11/11/2006

Passing the cape

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Bruce
11/10/2006

On our final approach to Cabo, we had 12 to 20 knots of wind on a broad reach, and ran the spinnaker all day. It was a perfect day for sailing! We crossed the finish line for Cabo at 1:35 PM and then tucked into the anchorage.
Cabo is a place of contrasts and monotony. The harbor is filled with hundreds of sport fishing boats, nearly all alike. Apart from the Baja haha fleet, sailboats are sparse. This must be because this area is unparalleled for its deep sea fishing opportunities. The restaurants and bars all have the "spring break" atmosphere. We spent the afternoon with the Baja Haha contingent at a bar on the beach called Mango, and the employees performed the most raunchy antics which were in extremely poor taste. The less said about this, the better.

We anchored the first night, but with 180 boats jockeying for anchorage, it was very tight. We awoke with our boat only 20 or so feet from another boat. so we pulled anchor and searched for an hour for a better spot to no avail. Finally on the VHF we found that we had been assigned a slip in the marina and we took it. The marina slip made it much easier to do the necessary shopping and checking into the authorities in Mexico for visa purposes.

Our friends Glenn and Rose from Fairfax CA, vacationing in Cabo, joined us for drinks at Mango, and John and I joined them for dinner at Rafael's(Pascale stayed on the boat with Francois who had a mild case of La Turista). Rafael's was excellent.

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Bruce
11/09/2006

After lunch, we had a great spinnaker run, with a 12 knot breeze from the north west, we were able to run the spinnaker all day until darkness fell, making 8.5 knots. After dark we put up the genoa and still made 6.5 knots, which should put us in Cabo the following afternoon. We had a simple dinner of chicken chili tacos.

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Bruce
11/08/2006

We're now sailing to Cabo San Lucas, we departed Mag Bay about 6:30 this morning. The morning winds were very light, but we managed to raise the spinnaker and coax some boat speed out of it.

We hooked a large Dorado (probably 50 pounder), this one had the most beautiful coloration, electric blue, lime green, and dayglo yellow. It put up a terrific fight, jumping clear of the water several times. Finally when we got it close enough to the boat to get a good look at it through the crystal clear water, it jumped off the hook.

Our disappointment was short lived as we caught a small bluefin tuna shortly thereafter. So it's fresh grilled tuna steaks for lunch.

The weather is very nice, air temperature in the 90s, and the water temperature is 86 degrees. The color of the sea is turquoise. The only thing missing is wind, the wind is about 3 knots, so we have to motor. More wind is forecasted for this afternoon.

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11/08/2006

woo hoo

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Bruce
11/07/2006

We arrived the night before last at Bahia Santa Maria at 2:30 a.m. The moon was full and we entered with a nice wind on a broad reach.

After dropping anchor, we spent a blissful night catching up on sleep, and awoke in this beautiful bay where the water is 82 degrees, crystal clear, and the fish are bountiful. The first day was officially a lazy day, with no organized parties. We took the dinghy to the beach and nearly rolled it over as we landed it in the surf on the beach. Thankfully that turned out okay.

The next day (today), we awoke at about 6 a.m., and I made french toast with eggs sunny side up for breakfast. Today happens to be Pascale and my wedding anniversary (#14). What a glorious place to celebrate our anniversary!

After breakfast we swam in the warm water, ran the dinghy around the anchorage for fun (and looking for Georgia J for naught, alas), and I ran out to another boat to get a bolt to replace a part that we lost in the water.

About that, we lost a few things in the water. One of them was a brand new Uniden VHF radio. damn. I had the thing clipped to my belt as we took the dinghy out. When I looked next, the clip was there but no radio. I shoulda known better than to trust that clip.

Lunchtime came soon enough, so I pulled out the 3rd and last bag of Dorado (mahi mahi) steaks from the fridge. I sauteed the steaks in olive oil with chopped onions, with a cover on so that the moisture was retained, until the fish was cooked and the onions were caramelized. Then I made a tarragon-mustard sauce, (dijon mustard, rice vinegar, a dash of hot sauce, pepper, and tarragon). The result was sublime. Pascale made a fantastic cole slaw using the red cabbage we had, and chopped apple, raisins, and rice vinegar.

After lunch we went to the beach via panga (fishermen's boat) where a huge party was organized by the baja haha folks. They had an excellent band there, that played really great rock n roll music. The band drove all the way from La Paz to be there for us (quite an undertaking).

John and I hiked to the peak of a mountain overlooking the harbor. It took an hour to get to the top, an according to John's GPS, we climbed about a thousand feet.

Now we're back on the boat, preparing dinner and getting ready for our very early departure tomorrow morning, destination Cabo San Lucas. It will take about a day and a half to get there.

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11/06/2006

Funny, those don't look like turtles to me..

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11/06/2006

Oh Mahi

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