11/29/2009, Punta Abreojos
A strange way to start the day was with a wet boat. It sprinkled during the night! We haven't seen rain, or showers tor that matter in quite some time. I guess I should have expected it since I saw on the weather widget on my computer that it was raining in Ensenada. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to clean the decks but what dirt there was became a layer of wet dirt. Not down to mud standards, but it just made the dirt worse on deck.
We dried off the windows and I stuck on my foul weather gear just to make sure the sprinkles stopped(it always works that way) and we upped anchor and took off about 0740. There was as always little wind so the engine stayed on for a short time but we raised the sails and tried it that way for a while. Eventually, the wind kicked up--sort of--and we turned off the engine and slowly coasted along. We rolled out the big genoa at the bow and between the two of us, maneuvered out the spinnaker pole to hold her out. The wind kept changing and the sail kept failing so with the pole, it kept it out to gather in what ever breeze it could find. Not a lot of that and eventually, the motor came back on as we still needed to be in the anchorage by 1746 before sundown. As always, as we rounded the point off the harbor(more like a bite along the coast), the winds picked up and started gusting into the mid-20 knot range. Perfect for a beam reach sail. That is when the wind is coming right at the side of your boat. It is supposed to be the fastest point of sail. We followed Passage II into the bay as they left Bahia Asuncion before us and are a much lighter boat so they make better time. There are 5 of us now in the bay waiting for tomorrow to see what the weather will bring. While the seas were large--10 to 12 foot swells, the wind wasn't that great till much later in the day. We had maybe 5 to 8 knots of wind at any one time. It's hard to move a boat like Zephyr in such light winds. Stronger winds had been forecasted but never got here.
Tomorrow, we are off for Bahia Santa Maria just outside of Mag Bay. About a 150 mile trip. We will be off early in the morning and be on the water for about 30 hours before we get there. With luck, the winds will be in our favor this time.
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11/29/2009, Punta Abreojos
A strange way to start the day was with a wet boat. It sprinkled during the night! We haven't seen rain, or showers tor that matter in quite some time. I guess I should have expected it since I saw on the weather widget on my computer that it was raining in Ensenada. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to clean the decks but what dirt there was became a layer of wet dirt. Not down to mud standards, but it just made the dirt worse on deck.
We dried off the windows and I stuck on my foul weather gear just to make sure the sprinkles stopped(it always works that way) and we upped anchor and took off about 0740. There was as always little wind so the engine stayed on for a short time but we raised the sails and tried it that way for a while. Eventually, the wind kicked up--sort of--and we turned off the engine and slowly coasted along. We rolled out the big genoa at the bow and between the two of us, maneuvered out the spinnaker pole to hold her out. The wind kept changing and the sail kept failing so with the pole, it kept it out to gather in what ever breeze it could find. Not a lot of that and eventually, the motor came back on as we still needed to be in the anchorage by 1746 before sundown. As always, as we rounded the point off the harbor(more like a bite along the coast), the winds picked up and started gusting into the mid-20 knot range. Perfect for a beam reach sail. That is when the wind is coming right at the side of your boat. It is supposed to be the fastest point of sail. We followed Passage II into the bay as they left Bahia Asuncion before us and are a much lighter boat so they make better time. There are 5 of us now in the bay waiting for tomorrow to see what the weather will bring. While the seas were large--10 to 12 foot swells, the wind wasn't that great till much later in the day. We had maybe 5 to 8 knots of wind at any one time. It's hard to move a boat like Zephyr in such light winds. Stronger winds had been forecasted but never got here.
Tomorrow, we are off for Bahia Santa Maria just outside of Mag Bay. About a 150 mile trip. We will be off early in the morning and be on the water for about 30 hours before we get there. With luck, the winds will be in our favor this time.
