Link to Picture Album

Here's a link to pictures from the Fall 2010 trip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/107655532919802033154/BestOfFall2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLGJk736gemy8AE#

Back in San Carlos

Hola,

We’re back in San Carlos doing some sailing, working on boats and enjoying Mexico. We arrived a few weeks ago and quickly moved Solera into the work yard. It took six days to get her ready to launch due to a few routine maintenance tasks and a two day break to crew for Oscar in the 40th annual Tucson Sailing Club Fall Regatta.

We sailed Bombay, his Pearson 34 to a second place finish in Spinnaker Class. Sounds impressive but there were only two boats racing with spinnakers! However, we were the fourth boat across the line both days and very close behind the other boat in our class… this was Oscar’s best result so far. The course was unusual and interesting this year. We raced from just off Posada beach in San Carlos to a finish near the waterfront in downtown Guaymas. The route took us across San Francisco bay and around two capes, Cabo Arco and Cabo Haro, then to a tricky beat up into Guaymas Harbor. One of our tacks had us sailing 50 feet off the stern of a docked Mexican Navy warship. We were glad we got smiles and waves from the crew instead of drawn weapons. The total course distance was about 14 miles each day. The winds were so strong on Sunday that only about 10 of the original 17 boats raced back. Oscar has always said that Bombay would do well if she got some stronger wind and it proved to be true. Saturday’s wind peaked in the low 20’s and Sundays in the upper 20’s.

The following weekend Cyn and I decided to check out the Dia de los Muretos celebration in Guaymas. In our over 35 years of traveling in Mexico, we’ve never been to a Day of the Dead Celebration. It was a really interesting cultural experience. Several blocks of the city center were closed to traffic and decorated with giant skeleton sculptures and other works by local artists. Nearly everyone was paying respects to dead relatives in one way or another. Most were wearing face paint or masks and dressed as a favorite deceased family member. Many set up elaborate displays with pictures and artifacts related to their family’s history. Children read aloud long narratives that traced back their ancestry. There was food, concerts, plays, and crafts but the whole event was subdued and respectful, very different from the other boisterous Mexican celebrations.

Tom and Sara came down and spent a week sailing and hanging out in San Carlos. We found them a casita pretty close to the marina for $175 per week. It was a really nice place with a swimming pool right out the door. Solera had a few issues during their visit though. First the alternator died. Not a big problem since I had a spare. So, after a little work we were able to go out for a perfect afternoon sail on the bay. Then, on an overnight trip up to San Pedro Bay we had transmission problems that left us engineless. I won’t go into detail but we sailed back the next day to within a hundred yards of our mooring before dropping anchor. We stayed off the rocks at the narrow entrance to the bay largely from short tacking and wind reading skills learned at Pueblo Reservoir. Sara said she was impressed.

Cyn and I went for a sail a couple of days later to test the repaired transmission ( fixed it myself for $30). It seems to be ok. We‘ll see how it does over the next week or two. We don’t have any plans for long distance cruising this trip, just a few overnighters up the coast.

Oscar recently tweaked his shoulder pulling a forestay up to the masthead on a rigging project. He literally could use a right-hand-man for a few days so I volunteered. So far we have done two furler installations, a rig inspection, two rig tunes, and an antenna installation. I’m the one who goes aloft, often over 60 feet on the bigger boats. It’s enjoyable and interesting work. Plus, it’s a good way to supplement the retirement income.

Till next time,

Ric & Cyn

Solera's Baja Route Map

Here's a map showing the route of Solera during our most recent cruise.

Trip Stats:

495 nautical miles logged

88 miles - longest nonstop passage

7.6 kts - fastest boat speed

26 kts - highest wind speed

6496 feet - greatest water depth

14 anchorages

3 - total number of tacks

(all on 2nd to last day while leaving Concepcion)

Isla Coronados to San Carlos

The twenty mile passage from Isla Coronados to Caleta San Juanico was a special one with the spinnaker up the whole way! The wind was light, around eight knots, and from the right direction. Seas were flat so Solera made good progress at around five knots. Always looking for more speed I remembered seeing an old picture of a Columbia 40 flying it’s spinnaker. It had what’s called a spinnaker staysail up. So, I decided to raise our staysail and see what happened. At the wind angle we had it set well and did not affect the spinnaker much at all. Adding the staysail bumped up our speed by half a knot.

