LA CRUZ TO FRAILES ON WINGS 2025

March 31, 2025
Punta Mita

I began my cruising season by signing aboard a five-week cruise on the Serendipity 43, Wings.  The skipper, Fred Roswold, and I planned to cross over the Sea of Cortez to Baja and spend a few weeks cruising as far as Isla Carmen.  We filled up at the fuel dock and then made a quick stop at Dock 11 to fill up with water since we had not done so in our own slip. This turned out to be fortunate, as we were able to filter the water through our friend’s three-stage filter. We left the marina just as the wind was coming up. It was light at first, but picked up about the time we reached Destiladeras. We never did put up a jib, but sailed all the way to Punta Mita on the main alone. It certainly wasn’t our quickest trip, but we got there well before time for dinner.

April 1, 2025
Matanchen Bay

The Wind Vane Steered Nicely

We had spent a rolly night in the Punta Mita anchorage and had listened to water sloshing back and forth in the bilge. This concerned us because we didn’t know the source. We quickly determined that the fresh water system was leaking at the filter under the sink, but it took us a couple of hours to find and correct all the leaks. Not only had the hose clamps rusted to the point of failure, but the o-ring in the filter housing wasn’t sealing properly and eventually had to be sealed with silicone sealant. Leak staunched, we set off about 11:00. We had nice wind, but weren’t going to make it to Chacala or Matanchen before dark.

We sailed until 17:00 when the wind died. By that point we had reached Lo de Marcos. We started the motor and decided to press on to Matanchen Bay, since we would be arriving at night wherever we went. I came off watch at 18:00, napped for a bit, and then made smoked pork chops, salad, and instant mashed potatoes for dinner. I was back on watch from 21:00 to midnight. There was only a crescent moon, but it shed enough light to see by and, by the time it set around 23:00, I was in among a fleet of shrimpers that lit up the sky for miles. It was midnight by the time we threaded our way through those and Fred came on deck. We both stayed alert to enter the bay. There were lights ringing the bay.

April 2, 2025
Matanchen Bay

We dropped the hook about 1:00. The wind was so light that we didn’t drop the main sail until after we had anchored. There were three other boats in the anchorage. I made some hot chocolate and we had a snort of rum before climbing into our bunks.

The Anchorage in Matanchen Bay

We both awoke shortly before 8:00 when a big swell or wake rolled the boat. We made coffee and then Fred started on his to-do list for the day. Most important, was inspecting and tightening the set screws that kept the prop shaft attached to the transmission. We were somewhat concerned that, if they were loosening too fast, we might not be able to make it all the way across to Baja. We had motored for eight hours the night before and they were only slightly loose. This gave us confidence that we would be able to make the crossing, even if were were unable to sail the whole way.

Fred worked through his list of chores and I helped, did dishes, and scrubbed some dirty surfaces. We ate lunch early, as we had switched time zones and gained an hour. Then we settled down to relax, nap, and write.

April 3, 2025
Isla Isabela

Morning in Matanchen Bay

I woke up at 5:30 and, due to the change of time zone, it was already light. It was too chilly to get up, so I lounged in my bunk for an hour or so until Fred got up. We drank coffee and looked at the weather.

Being loath to motor, Fred likes to wait until the wind comes up, which precludes early starts. Wanting to make it to Isla Isabela before it got too late, we compromised and left at 9:00. We motored until noon and then had a lovely sail up the coast and past Isla Isabela before tacking and heading back towards the

Isla Isabela at Sunset

anchorage at Isla Isabela. We didn’t make it before dark, but it was light enough to see the Monjas and there were already a couple of boats in the anchorage with their anchor lights on. It took us three tries to anchor far enough from a big power boat that preceded us because the current was keeping us from resting downwind of our anchor. The anchorage was calm and the temperature pleasant. I had a glass of wine and wrote for a bit after we got settled about 21:00.

