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We left Huatulco in the afternoon to catch the favorable winds so we could head off shore under sail. Catching a mild Tehuantepec wind the next day pushed us out further from the coastline. After 24hrs of good winds, the wind died and we sat and waited for the next couple of days. We caught the tail end of a Papagayo wind for the next 24 hrs and from then on we had a variety of wind speeds mostly on our bow. Looking back a better plan would have been to go to El Salvador and then cross to the Galapagos, catching more favorable conditions. While crossing the ITCZ we were hit with variable winds which brought thunder, lightning and down pours. There is nothing more frustrating than no wind. Managing fuel consumption is something else to consider. You just don't know what to expect or the concerns you will have until you have done a long passage. We settled into a routine and the days flew by. It was a relief to get a warm welcome from the Port Captain on the way into the anchorage. April 2nd, 2007: Notes from the first mate: We picked up bow and stern anchors with no problem. Motoring along at 7 kts following the beautiful coastline it’s hard to make out the bays. As we rounded the point we couldn't’t miss the huge cruise ship which was anchored in the Huatulco Bay. We hailed the Marina Chahue and were told to come right in. We hit a shallow spot (9ft) in the channel and as we approached the docks we were greeted by a large flock of pelicans. I went and checked in and Enrique the harbor master helped us pick a slip. Arriving in Acapulco was quite exciting, as we approached the fuel dock the helm froze and Kip had a heck of a time turning the boat around safely so we could try to anchor before hitting something. As we dropped anchor a fellow boater hailed us on the VHF to tell us it was not safe. Nacho came to our rescue and helped us pick up a mooring ball. In the morning after Kip got the helm fixed we went for a tour around the bay. We found the Acapulco Marina in terrible disrepair, definitely not a place for our boat. After a few days we pulled off the mooring and headed east to Puerto Escondido and overnight crossing. All went well, we arrived at Puerto Escondido and although a great looking bay and beach it was not safe for anchoring. We headed to Puerto Angel another 30 miles east a picturesque bay with two beach anchorages where we stayed for a few days. We loved Puerto Angel, the town and bay has a much quieter kind of tourism. We enjoyed the small palapas on the beach, getting my hair braided by Noami and as in most of the places we visited we met more Canadians, the Tibodeau brothers from Montreal were very intrigued by our journey. We walked to the nearby “clothing optional we found out” beach called Playa Zipolite, we played in the waves which tossed us around a bit to much so we had a beer instead. Back on the boat I finally got the courage to dive “belly flop” into the water and after a few days of snorkeling I decided it was time to try diving under water. I haven’t master that yet as you will see by the pictures however I love it and it’s great to be able to enjoy the warm crystal clear water a lot more. A short walk to Playa Estacahuite we found great snorkeling and the Mexican Coca Cola Company owners beach home. Outside of the major cities like Cabo, PV and Acapulco we found tourism has slowed down a lot and the small coastal towns are suffering this year.
As soon as we were out of the bay we hoist the spinnaker and sailed for about three hours. After the sunset the wind died so we motored through the night. We entered Puerto Escondido and found the anchorage very deep and crowded with pangas. We dropped anchor in 60 feet which was to close to shore. After we had lunch we pulled up anchor and tried to find a spot further out. With no luck we left for Puerto Angel. With good wind we sailed the spinnaker along the beautiful coast. As we approached Puerto Angel we came upon a large fleet (30 plus) fishing boats along with a couple of Mexican Navy gun ships and pangas. We found Puerto Angel to be a beautiful place and anchored bow and stern in 30 feet among three other boats.
Leaving as soon as it was light enough to see, we headed out to flat calm waters for most of the way. We saw a lot of turtles, dolphins and caught a couple of small bonitos which we released. The wind increased as we approached the Acapulco Bay entrance and there were a lot of sailboats racing. As we approached the marina and fuel dock the helm was sticking so we headed out to the anchorage. The wind was blowing 20 kts. as we tried to set the anchor in 60 feet of water. Not holding very well we picked it up and were assisted by a local to pick up a mooring ball. In the morning I took the helm apart and discovered the locking mechanism on the starboard side had a threaded pin which had backed out and was cutting into the housing. I put it back together and it works fine.