As we approached San Juanico it was time to douse the spinnaker. (This is probably boring to most of you but I just love this stuff.) Our setup has a sock that gets pulled down and in the process gathers the giant fifty foot tall sail into a long fabric tube. After that you lower the tube to the deck with the halyard. That all sounds great but it’s important to get the snuffing done quickly. Lines tangle, sails tear, or end up in the water when things go wrong. So, Cyn and I tried something different this time to make things more efficient. We put the boat on autopilot and both of us went to the foredeck. She went to the bow and I stayed by the mast with the line for the sock. When we were both ready, Cyn pulled the lanyard on the snap-shackle at the bow. The sail released with a pop and went flying away from the boat. At the same instant I began drawing the sock down snuffing the sail. I bet it took less than ten seconds to get the huge spinnaker doused!



At San Juanico we were lucky and got the best spot in the bay to anchor. There is only room for one sailboat between the detached ridge of rock spires and another block shaped island at the north end of the bay. We moved in right after a trawler left. San Juanico gets a fair amount of swell so anchoring between the rocks offers great protection. Plus, it’s really cool being tucked in between the beautiful formations.





Our cruisers guide said there are black obsidian apache tears “dotting the seven mile dirt road that connects San Juanico to Highway 1“. Cindy and I went out on a mission to find them. We took a five mile morning hike and found nothing but heat and a broken down water truck. Not a single apache tear anywhere. I was ready to give up but we knew these rocks were around somewhere. At the cruiser’s shrine the trawler Pacific left his boat name spelled out in apache tears. Turned out, a short hike that evening over the hill behind the shrine led us to a different section of the dirt road. It really was dotted with the black glass stones. Cyn and I both picked up a handful.



Our next passage was a long one, fifty three miles up to Playa Santispac in Bahia Concepcion. We left in a stiff breeze with the first reef in. Solera shot across the eight mile Bahia San Basilio in just over an hour. Then the fun was over. The wind shifted behind us and dropped to about five knots. We had to motor sail the rest of the way to make it to our planned anchorage before dark. I guess we’re cruisers and not sailing purists. I can understand why some sailors keep their engines off as much as possible or, don’t have one at all. It would be very satisfying to complete a passage anchor up to anchor down under sail only. But, a flexible schedule and a willingness to wait for wind would be a must.



At Santispac we were greeted by another whale shark as we set the anchor. This one circled around but never came closer than about twenty yards. Looked like it might be a little bigger the one at Escondido. This time in Concepcion we wanted to check out some new anchorages. We sailed down to Isla Requeson and found a nice beach and at nearby Playa Buenaventura a great restaurant bar. We also anchored at Playa Coyote for a night. The water temp has warmed considerably since our last stay in the bay. With the south trending winds, the air temp and humidity were also up. All signs that it’s time to head back to San Carlos.



Our plan was to leave Concepcion and anchor at Punta Chivato about twenty miles up the coast. The idea being to shave a few miles off the upcoming sail back across the sea. This ended up being a poor decision. I knew the Chivato anchorage offered marginal protection and sure enough when we arrived the conditions were too rough. Plan B took us to the other side of the point to an alternate anchorage. Once again, too rough. This left us with a choice of backtracking twenty two miles or continuing twenty two miles to an anchorage on the north side of Isla San Marcos. We chose San Marcos hoping for the best and arrived at dusk to a beautiful protected little cove. The bad part was we sailed about forty five miles and only took five miles off the crossing distance.



Then came our next bad choice. The SSB weather called for ten to fifteen “all night long” for the seventy three mile crossing that evening. Those would be pretty good conditions. We decided to go for it leaving at 1600 that afternoon. Things ended up being quite different. Rounding the north end of San Marcos put us in high winds and rough seas that stayed with us pretty much all the way across. These were the roughest conditions I’ve experienced on a sailboat. Occasional waves into the cockpit, water running down the side decks, and lots of motion. Cyn said it was like an amusement park ride (she hates amusement park rides). Just as things really got interesting I thought “I should put on my foul weather jacket”. Not more than a minute later a large wave climbed up the side of the hull and broke into the cockpit. I got doused and immediately went for the foulies. Cyn and I were glad to be on a boat the size of Solera in those conditions. We sailed under a double reefed main and staysail but still had a fast crossing at thirteen hours.

