San Diego to Bahia Santa Maria

Mon. 10/24

Cabrillo Isle Marina located on Harbor Island adjacent to the Sheraton.
0915 32.43 x 117.12 69F/68% Depart San Diego Harbor on the first leg of the Baha Ha-ha.  What a beautiful sight: 132 boats, sails up, appearing out of the mist.

Our spinnaker was up for a couple hours.

Lots, LOTS of dolphins.

 

2300 31.23 x 117.02 John’s watch

Tue. 10/25

0600 30.49 x 116.50 Except for the first few hours, we’ve motored all the way.  Now with a steady tailwind of ~13k, up go the sails, wing on wing.

0900 30.41 x 116.36 69F/70% 23nm off shore.  Spinnaker helped for a while but with it down and the whisker pole on the jib our speed increased from <3k to a blazing 5k.

1530 30.27 x 116.13 72F/65% Boring as it was, the wing on wing served us well but we need to get out farther to strike a rhumb line to Turtle Bay.  Dropped the whisker and took a starboard gybe to 60 degrees.

1800 30.12 x 116.11 71F/65% Fairly flying at 8k on 4-6’ swells, pushing into the Indian sunset.

Wed. 10/26

0300 29.08 x 115.53 68F/72% The winds have held up all night; boat 7 - 8+kts.

 With the monitor covered and only the tri-color navigation lights on the top of the mast, the starry sky is gorgeous.

Alone and getting tossed about I now know why Chip said to wear a harness on deck at night...and “one hand for the ship, one hand for you”.

0700 Whisker on the jib.  Found a tiny squid on the floor in the head.

  With all the waves and the rocking boat, guess she came in thru the bathroom window.

0900 28.30 x 115.45 69F/67%

2200 27.41 x 114.52 We’re one of the early arrivals in Bahia Tortugas.  From SD it was 3 days and 2 nights...good speed...rarely under 4kts and once as fast as 8.9 under sail; probably averaged 7.  That's fast!  So clear, no light pollution, many stars, many dolphins. Turtle Bay was very dark and after the Cherry Cove incident we were extra cautious.  Went to the west end where nobody else had anchored.  About 30’ deep, we put out 130’ of chain.  Will have a long trip in the dinghy to reach the village.  2-day layover.

Thu. 10/27

Layover in Turtle Bay.

Dinghied in & wandered the dusty town.  Huevos rancheros, taco dorados 'n Modelo for breakfast.

Now a couple days south of the border I recognize that familiar tropical feel; I can’t put my finger on it, it’s not just the heat although you do know you’re closer to the sun.

I’m getting some sea legs but I still move around the deck like a scared spider, low and slow, maximum points of contact.  And that deck, despite the light wood, is often too hot for bare feet.  Scared spider on a frying pan?  While I’m bitching, after this much time moving about the low overhead in the salon, berth and heads, I’ve developed Hunchover Syndrome to protect my forehead, even when I’m on land.

Swim in the bay and early to bed.

Fri. 10/28

Layover in Turtle Bay.

Lazy morning, getting ready for the noon beach party.  Several folks caught tuna & yellowtail along the way & will be grilling to share.  Frisbee, boogie boards, tug 'o war & a surprising array of instruments: guitars, ukulele, saxophone and...bagpipes!?

Sat. 10/29

0715 27.40 x 114.52 66F/67%

Anchor aweigh, motored out to open seas to raise the main & jib.  Nearly dead calm; speed 1-2k, gotta motor.  Hope to arrive @ Bahia Santa Maria late tomorrow night. 240nm on this, the 2nd leg.  Doesn’t look like it’ll be nearly as fun (read:slow) as the first...maybe we’ll get in a little poker.

0930 Sails back up with a starboard gybe; got a respectable 6kts.  Spinnaker up -  no help but pretty.  NOTE: always hold both the topping lift and down haul lines when engaging the whisker pole.  It slid down the mast in an instant and came slamming down on the life line which bent the nearest stanchion.  Fortunately that was the only damage and not a lost limb or head.  ALSO: connect whisker to sheet before raising - that sheet can be hard to catch in the wind.

1400 27.10 x 114.45 77F/61% Steady as she goes.  BLTAs by Steve for lunch.

1500 27.05 x 114.43 79F/57%

1640 27.00 x 114.38 80F/54% The unloved-by-Chip wing on wing ~5k boat speed.

Way too rocky to sleep. 

Sun. 10/30

0500 26.13 x 113.47 70F/79% Clear and starry sky, shooting stars.  30nm off land and no vessels in sight = zero light pollution.  Deep red sunrise.

0740 26.07 x 113.41 71F/78% Winds 5-9k; boat ~3k, so sails down.

1100 motor off, jib & main up, boat 4-5k.

1340 25.31 x 113.15 jib down, spinnaker up - some small improvement to 5.5k.  2nd leg @164nm/31.5 hrs.

1700 25.14 x 113.04 77F/66% spinnaker down, jib up just as the sun set.

Mon. 10/31

0640 24.46 x 112.14 75F/74% Pulled into Bahia Santa Maria just after sunrise.

From Turtle Bay it took 2 days & nights.  Not as much wind as we (especially Chip) would have liked; he got spoiled on the windy 1st leg.

Bright sun, 80F air, 85F water.  I jumped in right away.

We'll layover for 2 nights here then start the final leg to Cabo.

I'd had the last watch (5-8 am) and from 35 miles offshore witnessed this HD sunrise: 

Tue. 11/1

Bahia Santa Maria layover.  Lazy morning, around noon we dinghied the mile or so in to the party on the bluff (except Steve; he swam - and swam back).
<steve> "Though warm, water visibility in this bay is only about 10-15 feet.  The dark sand just doesn't give the apparent clarity like the whiter sand.  I took a hike from the beach up to the main north-south highway--which was about a mile.  Very dry, harsh landscape like all of the Baha that we have viewed.  I observed a pick-up slow down and stop along the road (for one of the people to relieve themselves) a dog jumped out of the back and ran off the road.  Then the 2 chjldren in the truck ran after the dog calling it, and then mom and dad followed off the road with the truck.  I continued to watch for about 10 minutes and they had still not caught the damn dog!  I then jogged back to the beach, where the Baha fleet was having a party."
 

 A great party band; 60s and 70s American hits peppered with some percussive Latin songs.

Bahia Santa Maria

 Except for a fellow collecting returnable Pacifico bottles at the party recycling is non-existent.  Even at the marinas I haven’t seen a single recycling bin; plastic, metal, glass, everything goes into the garbage.