Sirocco crossed the finish line off of Cabo Falso at around 9:05 this morning. We finished about 4 hours earlier than we thought we would. Yesterday was probably the best sailing I've ever done. We put up Little Red at the start and was sailing a comfortable 5-6 knots in about 7 knots of wind. After several hours of this, we noticed a boat coming up behind us rather quickly. The boat was very low to the water and had a very large asymmetrical spinnaker. As it got closer, we determined it was the other J-130, Sceptre. Of course when two sailboats are close together anywhere in the water, especially two boats that are the same design, it's a race. I was driving at the time and begged the guys to get out Hot Lips, our .5 oz 2400 sq. foot asymmetrical spinnaker. They dragged her out from underneath the v-berth and as soon as she was hoisted, we picked up over 1.5 knots of boat speed. We immediately started pulling away from Sceptre. We also sailed a little closer to the wind (called "hotting it up") to push Sceptre further west. They ended up sailing quite a bit higher than us and we completely lost visual contact. We think they are on their way to Hawaii. What a blast. We were doing 7 to 8 knots in about 7 knots of wind.
As the sun went down, the winds got a little stronger like they typically do and we put Little Red back up. We sailed all night under a bright moon, clear sky with Little Red. I think we averaged over 8 knots over a 9 hour period. No one could sleep because of the roar of the rushing water over the hull but what a thrill ride. Everyone had a great time driving. We passed all the boats that motored all the way (the wind was very light the first 5 hours of the course) and ended up about the fifth boat in to Cabo. Bill and I had a exciting moment on our night watch when a cruise ship decided to duel with us. Jeez, there is the big ocean out there and they had to steer our exact same course.
It is hot here in Cabo but our condo has air conditioning. We will stay here for three nights. Tonight is a big party for the Baja Ha-ha'ers at Squid Roe. Should be fun.
The crew was reviewing the trip while we were lounging at the pool this afternoon and we were amazed that nothing on Sirocco broke. We went through some pretty heavy weather the first leg of the trip but the boat didn't let us down. We had a small, 1 inch hole in Little Red and a block that is a little tweaked but that's it. Not bad after over 800 miles. The guys did figure out the Ample Power Smart Charger. The absorption voltage was set too low at 13.8. They raised it to 14.2 and our charging improved dramatically.
We all plan to relax the next 3 days here in Cabo. We have access to WiFi internet here next to the pool so it's easier to communicate with us. Mike and Bill are flying home while Dave, Bob, Lee and Cathy will continue on. We're not sure where our next stop will be at this point but we're thinking maybe Puerto Vallarta.
|
Comments [4]
Mark
I got your messgae about your nose I tried to call but couldn"t understand the number well Please do call or give me the number again.
Not to worry about your nose Probably best thing to do would be to get some nasal spray that has decongestant ie neosinefrina oxymetazolone. Spray that in your nose twice daily. Sometimes it helps to gently tape your nose shut for a day or so. It would be perfectly OK to see omeone there locally preferably a specialist for something like this There's even a clinic that caters to Americans near San Juan del Cabo. In the old days people used to put a little salt pork in their noses. It sounds strange but it works. But please do call again when you get this message any time you can I would be able to tell you more on the phone
Bruce 858-945-4221
The crew enjoys their last sunset at sea.
|
The start of leg 3 to Cabo began this morning at 6:00am. The fleet wanted an early start so we would only be out to sea for just one night. Listening to roll call this morning you could sense some tension on some crews. One skipper asked if he could leave one of his crew behind on Bahia Santa Maria. We're all doing great. Lee's nosebleed started again during the night and he is congested again but he's dealing with it. Right now the wind is light, about 7 knots but we're sailing at about 6 knots. We're ahead of the fleet right now. We hear there is a storm in Central California that will kick up a 12 foot swell down here but probably won't reach us until after we arrive in Cabo.
Bahia Santa Maria was a wonderful anchorage. I wish we could have spent more time there and less time at Turtle Bay. The anchorage has no services but the panoramic views are amazing. The locals prepared an incredible shirmp lunch yesterday and brought in a band from La Paz. Some of the boaters joined in with the band with their saxophones.
We're holding another fishing tournament onboard. The person with the smallest fish has to buy the crew a round of shots at Squid Roe in Cabo.
We hope we can sail the entire way to Cabo but the forecast is for light winds. We should arrive sometime tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon.
|
Good Luck and Fair Winds
What a different climate here in Bahia Santa Maria. The water is in the high seventies and the air temperature is about the same.. The wind is light, about 8 to 10 knots. As you all are freezing your tail, we're having endless summer. No clouds, no marine layer, nothing. More boats have come into the anchorage, about 110 so far.
We had a little excitement this morning. Lee developed a pretty heavy nosebleed, we think due to the air dryness. It bled for over an hour nonstop and Lee was getting a little anxious. A doctor from another boat came over and checked him out, but we had most of the bleeding stopped by that time. He is really congested now from all the blood in his sinuses and is taking it very easy. Fortunately, we are here for two more nights so he has plenty of time to recuperate.
The guys went to shore to explore and found some fabulous seashells and sand dollars. Lots of rays around here too so you have to be careful where you step in the water. It didn't look like there was much damage from hurricane Jimenez but then again there isn't much here to destroy.