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11/28/2009, Bahia Asuncion, Mexico
A day of rest wether we liked it or not. The winds kicked up this morning and there was no way to leave the boat safely. So we just hunkered down and had a day of rest. I played with the SSB and read more manuals on it and other things on board. Some day, what I read will have a plot. Tracy sat in stitched and started a new jigsaw puzzle. About mid afternoon, we watched a fishing boat and a sailboat that had been in Turtle Bay join us at anchor.
I found we had internet late this afternoon so I've posted a new photo album of things we have seen. I still have a few more to add that I forgot after I post this post.
All is well and the kids are having fun laying about in the sunshine. The anchorage here is just about deserted with just the two boats joining us this afternoon. Several passed this harbor by and continued to the next anchorage about 50 more miles South of here. We're headed there tomorrow if the weather behaves it self.
So go look at the pictures I've posted and enjoy your evening. We are.
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11/26/2009, Bahia Asuncion
We took off from Turtle Bay at 0545 with no wind so we kept the motor on for the next 5 hours making good time heading South. By 1045, the winds finally showed up. Not much but we took the 8 to 12 knots and raised all the sails and took off at a mighty 3.5 knots. It was slow, but it was free. We pushed on, enjoying the sunshine and the warm weather marveling that here it was, the day after Thanksgiving and we were in swimsuits and working on our tans.
By 1500, the winds had died down to next to nothing so on came the motor again and on we pushed towards Bahia Asuncion. We pulled in and dropped the anchor at 27 08.347N 114 17.276W just as the sunset. There is a young lady here that looks after cruisers called Sirena and she answers to all call made on VHF 16 and helps get people like us anchored and does what she can to help us out. She'll even take you on tours of her fair city. We called her as we entered the bay and she told us where to anchor as 9 foot swells are due here tonight. That's a lot of swell, let me tell you. The winds had started to build just as we entered the harbor so we dropped the anchor and let out plenty of chain to make sure we stayed put. We'll see what the night brings, but the winds have dropped to next to nothing and that is fine with us.
We've covered 2160 miles since we left Port Townsend, with 56 added on today to our total. That puts us to almost 5,000 miles since we left on April 3 for Alaska. James, the new Hydrovane did his job today and steered us perfectly as we sailed South. He's been a great addition to the crew and he doesn't eat Amps like his big brother.
Let go back to yesterday when Tracy made the wonderful pecan pie. Instead of being on a boat, you're in your house with the same space and equipment. First, you have to gather your supplies to make the pie. There is no pantry in your house so you have to try and remember where you stored everything. Of course you made a list of everything you brought home, but some times you got rushed and things didn't get added to the list. OK, the flour--try under the sofa in the livingroom. Nope, how about in the den. Got it, oh yeah, don't forget to check for the bay leaf you put in to stop the weevils from ruining it. That happens out here in the heat. OK, on to the pecans-- oh, yeah, I put them in the basement so they will keep dry and cool. The Karo Syrup, Hum, where did I leave that. Oh yeah, it's up in the bedroom closet on the floor behind the boxes of cereal. On a boat, nothing is like in a house. Every square inch of space has a purpose and needs to be utilized. There is no pantry where you can just reach in and there it is. The Crisco was two years old but still fine. Every time you use something, you have to put it on a list if you want to make sure you pick up more the next time you are out getting provisions. That could be two weeks away and it is bound to be forgotten that you need more of something. There are no 7-11's or Cirlce K"s out here. Oh, I forgot, the roller to make the crust has some black marks on it from where I left it under the floor boards in the galley. There must be a leak in the pipes. I'll have to check that later.