Picking up the stern anchor was a little difficult, it seemed to be buried from the big rollers we had at anchor. Again we motored all the way, no wind to be had. We caught two small bonitos and I caught the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. A whopper sail fish I was able to bring in and release. Soon after we set the anchor in the small bay of Papanoa, we were visited by the Mexican Navy. They came aboard and inspected our documents and the inside of the boat. They were very nice, I filled in their questionnaire and they left. February11th, 2007 Notes from the first mate: The anchorage in Isla Ixtapa was very rocky, although this was a beautiful setting we decided to head to Zihuatanejo Bay the next morning. It was great to run into Ginger and Peter on the vessel Marcy which we had met in La Paz. They are hanging out in Ztown like many other vessels awaiting their departure for the Marquesas. Ztown is a very busy place, several cruise ships came into the bay while we were there, sure made Adelia look small. We anchored a little ways from shore. Kip swam to shore and back one morning and I swam to shore while Kip followed me in the dingy. There’s no way I could swim back. “not yet”
February 10th, 2007: Departure Port: Barra de Navidad 16:30 We left the bay at high tide to make sure we had plenty of depth. Escorted by dolphins we headed out a ways from shore to avoid any long lines and to clear the next point. We saw a some sea turtles and a lot of shipping traffic on both sides. With very little wind we motored all the way making this the longest crossing motoring. February 9th, 2007 Notes from the first mate: Barra de Navidad was also a short day trip. Talerra left ahead of us and encountered a long line the fisherman set out just outside the bay. They followed it out to sea which took them 5 miles out of there way. We were fortunate to find our way between shore and the long line avoiding the long detour. With the help of the waypoints Legacy had given us we made our way into the Inner Lagoon. Barra de Navidad is another great vacationing place so there is a lot of shops and restaurants. The French Baker comes around every morning to supply the boaters with great pastries. Luckily we were only there a few days and were not temped to buy to much. We watched the local fisherman throw their nets out next to all the boats anchored in the lagoon. After a few days it was time to leave our friends Dave and Melanie on Talerra and head south to Zihuatenejo.
Two long lines were set out by the fisherman just out site the bay, carefully avoiding them, we motored all the way to Barra de Navidad. Coming into the shallow entrance of the lagoon we pulled up to the fuel dock. We hit 10' depth in one spot. After fueling we carefully followed the way points we were given to the shallow anchorage and set the hook in 10' of water surrounded by quite a few boats in the lagoon. February 5th, 2007 Notes from the first mate: Next stop Tenacatita, just 27 miles away we made it in plenty of time to enjoy a cocktail and watch the sun go down. The next morning we took the dingy on a jungle river trip, saw a small crocodile and lots of birds and at the end had a great lunch and got my hair braided. Plenty of boats were anchored in this large bay, so there was a lot of activity. Great snorkeling, a lot of jumping fish and even saw a mama and baby whale playing in the bay. Kip and Dave participated in a swim to shore organized by the local mayor on the vessel Legacy while Melanie and I rowed our way in the dingy. Later that evening we enjoyed a nice dinner “fish tacos & chocolate care thanks to Melanie” and played a great game of Mexican dominoes.
I intended to catch the onshore breeze in the afternoon so we left later after I tried to diagnose genset problems (impeller). The wind never picked up so enough to sail. We finally had a beautiful warm sunny day. We gave ourselves plenty of room as we pulled into a nice anchorage. February 3rd, 2007 Notes from the first mate: We arrived in Bahia Chamela just as the sun was going down. As we approached the entrance to the bay we plotted a few way points to pass on to Talerra who would approach the anchorage in the dark. We saw our first thunderstorm which dropped buckets of rain very quickly. The storm ended with a full rainbow which seemed to start at the bow of the boat and end on the beam. Very cool. The storm passes quickly into the mountains, leaving sunshine for the rest of the day. We went to shore with Dave and Melanie, enjoyed a nice lunch, toured the small town, talked to more Canadians and watched the children play on the beach. Sundays bring a lot of families to the beaches in Mexico. A sister ship (Jeanneau 49) from Vancouver Canada heading back north anchored next to us.
Early in the morning there is a lot of traffic moving out of the small channel leaving the Marina. Our friends Dave and Melanie on Talerra followed us out.
We enjoyed all the small coves we stayed at after leaving San Blas. Puerto Vallarta is a very busy city with many many tourist. We will leave here early in the morning heading south towards Tenacatita. I hope everyone enjoys all the updates on the web site.
