A Taste of Cruising Mexico

The trip from La Paz to San Diego is roughly 900 miles by sea, with potentially big seas and headwinds. Thus, it is affectionately know as the "Bash" by those who have done it or are comtemplating it. The key is picking the right weather to move north in and being patient to wait it out when it's snotty. I've been watching the weather on the outside of the Baja for the last four weeks and for the last three weeks there really hasn't been any break. And the boats going up the last couple weeks have had a tough go of it.

We spent the last four days covering the 150 miles between La Paz and Cabo. It has been mostly light southerly winds and easy traveling covering about 50 miles a day. Our stops included Playa Pichilinque, Los Muertos, Frailes and Cabo.

It appears our long anticipated weather window will materialize this weekend. The surface charts show a broad monsoonal trof forming and a very relaxed isobar pressure gradient for most of the southern half of the baja for the next four days. That translates into light and southerly winds and a long period south swell. That's what we want. It should get us easily to Magdalena Bay and maybe all the way to Turtle Bay.

Tonight the wind is still howling (20kts.) here in the anchorage, so we don't expect the seas to be laid down tomorrow (Friday) around the cape. We may delay until Saturday to have more favorable sea conditions.

This afternoon we swam in warm water (85) for probably the last time in a long time, finished last minute boat prep, and had an ice cream bar.

Here's to a "non-bash". 750 miles to go...