We're calling this anchorage Bahia Beef because we need to consume all our beef before we arrive in Cabo. The authorities in Cabo confiscate all beef brought in for fear of mad cow disease. Since we've been eating so much fish, we haven't had a chance to consume the steaks and pot roast. The beef will be good for Lee anyway, lots of protein and iron to assist in the blood replenishment process.
The guys want the women to know "we might not be coming back". And Dave says, "Don't worry Marisa, I'll send for you".
|
We have arrived save and sound in Bahia Santa Maria and were the 13th boat in the anchorage. It's about 9:00pm and we are enjoying a nightcap.
Now that we have been sailing for a week, the crew has developed pet names for items on the boat. So the rest of you can follow along in the blog, here is the reference dictionary:
Little Red: Sirocco's smaller spinnaker, but still quite large considering it's 1800 square feet Hot Lips: Sirocco's larger yellow spinnaker. Most of you know why it has this nickname Katy: The Katadyne watermaker Milt: The 18volt Milwaukee drill The Twins: the two solar panels Otto: the autopilot Wilbur: I'll introduce him later
Yesterday we had glorious sailing most of the day. Wind was 18-20 and we had Little Red up all afternoon and evening. Swells were about 6-8 feet. Sirocco just loves these conditions. She is very well balanced and easy to drive; in fact almost drivers herself. We averaged between 8 and 10 knots for about 6 hours. Mike is now the man; he hit 12.8 knots. Whoa hoo! But then the wind shut down in the middle of the night and we had to motor through the night. Today the wind came back some but it was right on the nose so we had to motor anyway. We were rammed by fish, but no whales.
Last night we had a visitor. A small bird flew on the boat, in the boat and then hung out on the coiled halyards all night. Poor guy, he was exhausted. We had Santa Anas last night so he must have been blown out to sea. We named him Wilbur. He left a present for Mike on his backpack.
All the equipment is working perfectly. The Twins put out about 13 amps per hour during the afternoon so we have had no energy issues. The guys want to work on the smart charger that runs off the alternator. I guess it's programmed to shut off too early and we don't get the batteries fullly charged when we are motoring. The solar panels make up the difference so it hasn't been an issue but Mike and Bill want it working the right way. Katy made about 8 gallons of water for us today; we have used less than 50% of the 120 gallons of water in the tanks. Not bad for 6 people for 8 days. But don't ask me how we all smell.... Otto drives the boat better than any of us.
We had a fishing derby this afternoon. The guys were catching so much fish they had to catch and release. We still haven't finished all the fish Bill caught. Tonight we had fresh yellow fin tuna.
We also listened to the Charger game on Sirius radio. Thought they were going to blow it again but they came through.
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009 Time: 9:40 pm Baja Time Position: N 24 46.5, W 112 15.2
|
We have arrived save and sound in Bahia Santa Maria and were the 13th boat in the anchorage. It's about 9:00pm and we are enjoying a nightcap.
Now that we have been sailing for a week, the crew has developed pet names for items on the boat. So the rest of you can follow along in the blog, here is the reference dictionary:
Little Red: Sirocco's smaller spinnaker, but still quite large considering it's 1800 square feet Hot Lips: Sirocco's larger yellow spinnaker. Most of you know why it has this nickname Katy: The Katadyne watermaker Milt: The 18volt Milwaukee drill The Twins: the two solar panels Otto: the autopilot Wilbur: I'll introduce him later
Yesterday we had glorious sailing most of the day. Wind was 18-20 and we had Little Red up all afternoon and evening. Swells were about 6-8 feet. Sirocco just loves these conditions. She is very well balanced and easy to drive; in fact almost drivers herself. We averaged between 8 and 10 knots for about 6 hours. Mike is now the man; he hit 12.8 knots. Whoa hoo! But then the wind shut down in the middle of the night and we had to motor through the night. Today the wind came back some but it was right on the nose so we had to motor anyway. We were rammed by fish, but no whales.
Last night we had a visitor. A small bird flew on the boat, in the boat and then hung out on the coiled halyards all night. Poor guy, he was exhausted. We had Santa Anas last night so he must have been blown out to sea. We named him Wilbur. He left a present for Mike on his backpack.
All the equipment is working perfectly. The Twins put out about 13 amps per hour during the afternoon so we have had no energy issues. The guys want to work on the smart charger that runs off the alternator. I guess it's programmed to shut off too early and we don't get the batteries fullly charged when we are motoring. The solar panels make up the difference so it hasn't been an issue but Mike and Bill want it working the right way. Katy made about 8 gallons of water for us today; we have used less than 50% of the 120 gallons of water in the tanks. Not bad for 6 people for 8 days. But don't ask me how we all smell.... Otto drives the boat better than any of us.
We had a fishing derby this afternoon. The guys were catching so much fish they had to catch and release. We still haven't finished all the fish Bill caught. Tonight we had fresh yellow fin tuna.
We also listened to the Charger game on Sirius radio. Thought they were going to blow it again but they came through.
Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009 Time: 9:40 pm Baja Time Position: N 24 46.5, W 112 15.2
|