Early yesterday morning as the wind blew around Isla Mitlan, we launched Puff for a side trip to see what we could see around the island. We had tons of chop coming in the cove so as we motored around I got nailed a few times by the salt water. We pulled up at one rocky beach where I quickly ticked off a moma sea gull as apparently I got to close to a nest as she dive bombed me numerous times trying to get me to go away. She even did the same to Tracy and she wasn't any where near the nesting area. After a quick tour(no shells) we climbed back in Puff and headed back to Zephyr where we made plans to get underway. The winds had shifted to being more out of the north and it was pushing us a bit to close to the rocky shore. Puff got pulled on board, flipped and strapped down. The engine was started and off we went. We made plans with the winds so strong to put two reefs in the mainsail as we exited the cove. Late the evening before, our wind generator died as a connector fitting between the shaft and the props sheared off. Made of plastic or maybe nylon, it's a serious weak point in the system. It's broken before and necessitated us having a replacement sent in. Now we will either take the part to a metal fabricator or order in another once we get home. As we left the cove, we pulled up the double reefed mainsail and headed northwest up the channel for Puerto Refugio, about 32 miles up the coast. About a mile later, the winds just about died off and what was left shifted to be coming out of the east, not the northwest. All the forecasts we'd gotten said we were to have southwest winds but it just didn't go at us that way. We rolled out the genoa and headed north in the channel watching all the time as we had heard of a net being set along our route. As we watched, we saw ahead of us a wind shift in the water so we rolled in the genoa and got ready. We were approaching a break in the mountain range to our west and those gaps channel the winds into a narrow slot that can blast across the water and that exactly what happened. We were suddenly hit but winds in the high teen and took off with Zephyr hitting in the low 8 knot range and we were having a great time zipping along under sail for a change. Suddenly, the winds got stronger and as they topped 20 knots, we pulled in the genoa. We were in nasty winds now hitting in the 30 knot range and getting higher. We had to turn downwind to blanket the genoa with the mainsail so I could roll in the sail. Once in, we turned northwest with the winds hitting us on our beam and with just the reefed mainsail up, we were back in the high 7 knots. Swells were picking up and were coming at us up to 5 feet high knocking us around and making us heel over more than we had had in a long time. Things in the main cabin were flying around and the cats were looking for safe hiding places. Snowshoe came out into the cockpit and parked himself in one of the cubby holes where he likes to hide. Blue just disappeared but came out later once it had calmed down a bit. These winds(30 knots) and swells just kept bashing us for about 8 miles or so and then pretty much died off as we passed the cut in the western mountain range. We pushed on still watching for the net but with all the white caps in the water, we either missed it or it wasn't there anymore. As we neared Angel de la Guarda Island, we were struck by the beauty of the rock formations all set with different colors of rock from reds to yellows to browns. Horizontal strata with vertical columns that water had washed away. It was an amazing sight to see. We neared another small islet(Roca Vela or Sail Rock) that the sea gulls have called home for hundred of years that was pure white with their poo. Amazing we didn't smell anything. We approached the channel between Isla Mejia and the main island and worked our way in in flat water. What a relief to be in flat water after the beating we had come through. Far from the worst we have had over the last 10 years that we have been out but we were just not prepared for it. Our fault. We dropped the anchor in the west lobe of Puerto Refugio with three other boats in the middle lobe and got poor Zephyr tidied up stowing things that had flown around the cabin. Before we lowered the mainsail, we pulled it all the way up to shake out the reef and then reflaked it on the boom so it's ready for it's next usage. Once in, we immediately covered it to keep the sun off the fabric. The sun can trash a sail faster than wind can. As we had a light snack on the trip up(no cooking in that weather) Tracy whipped up a really nice meal of a salad, potatoes and steak cut up like it was to be cooked in a fondue pot and then cooked on the stove instead of us pulling out our fondue pot(yes, we do have a fondue pot on board). She made one of our favorite dipping sauce of sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard,onion and assorted spices to dip the beef in as well as cover the potatoes. It was a great meal all downed in the delightful calmness of this bay. Again, the forecasts are for winds in the teens during the night from the southwest and dropping off during the day. It's the same forecast we've had for the last week and not once has it been correct. The wind die off at night as does the swell and then builds during the day dropping off as the sun goes down. We will be launching Puff shortly and start taking a tour of this lovely bay. Sorry, no photos till we get actual internet and that will be a while. I was amazed that there was no cell phone service.