The Bash Begins
18 January 2012 | Cabo San Lucas
Priscilla
They call it "The Bash" because you're traveling North West and the wind, waves and current are normally coming from the North West....(ie no sailing, motoring all the way). If you can afford to wait for the "weather window" where the aforementioned wind, waves and current are at their smallest, you can have a relatively comfortable trip north and motor up the coast of Baja quick-like-a-bunny to safe harbor (at 6 knots/hr = 5 mph). There are a couple of bays or outcroppings along the way in which you can hide should the weather kick up, but those bays are mostly farther up the Baja peninsula and so first leg will be a long one. Wind Spirit carries 100 gallons of diesel, and we have a couple of jerry cans totaling about 30 gal saved for emergency fill ups, but that won't be enough to make it to San Diego. Fuel is available in Magdalena Bay, but you have to go in quite a ways into the large bay to get it, spend the night, come all the way out thereby adding more time to your trip. Depending on the "window", they're going to try to go all the way to Turtle Bay on the first leg, fuel consumption and weather permitting.
"They" are Paul, Tim and fellow delivery crew Suzy. I have to miss this part of the adventure and fly home to work since there is no internet connectivity until San Diego. They will be sending me position reports via Single Sideband Radio and I'll update the position on the blog so you can follow their progress too. With any luck, it will be an uneventful, glassy motor over well spaced rolling swells all the way up to San Diego.....hey, it happens! Or, they may have to hole-up somewhere waiting for the glassy water......