration (warm). An easy-going nature, a large library, and the ability to yell it out when necessary and drop grudges fast. I strongly suspect this life would be a good test of any relationship's fiber. A charming evening, whole-heartedly inspiring to buy a boat and set off on this lifestyle for all the adventure and doldrums and long sunny hours of a year or two.

    But as Pam, of one of the couples told us of how they bought their boat: "We knew nothing about sailing or boats. And he--the guy we were buying the boat from--actually told us, 'You're stupid. You are incredibly stupid to do this. I feel obligated to tell you that.' We didn't know how to respond to that. So we nodded and smiled, and we bought the boat."


Seems like a good idea to me.

Day 17 Punta Chivato to Muluge to Playa Santispac

The day started with Justen and Patrick taking the dinghy out to nearby islands to try some fishing. They had only been trolling for a little bit when they got a call from David asking them to come back ASAP because he was having some issues with the batteries. It turns out that we had drawn the batteries down so much that they had used up a bunch of fluid, and we needed to get more.

So we motored down to the entrance to Muluge and David and Justen took the dinghy to go get some supplies to work on the battery. David took a cab from shore to the nearest gas station and got the supplies needed. After filling the batteries we headed south to the closest anchorage: Playa Santispac. Pulled in about an hour before sunset and discovered there to be 3 other boats already in the anchorage! It is going to be a little party! 

THe entrance to Rio Santa Rosalia and the town of Muluge upriver.

Day 16: Isla San Marcos to Punta Chivato

Having not motored for the past 4 days, we motored the 15 or so miles to Punta Chivato to charge our batteries, despite having a nice fair breeze. Punta Chivato is a nice little anchorage with a beautiful shell beach. Arriving around 1230, Patrick went spear fishing to get some fish for lunch.

He came back with 3 different types of fish, none of which we know the names of! I think we will try to get a reef id book at the next possible location. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around reading. We had one other boat of similar size in the anchorage, but had no interaction with them. The wind died down in the evening providing us with a beautiful evening to enjoy the sights.

March 8: New crew and leaving Santa Rosalia

A new member joined the crew for a few weeks: Justen.  After an adventurous 15hour bus ride from Tijuana, he made it in time for a late breakfast in Santa Rosalia.

We then wandered around town a bit, and swung by the old copper foundry before departing.  Quite the scene of decay:

We then headed out to anchor of the south side of isla san marcos.   Justen took a turn at the helm:

We saw a whale flopping its tail like crazy in shallow (20ft) water.  Our best guess is that it was bottom feeding:

We then got into the anchorage and Justen and Patrick went out fishing. quelle surprise!

Next stop Punta Chivato and the entrance to Concepcion Bay.

March 7: Hanging in Santa Rosalia

Today we just got errands done (groceries, fuel, etc.) and hung out in town.  Here is patrick with a plastic water jug, he looks like a hippy beating his drum:

The marina is a nice social place with only half a dozen boats, so it is easy to get to know your neighbors.

Not much to report, though Santa Rosalia is interesting in its lack of tourism.  Mining is big, and we see lots of trucks and workers from the surrounding mines.  It is a nice change from the tourism economy of Baja.

VIdeos uploaded

Now that we have a better internet connection, here are the first and last videos you will see. Since Patrick lost the GoPro we wont be having any more cool action shots :( He would like to inform the readers that he is starting a GoPro fund for his birthday wishes. If you would like to contribute a birthday gift (April 4) in the form of some cash for a GoPro email him!

Day 13: Bahia San Francisquito to Santa Rosalia

With a 78 mile journey infront of us, David decided an early start was needed to avoid arriving in the dark. So we left at 12, midnight! It wasn't too bad, alternating watches of two hours all day long. Navigating by stars was really neat, and David used Mars while Patrick followed Scorpio.

Daylight came and all day long, no major incidents or things to write home about. Except we almost hit a whale. One dove right in front of us causing us to steer sharply and then surfaced just a dozen yards away. A close call.

We raised Santa Rosalia early in the afternoon and within sight of the harbor started reeling in the meat hooks. As soon as David started reeling in the pole, he had a fish on! Turns out it was a yellow tail! A little one, but a pretty fish and good hamachi sashimi!

