S/V Northern Lights
| Vessel Name: | Northern Lights |
| Vessel Make/Model: | J/42 - #61 |
| Hailing Port: | Seattle |
| Crew: | Rod and Mary Deyo |
27 June 2015
29 May 2015
25 April 2015 | Mazatlan, Sinola, Mexico
18 April 2015
12 April 2015
06 February 2015
27 January 2015 | Banderas Bay
18 January 2015 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico
09 January 2015 | Nuevo Vallarta, Nayaret MX
09 January 2015 | Nuevo Vallarta, Nayaret MX
02 January 2015
28 December 2014 | Nuevo Vallarta, Nayaret MX
25 December 2014 | La Cruz and Neuvo Vallarta
10 December 2014 | Puerto Escondido
15 November 2014 | Marina de La Paz
22 October 2014 | San Diego
21 October 2014
17 October 2014 | San Diego
Recent Blog Posts
27 June 2015
Yanmar engine repairs - Replacing the oil cooler
Before heading to Chula Vista where we left the boat for the summer, we spent a couple of days anchored in Glorietta Bay as a nice break after working on the boat. While inspecting the engine before leaving Shelter Cove Marian, I had noticed a slight seepage around the oil cooler raw water intake at [...]
23 June 2015
San Diego - Shelter Island, Glorietta Bay, Chula Vista
After finishing the Baja Bash, we stayed at Shelter Island to work on the boat and haul-out at Driscoll's. We made a coouple of trips to Glorietta Bay in Coronado for a total of five nights. Before we headed back to the NW, we took the boat to Chula Vista where it will be moored for the summer.
29 May 2015
Mazatlan to San Diego – Southern Crossing and Baja Bash 7 May – 26 May 2015
Mazatlan to San Diego - Southern Crossing and Baja Bash 7 May - 26 May 2015.
25 April 2015 | Mazatlan, Sinola, Mexico
Fixing a leaky hull seam in Mazatlan
Hull seam repairs on Northern Lights being done in Mazatlan, where the seam area forward of the keel was the source of the small, persistent mast step leak from flaws in the filler. The original seam filler is being ground out, the area dried, then it will be epoxied and covered with two layers of glass [...]
Mazatlan to San Diego – Southern Crossing and Baja Bash 7 May – 26 May 2015
29 May 2015
Mazatlan to San Diego - Southern Crossing and Baja Bash 7 May - 26 May 2015.
We left Mazatlan 7 May to do the southern crossing of the Sea of Cortez to San Jose del Cabo. We stayed there for two nights to get the boat ready and left to head north on the Baja Bash on Sunday, 10 May.
Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo. We left Mazatlan after fueling at El Cid just as the dredge was getting ready to close the channel. We had NW winds 6 kns in the morning and the wind came up later in the afternoon NW 10-12 knts we were able to sail on a close reach with only the main since the jib gave us 7.5 knts and too bumpy of ride in the 3-5 ft swells and wind waves. It lightened overnight and in the morning and came up again in the afternoon as we approached San Jose del Cabo.
After getting the boat ready, we started the infamous Baja Bash on Sunday 10 May, leaving San Jose del Cabo at first light. We motored down to Cabo San Lucas where we put in for fuel and extra oil. We left Cabo around 1030 and Cabo Falso at 1100 in moderate seas and winds NW 10-12 knts. A strong S setting current was running at 1.5 knts, so we took a while to get past the Cape.
For the trip north to Bahia Tortuga, we chose a weather window with predicted light NW winds ahead of strong low pressure system that was aimed at San Diego later in the week. Winds were generally light to moderate on the nose, with higher winds and seas at Cabo San Lazaro north of Bahia Santa Maria. We passed San Lazaro just after dark and winds rose to 18-24 knts and seas significantly sharpened to 4-8 ft with an adverse current setting north for a couple of hours before we got further north and away from the cape effects.
We arrived in Bahia Tortuga Wed 13 May about 1500 after traveling 444 nm and fueled as soon as possible, but deciding not to race the strengthening low into Ensenada. We stayed in Bahia Tortuga for a week waiting for the next weather window and left to head for Ensenada at first light on Wed 20 May along with 4 other boats, staying west of Cedros to avoid the more extreme conditions off Punta Norte.
The weather window for going north was marginal with winds NW-N 14-20+ knts predicted for the entire trip. Punta Eugenia, the west entrance to the Keller Canal, 30 nm W of Cedros Island, and 30 nm SW on San Carlos were all extremely rough with short period seas 6-8 ft with the boat banging into the waves. Speed was reduced to 3.5-4.5 knts. The second leg was 305 nm and we averaged 4.7 knts for the entire trip from Bahia Tortuga to Ensenada.
We checked out of Mexico and got our official Zarpe while in Ensenada. The last 60 nm from Ensenada to San Diego was overcast and cold, but we were able to sail the last hour into San Diego Bay.
We generally were 20-60 nm off the coast going north to stay close to the rhumb line and avoid cape effects as much as possible. The currents were surprisingly strong that far off land in the 0.5-1.5 kn range and produced very rough seas when setting north against the wind.
The total trip was 817 nm and took 164 hours for an average of 5 knts.
Positions (local time - Southern Crossing is PMT (Z-6) and Baja Bash is PDT (Z-7):
5-7-15 1700 PMT N 23-14 W 107-16. Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo
5-8-15 1700 PMT N 23-04 W 109-41. Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo
5-9-15 San Jose del Cabo. Marina Puerto Los Cabos.