Back to the kitchen(we call it a galley) to whip it all together. I forgot, there is no electricity in the galley, I have to go out and start the generator so the mixer will work. Now the galley is about the space of the inside of your guest room closet. About 6 foot by 5 foot if you are lucky. Counter space is rare, so you had a board made to cover the top of the stove and the sink is the best place to put the dirty dishes so they don't fall on the floor during the next earthquake. Remember, your house is in an earthquake zone and could move at any time and there is always the possibility of an bunch of wind coming up that will shake everything you have out on to the counter. To make it easier, the stove is suspended on a rod so it can swing back and forth if a quake happens. Unfortunately, when you open the door to the stove, that lowers the front of the stove(remember, it's on a rod to hold to level?) and everything you had piled on top(counter space is limited remember?) flies at you and crashes to the floor and make a nice mess. Oh yeah, you forgot to put out the pins that hold the stove in place and keep it from rocking. The stove is heated, but only in the back of the oven(propane)--not all the way around, so when you put in the pie(or what ever you are cooking), the rear of it gets cooked faster than the front. So, every now and then, you have to open the door and spin the pie around so what was in the front is now in the back. Now don't forget those pins again. Boy, baking sure is fun, isn't it?
This is what Tracy goes through every time she cooks or bakes in the galley. Nothing is ever easy when it comes to cooking on a boat. It is always an adventure, wether it is just looking for what you need to cook or getting it all put together, yet she has made many incredible meals since we have moved on board.
Tomorrow, we will be off for town to explore Bahia Asuncion. From what I have heard, they serve a Burro Burrito that is just devine. I guess we will see when we have lunch.
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11/26/2009, Turtle Bay, Mexico
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! This has been one of the warmest Thanksgivings we have ever experienced. It was in the mid 70's here and the attire of the day was shorts or a swimsuit, not overcoats and sweaters like back home in Colorado. Yeah!!! Finally it's warm!!
The morning started out with the fuel boat showing up to sell us some diesel for Zephyr. We were down a bit so, with a quick conversion(I cheated and used a program on my Mac) from gallons to liters, we were ready to pump. We guessed at 80 gallons and agreed on 300 liters of fuel. Tracy stayed below and monitored the tanks while I was above decks watching the fuel get pumped in. We guessed right at our 80 gallons and the tanks were full again. The last time we had filled up was at Marina del Rey back on October 15. This time, our consumption was down to just .80 gallons per hour instead of the 1 gallon we normally use. The reason was that for several nights we had only run the engine at 1000 or 1300 rpms and that uses less diesel. O course the fuel savings are off set by us only doing 3.5 knots at that rpm versus 6 knots at 1750 rpms. Yes, the consumption was less. but so was the miles covered. I think it's better to run at 1750 and get our 6 miles versus only 3.5 miles at 1300 rpms. But hey, that's just my opinion for what it is worth.
I fired up the little Honda generator on the stern to replace the amps we had used during the previous night and she fired up at the second pull. I stopped it while I went and got the cord to connect it to Zephyr. Now, of course, she won't start no matter what I did. Tracy told me to stop pulling the cord and let it rest. I'd probably flooded it.
So I went below to change the diesel injector oil that has to be changed every 50 hours or so. It's like I have said in the past. Cruising is nothing more than fixing your boat in exotic locations. Once one, I tried the generator and she sprang to life. We had amps!! We ran her for the next two hours and all the batteries were fully charged. What we used after that, the DuoGen could keep up with.
As we sailed South, we noticed that one of the lines that holds the rudder onto the bottom of the Hyrdovane had become quite frayed. I went down into the water to pull the pin and replace the line. We don't want to loose the pin that holds the rudder in place. Once the knot was in place, I sewed the end of the line to the knot so it can't come loose.
I actually finished a book today! It's called "Why didn't I think of that?" by John and Susan Roberts. It's a book with 1198 tips from 222 sailors on 120 boats from 9 countries. Not much of a plot but it's got lots of information from other boaters as to what has worked for them on their boats.
It was warm enough today to pull out the solar shower and heat water so we could at least wash our hair. The water in the bay is up to 68 degrees so we are getting warmer water as well as daytime temperatures so I'm all for that. Soon, the water will hit 70 and I'm in it then. 80s better but that's ok.