It sure is nice being in a harbor again. Hot showers for the first time in weeks, and calm fseas. Also, a town to explore and buy street food. Patrick had a tamarindo paleta but it was not as good as his!

March 5: Sweet sail to little SF (San Francisquito)

We had 35 miles to cover today and wanted to sail some of it, so we got an early start at 0630.

After motoring for a bit, we were soon able to set the sails.  Eventually, we were able to sail wing-on-wing across to San Francisquito bay.  We ended up rounding the point and staying at Punta Santa Teresa near the San Francisquito resort and airstrip, but saw no planes.

Patrick went spearfishing, but came back emptyhanded.  But we went to bed early, lights out at 1800 since we were planning to depart at midnight for Santa Rosalia and civilization!

Day 11 Puerto Don Juan to Animas Slot

With a mere 15 miles to travel, we elected to sail most of the way to save gas, even if that meant drifting at times in dead calms. For about half the day we had a light and variable breeze, but Blue Eyes is able to sail reasonably well in light air. After being becalmed for over an hour and still half a dozen miles to the anchorage, we elected to motor the rest of the way. As luck would have it, once we had the sails in and about 4 miles from the anchorage, the wind picked up to a nice clip, but we had already committed to motoring.

Upon entering the moorage, we were treated to a private, remote location. Beautiful lava walls around us, a little island nearby and a beautiful sand beach. Patrick went spearfishing to supplement the fish we still had from the Sheepshead. He managed to get a dousing of the Sheepshead, a Mexican Hogfish. Despite their name, they are actually beautiful fish. Check it out below.

Patrick is really enjoying the spear fishing because it allows him to snorkel (which he has always loved) with a purpose, providing dinner. It offers a new way to look at a reef of fish and allows him to select what will be eaten for dinner.

Fish tacos for dinner, guitar, rum, and a beautiful sunset in our secluded anchorage. Life is good! 

March 3 - off to Puerto Don Juan

We finished our resupplying at LA Bay (some food and more gas), and moved east to Puerto Don Juan - a natural hurricane hole.  it is a natural harbor with a dog-leg to get in.  But it provides protection against waves from any direction.  And it reduces wind too.

Here is LA Bay, out first touch of civilization in a week, and last supply base before Santa Rosalia:

A good thing it reduces wind as we had some strong wind getting from LA Bay to Puerto Don Juan over here and well into the evening.  We were able to sail almost the whole way with only a double-reefed main.  It saved us some gas and was just as quick as motoring.  Plus, that's what we came down here to do! 

Here is Patrick at the helm while we're getting blown along:

We had the place to ourselves and were able to enjoy a bottle of Epic Brewing Company beer, and a lovely sunset.  Plus, we can sleep in tomorrow and take it easy as it is an easy 15 miles to the Las Animas Slot.

The beer:

The sunset:

March 2nd: Bahia de los Angeles

As you can guess by all the new posts, we made it to Bahia de Los Angeles village (LA Bay) where we have found working internet.  Amazingly, there is no working WiFi here nor even cell service.  People here use VHF radios to talk to each other...talk about lack of privacy in a small town!

But there are a couple of old-school internet cafes with desktops and very slow DSL connections.

After refueling our gas cans (via a walk and hitch-hike), we make it to an internet cafe.  Thus all our recent posts at once.  Over the next day or so, we will be reprovisioning and getting ready to our next stop: Santa Rosalia.

March 1 - Escape the Refugio to Isla Mitlan

The winds howled last night, but by 9am they have died down enough for us to poke our noses outside puerto refugio.

Although there is still some wind, it is in the low teens, so we decide to motor on to our next destination.  The wind and strong current are against us, so even going full throttle we sometimes see our speed over ground drop to less than three knots.

Adding to this we get a significant amount of rain, maybe a half inch over the course of the day. Good thing we brought our foul weather gear.  This is so much rain for this part of Baja that there is a risk of flash floods and landslides on land.  But that shouldn't be a problem for us out here on the water.

We persevere and make it to isla Mitlan by late afternoon, a serene little anchorage between a smallish island and a smaller one.  The water is relatively calm, the wind blocked by the neighboring islands and we are able to relax and celebrate in our small way that we have moved beyond the confines of Puerto Refugio.

We are less than 10miles from Bahia de Los Angeles and its town/civilization.  So hopefully tomorrow we will be able to upload some of these posts