LA CRUZ TO LA PAZ ON WINGS 2024

 March 24-27, 2024

The 2024 cruising season presented my friend, Fred, with a new set of challenges. He had not attempted to cruise Wings since the death of his wife and my friend, Judy, in 2023. They had an established routine but, suddenly, everything needed to be accomplished in different ways. I volunteered to make the crossing to La Paz with Fred, as I knew both the boat and the crossing well. Fred’s race crew came through and helped us to swap out all the racing gear for cruising gear. With three vehicles, we managed it with only one trip to the storage facility. Racing sails were packed away and the cruising sails, dodger, dinghy, and motor hauled out of storage and transferred to Wings.

Wings at the Fuel Dock in La Cruz

We were scheduled to leave on Thursday and Fred was already worried about getting the boat ready between the end of the Banderas Bay Regatta on Saturday and our scheduled departure date. Things became much trickier for him when Wings was damaged in a collision during Friday’s race. The bow pulpit, anchor roller, and bow light were destroyed. The bow pulpit could be lashed and taped together until his return to La Cruz, but the anchor roller (a heavy stainless-steel assembly firmly bolted to the bow) and the bow light were essential. Miraculously, the local stainless-steel fabricator managed to force the bow roller into serviceable shape without removing it from the boat, saving days of work. The local chandlery had a bow light in stock. Somehow, Fred managed to get the boat ready to leave on schedule.

I had my own long list of tasks to accomplish before I could leave for what could be three months. Cat sitters were located, laundry done, bills paid, and gear packed and delivered to both Wings (a light load) and White Wind where I would spend the majority of the season.

March 28, 2024

Brainwaves on Banderas Bay

Fred and I left the dock on schedule on Thursday morning. We proceeded to the fuel dock where we loaded up with diesel and Fred ran up to the port captain to check out. Then we set off across Banderas Bay. I was introduced to the Monitor wind vane and immediately saw the advantage. Autopilots require power and can fail. The wind vane ran itself and, while it couldn’t handle light air very well, was at least as reliable as an autopilot. The wind was blowing from a more southerly direction than usual, so our sail across the bay did not follow the usual pattern. We still made good time across the bay but lost the wind shortly after we cleared Punta Mita. By 14:00, we had surrendered to turning on the engine.  Our friends, Jim and Deb, on Brainwaves left just after us and so our crossing became a bit of a race.

The wind was light but the seas were a bit lumpy. We decided to heat up the lasagne I had made ahead of time for our dinner. Fred removed the leftover containers stored in the oven and lighted it for me. Not wanting to make a mess in the oven, I put the foil packet I had prepared in a casserole dish and put it in the oven. Fred was on watch and I was below. After a few minutes, I noticed a strange smell. I opened the oven to check on it and a wall of flames shot out of the door. I closed it quickly and turned off the gas, but the fire continued. Every time we opened the door, we were greeted by more flames. The fire didn’t seem to be spreading to the hull, so Fred didn’t want to discharge a fire extinguisher. Gradually, the flames died down and finally went out. From the burning plastic smell, we deduced that a Tupperware lid must have been hidden in the oven, melted, and caught fire. It was very exciting, but ended well. The lasagne was not harmed. We still had a nice, warm, and filling dinner.

We motored north up the coast all night.

March 29, 2024

Wind predictions had all showed a southerly. Wind was, indeed, coming out of the south but it was too light to sail. Hoping to catch the wind when it strengthened, we chose a course between the shore and the Marias Islands. We motored all night, passing the Marias just before dawn.

Fred still had a list of boat repairs to accomplish. The first job he tackled was repairing the ground wire to the engine instruments. We knew the engine was running hot but, when I came on watch at 15:00 on Friday and saw the temperature gauge at the high end of red, I suggested rather forcefully that we shut it off and do something. We set sails and sailed slowly while Fred worked on the engine. The water pump seemed to be working well. Fred removed the thermostat and reamed out the heat exchanger. By the time he was done, the engine was actually running cold. He also worked on the watermaker and got the pump working, but it still was not producing any fresh water.

Winds were light, so we turned the engine back on once the engine was repaired. We motored all through my watch from 21:00 to 24:00. There was a beautiful full moon that rose late in my watch. There was no traffic. We were alone.

March 30, 2024

Wind, at Last

I woke up about 2:00 when Fred shut off the motor. Our southerly wind had finally kicked in and we were sailing. I came back on deck at 3:00. We were sailing nicely with the wind vane driving. I was able to hunker down under the petite dodger and stay reasonably warm.

Fred took the sunrise watch from 6:00 to 9:00, but I came up to eat breakfast about 8:00. We were still sailing nicely. The wind built gradually. We continued sailing all day. By 15:00, the wind was up to 15 knots from the south. By 16:00, we dropped the headsail and continued on main alone. We were still making six knots. My fantasy of actually sailing across the Gulf of California was coming true.