Dolphins visited a half dozen times that moonless night. I never saw one though. All I could see were the phosphorescent trails they were leaving. It was unreal watching the large tubes of underwater sparks quickly converging on the boat in formation. The trails were often thirty feet long. It looked like a volley of fast torpedoes headed for Solera.

We arrived in San Carlos at first light. Entering the calm bay, we dropped sail then motored past our mooring and tied up at the empty fuel dock. What a nice feeling it was to finally relax after the challenging all night passage. I got a funny look from Cindy when I grabbed a beer at five in the morning. Sure tasted great. We never had any alcohol while sailing, only when safely at anchor or in a marina. Conditions quickly change out there and good judgment is a must.

This whole Baja cruise has been an incredible adventure. We logged just under five hundred miles and stayed in fourteen different anchorages. Each one had it’s own unique character. The sailing conditions were fantastic until the very last day. Solera was a comfortable floating home with all the necessities and a few luxuries. She proved to be a safe and sturdy boat with great sailing characteristics. Everyone we met, both Gringos and Mexicans, were pleasant and friendly. Most of the cruisers we talked to go out for several months at a time and a few were out there full time. For now Cyn and I will come down in the Spring and in the Fall spending a couple of months on each trip. There are many more areas in the Sea of Cortez we plan to explore. We’ll be back again in October 2010!

The Loreto Area

Shark! For three consecutive mornings we had a Whale Shark circling Solera at Puerto Escondido. These are big sharks with a claim to fame as the largest species of fish. This juvenile was close to twenty feet long. Adults reach sixty feet and can live over one hundred fifty years. They feed on plankton as they slowly cruise around filtering the water. The spotted markings are unmistakable as is the huge mail slot mouth. I took some pretty good pictures but they really don’t do justice to the size and beauty of this fish.



We decided to rent a car to check out the nearby town of Loreto and also drive up into the mountains to an old mission called San Javier. Turned out to be a great idea. The car was delivered to the marina and cost only a little more than a round trip taxi ride to town. Loreto is a really nice place with good restaurants, shops, and stores for provisioning. The malecon (waterfront) is adjacent to an old mission church and a shopping district in the town center. I would guess the population to be around ten thousand. Apparently there were plans to develop some resorts in the area but that has come to a screeching halt. All for the better in my opinion.

One thing I didn’t mention. After nearly a month on a sailboat and never going over seven kts, getting in a car and going sixty miles an hour is a really weird feeling. Everything is flying by so fast. I felt like, man, I’ve got to slow down! I showed Cyn the speedometer as we were driving to Loreto. It read 100... kph. She said “Feels like 100 mph to me”.



The 35 km trip up to San Javier was a pleasant surprise. We had no expectations and really didn’t know what we would see. The drive into the desert wilderness was amazing. The first fifteen km were on a new paved road up an improbable desert canyon dotted with palm filled oases. To the north is a symmetrical mountain peak at least fifteen hundred feet tall with rows of vertical rock buttresses on it‘s south face. Cyn got kind of annoyed because I was always stopping, taking pictures, looking through binoculars, and going on and on about this or that possible route up it. What can I say, once a climber always a climber.



We reached a pass at about 20 km, left the canyon and started down a long gradual slope that crossed a most brutal desert. It seemed other worldly with strange vegetation and unusual rock formations. Cyn and I could not believe anyone would build anything out here. Then, in the middle of nowhere there’s water. A small trickle of water grows to a stream then to a tiny river with a dam and small lake. Just past this is lush, green San Javier. The Mission is incredibly elaborate considering it’s location. In the mid seventeen hundreds when it was established this place may as well have been on the moon.



