sunsets to die for!
05 December 2009 | 40nm off isla cedros
Captn Lawnboy

ok, so Dad brought to my attention that my position is not showing up on the blog? well presently I'm at 28.27.070 N X 115.57.385 W about 40nm off the coast of Baja and the isla Cedros and Punta Eugenia. Its blowing about 20kts out of the nw and seas are 6'. Great sailing. except for running the engine this morning to top up the batteries, I've been sailing non-stop since last entry. This is the life. Back to the sunsets. Last night as I was reading in the cockpit (novel #1) I began snapping away at the falling sun in search for the perfect wallpaper for my computer....AMAZING! The big globe looked as if someone mixed orange juice and red food coloring together, add a shot of crimson mix it all up and blast it at the sun and plug it in...no doubt the most incredible sunset I have ever seen besides Haleakala in Maui. As the minutes rolled on and I kept snapping away, it just got brighter and brighter and brighter...almost had to put on sunglasses if you looked straight at it. Then just as it fell off the face of the earth, FLASH! It was all over. I'm convinced the earth is flat, no way a planet that big could just roll off in the horizon!
After doing evening chores: put away anything that could end up on deck, log my position, brush my teeth and floss...I actually cranked up the DVD player and watched a movie on my little flat screen TV! What a trip: emailing all you fine folks, writing a blog and watching movies all while clicking off the miles under sail power only. It's a weird concept to imagine such a thing is even possible! The fridge is full of food (and a few IPA's) water tank is full, and I'm barely using any fuel so far! Life is good-
I slept off and on all night, the radar had my back. I still get up frequently to check the horizon and answer the noises that are strange to me. Usually nothing serious, a pan, a line, swinging clothes on hangars hitting the door. The boat just never stops moving, not even a little. In fact, as we speak, my stomach muscles are tensing in unison with my butt cheaks and legs just to keep steady at the table while i write this. Who needs 24 hr fitness?!?.. Morning brought an incredible sunrise which was pre-sand bagged by an electric moon...it literally looked like I had the deck lights on! How cool is that? Morning brought check in's with the two nets I'm following, Baja Net and Chubasco. I've talked to them both, they get a kick out of when I say "KE7UAB Maritime Mobile" Weather is hard to come by out here and they help out greatly. After my now second debut on the Net's, I had the usual coffee and english muffin...this time without the mess on the deck...see, I do learn! Shortly thereafter, I parked it in the cockpit dang near all day!..the days fly by out here, kinda hard to believe. Still no fish, despite my new "come get me" fishy song....It's different every time I sing it, and I always crack myself up doing it. Had contact with 2 different cruise ships to update sea state south and if they could see me on their radar. I've got a good 15 mile "blip" going on, that's awesome.
The second ship, a celebrity cruise liner, was headed straight for me. I saw him way off and was just waiting to see what my radar and chartplotter had to say about our collision course. It was way too close to guess but he was still about 6 miles away when I hear this big BBLAAAAH, BBLAAAAAAH, BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! oK, DUDE...SHEESH MAN, CHILL OUT!!...well, I was under sail and by all rules of the road had right of way....but do you think I was going to argue? Tonnage always wins on the high seas!- so no easy task, I had to fall off, loosen up the pole and run for a bit....I'm a big chicken, but still alive to tell you about it! I raised him on the VHF and asked if he saw me very well on the radar, loud and clear he said, in a thick rich accent...both radio operators from both ships sounded related.
Well, that's about it for me, I'm feeling another movie coming on after I finish my book. Oh, dinner was chicken & prosciutto tortelloni and basil/pesto sauce....thanks Buitoni (read...packaged)