Finally Sailing

It got windier and windier and the wind continued to clock. This was the night that Fred decided to cook a complicated dinner. The boat was pitching all over the place and cooking, eating, and washing up were all quite challenging. By 20:00 it was up to 20 knots. We could see the coast of Baja and began to think we would arrive in Muertos before dawn. By 22:30, the wind had completely died and we started the engine. However, the wind continued to shift and by midnight we were sailing close hauled.  

March 31, 2024

It was chilly with the wind out of the north, but we sailed until the wind died at dawn. We pulled into Muertos at 9:30 and anchored next to our friends on Brainwaves.

At Anchor in Muertos

We rested and puttered around the boat. We weren’t as tired as expected and had plenty of energy to inflate the dinghy and install the motor. Jim and Deb invited us over for a fish dinner on Brainwaves. We had forgotten to adjust our clocks and arrived for dinner an hour early. We spent that hour toodling around the Muertos anchorage, visiting the other boats and watching the campers pack up and leave after their Semana Santa beach holiday. Many of the campsites were quite elaborate.

Campers on the Beach at Muertos

Jim and Deb cooked us a lovely dinner and we had a fine time, remarking that it was nice to be able to have just an intimate dinner with friends. In La Cruz, it was difficult to have a dinner party without inviting a dozen people which made it a completely different affair. We called it an early night because the weather for the following day looked promising and we all wanted to get an early start.

April 1, 2024

Sunrise at Muertos

We were up early and ready to go well before 7:00 on Monday morning, but our starter had died and we couldn’t start the engine. We raised the main sailed off the anchor. Then we hoisted the #2 jib and headed for the Ceralvo Channel.

Sailing on the #4 Jib

Wings in the Ceralvo Channel

By 9:20, the wind was up over 18 knots and we changed to the #4 jib. A sail change on Wings usually involves two agile foredeck crew to handle the sails, someone to jump the halyard and someone (formerly me) to tail the halyard and grind up the last few feet. With just the two of us, Fred had to handle the sails and jump the halyard while I tailed and made sure the boat went where it was supposed to go. Autopilots and wind vanes don’t work very well when you are pointed head to wind to change sails. Nobody observing Fred on that foredeck would have ever guessed his age at 78.

Wings with a Reef In

The wind dropped a little in the afternoon as we proceeded up the channel. We switched back to the #2. Then it got windy, again. We didn’t want to change sails, again, so we put a reef in the main. On the other side of the Ceralvo channel, we shook out the reef. Finally, by 16:00, we were in a position to raise the spinnaker. Brainwaves had left Muertos shortly we did. The stayed about six miles behind us all day. We expected them to catch us, but they never did. About the time we put up the kite, they decided to quit and go to Espiritu Santo. Fred was gloating.

Fred Readying the Spinnaker

We sailed fast under spinnaker for about and hour and a half until we failed to make a gybe and had to douse it and put up the #2 about the time we passed Pichilingue. The wind died about the time we entered the La Paz Channel. We still couldn’t start the motor, so we drifted down the La Paz Channel with the tide and dropped the hook in front of Marina Don Jose at sunset. It was a relief to have made it to our destination under sail alone and we felt very accomplished. We had a drink and made a simple dinner of bacon and eggs. It was finally time to rest.

April 2, 2024

Fred Working on the Starter

As is usually the case, our starter was the victim of a cascade of failures. The extra tasks necessitated by the collision during the Banderas Bay Regatta caused us to leave before repairing the engine instruments. The overheating engine caused a crack to open up in the heat exchanger cap which leaked onto the starter and eventually caused it to fail. Our first mission was to locate a working starter. Fred got up and immediately began an internet search. Then he asked for recommendations via the morning net. Someone suggested a shop that specialized in repairing starters and alternators. After calling every parts shop in La Paz and visiting one of them, we took an Uber to Kevin’s Autopartes to talk to him about rebuilding both the failed starter and the broken spare, whose repair had been overlooked during the chaos surrounding Judy’s death. Kevin told us he needed an hour to diagnose the starters, so we walked down the street to a nice restaurant for lunch.

By the time we returned, Kevin assured us that both starters could be repaired, one for 1800 pesos, and the other for 2400. After some negotiation, he agreed to fix both for a total of 3600 pesos. He told us they would be ready by 17:00. We went back to the boat for a nap and then returned to Kevin’s. One starter was ready, but the new solenoid was the mirror image of the original and couldn’t be installed in the boat. After some confusion, the proper solenoid was located and installed on the repaired starter. We waited for an hour or so until the second starter was finished and provided with the correct solenoid. Then we took another Uber back to the boat.

Fred cooked some chicken with BBQ sauce and beans and we relaxed, hopeful that the following day would see Wings’ engine functioning, once again.

