Sailing BOAT

Join us as we follow a dream and start in on the cruising life onboard our 41' Hunter. We will be heading south from our home part of Channel Islands, CA and traveling as far as we can go/where the wind takes us over the next 8 months.

02 April 2018
25 March 2018 | Sayulita
10 March 2018 | San Blas
10 March 2018 | Isla Isabella
09 March 2018 | La Paz
28 February 2018 | Los Frailes/Ensenada de los Muertos
27 February 2018 | Cabo San Lucas, BC
20 February 2018 | Bahia Magdalena
08 February 2018 | 27 41.11'N:114 53.13'W, Bahia de Tortugas, Baja Sur Mexico
06 February 2018 | Punta Tomas
01 February 2018
01 February 2018 | Ensenada
31 January 2018 | Ensenada
26 January 2018 | Fiddler's Cove, San Diego
23 January 2018 | Catalina
23 January 2018 | Two Harbors at Catalina

Ensenada to Punta Tomas

06 February 2018 | Punta Tomas
Courtney
Thursday morning we waited for our Canadian buddy boat LAMANEE to get their departure paperwork and then were off to get away from marinas and further south towards warmer weather. Since we had a late start in leaving (around 10am) we decided on a leisurely leg of 25nm to Punta Tomas, as shared by our cruising books as a decent anchorage with thick kelp beds surrounding. We both we in agreement that neither of us wanted to make a longer run to Punta Colonet and risk coming in after dark.

Weather forecast for this entire trip so far have been very light to no winds, so despite putting our main and jib up at the first chance of some winds (around 10-12kts) the wind was teasing us and we ended up motoring the entire way to anchorage.

Along the way, we started to see a few Whale spouts in the distance. Since owning our boat, whale sightings have been rare for me (Jay sees them all the time with work and trips out to the island.) However, in a shakedown trip with our dear friends Capt. Rob and Michelle out to the islands around the new year, day one of 2018, we saw so many. I dubbed 2018 the year of the whales.....and man oh man, how right I have been so far. Sitting out in the cockpit and scanning the ocean for more, I see a spout just yards away from us. I, of course starting jumping up and down and excitedly yelling for Jay to look. Phone in hand, I capture this epic moment.

Whale Video

I have muted the sound as no one wants to hear the terrible voice over of me high pitched yelling/whispering (I don't want to scare the whale away, because obviously 120 lb me would definitely scare a massive whale away ya know) If you are feeling slighted by lack of audio, in a nut shell, I am yelling/whispering "OHMEGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD--WAIT IS HE GOING TO HIT US? OHMYGOD IS HE GOING TO HIT UUUUUS? OHMYGOD, JAAAAAY HE IS GOING TO HIT US. (Seriously, no one needs to hear that--screeching/squeeking harpy-like sound. God, I am am obnoxious when I am excited.) And, god bless my husband for not commenting on this momentary psychosis. There must be some secret online group for husbands supporting/coaching each other in how to "Properly Handle Your Psycho Wife when she sees animals she thinks are cute," right? Anyway, this odd Whale Joy squeal repeats for the full 30 second clip. The freaking thing went UNDER OUR BOAT! I now feel a much closer connection to Moby Dick and am very thankful I am not writing this entry from the belly of a giant whale. Anyway....yes, it was very cool and we saw a few more a few minutes later, just gliding thru the water, doing Whale-like things. And yes, for those of you wondering, I did grow up in MA and spent summers in the Cape. And No, I never did see a whale in all of the many, many, MANY boring whale watching tours I have been on in my life.

Arrived at Punta Tomas a little bit before 4pm. Its a semi protected anchorage, with a little tiny road and a few houses sat on the land about, besides that pretty sparse and under developed. The books were right, super thick kelp beds, made for an interesting and carefully navigated motor into the anchorage. Jay and I found a clear spot and quickly dropped both bow and stern anchors. LAMANEE was a bit further in being braver than us in navigating thru the kelp. It was just past a full moon (from the previous nights' blue moon) Remote and pretty anchorage, with a little roll. Jay and I don't mind (I actually prefer it a bit rolly, it's like a big waterbed cradle-like sleep), but I can see how some would think this an uncomfortable sleep.

Next morning we got up and headed out for Punta Colonet, just a 40nm distance away. Again with absolutely no wind, we motor sailed the entire way. This motoring thing is getting annoying, and with expected huge price increases further south on diesel (as we were told in San Diego) we are thinking we need to revise our trip planning and see if we can wait out for better winds further south versus powering thru with motor. Beyond getting thru Ensenada, our next biggest goal is to make it to Cabo and then decide our next route (up to Sea of Cortez or straight over to mainland MX)

Trip down to Punta Colonet started out clear and winds seemed to pick-up a bit. Again a tease, and then the fog rolled in. Light at first and then very quickly turned to absolute pea soup. Visibility was maybe XXX at best. Check video out I took at one of the thicker moments. Thankfully nothing was showing on AIS and we kept close watch on both that and radar, all the while praying for no lobster traps.

Fog Video

We arrived at Punta Colonet just before sundown. It's a beautiful anchorage! Big open bay which is largely protected from surf. A tiny little fishing town with a spattering of pangas docked/moored just within a smaller bay beyond our beach. Sandy bottom and only about 25ft deep. Water wasn't totally clear but relatively good visibility a few feet down. And best part, no other boats besides us! We dropped bow anchor and settled in for a lazy night. Temps are still pretty cold, so we still have our puffy jackets and cocooned in sleeping bags like little glowworms when out in the cockpit at night. We dinghied over to our friends at LAMANEE to have a cocktail and discuss travel plans for tomorrow. Based on weather forecasts, tomorrow seemed to be the only day with "supposedly" somewhat decent (15-20kts) winds, so we collectively decided to head out and make the 3 day sail to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay and a largely well known half way point for cruisers down the Baja Coast.) I wasn't the most excited for this really long sail, but weather planning-wise this made the most sense. Early to bed with plans to head out by 10am so we could arrive at Turtle Bay by early morning, two days from now.
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Vessel Name: BOAT
Vessel Make/Model: Hunter 410
Hailing Port: Channel Islands, CA
Crew: Jay and Courtney
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BOAT's Photos - Main
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Created 20 January 2018