Sirocco left the Los Muertos anchorage at 5:15am to make the 190 mile trip across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan. The weather forecast was calling for 15-20 knot winds in the morning and then getting lighter throughout the day with almost no wind the next morning as we approach Mazatlan. We calculated we would arrive in Mazatalan between 11:00am and noon on Wednesday.

The problem about forecasts is that, well, they are just forecasts. We had steadywinds of 20-25 knots true with gusts to 30. It was a beam reach almost the entire way with fairly large seas on the beam as well. We double-reefed the main and single reefed the jib at times. We were flying. After 12 hours we had gone 95 miles and had averaged 8knots/hour for the 12 hours. That means halfway in just 12 hours which would put us in Mazatlan at around 5:00am instead of noon. This was not good for 2 reasons: 1) We would be arriving at Mazatlan at dark, and 2) We would be arriving at low tide. The channel at Mazatlan is supposedly 12 feet but we had heard that it has shoaled somewhat. Sirocco draws 8.5 feet. We definitely did not want to negotiate the harbor entrance at low tide. So we decided to take down the main completely at sundown to slow Sirocco down. On most boats this is no simple task with 25 knot winds on the beam and 5 to 8 foot seas. But fortunately Sirocco's main system has Harken battcars which makes raising and lowering the main much easier. After we dropped the main we were still hitting 7 knots. So Inclined had been motorsailing the entire time and was right behind us. They eventually passed us but stayed within 3-4 miles ahead of us. It is a reassuring feeling to have a "buddy" boat close by when making a passage like this.

The winds and seas finally layed down early in the morning and let those off watch get a little sleep. We arrived in Mazatlan at 7:30am, washed down the boat, had breakfast, and went to sleep! Our dock is almost completely filled with boats from San Diego.