April 3-4, 2024

Fred at His Computer

I could barely restrain Fred from testing the starter long enough to make French toast and bacon. After breakfast, we pulled off the heavy engine cover for the umpteenth time and Fred installed the first starter. It cranked on the first try and we cheered. The second starter worked just as well. Then, Fred tackled the watermaker. He had spoken with a watermaker dealer about his problem and they were both fairly certain that the membrane was OK. Fred already had a rebuild kit so, though he never saw anything obviously wrong, he installed all the new parts. He was pessimistic about that solving the problem, but was pleasantly surprised when the watermaker suddenly began to produce fresh water. The day had been very satisfactory.

By mid-afternoon, we were ready to go ashore. We went to the grocery store and then stopped by Club Cruceros for 20 peso beers. We were supposed to get free hot dogs, but the line was so long we never bothered. We came back to the boat and had a lovely dinner of steak, cauliflower, and salad.

Thursday was a slow day.  With out boat repairs completed, we were able to relax.  I spent a good deal of the day writing and Fred worked on his computer.  

April 5, 2024

My flight back to La Cruz left at 10:53.  We got up and shared a last breakfast together before loading my gear into the dinghy and delivering me to the dinghy dock.  I said goodbye to Fred somewhat reluctantly, as I had not yet met his next crewmember who was due to arrive that afternoon.  I took an Uber to the airport and caught my flight back to Puerto Vallarta via Mexico City.

The La Paz Airport Is Not Busy

WINTER IN LA CRUZ, BARRA, AND ZIHUATANEJO

Xmas Lights in the Marina

My fall and winter 2023/2024 cruising season was enjoyable, but not particularly exciting. I cooked a lot over the holidays and had several dinner parties. Brad returned to Los Angeles for the holidays and I looked after White Wind. As the snowbirds returned to La Cruz, I became less and less inclined to go out in the evenings. Everything seemed very crowded and loud.

Sunrise in Bahia Chamela

At the end of January, Brad and I left to sail down to Barra de Navidad for Cruise-In Week. Everyone was going. We stopped in Chamela for two nights, visited Tenacatita, and then continued on to Barra. The marina was full, so we spent several days anchored out in the Barra lagoon. It is a beautiful spot but was very windy. We went into the marina each morning to beg for a slip and take the water taxi into town for groceries, laundry, or breakfast. We had to return to the boat by early afternoon, before the wind came up. We never had any problem but were concerned we might drag anchor if we left the boat unattended.

Sunrise in the Barra Lagoon

Not having registered ahead of time, Cruise-In Week was half over before we could get a slip in the marina. We hadn’t registered to take anyone sailing or racing, so helped where we could, taking lines for the boats coming and going on windy afternoons. We caught some of the parties, but I never felt like I got into the swing of the event.

The "Secret" Beach in Barra de Navidad

Cloudy AM in the Barra Marina

When Cruise-In Week ended, most of the boats left. Brad flew back to L.A. and I spent the remainder of February hanging out in the very quiet Barra Marina. I got to see my former roommate, Cherie, a few times and observed the progress of renovations on their home in Barra. I didn’t do much. Mostly, I practiced the guitar, studied French, and read. My friend, Blair, stopped in for a couple of days on his way back from Zihuatanejo and we spent a couple of pleasant evenings on the town in Barra and Melaque. We missed the last bus to Barra and, after waiting for an hour, had to take a taxi back. While we were waiting, we saw the bus I was planning to take to Zihuatanejo the following week. I was glad to see where it stopped.

Overlooking the Barra Lagoon

White Wind in Barra

The first of March, I took a taxi into Melaque to catch my overnight bus to Zihuatanejo. I had bought my ticket online. The bus was supposed to arrive at 19:00. I got there at 17:30 so as to be sure not to miss it. It was a trek requiring a water taxi and then a land taxi and travel time was unpredictable. The Melaque bus terminal is very old school. There is only one ticket counter for the local buses. My bus company didn’t maintain a presence, there, because there was only one departure per day. There was no screen or loudspeaker announcing departures. People sat outside and waited for their buses to arrive.

19:00 came and went and my bus was nowhere to be seen. The highway is narrow and curvy. Traffic can be bad, so I waited. I waited until 21:00 before I gave up. I had seen the last bus to Barra (that hadn’t arrived the night Blair and I needed it) depart. Finally, I hailed a cab and retraced my journey back to the boat.

I needed to get to Zihuatanejo by 18:00 on March 2^nd to catch the opening concert of the Zihuatanejo Guitarfest. The opening concert is important because it gives one a chance to hear all the artists and decide which concerts one desires to see. I couldn’t wait for the next evening’s bus. For roughly the price of a round trip ticket to California, I purchased a ticket to fly from Manzanillo to Zihuatanejo.

