Leg 2 got off to a start similar to leg 1, with strong winds. By late afternoon they reached 25-28 knots, forcing us to reef the main sail (for the first time ever) in big seas. The crew worked flawlessly to put 2 reefs in from the comfort of the cockpit while heading into 30-35 knots of apparent wind and the boat pitching into the 2 meter seas. We sailed until 2am, where we once again motorsailed towards Bahia Santa Maria. (BSM)

As we approached the bay, we commented on the growing thunderheads in the distance, not thinking for a moment that they would be a threat. Within hours it became clear that a major disturbance was forming, with lightning hits over a 50 mile band headed right for the bay. Our goal of getting in before dark was dashed however, as we turned back North to avoid the approaching lightning. A game changer for the fleet this year is the prevalence of boats with Starlink, enabling real time lightning strike visibility. We were collectively able to figure out that the system would pass in the coming hours, allowing us to sneak into the anchorage and put an anchor down at 4am.

BSM is a sleepy fishing village with maybe 100 people and 20 pangas perched on a bluff inside the bay. Each year a rock band makes the 5 hour trip from La Paz with their equipment and a generator to play to the dancing crew members in the fleet. It’s a surreal sight, overlooking 100 boats, sipping margs, listening to Jimmy Buffet and exchanging sea stories.

Leg 2 Stats: 245 Miles, 17.5 hours of sailing and 23 of motorsailing