We picked up our anchors without a problem and headed to Punta Mita. Motored until close to Punta Mita, had 12 - 14 kt winds so decided to set out the spinnaker and sailed for a while. We did not go to shore and decided to spend only one night here. We set out for La Cruz early the next morning.
On this short sail we saw several whales breeching and playing around. We motored all the way with variable wind directions. We arrived in this small anchorage and set bow and stern anchors which worked very well. We went to shore with our friends from Talerra and Andante, checked out the town, met some campers from Peace River, enjoyed a beer and went back to the boat. Our friends Larry and Fran who are on our previous boat "Merlot" also arrived a little later.
With high tide at 07:00 we entered the San Blas Harbor at 09:00 with a tide high of 4ft sand bar at the entrance, hit a min depth of 7.8 ft. on my sounder but mostly 13 ft. or better. We anchored in 13 ft. across from the fuel dock and shrimp boats. This spot proved to be one of our favorite places. On January 25th at high tide we came out of the San Blas Harbor and went back to Mantanchen bay for the night as we would leave for Chacala early the next morning.
It was nice to leave Mazatlan and be on our way to visit more of the Mexican Coast. The ride out of the harbor was a bit rough but Adelia handled it well. We saw two large whales just south of Isla Isabella and a little further up we saw a large pod of dolphins heading north. They didn't even stop to say hello. After one night in Mantanchen Bay we moved over to San Blas, blew up the digny and headed into town to see some sights. Captain Norm Goldie has been here for forty one years welcoming boaters from all over the world, he is the local tour guide for us boaters. We enjoyed our visit in town today, we bought freshly made tortillas and enjoyed fresh smoked fish in a local roadside lunch stop. I will have a lot more on both Mazatlan and San Blas on the web site later.
We left the harbor late to take advantage of the tide and also knowing the dredge at the harbor entrance was shut down for the day. Several friends came by to wish us well, we said our goodbyes and thanked them again for the wonderful time they showed us while we were in Mazatlan. I wanted to clear the Port of Mazatlan before dark anticipating there would be a lot of traffic, and there was. The wind was gusting 15 to 21 on our stern which pushed us at speeds of 8 plus knots motoring. We set the genoa and slowed the boat down so we would reach Isla Isabella in day light. As we approached Isla Isabella the seas were very unsettled so we continued on to San Blas. We anchored in Mantanchen Bay and spent the rest of the day resting. In the morning we decided to move to the San Blas Harbor at high tide so we could be closer to the town.
Best wishes to all in 2007 and we hope everyone had a great holiday season. Our stay in Mazatlan has been great so far, we've been enjoying the company of friends from Canada who have been showing us the sites. Kip took a short trip to see his parents and I went to Canada to see my family and friends. I also was in Ventura for a few days visiting with friends. The last few days here have been cold and windy. Weather permitting we will leave today for Puerto Vallarta today with a stop at Isla Isabella, San Blas and Chacala.
We are in Mazatlan for a few weeks, It was a great passage although I had a hard time sleeping. I'm sure I will get use to the noise as we stay out to sea longer. I am looking forward to my visit up north and hope to see a lot of family and friends. I will have the Sea of Cortez page done before we leave Mazatlan, so check it out.
We were anxious to get underway for our first long crossing by ourselves. we motored the first three hours. The wind finally picked up from the north west. Launching the spinnaker Adelia really took off. The weather forecast did not call for much wind so I was very surprised when the wind picked up. With a lot of sail combination we sailed the rest of the way. Taking turns on watch we both remained in the cockpit. Getting some sleep was hard with the wind gusts and mixed seas. To be cautious I reefed in the sails during the night. We had a successful passage.
We left a little later thinking we would find a sheltered anchorage within a few miles on the east side of Espiritu Santos Island. As we reached the island under sail the wind had picked up to gust of 28 and 12 foot seas. Rounding the island we found out there were no suitable coves which would shelter us from the elements. I decided to head to Los Muertos rather than going back north on the west side of the island or back to La Paz. Crossing the Cerralvo Channel the seas pushed us through sometimes over 9kts. We arrived Muertos after dark and relied on our instruments and lights from the bay.
