Well left Turtle Bay and headed south for Bahia Santa Maria. We are really trying to get into a little spanish now. The books have come out. It was a pleasant sail and even though we wanted to make the bay by dark, we didn't quite make it, anchoring yet again in the dark. This is not something we want to be proficient at. It is incredibly stressful when you see a few hundreds lights and we know they are only boats because there is no town here. We then settled in for dinner and a well deserved shower. Early to bed to recover. Up the next morning and we decided to move a little closer, not that it did us any good. The swells coming into the bay were enormous. We would be on deck watching them as they passed other boats then see the boats disappear into the troughs. We figured the beach was a no go for us to land. We decided to get a panga to the beach party where they had trucked in dinner and a band for us from La Paz, 135 mile away. Well, everyone else needed a panga as well so we ended up waiting 2 1/2 hours. They had to stop the pangas at midday as the surf was too big for them to land as well. When they started up again, it was all on. We finally made it to the party and paid our $12. In previous years they had lobster but not this year. In fact we were rather disappointed. The band was pretty good though. We decided to leave early as we knew that given the time it took to get all the people on the beach, it would take just as long to get them off. Some people came in their dinghies and I tell you , it is easy to come in on the surf but it is sure way more entertaining to watch them leave through the surf. Some didn't even make it. One couple got tossed out and they did not have the kill switch rigged to stop the outboard if they came out. (we were all told this was essential). They were ok and made it to shore but their dinghy just kept going, up and down the beach like it was possessed. It was rather entertaining and something we haven't seen before. Added to the fun for us, not for those that got dumped. We then managed to get on board a panga and had the sort of trip you get at Disneyland, through the surf. It was quite exciting and we all had to say a prayer that we wouldn't get dumped. Anyway we made it. We had to admire the skill of the panga drivers. They were definitely gifted. We found out the next day that 72 people did not make it off the beach as the surf came up and the panga drivers stopped. They were able to get off the next morning when the surf had died down but they ended up spending a chilly night on the beach in nothing but shorts and tops. There was only one small hut so most slept outside. Glad it wasn't us. We made a early start the next morning and sailed great for 24 hours. Then 15 miles from the finish line the wind died. We wallowed for a while but logistics took over and we finally had to motor. It is really hard on the sails to wallow as they get slapped around and given all the gear failures we have heard about to date, it wasn't worth it to us to see our sails flogged to a miserable death. We also heard about problems at the anchorage so we thought it prudent to get there before dark. Never the mind, we gave it our best shot and did way better than a lot of others. About the gear failures, they have a net each morning and people tell their stories of woe. I tell you, I thank my lucky stars that we are not among them. There are about 4-6 boats that cannot get their motors to go for some reason or other; transmissions, electrical, engine mounts, etc. Numerous sails have to be repaired and 2 boats have an ingress of water they need to attend to, let alone all the other extraneous issues boats have had. When we see the boat sailing along, we do appreciate the stresses that it incurs with the water and wind, etc. It just makes us more prudent to check the gear regularly and relace stuff before it breaks. I also think we spent a lot of time getting ready and I know some others didn't have the time we had. For us we have had 2 cupboard latches break and the forward head block x2. I think it is Dave's technique. Luckily for Dave I was able to cast my head fixing spell over it and fix it before he had to pull it apart. The number 1 Golden Rule on this boat is "He who blocks the head gets to unblock." We even provide rubber gloves and masks for the lucky ones. Dave was ever so thankful I hadn't lost my winning way with the head. So far we have met a lot of people but I am so bad with names. I am trying to remember the boat names. We have met some that are going the same way as us so I am sure we will meet up when we leave for the puddle jump.

Weather - Finally the real heat has arrived. We got a little wet in the panga ride and I was surprised how warm the water is. It was like a bath. As we arrive in Cabo, most of the clothing is stripped off. IT IS HOT. Just like a sauna. The water temp alone is 35C so we are looking for a swim soon but I am sure it will not be to cool off. I guess from now it will be dressing like a minimalist.

I will update more when we have spent some time on land and will also look out for an internet cafe. We have 2 parties to attend - Friday midday and Sat night but we have so much to do. We need to do some immigration, laundry, get some more groceries before we leave Cabo. We don't want to stay long here as it is one of the most expensive places in Mexico. Just the slip alone would cost us $161 per night and that is with no guarantee of power. Given that we never paid over $30 a night stateside, we figured this was way over the top. We don't even pay that for a hotel room. It is rip off as far as we are concerned so we are moving on as soon as we get our business done. I am sure we will spend more time in La Paz. It is apparently more cruiser friendly. Apparently Cabo does not like the cruisers here so they over charge to dissuade us. Works for me. Finally, at the prize giving party, we managed 2nd in our devision of boats. Not bad really; might have managed first if we had sailed the last couple of miles instead of turning on the motor. Maybe next time.