April 6, 2025
Somewhere Between Mazatlan and Los Frailes

 

The Anchorage and Monjas at Isla Isabela

We left Isla Isabela about 9:00 on Friday morning and motored slowly northward. The wind filled in about 11:30 and we were able to sail along the rhumb line until it died about 22:30. We fired up the engine and continued on the same course until the wind started to fill in from the land about 4:00 on Saturday morning. We put up the number 4 jib and killed the motor. It was pleasant sailing, at first, with ten knots of breeze and reasonably flat seas. Unfortunately, the wind rapidly built and backed

Fred Lounging on the Foredeck

until it was coming out of about 310 degrees and we could no longer hold our course. We were headed slightly south of west and knew we’d have to tack, eventually.

Dawn on Saturday

I had not slept the night before. I came off watch at 6:00, spent an hour or so pumping water out of the bilge, and was just about to drop off at 7:30 when Fred called me on deck to help reef the main. The reefing lines were hopelessly tangled.  The reefing lines had been led incorrectly when the cruising main was installed and Fred had been having trouble getting his reef line to stay secured around the boom. I had showed him how to tie a bowline on a bight, which stopped them from coming undone, but it was a hard knot to tie in 20 knots of wind and heaving seas and one line kept getting trapped under the other. We ended up having to turn downwind and spend ninety minutes re-leading the reefing lines so that we could finally put a reef in the main.

The Waves Rapidly Built to Three Meters

By the time we turned back on course, it was really stinky out and we were bashing along and getting very wet. We were making about 7 knots. My watch started at 9:00, just as we got the reef set. I was exhausted, but had to stay up until noon. It was too wet to use my phone on deck. I huddled in the companionway and tried to stay awake. Fred took over at noon, but it was too rough and wet below to sleep. I took over again at 15:00. It was blowing a steady 22 knots with gusts to 27. Waves were breaking over the deck and filling the cockpit. We were so miserable that by 17:00 we decided to heave to and wait for the wind to drop.

A Wave Broke Over Wings

Heaving to did slow us down and give us a more comfortable ride, but we were far from stationary. We had tacked over and were heading towards Mazatlan at 4 knots under a reefed main and backed jib. We kept that up for the next twelve hours. It was cold and wet. Fred was soaked to the skin. I finally managed to sleep, but ate almost nothing on Saturday. I just didn’t have enough fuel to keep warm. When I got off watch at 18:00, I ate some cold leftover chicken and was then able to get warm enough to sleep.

Lines Clogged the Scuppers

We kept alternating cold, damp watches all night. The wind continued to howl. Somewhere around 3:00 on Sunday a rogue wave broke over us, knocking us nearly onto our side. The anchor jammed sideways between the two bow rollers. The cockpit was so full of water that it sloshed over the step and into the cabin. I had to clear the lines out of the scupper so that it could drain. As cold as it was making us, the water itself felt surprisingly warm.

However, after 4:00, the wind gradually abated. By 5:30, it was down to 15 knots and the sea state had improved substantially. We tacked over and headed back towards Baja. We had gone about 40 miles towards Mazatlan while heaved-to, but it did prevent us from missing the peninsula entirely.

Sunday morning was fairly pleasant, we sailed along at 5.5 knots in 15 knots of breeze. The sun was out and we attempted to dry our clothes and cushions. Water had leaked in through the prism above where our clothes were stored, so even our clean clothes were damp. Fred freed the anchor and repaired the connection to one of the solar panels that had come undone. At noon, I went below to write about our ordeal before I forgot the details.

April 10, 2025
Bahia Los Muertos

It Got Windy Again on Sunday Afternoon

It got windier on Sunday afternoon and by 17:00 we had to heave to, once more. The wind never got quite as strong and the waves weren’t quite as big, but it was still uncomfortable bashing into 22 knots of wind. Once again, we sailed northeast while hove to, but were only making about 2.5 knots. We tacked back over before dawn on Monday and continued bashing towards Muertos. Everything was wet. The four throw rugs were in a sodden pile outside the head. I gave up on shoes and socks because the floor and deck just got them wet. We were not happy campers. Finally, about 14:00, we decided to abandon our plan to make Muertos and fell off to sail to Frailes, arriving just in time to have a well-deserved drink before dinner.

Finally Arriving in Frailes

I made spicy ramen with chilorio for dinner. Fred had been skeptical of this dish, but proclaimed it delicious. We pumped as much water out of the boat as we could and tossed the salty carpets up on deck. It was windy in the Frailes anchorage, but the water was calm. Things dried rapidly and we got a good night’s sleep.