It was great to leave the marina after a ten day stay. We really enjoy being at anchor in the beautiful coves the Sea of Cortez has to offer. My favorite so far is Isla San Francisco, here we were finely able to go hiking up the mountains and take great pictures of the bays on both sides of the island. The view was spectacular. It has been fairly cool and the wind has been blowing from the north a lot. As the Captain mentioned we did have a mess to clean up. Thank goodness for the washer & dryer and the water maker, without those a lot of clothes would have been ruined. The only thing that put a smile on my face was discovering a thirty pack of Coors light hidden in the laundry room. Check the Sea of Cortez web page for more details
After being wind blown and rocked around for a couple of days we were anxious to leave. As soon as we left the shelter of the cove we were in 8ft seas and 20 knot winds strait on our bow. We motored our way up and as we approached the seas finally calmed down. A few miles out Denise went below to check things out as we had been battered pretty hard all the way. She discovered a small forward hatch had been left unsecured and there was water everywhere from the waves crashing over the bow. One locker of clothes, the storage below was soaked. A hard lesson learned as we will be drying out for a few days.
This is the kind of cove that I hoped to see in the Sea of Cortez. Room for 1 boat per beach, warm water and privacy. Protected on all sides except the south side where hopefully the wind will not blow from that the direction.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We are enjoying our stay in La Paz, its very hot during the day but cools off nicely at night. Paul went home on Tues the 21rst so its just Kip and I now so the boat feels big. We will be going to a Thanks Giving Dinner later which is organized by Club Cruceros de La Paz a cruisers club. The marina lets us use the pool so we get to cool off. Adelia loves her warm bath tub and the marine life is incredible around her. I will be taking a trip up to Falher Dec 19th through the 28th and will be in Ventura Dec 28th through 30th. I will not be taking my car up north as I originally planned. I will be placing it in storage until I can make a summer trip. I look forward to seeing you all and I will email everyone more details later.
We left early to make sure we crossed the Cerralvo Channel before the winds picked up. To my surprise the south wind helped us along as we motored through. On our approach to Channel San Lorenzo, Paul caught a small tuna, then Denise hooked a big one which she could not get in so I tried and it got off the hook. We were passed by a large Baja Ferry which we followed through the shallow 35 foot deep channel. The wind dropped to 0 as we pulled up to the Marina Costa Baja fuel dock.
Our stay in Cabo Los Frailes was great. The snorkeling here is extra ordinary, snorkeling with the sea lions was something none of us had done before. They seem to love the company and are very docile. One of our crew Howard is flying back today and luckily for us one of the couple we met from Canada living in the campsite was heading towards the airport and were kind enough to give him a lift as there are no buses from here.
I dropped Howard on the beach, thanked him and bid farewell. We motored out for a while, picked up enough wind to sail for a few hours. Wind shifted and we had to go back to motoring. No fish until a few miles away, then we caught a 10 lb dorado with the purple squid. Anchored in 25 feet of water with a 150 feet scope. We took the digny to to the Giggling Marlin restaurant on the beach with nothing around it. We had shrimp and cold beer, which we had run out of on board.
The trip to Cabo Los Frailes was really bouncy, with the wind on our nose the whole way. Adelia handles it very well. It seemed we were motoring a mile and pushed back a 1/2 mile. In seas like this I don't like to cook below so granola bars come in handy. Of course catching another fish, we all know what's for dinner. Although the fish is really good I am anxious for a steak dinner. The guys even had fish breakfast burritos. Las Frailes is beautiful we will hang out here for a few days.
After an uncomfortable night rocking around in the harbor, we finally left Cabo. It was overdue for some of us having seen and done all we cared to. The weather report was not what we heard as we motored all the way to Los Frailes through gust of 30kts wind. As we passed a group of sport fishing boats I hooked another dorado. After a good fight I landed him. Coming into Las Frailes was very nice and happy to get out of the wind. We anchored in 35 feet of water with 174 feet of chain. Later we went to shore and discovered a small campground occupied by campers from Canada.
We arrived in Cabo San Lucas at 23:00 and set the anchor for the night. The harbor is very crowded and very developed. Hotels, restaurants and condos everywhere. We had a great trip, we saw some whales one which fell in love with the boat. We sailed all the way, 40 hrs to the finish line which was about 10 miles outside of the Cabo San Lucas harbor.