Opening Night Concert

Very early the next morning, I tried to call a water taxi and got no answer. Fortunately, after 45 minutes, I spied one dropping off some ice in the marina and flagged him down. Luckily, the boatman was the older gentlement who flirted with me. This was very fortunate because there were no land taxis waiting at the taxi stand by the water taxi at that hour. The boatman helped me carry my luggage half way across Barra before we found a taxi to take me to Manzanillo. The drive was shorter than expected and I made it in time for my flight. I never could get the bus company to refund the price of my ticket, even though they acknowledged that a tanker accident had closed the highway, that night, and the bus had never arrived. Eventually, I just disputed the charge on my credit card.

In Zihuatanejo, I stayed in the same apartment that I had occupied in 2020. Celia, the landlady, was happy to see me, again. I missed the first half hour of the opening concert, but managed to see most of it.

Guitarfest was very crowded. The opening concert was held on the municipal pier and was standing room only. I had bought a pass online, but was unable to make reservations for any of the dinner concerts because they were all sold out before I got there. I got the distinct impression that the festival was being aimed at wealthy Zihuatanejo residents and not people who just came for the festival. This probably maximized their fundraising for local school music programs, but was disappointing for me. None of the venue locations or phone numbers were listed on the website, making it difficult to make reservations, in advance, for those of us not familiar with the venues. In the future, I will have to make more of an effort to secure reservations before I arrive.

Zihuatanejo

I caught a cough on the flight down and spent most of my week in Zihuatanejo sleeping all day in order to muster enough energy to go to the evening’s concerts. By the time I took the overnight bus back to Melaque on the 9^th of March, I was very sick and stayed awake all night, attempting not to cough. My fever broke, that night, and I slept for two days once I got back to Barra.

At Anchor in Chamela

Brad had kindly delayed our departure for a day so that I could recover. I was feeling pretty good by the time we left Barra on the 11^th. We headed north and pulled into Chamela just in time for happy hour. We anchored there for a little over 24 hours to rest and left at midnight on the 12^th in order to arrive at Cabo

Corrientes around dawn. We went a little slower than planned due to adverse current, but still got around the corner before the wind kicked up and made it to La Cruz before dark. 

Rounding Cabo Corrientes at Dawn

 A friend of Brad’s gave me ride to the beach in his dinghy and I waded ashore and walked home carrying just my toiletries and devices in a dry bag. My luggage would have to wait until Brad could bring everything to the marina on the following day.

My Cats Helping Me Do Taxes

After spending a few days in the anchorage, Brad finally got a slip in the La Cruz Marina and returned to Los Angeles, leaving me to watch the boat. I spent a week in La Cruz, getting caught up on various tasks in advance of my springtime adventures.

MARINA DEL REY TO LA CRUZ 2023

October 23-24, 2023

Leaving Marina del Rey

White Wind left Marina del Rey for San Diego just as the sun was beginning to set on Monday night. There was very little wind, so we motored south. It was lumpy at first and I had a hard time sleeping before my midnight watch. There was a big half moon and it was a beautiful, warm, dry night to be at sea.

I had the watch from midnight to 3:00. There seemed to be a lot of military activity. four helicopters flew very low over the boat and there was a strange, green light that was visible for ten miles that I never did identify. I went to bed shortly after 3:00 and slept well until 7:00. The seas were much calmer. At 7:00, the shore breeze came up and we were able to sail for about 90 minutes. I woke up when they turned off the engine and finally gave up on sleeping at 8:00.

Passing Point Loma

My next watch was from 9:00 to noon, but we all stayed up through the morning. There was a lot of military traffic and we had to detour around maneuvers with unmanned vessels. Hydrofoil landing craft kept screaming past us. By the time my watch was over, we had reached Point Loma. It took all of us to navigate through a field of lobster pots and into the main channel. We stopped at the fuel dock to top off the tanks and then headed to our slip at the public docks. Brad did a stellar job of backing into the slip in a stiff breeze and we tied up without incident. We spent the afternoon relaxing and then met Brad's family for dinner at Ketch Grill and Taps.

October 25-26, 2023

Looking Towards Tijuana

We lounged around the boat all day at the public docks and then left the slip at 18:00. Progress One was a couple of miles behind us. We motored out the channel and then raised the main near Point Loma. By that point, it was nearly dark. Brad was concerned about missing the Coronado Islands in the dark, so I took the watch until 21:00 and then he took the watch until midnight. By that point we were clear of the islands.

Dawn Breaking Over Cruiseport in Ensenada

I took the watch again at 3:00. It was very dark. We couldn't see Progress One's running lights, but they appeared on AIS. We slowed down a little bit and finally got a visual on Progress One. I took a nap from 6:00 to 7:00. By that time it was light and I got up to help Brad find our slip. There was a boat in our reserved space. We had barely tied up at the guest dock when a security guard appeared and arranged a new slip assignment for us. The slip next to us was empty, so we got them to move Progress One to that slip. We were only a few slips away from where Tom and I had left Dragon's Toy in July, so I was able to check on that boat, also.

