We left San Diego at 0700 on Tuesday June 13 after clearing US customs and immigration the previous day, for the short (65 mile) sail down to Ensenada in Mexico. The morning was overcast but there was a promise of clearing skies and a good breeze from the Northwest which was exactly where we wanted it from. By the time we were passing through the Coronado Islands (about 17 miles South of San Diego and belonging to Mexico) the day had made good on its promise and we were skooting along downwind in about 15 knots of breeze under a cloudless sky.

As fate would have it in the middle of poling out the headsail for the first time we caught our first fish - a yellow fin tuna - as evidenced by the photo with all the appropriate amount of blood. It was quickly dispatched and half was cut into steaks and the other half was pickled in vinegar, onions and herbs to have for lunch. It was a perfect size for the two of us.

Around midday the wind picked up to 20+ kts and we were regularly hitting 9.5kts and sitting very comfortably between 7.5 - 8.5kts.

We arrived in Ensenada at about 1630 - an average speed of 7.4kts.

We have checked into a Marina called Baja Naval, right in the middle of the town and will stay here for perhaps 6 to 8 weeks while we do a list of jobs upgrading the boat. We need to install the windvane self steering system (we already have an electric autopilot but the windvane uses no battery power so is far preferable and more reliable on a long passage); a watermaker; an inner forestay to carry a storm sail; a bar-b-que (very important!) and other odds and sods. We haul out on July 14 to have the bottom painted and the Autoprop feathering propeller serviced before the long haul back to Australia.

We spent most of yesterday morning (Wednesday June 14) at Immigration and Customs clearing unto Mexico then wandered around the town -our first purchase being a Spanish-English dictionary. Ensenada was first "discovered" by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542 and now has a population of just under 400,000. It has a cruise terminal and can handle up to three cruise ships at a time (yesterday was a cruise ship day so the prices were higher). There are two little islands (Islas De Todos Santos) 10 miles off the coast that appear to be the spot to go for a few days when we want to get out of the marina - good swimming, fishing and diving.