It's Good to Be Sailing Again!

December 07, 2022

It's Good to Be Sailing Again!

So far the scariest part of living on our boat has been the speed with which time seems to move. We left San Carlos nearly 3 weeks ago and yet it feels like yesterday that we bade farewell to our friends there. We pulled out of the marina nearly 5 months to the day that we had arrived there. It felt odd to be casting off the dock lines and heading out of the channel which may have been the last time we see San Carlos for a very long time, if ever again. That thought weighed heavily on us as we tried to take in every detail: the way the sun hits the Tetakawi, the rugged hillsides, the green of the water contrasted with the blue sky, the numerous boats anchored in the bay. We were trying to find a way to pack all of those details safely away in our memory banks!

San Carlos Marina

As we left the channel and entered the Gulf, our hearts lifted and the heavy feelings were replaced with excitement, anticipation, and joy as we remembered what it felt like to unharness our girl and allow her to run free. The day was perfect: perfect temperature, perfect swell, and perfectly cloudless. We motored a few miles north to Bahia Algodones where we planned to wait for a few hours to begin our crossing. It was good to get the engine running at high RPMs after she had been sitting for so long. We remembered how to drop the “hook” and settled in the north side of the bay. We watched a wedding happen on the beach; the water and Grace as their backdrop. As our departure time of 15:00 approached, we ran jacklines, made sure everything was stowed, and made a few calls to family. We pulled up anchor just as the winds were filling in and hoisted the main and unfurled the Genoa as we were exiting the bay. The seas were kind and the winds were just right between 8-13kt mostly on the beam. The sailing was exhilarating and we couldn’t help thinking that we were in sailor’s heaven! IG skipped over the swells and we could tell that she was happy to be back in open water. About midnight, Michelle got up and settled in for her watch as Jeff went down to rest. While on watch, Michelle heard the sound of dolphins breathing. She peered over the side to see if she could catch a glimpse of them and what she saw was truly amazing. There was so much bioluminescence in the water that Michelle could see the dolphins’ bodies as they darted through the water! It was a spectacular underwater light show and one that we’ve never before witnessed. She also saw a shooting star, watched Mars and Jupiter rise, and observed our trusty, old friend Orion pass overhead. Somewhere around 03:00, she watched as the waning crescent moon appeared. Jeff joined her in the cockpit not long after the moon rose and just before the sun came up. We sat together in the wee hours of the morning as we approached Punta Chivato on the Baja peninsula. We anchored in the bay with one other boat around 10:00 on November 19^th. We sailed the entire way and only turned on the engine to anchor; that’s a good index! On the 20^th, we rigged a windsurfing sail on the foredeck and Jeff went for a spin on the Sumo with a 5.0m sail. He had fun but decided that it was not all that safe to sail there with an offshore wind and an outboard motor that is on the fritz. We talked about future windsurfing happening only when we have a suitable “exit strategy” which means a safe place to land or a dinghy with a working outboard.

Leaving Bahia Algodones - Mainland Mexico

Windsurfing Punta Chivato

We weighed anchor on the 22^nd to head to Santispac in Bahia Concepcion as we knew that we would have access to WiFi there and would be able to contact family on Thanksgiving. But first we planned to anchor in Playa Burro so that we could try to find the petroglyphs that are apparently in the hills there. We had another incredible sail from Chivato to Burro and again only used the engine for anchoring. On the 23^rd, we had a nice hike up the “singing trail” and enjoyed astounding views of the bay and our girl anchored there. The singing trail is so named because the rocks along the “trail” contain high concentrations of iron and it makes them sound somewhat like a bell when you rap on them. We did not find any petroglyphs but the view was well worth it! After our hike, we pulled up anchor and motored over to Santispac where we could be ready for our Thanksgiving celebration and the numerous calls we were to make.

Sunrise in Playa Burro - NOTHING compares to Baya sunrises!

Looking down on our girl from the singing trail

We’ve noticed many changes on the peninsula since we were here in the spring. Because of all the rain over the summer, desert plants are vibrant and healthy. There are blooms. The terrain is mostly green instead of the drab browns we saw several months ago. The other thing we noticed is that the Sea seems to be devoid of marine life save for a few dolphins, small herring-sized fish, and the bioluminescent life. We are anxious to welcome the humpies back to their breeding grounds and hope to spot a blue whale and whale sharks.

On Thanksgiving, Michelle started having signs of food poisoning that she apparently was gifted from some lentil soup that had gone bad. So we decided to postpone our Thanksgiving meal until Friday. She still was not feeling well but we went ahead and cooked up an excellent meal of turkey (thanks brother Eric for bringing this to us in San Carlos!), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade dinner rolls, and seven-up salad. Everything tasted great but we had lots of leftovers! While Michelle was down for the count, Jeff was able to enjoy several windsurfing sessions in Santispac.

Jeff ripping through the bay at Santispac

We decided to start making our way south again and on the 26^th we set out for Punta Pulpito. The wind was 18-22kt but the seas were super sloppy. The Gulf of California can be peaceful and kind at times and a tempest at others. We motor-sailed with a double-reefed main and 110% jib…there went the index! We dropped the hook in front of the white cliffs to the west of the giant obsidian vein.

The next day, the 27^th, we had a grand adventure. Still with no outboard, Jeff rowed us over to the sea cave on the east end of Pulpito. It is hard to describe the beauty of such craggy cliffs. They resemble a sculpture carved by the hands of time. It is remarkable to know this beauty was formed by howling winds, gentle whispers, crashing waves, rolling swells. We stopped at the obsidian vein for Jeff to scale while seeking his treasures. Afterwards, we went for a long hike up on the ridge where we saw evidence of predator and prey. We followed an arroyo down towards the water where we had to do a little bouldering adventure to get down and back around to the ridge. Up on the ridge, there were shells embedded in the rocks suggesting that the area was once under water. We watched a pod of pilot whales and jumping mobula rays while an osprey called out from his perch on the cliffs. Our solitude gave way as a catamaran entered the anchorage and we readied ourselves for a spinnaker run to San Juanico.