Brad and Blair checked their boats into the marina and I took a shower. We met the marina employee at 10:30 to take us to the port captain's office and immigration. We waited around the port captain's office for a couple of hours until all the new arrivals to the marina had checked in with immigration and the port captain. Then we came back to the boat and lounged around for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to go out for tacos. We found a taqueria close to the marina and ate dinner there. Then we went in search of ice cream before returning to the boats.

October 27-28, 2023

We had originally planned to spend only one night in Ensenada but, after looking at the weather, we decided to stay for three nights and leave on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, this meant that we could not check into and out of Ensenada at the same time.

Cruiseport Marina

Friday was leisurely. JFK went out for a walk and picked up a few things at the grocery store. I decided to do laundry. There was only one working washing machine in the marina laundry room. It was occupied when I arrived. When the user did not appear after the cycle finished, I moved her clothes to the dryer and started my first load. There was another bag of laundry on the counter that was technically next, but with such a shortage of washers, no time could be wasted. It turned out that the owner of that bag never did appear. I met two other women and chatted with them for a few hours until we managed to get all of our laundry done by combining loads and sharing dryers. While waiting, I discovered that there would be a potluck that evening.

Back at the boat, JFK and I spent the rest of the afternoon baking brownies and making pasta salad and guacamole to take to the potluck. It turned out to be a very nice party. We met some of the new crop of cruisers that we would no doubt see later in the season.

Saturday morning began with another trip to the port captain to check out. This visit went much more quickly. Rather than wait for the marina agent to finish everyone's paperwork, we left after he was finished with ours and walked into town to find a taxi to take us to the only fuel station in town that sold diesel. We filled our jerry cans and then returned to the boat. After dropping off the fuel, we walked back into town and ate a lovely breakfast on First Street which was closed to vehicular traffic on the weekend.

White Wind at Cruiseport Marina

After breakfast, we walked further into town to visit the bank and the Soriana to stock up on meat and eggs for our trip. Then we walked back to the boat to relax for a couple of hours before meeting up with Blair and Mikey for appetizers at the boat and then delicious salads at El Rey Sol, a French Restaurant on First Street. The salads were lovely, but the margaritas were weak. Still, I stuffed myself on spinach to such an extent that I didn't even want ice cream. We headed back to the boats to get a good night's sleep before leaving in the morning.

October 29-31, 2023

Progress One departing from Cruiseport

We got up in time to help Progress One depart their slip about 7:00. Then we made a pot of coffee and
had a nice egg breakfast before leaving, ourselves, at 8:30. We could see Progress One on the horizon and we inched gradually closer all day. We exited Todos Santos Bay between Punta Banda and Isla Todos Santos and then headed south. There was a moderate swell, but very little wind so we proceeded under motor power. Jolly Rodgers left right behind us and we stayed between them and Progress One all day. I saw a whale just before we left Todos Santos Bay, but couldn't tell if it was a humpback or a gray.

Sunset South of Ensenada

Full Moon on the Water

All of us spent the day in the cockpit. It was chillier than usual for late October, but not unpleasant. JFK (Jean-Francois Kalka) made chicken piccata with veggies and rice for dinner. I took the 18:00 to 21:00 watch. There was a full moon and good visibility. It was very uneventful. We gradually passed Progress One and were passed by Jolly Rodgers.

I slept pretty well and then got up, again, for the 3:00 to 6:00 watch. Jolly Rodgers crossed in front of us and then headed in towards San Quintin to wait for the Ha-Ha fleet. I stayed up with JFK to watch the dawn, but went down for a nap when it became apparent that it was too cloudy to see the sun rise. We continued south towards Isla Cedros. It was a very uneventful day. We motored along and lounged in the cockpit.

I made pork adobada tacos garnished with guacamole, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage for dinner, drank a beer, and went down to doze until my midnight watch. On my watch, we were due to pass between the Bonito Islands and Isla Cedros and Brad wanted to be sure he or I were on watch for that passage. The moon was out and visibility was good. I could already see the islands off our starboard side when Brad took the helm at 3:00.

Sailing Outside Cedros

I slept until 8:30 on Halloween and then got up to eat breakfast in the cockpit. Shortly after breakfast, the wind picked up and JFK and I rolled out the jib and started sailing. Brad poked his head up the minute we cut the engine. We had a steady fifteen knot breeze with gusts up to 21 knots. Eventually, we even had to reef the headsail because we were heeling too far for Brad to brew coffee. I had already moved the wine to the low side to avoid catastrophe. We sailed for 2.5 hours before the wind dropped and Brad fired up the engine. Progress One had gone outside the Bonitos. They had good wind and were able to sail after about 4:00, but had taken a longer course. We talked to them on the radio but couldn't see them with our eyes or AIS.

