Sailing the Karina C

Walking with Reno.
Windy day again. Winds are up to 30 knots at times. We saw 29 as a maximum here at the anchorage at Salinas while we were eating lunch. Karina rides comfortably with her nose 300 feet from shore with 90 feet of chain in 10 feet of water. Don’t think we need to worry about holding. When it was really howling last night we had a WSW cross swell for about an hour at 0400. I decided to get up and check everything onboard. All systems were fine. I think our Mexican flag has had it though. The red part is now distinctly tatty.
After breakfast we decided to go for a walk. We called Reno and asked if he would like to show us the town. Boy did he ever. We first walked up the near hill to where Karina was anchored and took a few pictures. Then we walked across the saltworks to the N side beach. The wind was really howling over there. We took pictures of the violent chop coming down the channel. It would be tough even for a boat going downwind today. Reno is a bit like a mountain goat in even the thickest bush. He is remarkably agile and able to navigate through the dense bush. At the same time he cut walking sticks for Anita and I that were remarkably light and sturdy. He knew a lot of the history of the area as well as the local edibles. He said he would have little trouble surviving here in the desert save for water. Just walking with him today I can see how he regards this area as “home”.
Back at the boat we are bouncing around a little bit but seem OK in spite of the big winds. San Evaristo is much worse. Last night they reported winds to 40 knots. We haven’t seen anything much over 30 since we got here. The boats at anchor closer to the point seem to be doing a little worse than we are. The winds make some of the lighter monohulls heel as they weave at anchor.
Tonight we are playing Mexican trains with Cathy and Reno. Anita is making a special supper that I only get when we are away from port. Yum.