November 28, 2010: What does 3:30 am look like . very dark, windy, rainy and cold. No we aren't talking about the Pacific Northwest just San Diego experiencing its cold streak of weather. Lacking daylight at this time of year we needed to rise and shine early for our departure to Ensenada Mexico, 69 miles south of here.

Mike & Nita Conlon on "Odessa" are joining us for this part of the journey along the west coast of the Baja. Our phone rang just shortly before departure time of 4 am. Mike was calling to discuss our not-so-simple exiting the marina slips. The wind was blowing hard enough never boat could safely cast off our lines and pull out without the potential of blowing down into another boat or the dock. The time between the lulls in the wind could be counted in seconds. Okay so common sense sunk in and we waited about 2 hours before feeling comfortable enough to leave. Any longer of a wait would delay our departure another day. Arriving in the daylight into a new marina is our rule and a most prudent mariner thing to do.

We gazed at the downtown all dressed up in holiday lights while motoring out of the harbor. Our time here in San Diego was quite enjoyable and we both could have spent all winter here. A small craft advisory was being broadcasted on VHF 16 for our area of sailing today; great we thought, at least we can sail. And sure enough we did, the entire way to Ensenada from a beam to broad reach to wing 'n wing. The wind fluctuated between 10 to 20 knots but steady. The swell and wave heights were the biggest we have seen since coming down the coast. Needless to say, the boats rocked, rolled and surfed down the swells; by the end of the day we all were very tired and sore.

As Nita and I were discussing on VHF 69 what marina we wanted to stay at, the radio came alive with "break", as in break in the conversation; we had 3-4 people suggesting where we could stay and how to contact the marina office. In the end, a wonderful person on "Crazy Notion" guided us into Cruiseport Village marina and others helped us with our lines. What a nice welcome by all the cruisers!

Once settled in and with hot food in our bellies, we hit the sack by 7 pm absolutely bushed.

November 29, 2010: It felt so good to sleep 12 hours due to our long day yesterday. By the way, we had to wear fleece tops, jackets and foul weather gear to stay warm. Even though the sun was shining, it was still chilly; maybe our compass was backwards and we were really going to Alaska instead of Mexico??

We started the morning by listening in on the Ensenada cruiser's net on VHF 69. It was delightful to listen to cruisers coming & leaving, who needed help, who had parts to trade or buy, upcoming community events and the weather plus news report. After the net closed, coffee was then being served up at the patio/BBQ area. What a nice way to meet new people and get some local knowledge.

It was time to start the check-in process for visas, fishing licenses, port fees and temporary import permit for the boat. First of all, the folks at Cruiseport Village Marina were wonderful! They sat us down, completed all the forms, printed all the copies we needed, drove us to the port captain/customs office and walked us thru the entire process plus they gave us a very reasonable rate ($27.50/night) for moorage. We tried to tip them but they would not accept any money for helping us . it was part of their customer service. Wow, such a wonderful experience! We topped the day off with naps and cocktails on "Crazy Notion", the cruiser who helped us find slips in the marina. Since we didn't get see the sights of Ensenada we are planning to stay one more day. Wednesday will be our departure day for Turtle Bay.