Passing between Isla Cedros and Isla Natividad I saw a humpback whale breach close to the boat. We were visited by a pod of dolphins and a somersaulting sea lion. We had been dragging a line. We saw the dorado that hit our line and made off with Brad's lure, but we didn't catch him. We took the line in, after that. We followed the shoreline of the mainland past Turtle Bay and headed for Asuncion. We had heard that Enrique in Turtle Bay wouldn't bring the fuel boat out for less than 500 liters and his prices were outrageous, anyway. We elected to anchor in Asuncion and fuel there where we could buy fuel at gas station prices.

November 1, 2023 Dia de los Muertos

We let the hook down in Asuncion at 1:30. By that time, we could see Progress One's running lights in the distance. None of us went right to sleep. Brad and JFK kept me awake, talking until at least 3:00. I had planned to sleep in, but was awakened by voices at 8:00. I was a little bleary, but it was a lovely, sunny day.

Brad took JFK, Blair and me to shore around 10:00. The surf was a little difficult for landing. The dinghy got sideways as we were disembarking and ran into me, knocking me into the water. Fortunately, all my belongings were still in the boat in a dry bag. We had some trouble getting Brad turned around and headed out through the surf because the waves were very close together. He ended up having to row through the surf line before he could get the motor down and head back to the boat. He spent the day tightening the flange connecting the transmission to the prop shaft, which had developed a small leak.

Blair took us on a tour of Asuncion. We walked east as far as the motel and the gas station and then back past the hospital to the ball field. Baseball is big in Baja. Asuncion's team is the Navegantes. Their stadium wasn't as nice as the one in Turtle Bay, but was still impressive for such a small town. Being Dia de los Muertos, the town was busy setting up altars and getting ready for that evening's parade. We visited the church and the graveyard where locals were busy sprucing up gravesites. Then we headed for La Bufadora Inn to visit our friend, Shari Bondy.

Gravesite in Asuncion

Dia de los Muertos Altar

The Church in Asuncion

There are two paved roads in Asuncion and Blair led us along the wrong one, which landed us on the wrong side of the point from Shari's place. This shouldn't have been a big deal, since nothing was far apart in Asuncion and we could easily see where we needed to go. We threaded our way through neighborhoods in the direction of the other road. We picked up a pack of friendly escort dogs who took turns limping, possibly hoping this would result in dog biscuits, possibly because every dog in Mexico has been hit by a car and limps a little. Rounding a corner, our escort pack ran ahead as another group of dogs ran out of a yard to bark at us. JFK was bringing up the rear. I didn't think anything of the barking until I heard him shout, "No!" and turned to see that a large, shaggy, black and white dog had bitten him in the thigh.

JFK Being Treated in Asuncion

We decided to continue on to Shari's and get him cleaned up there. One of Shari's guests produced hydrogen peroxide and they cleaned JFK's now bloody wound. One of the dog's canines had left an impressive hole in JFK's inner thigh. It was determined that we should take him to the hospital. Unfortunately, this cut our visit with Shari short, as we had to meet up with a local named Larry who was going to help us fuel the boat. We said goodbye to Shari and walked back to the hospital where I stayed with JFK to translate and Blair went in search of Larry.

The nurse at the hospital took JFK's vitals and then ushered us into an examination room where a very young doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound. He explained that wounds such as that were best left open to heal themselves, rather than stitching them closed and running the risk of infection. He gave JFK a course of antibiotics and some anti-inflamatories, told him to clean the wound with soap and water twice a day, and sent us on our way, free of charge.

We headed back to the crossroads to buy water for JFK to take his pills and spotted Blair just as Larry arrived, towing his dinghy. We hopped in the back of his mini truck (his outboard motor was in the passenger seat) with fourteen fuel cans and headed to the gas station, detouring along the beach to avoid the parade route.

Fuel Run in Asuncion  Click on the link to see our transportation to the fuel station.

Larry had just enough fuel cans for us to purchase 114 liters for Progress One and 151 liters for White Wind. We then drove back to the scene of our disastrous landing to launch Larry's dinghy. Fortunately, Larry's dinghy was larger and had a fiberglass bottom. Laden with full fuel jugs, it was much more stable than Brad's 8' inflatable floor dinghy. Larry took all of us and Progress One's fuel in the first trip. On his return, he had to make three approaches before successfully landing the empty boat. He made a second trip to ferry White Wind's fuel to us and then hung around while we siphoned all the fuel into our tanks before heading back to shore to prepare to fuel a big motor yacht. Diesel at the gas station cost 24.89 pesos per liter and Enrique in Turtle Bay charged 42. Larry charged a 20 peso per 5 gallon jug service fee, which still left us well ahead. It always rubbed us the wrong way to patronize Enrique, whom Larry was convinced was associated with the mafia.