5-10-15 1646 PDT N 23-11 W 110 21 North of Cabo Falso which we rounded at 1300.
5-11-15 1725 PDT N 24-31 W 112-87. South of Mag Bay.
5-12-15 1526 PDT N 25-53 W 113-24. South of Bahia Tortuga.
5-13-15 1500 PDT N 27-41 W 114-53. Arrived Bahia Tortuga.
5-14-15 to 5-19-15 - Anchored Bahia Tortuga waiting for weather window to go north.
5-20-15 1641 PDT N 27-59 W 115-42. Left Bahia Tortuaga in morning. West of Cedros Island in very rough seas.
5-21-15 1621 PDT N 29-30 W 116-05. West of Can Carlos in rough seas.
5-22-15 1917 PDT N 31-16 W 116-37. Off Punta Piedrps. Slowing down to arrive Ensenada at daylight on 5-23.
5-23-15 0748 PDT N 31-51 W 116 37. Arrived Cruise Port Marina Ensenada.
5-24-15 to 5-25-15. Ensenada.
5-26-15 1600 PDT Customs dock San Diego. After customs check in moved to Shelter Cove Marina on Shelter Island. N 32-43 W 117-13.
We left Mazatlan 7 May to do the southern crossing of the Sea of Cortez to San Jose del Cabo. We stayed there for two nights to get the boat ready and left to head north on the Baja Bash on Sunday, 10 May.
Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo. We left Mazatlan after fueling at El Cid just as the dredge was getting ready to close the channel. We had NW winds 6 kns in the morning and the wind came up later in the afternoon NW 10-12 knts we were able to sail on a close reach with only the main since the jib gave us 7.5 knts and too bumpy of ride in the 3-5 ft swells and wind waves. It lightened overnight and in the morning and came up again in the afternoon as we approached San Jose del Cabo.
After getting the boat ready, we started the infamous Baja Bash on Sunday 10 May, leaving San Jose del Cabo at first light. We motored down to Cabo San Lucas where we put in for fuel and extra oil. We left Cabo around 1030 and Cabo Falso at 1100 in moderate seas and winds NW 10-12 knts. A strong S setting current was running at 1.5 knts, so we took a while to get past the Cape.
For the trip north to Bahia Tortuga, we chose a weather window with predicted light NW winds ahead of strong low pressure system that was aimed at San Diego later in the week. Winds were generally light to moderate on the nose, with higher winds and seas at Cabo San Lazaro north of Bahia Santa Maria. We passed San Lazaro just after dark and winds rose to 18-24 knts and seas significantly sharpened to 4-8 ft with an adverse current setting north for a couple of hours before we got further north and away from the cape effects.
We arrived in Bahia Tortuga Wed 13 May about 1500 after traveling 444 nm and fueled as soon as possible, but deciding not to race the strengthening low into Ensenada. We stayed in Bahia Tortuga for a week waiting for the next weather window and left to head for Ensenada at first light on Wed 20 May along with 4 other boats, staying west of Cedros to avoid the more extreme conditions off Punta Norte.
The weather window for going north was marginal with winds NW-N 14-20+ knts predicted for the entire trip. Punta Eugenia, the west entrance to the Keller Canal, 30 nm W of Cedros Island, and 30 nm SW on San Carlos were all extremely rough with short period seas 6-8 ft with the boat banging into the waves. Speed was reduced to 3.5-4.5 knts. The second leg was 305 nm and we averaged 4.7 knts for the entire trip from Bahia Tortuga to Ensenada.
We checked out of Mexico and got our official Zarpe while in Ensenada. The last 60 nm from Ensenada to San Diego was overcast and cold, but we were able to sail the last hour into San Diego Bay.
We generally were 20-60 nm off the coast going north to stay close to the rhumb line and avoid cape effects as much as possible. The currents were surprisingly strong that far off land in the 0.5-1.5 kn range and produced very rough seas when setting north against the wind.
The total trip was 817 nm and took 164 hours for an average of 5 knts.
Positions (local time - Southern Crossing is PMT (Z-6) and Baja Bash is PDT (Z-7):
5-7-15 1700 PMT N 23-14 W 107-16. Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo
5-8-15 1700 PMT N 23-04 W 109-41. Southern Crossing from Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo
5-9-15 San Jose del Cabo. Marina Puerto Los Cabos.
5-10-15 1646 PDT N 23-11 W 110 21 North of Cabo Falso which we rounded at 1300.
5-11-15 1725 PDT N 24-31 W 112-87. South of Mag Bay.
5-12-15 1526 PDT N 25-53 W 113-24. South of Bahia Tortuga.
5-13-15 1500 PDT N 27-41 W 114-53. Arrived Bahia Tortuga.
5-14-15 to 5-19-15 - Anchored Bahia Tortuga waiting for weather window to go north.
5-20-15 1641 PDT N 27-59 W 115-42. Left Bahia Tortuaga in morning. West of Cedros Island in very rough seas.
5-21-15 1621 PDT N 29-30 W 116-05. West of Can Carlos in rough seas.
5-22-15 1917 PDT N 31-16 W 116-37. Off Punta Piedrps. Slowing down to arrive Ensenada at daylight on 5-23.
5-23-15 0748 PDT N 31-51 W 116 37. Arrived Cruise Port Marina Ensenada.
5-24-15 to 5-25-15. Ensenada.
5-26-15 1600 PDT Customs dock San Diego. After customs check in moved to Shelter Cove Marina on Shelter Island. N 32-43 W 117-13.
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