Back on Solera, we left Escondido and made a short trip across the channel to Isla Danzante (Dancer Island) and Honeymoon Cove. Each anchorage we go to seems to get better. This one was really cool. There is a very tight north anchorage that we started to swing through but decided “Too small for a forty footer, perfect for a 25 or 27 though“. It’s shaped like a rectangular swimming pool about 150 feet wide and 400 feet long complete with a shallow end and a deep end. The sides are 25 foot tall volcanic rock cliffs. We opted for the larger but still tight center anchorage. The water here is the clearest I’ve ever seen. I could plainly see my anchor on the bottom at 30 feet. Visibility was over fifty feet. Once anchored and settled in we took the dinghy over to the “pool” and did some snorkeling. Great hiking trails also. The pictures tell the story pretty well.




The next stop was Puerto Ballandra on Isla Carmen. This is a good anchorage should you need to duck out of bad weather. Great protection from everything but a blow from the west, which is rare. The trip up from Danzante was a fifteen mile motorboat ride in flat calm conditions. At least the batteries are fully charged.



Next, we went ten miles back across the channel to Isla Coronados. This was a perfect sail in every way. Ten knots of wind, all the canvas up, flat seas, wind on the beam, and just over six knots of boat speed. As we approached the island we sailed through a huge group of Pacific White Sided Dolphin. I can’t even guess how many there were. The shoal stretched out about a half mile. Several of them went out of their way to put on a show, splashing and jumping near our transom.

Isla Coronados is a volcanic cone island that reminded us of the leeward side of an island in Hawaii. Black and brown pumice rock and beautiful coarse white sand. This place gets my vote for the best beaches we’ve seen yet. Solera anchored two hundred yards out in twelve feet over a sand bottom. The shallow depth really brings out the turquoise color in the water here. There’s a trail to the top of the 928 foot volcano that I’m sure would provide spectacular view of the whole region. The problem is when you get away from the water the temperature really climbs. On the boat and at the beach it has consistently been in the mid 80’s at the hottest. Go inland even just a quarter mile and it’s in the mid 90’s. We’ll do more hiking this Fall when it will be cooler. Almost every anchorage has adjacent trails with interesting destinations.

Leaving Coronados, we’ll be making a series of passages that will set us up for the northern crossing back to San Carlos. More on that next time.

Agua Verde & Los Gatos

I’m going to write about today May 22,2010 and work backward for a change. Mostly because we were tested with our first strong winds of the trip. We left Agua Verde at 0845 planning to have light and variable winds for the twenty two mile passage to Puerto Escondido. We usually get morning forecasts on single side band radio from Gary broadcasting from Conception Bay. Today we listened to a different net with Don Anderson doing weather out of Southern California. His forecast was for gale force winds on the Pacific side of Baja but “calm, calm ,calm” in the Sea of Cortez. Well, the wind steadily built up as we sailed North along a coastline flanked by the impressive Sierra de la Giganta mountain range. As we sailed past a high mountain pass the wind went from a comfortable twelve knots to a less comfortable twenty five knots. My usual uneasiness with weather like this comes from wondering how strong the wind will get. I reefed the main down and furled the genoa two times as the wind increased. After putting in the second reef I told Cyn that I could easily handle the reefing even in much stronger wind. I had a harness on while out on deck and was clipped to the mast while reefing the main. Solera is well set up for reducing sail.




The fun part was ripping along at over seven knots on a beam reach with such beautiful desert scenery going by. With the wind out of the west there was no lee shore to worry about. As a matter of fact if we wanted less wind, we could work our way toward shore and get in the wind shadow of the cliffs. After a couple of hours of this I noticed what looked like flat calm seas on the horizon. At the time, I couldn’t imagine it going from the mid 20’s to 0 that quickly but that’s exactly what happened. We sailed into the calm and fired up the diesel.





Agua Verde, the anchorage we had just left, is a beautiful bay with a small village adjacent to it. The area is remote with the only land access being a 25 mile dirt road to highway 1. There are twenty or so dwellings, two tiendas, a restaurant, a very small church, a one room school, and a ranch that sells fresh goat cheese. Walking around there is like going back in time a hundred years or so. You get the feeling that the population of less than one hundred is just barely able to keep the community going. Even so, the people were friendly and helpful. For instance, during my last trip in I motored up to the beach in the dinghy and was immediately greeted by two young boys. They grabbed the painter and helped me get the boat out of the surf. I arranged for them to watch the dinghy while I went out in search of the ranch selling goat cheese and a tienda with produce. Later, as I was returning from up the beach I could see in the distance a group of boys making a bee line for the dinghy. When they got to the inflatable they started bouncing on it and banging on it with sticks. Just as things were starting to get pretty rambunctious, the two boys I had “hired” ran over and put an end to it. When I walked up I could tell they were pretty proud of the work they had done. The smiles on their faces were unforgettable as I paid them off with some fresh apples I had just bought.