The Lights of Asuncion

Progress One had caught a yellow tail tuna the day before and we had them over for dinner. We had sashimi for an appetizer and then JFK sauteed the rest of the fish with lemon and garlic and served it with rice and a cucumber salad that I had made. We spent a very pleasant evening at anchor in Asuncion, just a little sorry that we were missing the Dia de los Muertos celebration, but not sorry enough to risk another dinghy landing.

November 2 - 5, 2023

Progress One  in Asuncion

We left Asuncion at 9:00 on Thursday and made for Bahia Santa Maria. We didn't intend to stop there but Progress One, with only two crew, planned to stop there to rest. We got a nice land breeze for a couple of hours in the morning, which grandually shifted to a nice beam reach. We sailed until the breeze quit at sunset. We heard that Progress One had caught a dorado and we caught a yellow tail of our own. We had sashimi for an appetizer and then JFK made a pork stir fry for dinner to break up the tuna a little bit.

Dinner!

Brad took the 18:00 watch. It was so warm out that we all stayed up with him for most of it. I napped for an hour before taking the helm at 21:00, but was awakened when the autopilot quit and the boat turned around. Suddenly, the boat was slamming and sleeping in the forward cabin was impossible. Brad got the boat back on track and I dozed for another fifteen minutes until it was time to get up. The moon rose about 22:00. Not having slept much the night before, I was ready for bed when my watch ended at midnight.

Sunrise, November 3rd

I was back up and ready to take the helm before the sun rose. We got a little land breeze from behind and I tried to sail but there wasn't enough wind to go more than 3.8 knots, so I settled for motor sailing until even that stopped working and I rolled up the jib and hauled in the main. No one was in any hurry to relieve me at 9:00 and I was yawning when JFK finally came up after finishing his breakfast. Our watch schedule decayed from 9:00 to 18:00 when we were all mostly awake. I went below, ate some breakfast, boiled some more eggs, and slept until 12:30 when I got up to write.

Passing Bahia Santa Maria

We motored on all day and passed Bahia Santa Maria about sunset. It felt strange to be out of radio contact with Mike and Blair on Progress One, although we were still in touch via InReach. There were no more sarcastic midnight chats. I made bacon slaw and JFK made tuna medallions for dinner. I had the midnight watch. There wasn't much wind and we were headed dead downwind, a point of sail that White Wind doesn't handle well. We motored along. It was lumpy and I didn't get much sleep before my watch, but slept well afterwards.

Brad & JFK Watching Dolphins

Dolphins visited us Saturday morning.  We spent a lot of time fishing that day. We were determined to catch a dorado of our own. We hooked a real beauty, but it escaped. Then we lost our lure. We didn't have any more 150 pound test line, so decided to braid a line using 50 pound test. Something big took our last lure and the braided line almost immediately. Then, we had to give up fishing. A booby took up residence on our bow pulpit in the evening.

Makeshift Fishing Line

Spectacular Sunset

I took the first watch from 18:00 to 21:00. The sunset was spectacular.  We could see rain in the distance.  The moon rose very late and we expected it to be dark, but we could see the glow of the lights in La Paz all the way over on the Pacific side. We could see a small patch of light at Todos Santos and the glow of Cabo San Lucas in the distance. JFK had the watch from midnight to 3:00. About 2:00, it got windier and the booby decided that he would rather roost in the cockpit than on the bow. He relocated to the solar arch where we hang the dock lines and fenders. JFK tugged on his tailfeathers and the booby only squawked and glared at him, but did not leave. He was still there when I came on at 3:00 and kept me company all through my watch until it got light and he flew away.

Booby Roosting in the Cockpit

By this point, we were nearing Cabo Falso and expected 15 to 20 knot winds. Instead, the winds dropped from 15 to six or seven. The seas tossed us around a bit, but it was easier than expected. I stayed up with Brad to watch the dawn and then went below about 7:00 to take a nap.

Dawn Over the Deck of White Wind

November 5, 2023

Sailing Past Cabo San Lucas

I got up about 8:30, just as we were rounding Cabo Falso. What little wind we had dissipated once we got around the corner. The cold water of the Pacific gave way to the 82 degree water of the Gulf of California. We motored past Cabo and along the coast to San Jose del Cabo, where we stopped at the fuel dock. We had to wait quite a while for the fuel pump because a large power boat from Newport Beach was fueling ahead of us. Eventually, we filled our tanks and repaired to our nearby slip on C dock.

