AGAINST THE WIND
Uncertainty joined the MOTU crew April 24, 2020, when we pulled out of our slip at Marina Riviera Nayarit, more popularly known as La Cruz Marina, and headed west and north. We were going back to the USA, in a climate of locked down ports and marinas, closed borders, and quarantines.
So much information - some true some not - was flying through the internet wind against us, too. But our immediate concern was the weather forecast. We motorsailed across Banderas Bay and out past Punta de Mita with light noserly winds and lots of current against us and pointed toward San Jose del Cabo. News indicated that port and marina were still open, and it was possible to get both Mexican port and international zarpes.
Wind stayed below 10 knots and the night watch was brilliant, with Venus as a beacon and luminescence tracking our rudder in the inky water. The winds decreased further the next day and in the afternoon we spotted the rugged mountains around San Jose del Cabo. Arrived outside the breakwater at 2330 and dropped the anchor off the beach with thundering surf. Motu must have decided that it was better to behave than not, and sat with her stern to the swell and we actually had a good night's sleep. We saw no vessels at all during that journey.
We were able to fuel and check in, and spent a few days in the lovely but very expensive Puertos Los Cabos. This beautiful marina features the whimsical, strange art of Leonora Carrington. A stroll around the harbor brings encounters with surrealist paintings and sculptures . Temperatures were rising on the southern tip of Baja, Covid had shut down everything and signs of "Quedate en Casa" (Stay at Home) were posted all over the area.
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| Sunset at San Jose del Cabo |
Hope was aboard as we sailed with light winds towards Cabo on the last day of April. Condos and hotels line that beautiful coast on the bottom of Baja, and only a few small sports fishing boats joined us out on the water.
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| Captain hard at work |
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| Lost in Art |
By mid-day the wind was howling offshore of Cabo, and we were anchored off the beach between two tourist boats and another cruising boat, after motoring around trying to find shallow water (35 feet). There is a very deep canyon right off the beach making anchoring tricky.
Next day, May Day! But not mayday!!! May 1st and off we charged toward Cabo Falso, that truly mean, awful cape on the southwest corner of Baja, that makes you want to give up and sell your boat right there. And with false hope that day, we rounded The Rocks, and had about 15 knots dead against us, which continued to increase. Made it to Cabo Falso with winds getting up to 25 plus and sea state turning ugly. Weather reports indicated we would have that almost the entire 200 miles to Santa Maria. Admitting defeat, we turned the wheel, turned off the engine and enjoyed a lovely downwind sail back to the anchorage at Cabo. Another better looking weather window finally was forecast a few days later as more boats arrived in the anchorage to make the trip north. Had the good fortune to meet the wonderful crew on the Crealock 37, Pristine, Cheyenne and Colin, who became our traveling buddies and springboards for the Great Bash North, and friends forever.
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| Cabo San Lucas |
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| Cabo Falso |
May 6 dawned and the weather window with it. Everyone escaped from the anchorage and we finally motorsailed around Cabo Falso in fog and decreasing wind. The ornery California current came and went and came back again. We had fun WhatsApping the crew on Pristine and getting their take on weather, current and progress made. The slow, heavy Motu plodded along behind them, but hey, we did have mocha frappaccinos!
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| Pristine making moves |
So began what Cheyenne calls The Great Wait. We made it to Santa Maria, with an overnight stop off Belcher Point in Magdalena Bay at sunset. While we had a couple of days with moderate winds, more was forecast further north before hitting us, so we settled in for what turned out to be an 8 day stop. It did blow, a big southerly swell highlighted some of the days, and we celebrated Stephen's 77th birthday in the windy wilds of Baja. We were so happy to have Pristine there to compare weather reports, commiserate about the voyage, discuss boat problems and just visit over the VHF and internet when available. They made us laugh just when we were ready to sell the boat (again) for a $1.98. (Only kidding Motu)
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| Happy 77th Birthday! |
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| Marja's Carrot Cake |
And we began to realize that we made a mistake leaving in early May. All of our other trips up Baja had been end of May, June, and though still a challenge, had much shorter wait cycles, usually five days of travel and two days of wait at the most. Of course this year the storms off of Alaska would not go away and were sending crappy weather down the West Coast of US and Baja most of the month with resulting short weather windows. The really good things about this May Bash were meeting the crew on Pristine and very few fish floats and nets. We didn't hook one polypropylene line around our prop!!
May 16 saw us on our way to Asuncion, another two day romp against wind and monster current around Abreojos, and into Asuncion bay in heavy fog, battling chain all wrapped into knots due to our beating against the wind. Finally untangled and anchored. Whew, another 207 miles done. And another 8 day wait. The Euro and GFS weather models didn't want to agree on anything!! While there we hired a very helpful and enterprising young Asuncion fisherman/diver, Lery, to bring out 72 gallons of diesel from the Pemex Service Station using our jugs. He also did a grocery run and brought out water when our water maker sprang a leak. Colin and Cheyenne on Pristine continued to have serious issues with their fuel tanks, getting repeated filter clogs, sometimes within hours of the last change. Loaned them fuel jugs to replenish their tanks and hoping new fuel would help.
After waking one morning to not great forecasts - wimping out yet again - we finally had a very good trip to Turtle Bay, motor sailing the 60-plus miles to the northwest. No wait this time in Turtle, both weather models were predicting flat calm until reaching the north end of Cedros Island and we did have ideal no-wind conditions. But Motu decided that Pristine was getting all the attention lately, and added to the Baja Bash dramas. Her shaft seal system, Lasdrop, began leaking. And that began an every-hour visit to the engine room to remove about a cup of water with the turkey baster for the remainder of our travels all the way to Ventura, California. Cruising is so fun!! As this has been a recurring problem which we have repeatedly tried to fix, we are looking at going back to the traditional stuffing box at the next haul out.
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| Baja wild life |
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| Wild San Quintin |
Some bashing was involved from the north end of Cedros to San Quintin, but ended with sun and bird and sea life and a very early morning arrival at the anchorage. We were last in this anchorage 34 years ago, but boy, had it changed. Silting at the entrance to the once accessible lagoon has reached well into the anchorage area. Dropped the hook more than two and half miles off the beach!! Later moved in but sneaker breaking waves would pop up at certain times of the tide/current change and were somewhat alarming. Moved back out to about 30 feet of depth and that was ok, though the 25-30 knot system that came through made for a bouncy, wild anchorage. We were only about 100 miles from our final Mexican destination. Following the blow we executed the final assault against the Baja Bash, and entered Ensenada Harbor and Cruiseport Marina at 0800 on June 4, along with about five other boats who had just done the entire trip from Cabo to Ensenada in 8-12 days depending on some weather and boat problems. We should have waited. But at least we were quarantined.
Departing Ensenada the same day we arrived, we finally left Mexico with a light southerly and sailed into San Diego Harbor the next morning with an escorting vessel that had no problem going to weather.
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| Clearing the way for us! |
And reunited with Cheyenne and Colin on Pristine at the Harbor Island West Marina. They had carried on from San Quintin to San Diego with their international Zarpe, so they were a few days ahead. We were able to visit, social distancing, and saw them for the first time without their masks!! Over nibbles and drinks we formulated a plan to meet in Catalina Island soon.
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| The most excellent SV Pristine Crew |
Motu is now in Ventura, California, hunkering down again, and planning some escapes to the islands off of Southern California, Uncertainty is still here, but we are trying to embrace it with masks on, happy hours from a distance and via zoom, and having supplies delivered. Hoping for safety and good health for all.
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| July 4th at locked down Ventura beaches!! |
