All except for rounding the cape, the passage to Cabo del San Jose from Bahia Magdelana - AKA Mag Bay - was otherwise calm and serene. We had set out at about 5:30 last Saturday evening expecting a 36 hour, 2 night passage with an early arrival Monday morning. As we passed out of the entrance of the bay and into the open Pacific, as if to send us on our way, a huge grey whale breached about 2 miles away and I could see both it's flippers well clear of the water. What a thrilling site! Once underway we found winds - as forecast - were fairly constant at about 6- 8 knots, seas were mild with a long 3 foot swell off our starboard quarter, and we comfortably eased into our 3 hour shifts: 3 on watch and 3 on snooze. We motor-sailed into the first night under clear and starry skies - the waning moon rose to offer some light around 2 AM.
The morning offered the opportunity to pole out the big jib sail to keep it from collapsing when the wind lulled or the boat rolled, and that worked nicely to pull us along at a comfortable 4 or 5 knots, all day. As we moved into our second night the winds started to freshen so we needed to take down the pole and use the jib without it. With headlamp on to light the scene - and tether on to keep me aboard - I ventured out to the pulpit to put the pole away in it's cradle on deck and stow the rigging needed to manage the pole when deployed. It's hard not to think about the fact that you are ploughing along at 5 knots, 10 miles off shore, in the pitch dark, and with the Pacific rolling by not 6 feet below your nose - but it its more important to focus on getting the job done and getting back to the safety of the cockpit. With that done we carried on our way into the night.
As we approached the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, the route I had plotted would take us around at about 5 miles off the cape known on the charts as Punta Falso. This on the advice of the cruising guides that suggested that winds in this locale typically abated overnight but if present would be less offshore than close. The forecast had suggested that we should expect a pleasant 10 knot breeze as we rounded the cape at 2 AM Monday morning. Well, that's not quite what we experienced. Instead, winds continued to build to over 20 knots with gusts to 25. We shortened sail by rolling up the jib until we were flying the proverbial 'hanky' but still making 6 knots of boat speed. Fortunately, the wind and swell - which by then had built with wind waves to about 8 feet - were both backing around the cape as well and so remaining on our port quarter keeping the ride as comfortable as possible.
By now the lights of Cabo San Lucas were shining brightly on the shore and we were approaching the most southerly point of our planned cruise to the Sea of Cortez this year. However, the wind and seas were continuing to push us further south and east than our planned route - we had to turn east and to weather at some point. As I inched our heading a few degrees at a time to make easterly, the wind was battering the remaining sail, and the seas, now much higher and more abeam, combined to pitch and roll the boat uncomfortably. OK enough of this! Start the engine, furl the sail, and let's get the hell out of here! So under power - and the lights of Cabo Falso - we bashed through the seas, rolling up and over the waves while taking occasional breaks abeam that sprayed into the cockpit - hardly what was forecast! Solar Flair with Sinbad (the autopilot) were absolute champs however, taking us through this washing machine ride and finally into the lee of cape where things calmed down and back to the comfort as forecasted.
Daylight found us motoring in calm conditions into the marina at San Jose del Cabo where we are now, and plan to stay for 5 nights. We will relax and recover in this resort destination hardly believing we sailed here with our small sailboat. We will bus to Cabo San Lucas to visit Cabo Wabo (so Kathy can buy another hat), and we'll take the bikes and explore the town of San Jose to shop and provision in preparation for our passage north to La Paz. We expect to day hop our way around the east cape taking 6 or 7 days for a cruise that will conform to the forecasts.