Plan B
04 December 2015 | San Jose del Cabo
Rick Longpre
It's always good to have a Plan B. Bob always has a Plan B and probably a Plan C. Our departure from Mag Bay after a leisurely morning of swimming, running (got 3 mi in with Billy) and prepping was uneventful. We had toyed with the idea of staying another day since it was a pretty ideal, tropical anchorage....but a new adventure at Isla Espirato Santos, north of La Paz had our interest. Billy made a fabulous pasta with shrimp, Calamata olives and sun dried tomatoes for dinner at sea. We enjoyed a calm sail with another beautiful night sky and were passing Todos Santos for breakfast on Sunday. We spotted several Humpbacks, saw the constant developing coastline of north Cabo, a marlin being boarded by a fishing charter, rounded Lands End and enjoyed the coastline of Cabo San Lucas. Expecting the wind to pick up as we got further east, Bill prepared our Tri-tip dinner early which turned out to be ominous. Plan A was to sail and/or power to Espirato Santos arriving by Monday night and enjoy a day of fun in the sun. Within short order after sunset, the wind picked up from a calm 4-5 to 13-15 in what seemed like 5 minutes and continued to increase into the high teens to low 20s. Heading directly up the coast put the wind on the nose and the steepening, short seas made for a bumpy ride so we fell off 40* to keep us 60* off the wind; far more comfortable, even if lengthening our trip. By the time dinner was done, it soon became apparent that we were going to be in for a rough evening, winds clocking 30+ (hit 35), and a short, steep, 6' fetch, making it bumpy and wet. The double-reefed main, without a headsail and the engine running could only produce 3-4 knots and mostly in the wrong direction from our intended destination. It looked like a long night with Bob catching a few winks here & there during each of the other 3 watches. Sleeping was a challenge; I actually found myself dosing off 1 time with my foot up against the stateroom bulkhead to keep me on the bunk. After several tacks and conversation about Plans B, C and D, and no improvement in the conditions, Bob exercised the Captain's authority and turned us around at dawn, heading back to San Jose del Cabo Marina, about 20 miles behind us. Chips, guacamole and beer followed by naps, helped (somewhat) rejuvinate us and psych us up for another try tomorrow morning after a good night sleep in the marina...Plan B was looking like a pretty good idea about this time.