Tracy cooked up a wonderful Thanksgiving meal including a pecan pie!!! Chicken(out of turkey) and stuffing with cranberry sauce and with the pecan pie of desert. it was a perfect meal. Of course the wine didn't hurt either. We sat in the cockpit and watched the Sun go down as we had desert. A lovely day.
Tomorow, we are off for Bahia Asuncion about 50 miles South of here. We expect to anchor at 27 08.26N 114 17.47W if you want to see where we will be on Google Earth. We read about this place in "The Log", a newspaper that is put out around San Diego and Los Angeles. They had a nice article about Asuncion so we think we will stop in for a day or two to experience the off roads of Mexico. As we will be off just after 0500, I thought I better tell you about today now.
It's nice having the SSB to allow us to post to the blog when ever we want and not have to wait till we hit a big city to get internet.
So to all of you out there, I say again, Happy Thanksgiving!
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11/26/2009, Turtle Bay, Mexico or actually Bahia San Bartolome
The day dawned bright and blue with the temperature starting in the low 60s. As I said in yesterdays post, Tracy went forward to raise the forestaysail. What I let out was that there were several dozen squid (about 3 to 5" long) all over the forward deck. Even on the sail as we had left it flaked on the deck over night. They stared up at her with their glassy eye. She was less than impressed. My theory is that they were attracted to our boat because we had on our steaming light as we motored over the night. Squid fishermen typically have big lights attached to their boats as they fish. Any how, once the sail was up, I got to go forward and get them off the deck. Tracy had all ready pulled the ones off the sail and she didn't want to touch the rest. They are good jumpers as I found them quite a ways on board even though we have nets along the lifelines. With all the sails up or rolled out, we took off South We wanted to be in Turtle Bay before sundown and we have almost 50 miles to go. With the engine off, we were making good time in the 10 knot breeze. Unfortunately, it meant that we wouldn't get to Turtle Bay till almost 1800 and the Sun sets at 1646 now, so about 1300, on came the engine and we were forced to do a motor assisted sail to get in by sundown.
During the afternoon, we were delighted to see several groups of dolphins approach and play in the bow wake of our boat. They stayed with up for about 15 minutes before heading North. Tracy saw the plume of water from a whale but he never approached our boat. As one of the boats in the Baja HaHa rally was sunk by one, that is just fine by me. I'm not sure of the full story, but it can be read in the Latitude 38 website on line.
We caught up with Lene and Henrik on Dana about 1500 as they headed South. They were continuing South to Magdalena Bay, about another 240 miles farther down the coast. We wanted to stop at Turtle Bay and not rush down the coast. So here we are now at 27 41.116N 114 53.217W safely at anchor. We sighted the entrance to the bay about 1600 and entered at 1650 just as the Sun was going down and dropped the anchor in twilight amongst 13 other boats. I took several pictures and will post them once we get on the internet farther down the coast. I'm posting this using our SSB radio again.
From what we have seen so far as we came down the coast, this place looks much like the back lands of South New Mexico only with less vegetation. It a barren landscape with not a tree or bush in sight as we passed the coastline. The Suns reflection off the rocks on shore gave it beautiful colors but if you are looking for palm trees and sandy beaches, they're not along this shoreline. Once settled in, we sat in the cockpit and dined on smoked marlin that we picked up in the fish market in Ensenada. We bought a kilo(2.2 pounds) for 80 pesos(about $6.10). It's a beautiful deep burnt red in color with a mild smoky fish flavor. Served on crackers with a nice white wine, it was the perfect dinner as we sat at anchor.
After dinner, I tried to get on the SSB and find some networks that might be broadcasting but found none. I've not found a single one since we installed it. All in good time I guess. Put the wine and fish and add three full days under sail with little sleep and we were quite tired. We took off for bed before 2000 hours. I can't tell you the last time I went to bed at 8pm. Obviously we needed it as we both slept in till after 0700 this morning.
Well, that is it for now.
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