Puerto Escondido, 25'48.N 111'48.W to La Ramada 26'22.N 111'25. W
04 July 2014 | Puerto Escondido
Admirals Report Donna Lou
Puerto Escondido, 25'48.N 111'48.W to La Ramada 26'22.N 111'25. W Magic Carpets passage was uneventful; it felt so good to be back at sea. La Ramada cove offers great protection from the south west, south east & west winds. July is the start of Chubasco season so we chose carefully where we dropped our hook. Sure enough the evening started with a super light show, flashes and strikes to the east of us. Sometimes these storm cells make it across the Sea of Cortez and sometimes they dissipate before reaching the Baja. We had strong winds (50 knots) with thunder & lighting & heavy rains from midnight on. Little Z stayed on night watch on her favorite cockpit perch. At 2 am she insisted on staying out watching the action, at 6 am she was a MAS (missing at sea) little Pussy cat. We searched high and low on land and sea, we could not find her. We thought she could have been swept overboard during one of the many rap around swell that had invaded our hide hole. We called & called little Z usually takes memos when called seldom comes right away. Reluctantly with sad hearts we pulled anchor and started heading north. As we were discussing hosting the main little Z jumped out of the lazy jack onto the dodger screaming to be dried, she looked like shed had a bad hair day! If we had hosted the main with her in the sail she would have been airborne into the sea. I guess she knew it because she got out just in time. The first ½ of this passage was with light winds as we motored just to the west of several storm cells, with lighting flashes & bolts hitting the water to our starboard. We pushed hard toward the blue skies ahead, the storm cell caught up with us and we downed follies for the first time in years. It was cold and dark strangely enough all the marine life was heading south only Magic Carpet was heading north; we wondered if they knew something we didn't? Lots of Dolphins and several pods of whales were swimming fast south but when a shark jumped 6 feet in the air not once but twice ( just like at universal studios) we wondered what we were doing out here! With no place to go but north toward the blue sky we keep driving north. By noon the sky's had cleared the wind had filled in and the long passage was smooth. Just as we reached the head of Conception Bay the sky darkened the wind hit 40 knots the rain & lighting greeted us. As fast as it hit us it moved on south everything is going south today! We safely anchored at Punta Santo Domingo in 17 feet of water protected from the south east and south west winds. We are waiting to see what tonight will be like! So far we do know this, little Z is on strike she is not doing night watch to night.