November 29, 2018
 |
| Our Course Through the San Lorenzo Channel |
We rose at 6:00 and pulled out of the marina five minutes
after sunrise. There was absolutely no
wind. We motored out the channel and headed for the San Lorenzo Channel. Boats ahead of us reported a long line across
the channel but we didn’t encounter it.
We saw only one buoy with a flag on it that may or may not have been
related.
 |
| Pulling into Muertos |
We were headed for Muertos where we planned to spend the
night. It was our intention to arrive there
before sunset. We motored all day,
finally rounding Punta Arena in the late afternoon. We pulled into Muertos at 17:30 and anchored
smoothly. Dinner was arrachera tacos
from Rancho Viejo. Greg and I had got a
good laugh when we heard Tom and Cary were bringing arrachera, since we had
been eating it at nearly every meal for days.
Still, arrachera from Rancho Viejo is always good and I was hungry,
having slept through lunch. We had beer
with dinner and retired early, planning to leave at midnight so as to arrive in
La Cruz by mid-afternoon.
November 30, 2018
A bright orange half moon was just rising when we got up at
midnight. It was still very dark and
hard to make out the other boats in the anchorage. A strong land breeze had blown up while we were
trying to sleep. We weighed anchor and I
directed Cary past the other boats until we were clear enough to head into the
wind and raise sail. We sailed for a few
minutes, but the land breeze quickly petered out and we had to start the
motor. The next leg of our journey was
250 miles southeast to a point off the Marias Islands.
Cary took the first watch.
Tom and I sat up for a little while to enjoy the lovely, warm evening
and watch the moon rise. Then we went
below to try to sleep.
 |
| Sunrise Over the Sea |
Tom relieved Cary at 4:00.
I got up shortly after 6:00, having had plenty of sleep. I grabbed a banana and a nut bar and joined
Tom in the cockpit to watch the uneventful sunrise. It was surprisingly warm. I was comfortable in shorts and bare feet and
my long-sleeved shirt was soon too warm.
After having frequently been chilly in La Paz, it felt good to be
sailing south towards balmy Banderas Bay.
My watch started at 7:00 and soon I was alone. The water was glassy and we motored on at a
steady five knots. The wind had dropped
to about two knots. I never saw another
boat. The most exciting thing I sighted
was a chunk of Styrofoam that may or may not have been attached to a net. I saw a dolphin in the distance and, though
he eventually crossed our bow, he did not stop to play with us.
Cary joined me about 10:30 and the wind gradually
built. By 11:30, we had seventeen knots,
had killed the motor, and were sailing along at 6.5 knots. Clouds appeared from nowhere and it became
noticeably cooler. When Tom came up around
noon, I went below to write.
Just as the sun began to set, a flock of boobies spotted our
boat and were determined to land on the bow. Nothing would dissuade them. Five or six boldly roosted on the bow
pulpit. We continued to sail along at a
good clip until the sun went down.
Dinner was roast chicken from Walmart with salad and a big
pile of broccoli. Anyone who knows me
knows that I hate broccoli, but I actually managed to eat a large serving. There was butter and it was cooked to
perfection. I had the midnight watch, so went below to try to sleep after
dinner.
December 1, 2018
 |
| Boobies on the Bow |
 |
| Isla Maria Madre |
I didn’t get much real sleep before I came on watch at
midnight. We were once again motoring. I could see the running lights reflecting off
the boobies’ tail feathers. They kept me
company all through my watch. When I
went below at 3:00, I was finally ready to sleep.
 |
| Bold Boobies |
 |
| Tom Dislodging the Boobies |
Morning found the boobies still present. They went out to fish, but soon returned,
staunchly defending their territory against invaders. We motored south all day and the boobies rode
along. We pulled abreast of the Marias
about 16:00 and Tom decided that was a good time to dislodge the
hitchhikers. He set up the wash down hose
and blasted the boobies (and their excrement) off the bow. They took the hint and headed for shore. I half expected them to return, but they did
not.
Cary made us a lovely stew out of the leftover arrachera and we ate dinner in the cockpit and watched the spectacular sunset. I took the first watch from 18:00 to 21:00. It was pitch dark, as the moon had yet to rise. We hadn’t seen another boat since we left Muertos. I slept only fitfully once I got off watch.
December 2, 2018
 |
| Sunrise Over Banderas Bay |
I came back on watch at 3:00. The dawn watch is my favorite and I enjoyed
watching the sun rise. We were getting
close to La Cruz and could see the sun rising over Banderas Bay. Sunrise in Banderas Bay is nearly always
amazing, as the sun rises from behind the mountains, painting them with varying
colors. We motored around Punta Mita
and then along the shore of the bay, arriving at the La Cruz Marina by
mid-morning.
 |
| Pulling into La Cruz |
I couldn’t wait to get home and take a shower and a nap. I packed my bags and loaded all my belongings
into a taxi for the short ride home.
Cherie was frantically cleaning when I arrived. Our house sitter had left the kitchen window
open and rats had invaded our kitchen, nesting in the stove. The landlord had dragged the stove into the
street and dislodged the rats, but their evidence remained.
I took a shower and tried to sleep but ended up cleaning
instead. In the late afternoon, I walked
to the local grocery store to buy a few provisions and made some dinner. The food I had left behind had been stored in
a sealed bin in my bedroom and was rat free.
I was tired and groggy but happy to be home at last.
No comments:
Post a Comment