As we approached Agua Verde the day before, the reflection of the turquoise water made it look like all the boats anchored in the bay had their hulls painted pastel green. There are a few rocky islets doting the bay with the impressive, Roca Solitaria, standing watch at the entrance. It’s a unmistakable landmark with it’s huge rock tower. Our cruising guide has a picture of this anchorage on it’s cover. There’s a long beach in the center of the bay and two smaller beaches on either side of it. We had puffer fish around the boat, eagle rays cruising by, and while snorkeling Cyn and I saw a four foot Reef Cornetfish. Interestingly, it was long but only about four inches in diameter. The fish has the ability to change it’s color and pattern as it hunts for small prey.



Before Agua Verde we anchored eighteen miles down the coast at Puerto Los Gatos. This was as far south as we made it. The forecast was for southerlies, and since we go where the wind takes us, it was time go North. First thing that happened as we were anchoring at Los Gatos was that Cindy got a bee up her skirt. Not figuratively but literally! Soon there were swarms of bees around the boat seeking fresh water. We put the screens up and managed ok. Cyn was stung twice and I got one in the foot. The evening was pleasant, no bees, but the swell built up overnight rocking us around a bit. Beautiful banded sandstone rock formations surround Los Gatos. It looks a lot like the Utah desert. The only access is from the water so there are no buildings, there’s not even a fishermans camp. With the bees and the lack of protection from the weather I can see why.



Earlier as we were sailing south I was able to give Solera a true test of her pointing ability. If you are not into sailing you may want to skip this part. While on the way to Agua Verde the first time the wind shifted to the south east. That forced us off course a bit and had us sailing into the wind as much as possible. Here are the numbers Solera was able to generate. Under full sail we were pointing 30 to 35 degrees with 12 kts of apparent wind. We had just under a knot of adverse current and were beating into two foot chop. All this going against her and Solera was ticking away at four and one half knots. Needless to say I was impressed. On another note, I think you might find this interesting. We have now sailed 241 nautical miles and have yet to make our first tack! So much for being concerned about tacking a cutter rig.

We’re now in beautiful Puerto Escondido where we’ll re-provision, use the internet and have dinner out. Plans are to head North in a couple of days and seek out some more interesting anchorages.

San Juanico & Puerto Escondido

Solera made it to San Juanico in an eleven hour daylight passage. The trip brought us fifty four nautical miles down the Baja coast. We motored out of the eight mile entrance channel to Conception Bay then sailed as we picked up some light wind rounding Conception Point. The seas were very flat making the trip quite comfortable. Baja’s coastline is rugged and provided great scenery as we cruised along. The forecast was for east winds but as the day went on they shifted SE, too close to the direction we were headed, so we motored again. Not much wind anyway. One thing’s for sure, we didn’t want to arrive at night.



Caleta San Juanico is probably one of the top three most beautiful spots in the Sea of Cortez. You anchor in the mouth of a cove with a flat topped rock tower on one side and a jagged ridge of spires on the other. Rocky islets are all around. Throughout the bay the layered rock changes color from white to tan to yellow, orange, rusty red and brown. Interesting geology too. We found bands of crystallized gypsum in one area while hiking to a peninsula. Some of the rock formations reminded me of the Garden of the Gods.

I did some snorkeling around the spires. The water is a little chilly, around 75 degrees, but very clear. Lots of tropical fish, coral fans, sting rays, star fish and a few large fish I think were grouper. I didn’t take the spear gun but I was sizing them up like I had. One was so big I’m not sure who would have caught who had I speared him.