Dr. Mike, Rene, Brad, & JFK

Our first order of business was showers. We hung around the boat until the security guard appeared with a card key for us and then we showered. Progress One's third crew, Dr. Mike, had been waiting for them in town and decided to spend Sunday night with us aboard White Wind. We took an Uber into town so JFK could check into his hotel and drop off his luggage and then we proceeded to the giant flag in the plaza where we had agreed to meet Dr. Mike. He was right where we expected to find him and we set off to find a restaurant where Brad and I could get margaritas and some food.

The restaurant where Brad wanted to go was closed on Sundays, so we found an open, rooftop restaurant overlooking the plaza called the Garage. We shared shrimp nachos and JFK got boneless chicken wings. The margaritas were good. Brad and I shared a second one. Then we started failing fast. We said goodbye to JFK and took another Uber back to the marina. Not having specified that we were actually on the far side of the marina (quite a distance by car,) we had to walk all the way around the marina to our dock. It was a pleasant walk, but we were so tired that Brad and I had both passed out by 20:30, not very exciting company for Dr. Mike.

Marina Puerto Los Cabos at Dusk

November 6, 2023

We had originally planned to leave San Jose del Cabo as soon as Progress One arrived and topped up their tanks. However, Progress One managed to get a slip and we all decided that a day of rest in San Jose del Cabo was a good idea. We had to move to a different slip, but managed to acquire a spot for a second night. We had breakfast across the street at Cafe El Puerto and then relaxed and did boat chores. I practiced the guitar and wrote. In the evening, Blair, the Mikes, and I went for a stroll around La Playita, the neighborhood surrounding our side of the marina. Then we all went for dinner at George's, a nice restaurant in the La Marina Hotel. I was disappointed to miss the tacos chinos at El Marinero Borracho, but they were closed on Mondays.

November 7 - 9, 2023

Brad Sailing out of San Jose del Cabo

We were in no hurry to leave on Tuesday morning. We had another nice breakfast at Cafe El Puerto and finally left the slip at 11:30. Dr. Mike had abandoned White Wind to crew on Progress One, since Blair and Mike had been double handing and were tired. Something was amiss with White Wind's septic system and we couldn't pump our holding tank overboard. We didn't know if it was a blocked vent line or a clogged hose, but the pump seemed to be trying to work. It wasn't yet at a critical stage, so we were able to continue. We stopped at the fuel dock to pump out, but the nozzle that would have been inserted into our black water tank was missing. No one knew where it had gone, so we had to do without pumping out. We set off about noon.

Progress One Underway

It took us an hour or so to catch up to Progress One, which had slipped past us while we were attempting to pump out. We tried sailing for a short while, but the wind soon quit. We made a beeline for La Cruz, keeping Progress One in sight, although we slowly drew away from them.

I took the first watch from 16:00 to 20:00. There was a pretty sunset. The sky was overcast and threatening to rain and it was very warm. I sat out all night in shorts and a tank top. We had so many leftovers from the meals that JFK had repaired that no one needed to cook dinner. We grazed as we got hungry.

Cloudy Sunset

Brad was on from 20:00 to midnight. There was no wind and the seas were hitting us on the beam, causing us to roll enough that I couldn't really sleep. I came back on at midnight. A crescent moon rose sometime after 2:00, obscured by clouds, at first. I thought I saw a boat approaching, but it was just a planet rising over the horizon. The moon often shocked and confused us when it suddenly rose. It always took us a minute to realize the identity of that big, orange thing that had appeared out of nowhere.

Still Morning

I slept hard from 4:00 to 8:00 and woke refreshed. It was very still and Progress One had disappeared from sight. We could still hear them on the radio, however, and we checked in once a watch or so. We motored on from 8:00 to noon before changing watches and continuing on through the afternoon. There wasn't much wind and it kept changing direction as we passed through small cells of rain. Eventually, we couldn't even hear Progress One on the radio and it seemed a bit lonely.

Finally Sailing

I took the 16:00 to 20:00 watch. We continued grazing on leftovers. Brad was on from 20:00 to midnight. I got an hour's nap before taking the watch at midnight. The moon rose about 3:00 and the wind started picking up about 3:30 as we passed the Marias Islands. When Brad came on deck at 3:45, we decided to sail. At times we had 14 knots of wind and were scooting along at 7 to 8 knots. At times, we were overpowered. When it got light, we could see Progress One as a tiny, white triangle on the horizon. We checked in with them on the radio and found they were also sailing, although they had slightly less wind.

Soon we sighted Punta de Mita. It seemed close, but it took us most of the 8:00 to noon watch to finally round it. The wind died once we got deeper into the bay and we finally motored into our slip in the La Cruz marina at 12:30. Brad impressed the dock neighbors by backing smoothly into our space. it was good to be back. Within a couple of hours, I had packed my belonging, cleaned my cabin, done the dishes, and walked home. I returned for my luggage after a well-deserved nap.