Ruminations of a Sailor: Bumping along the Baja

Anchored in Bahia San Carlos

Sprite and Coke with
our tacos to go!

We are pleased to share that we’ve made it to the Baja! Not a big deal to some, yet for us, a reward. We crossed from San Carlos toward Loreto on the morning of February 15th.

I got the baby Jesus on Epiphany

Supporting the local Rotary event -
Cow Plop Bingo

Our passage was 21 hours and of course, we’d checked all weather sources to be sure we had a good weather window. As life on the Sea of Cortez sometimes changes without prediction, at 11:30PM the weather changed. Gone were the light winds that filled our mainsail and made my shift at the helm, shall we say, predictable. The wind picked up and the rest of the night was filled with big winds, stormy skies, rough seas with big swells, very dark sky with no moon and only a few stars popping out between the clouds. That meant careful maneuvering and hanging on to every grab rail as you move about the boat. Shifting in the overhead compartment, did, in fact occur and by the next morning, we were glad to pop into the south bay at Isla Coronados to anchor.

Wishful thinking---that's what we'd operating on since early in January, yearning for our departure to warmer places south of Sonora. Alas, while we were ready, Pura Vida was not.

Banda on board - complete with tuba & drums

Sunset toward the Baja

We worked on a variety of projects since arriving in Guaymas in November. The highlight of our planned projects was the installation of new Garmin electronics including a (working!) radar dome along with installation of 4 ports. Our new depth sounder currently isn't working consistently - which gives us fits when underway. Imagine cruising along at 100 or say, 300 foot depth and suddenly your depth gauge reads: 3 feet. That's a bit of a pucker factor.

Revamped bow sprit

An unplanned project was the complete revamp of our bowsprit (revamp looks fabulous and works great). New nav light, mahogany boards, new paint and fittings.

Got a haircut and of course,
I couldn't replicate the style

Time-consuming unplanned projects included a new alternator, new inverter/battery charger, generator brackets, old (new to us) batteries to replace our very young AGM batteries - oh and the list goes on - but who wants to read about that! Unless you're another boater who can relate or merely shake their heads.

Life happens, system issues show up, new friends appear and local destinations beg to be explored. And so we had a great time during our extended stay in the grand state of Sonora.

Learning with Dira: Chile de Arbol Salsa making

The last delay was a welcome invitation to a catered dinner at the lovely home of our new friend’s on Valentine’s Day, so we joined in the fun. Plus, our hostess Dira took me under her wing to teach me how to make some kickass chili de arbol salsa just a few days before.

Underway, heading south to the Baja

We've been in Puerto Escondido and Loreto for a week having a grand time. Big winds on Saturday so we stayed on board, rain yesterday, cooler weather 'than usual' but warmer than Oregon.