As we pulled up anchor, quite surprisingly the fog rolled in. Heading out to the start of the final leg there was no wind so we were allowed to motor for one hour. We virtually had no wind until 15:00. I did not want to motor in hopes to sail the whole distance. We did well through the night than the wind calmed in the morning. I put out the fishing line with he cedar plug. A while later I saw a large dorado racing toward the line breaking the surface. He hit and the fight was on. Never have I fought harder. As I finally got him close to the boat he broke free. We pulled into Cabo and anchored in 170 feet of water. We set up watch for the rest of the night. We re anchored closer to shore in the morning.
What a feeling to go 250 miles under sail, no fuel and no noise but the sounds of the ocean and the water with occasionally smooth jazz in the background. The night are long but so far we have had clear skies with lots of stars and the brightness moon. As we got closer to Bahia Santa Maria the guys decided to slow the boat down and take a swim in the warm ocean. We pulled into the bay at sunrise. Beautiful bay surrounded by mountains on the north side. Just a few fisherman huts no provisions at all.
Very light winds at the start, but just enough to launch the chute. Denise took us over the finish line in good fashion. Close encounters for a couple of hours, then out to sea. As soon as we cleared a distant point, we dropped the the spinnaker and wing on wing with the genoa on the rum line. Caught two small yellow tail tuna which I cleaned. Paul promised to clean the next one so we let him put the line out. He landed a 50+ lb wahoo tuna. It took him hrs to clean it. I finally realized a milestone when we were out to sea, 82 degrees water, 86 degrees air, cooking fish on the BBQ. We struggled to make the finish line under sail with very little wind. We sailed the entire length.
Motoring out of San Diego was quite an event with all the Baja sail boats and Navy boats leaving the harbor. With Denise at the helm we maneuvered well across the starting line and we were one of the the first chutes to go up. Fair winds until late night near Ensenada. Early morning winds dropped to 0, fired up the engine for 1 1/2 hrs the winds finely picked up. At dawn we raised the spinnaker, and later we found that wing on wing worked better. We kept the sails that way until our course changed about 100 miles from Turtle Bay. We Sailed a reach to go around Cedros Island then back to wing on wing. We crossed the finish line at 00:14 .
Our friend Howard joined Kip, Paul & I in San Diego for the trip to Cabo. The first leg to Turtle Bay was quite an experience, we sailed most of the way two days three nights at sea. This was our first trip this long. We took 3 hour shifts at the helm, with one of us on sleeping on deck. The nights were long and very chilling. It's great to know that we are heading to warmer climates. The crew did very well and we arrived in Turtle Bay still liking each other.
Today is Kip's birthday and he can't imagine a better way to spend it. We had a wonderful sail to San Diego. Paul was ready to take watch after we set out from Avalon so Kip and I took advantage and rested. Around 07:00 the sun rise was awesome. Later on a large pool of dolphins decided to join us and both Paul and I had fun playing with them at the bow. They are great to see, they are so fast the way they glide through the water. After we got settled in our slip at the Sun Road Marina we went out for dinner to celebrate Kip's birthday. We will be staying here until Monday morning when we leave with the Baja Ha Ha.
Leaving Avalon in the dark is always tricky. Denise was at the bow to let our mooring loose and guide us out of the harbor. Out to sea and a fabulous sunrise, followed by dolphins which escorted us for sometime. NE Santa Ana winds picked up and we were able to let the jib out. Later the wind changed direction and the seas became confused until we reached San Diego. Denise took the helm at Point Loma and brought us in to the fuel dock area. I always like sailing into the San Diego Harbor, there is a lot of activity going on at all times
We had a great stay at Isthmus Harbor, we went to shore and caught up with our favorite bartender Dewitt. Our short two hour trip to Avalon went well, Kip and Paul celebrated our arrival by going for a swim. The water temperature was around 65 degrees, to cold for me. A Carnival cruise ship was anchored in the channel. Not to many boats in the harbor and for the first time we were given a choice of moorings. We met some people from Vancouver Canada along with a few other cruisers which are joining the Baja Ha Ha. We will depart early tomorrow morning for San Diego.
A very nice sendoff by our friends, Fog had lifted a little. We were escorted out of the Harbor by Craig, Christy, Rick and Beth Ann. It was strange passing the Silver Strand Beach and realizing that we wouldn't see this area again for a while. It got foggier as we got closer to Catalina Island . I had to keep diligent watch while the crew slept. Hundreds of dolphins escorted us for a while. Adelia seemed sluggish with the weight of provisions on board. She perked up with the help of 9 knot winds. Motored all the way. |