After a couple of days we decided to move on to Puerto Escondido (hidden port) thirty eight miles south. It’s a more developed spot with a marina, restaurant and store. Also has Internet. Sailed only about a quarter of the way with very light winds. Put the spinnaker up for awhile as we ran down the channel between the Loreto coast and Isla Carmen. Cyn was messing with me when she pointed out a sailboat following us. She said with a smile “ Look that guy’s catching us”. She knew I would start tweaking our trim to get every last knot of speed. That’s when we flew the spinnaker. We had to laugh when after seeing our chute flying, he put his up. They never caught us though



Cyn named our autopilot that afternoon. The Cal’s autopilot was called Pedro. Don’t really know why. Solera’s is named Spaz because that‘s what it does in light inconsistent wind. I think a derogatory name like Spaz might be bad luck. But, Spaz it is and spaz it does.

We had to time our arrival with slack tide because the entrance to the large inner bay at Escondido is only about a hundred feet wide. With a fast tidal flow we may be careening through out of control. We arrived close to high tide and made it in with no problems. Solera is now comfortably anchored in the bay with the impressive Sierra de la Giganta as a backdrop.

Bahia Conception

Hola,

As I write this we’re anchored in Bahia Concepcion on the Baja! The eighty eight mile overnight passage from San Carlos was somewhat slow, nineteen hours, but very enjoyable. Oscar also made the crossing in Bombay. We kept in sight of each other the whole way passing back and forth several times. We sailed and motored off and on sailing about two thirds of the way in winds mostly under ten knots. That kept our speed under five knots pretty much the whole time. The plus side is it was literally smooth sailing with no stress at all.




We left San Carlos at about 1530 and sailed for about three hours. The wind was out of the WNW and our destination was WSW. This scenario forced us south of our preferred track under sail. The forecast was calling for calm conditions so we figured we could make up difference when we were forced to motor. As the wind died early in the evening I fired up the diesel and reset the autopilot to get us back on track then sat back and enjoyed the sunset. It was a good one. Once again the high clouds lit up orange, red and pink. With no wind the sea surface was like undulating silk reflecting the crazy sky colors. Cyn said “It’s psychedelic.”



Then the dolphins showed up. As we were staring over the rail at the sunset we spotted literally hundreds of them out on the horizon. They were heading in the opposite direction and were far away, but we still hoped some would come up close. Eventually, just as darkness settled in, a dozen or so showed up around Solera. A couple rode the bow wake as others began jumping over on the port side. Cyn and I kept busy for about ten minutes trying not to miss any of the show. After they left we wondered why they go out of their way to check out boats. Must just be curious.

Not long after sunset the wind kicked back up and we set sail again. Cyn was going to take the 1200 to 0300 watch so she went down below for some sleep. It was really cool quietly gliding through the sea under full sail at night with the stars and the bow wake providing the only light. The wind died out at midnight and Cyn took her watch with the diesel running. That made it easy for her since there was no sail trimming to do. She said the moonrise was spectacular.



I took back over at 0300. Once again the wind filled in and I unfurled the genoa and hoisted the staysail. We were keeping the mainsail up when motoring. It helps steady the motion of the boat and provides a little bit of extra power. First light was at 0430 and the air temp was at dew point. Everything outside the cockpit was dripping wet and fog was beginning to form. I radioed Oscar that I would tuck in behind and follow him through the entrance to Bahia Concepcion. My chart plotter has waypoints I could follow all the way to the Santispac anchorage but Oscar’s radar was the only way to pick up other boats. At times the visibility was only a hundred yards. Thankfully we broke out of the fog just as we entered the long channel into the bay.




So here we are, hanging out in Conception Bay. So far, Cyn and I have done a couple of hikes, checked out some petroglyphs, and went to a couple of nice beach restaurants. It’s just an unbelievably beautiful place with nice protected anchorages. Oscar left for San Carlos yesterday. We plan to head fifty four miles down the coast to San Juanico tomorrow or the next day.

Hola,

We arrived in San Carlos on April 28 following a pleasant and uneventful trip down. After lunch at JJ’s we hijacked Oscar’s dinghy and went straight out to Solera. She had been sitting on her mooring for eight weeks pretty much unattended and I was anxious to see how she looked. Well, it’s amazing what a few seagulls, pelicans and herons can do in just a few weeks. Thankfully I had strung lines over the boom, solar panels, bow pulpit and a couple of other areas to discourage the birds. They did manage to get to the foredeck, stern rail and the aft part of the boom. The pelicans are the worst of the culprits. Their grey poop over time turns essentially to concrete. Cyn and I decided to hire some locals to do the clean-up. Jimmy and Tony did a fantastic job cleaning up Solera. They also waxed the entire boat and polished all the stainless. Both of them spent two full days cleaning and shining her up. She has never looked better. Well worth the pesos.



The weather was perfect so we decided to go for an afternoon sail to check Solera out. We did two laps of Bahia San Francisco for a total of about sixteen miles of sailing. The wind was out of the south so we broad reached back and forth across the bay at over five knots in less than ten knots of wind. Hard to believe but the wind laid down mid afternoon so we headed in.



Cyn and I then spent a couple of days preparing for the trip to Baja. We filled fuel, water and propane tanks, then provisioned at Ley (like a Mexican version of Target}. I went through all the boat systems. Everything was working fine so we planned to depart on Wednesday the fifth, Cinco de Mayo. We decided to leave at 3 pm for the estimated 17 hour overnight passage.

We thought about doing a two day trip to San Pedro Bay to shake down the boat but instead just focused on getting over to Conception Bay on the Baja. So, there we were all set to go. I reach down turn the key and push the starter button…. nothing. Tried it again and ... nothing. Not even a click. I checked the engine compartment for any obvious problems but everything looked ok. Next try she fired right up! Just to be sure I stopped and restarted the diesel several times just to be sure it was ok. No problems so off we went.





The weather was mild with only about a five knot breeze and temps in the mid eighties. We wanted to average about five knots for the passage so it looked like we would be motoring until some wind filled in. The diesel ran great. Fuel consumption was less than two liters per hour at 2200 rpm. At around dusk the wind picked up and we decided to set sail. It was beautiful out there. The sky was full of high altitude mares tails and as the sun set they turned into brilliant red and orange whisps of fire. Solera heeled to the breeze and with a comfortable motion carried us toward Baja.

With a moonless night darkness slowly creeped in and at the same time the wind steadily built up. The bow wake was sending out it’s now familiar shower of bioluminescent sparks. I told Cyn when the apparent wind reaches fifteen we’ll put the first reef in. About an hour later it was time. We’ll just fire up the diesel point her into the wind, take in the reef, shut the diesel down and off we’ll go. Engine wouldn’t start. Tried everything but nothing. So, we hove to and put in the reef. Next, I went and got a screwdriver and started the diesel just like, years ago, I started my 1967 Triumph GT6 when it’s solenoid went bad. We were about 25 miles out but decided to turn back to San Carlos where parts would be available if needed.



Found the problem the next day. I traced the ignition wires and found a plug connection below the engine that was filled with oil and partially unplugged. A quick cleaning and reconnecting was all it took. In more serious circumstances, this could have been done at sea. But, we have plenty of time and are not on any schedule so no big deal. We are going to leave on May 8 in the afternoon for an overnight crossing. Oscar will be crossing also on Bombay. I’ve written this before but the next post should be from Baja.

Hola,

We just returned from a short but productive visit to San Carlos. Solera gets better prepared each time we go down. Our confidence in her is at an all time high. She performed flawlessly! We'll be heading back in April for an extended stay with plans to explore the Baja coast from La Paz north to Bahia Los Angeles. That's over 400 miles of coastline. Interestingly, many sailors I've talked to advise against schedules. Having to be somewhere on a specific date is often the underlying reason cruisers get into trouble. Makes sense to me. Why fight it... go where the wind takes you, when it's the right time. So, I'll be doing a lot of research, picking out the interesting places but we'll keep an open itenerary. We're quickly approaching the "jumping off place" and I'm sure this blog will get more interesting when we actually get out there.

Above are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks. Morgan has agility dog potential. She jumps from the deck to the dinghy unassisted and needs only a spotter to get off the dinghy and onto the boat. It's daily entertainment... I could sell tickets to that show! Then a couple of shots of Oscar's boat Bombay. Nice San Carlos scenery behind a perfectly trimmed Bombay. Then a shot of helping out on a rigging job.