Finally Cruising!

Sure I know that part of cruising is working on your boat in foreign ports. And we have done our share of that! But honestly I don't really get too excited about various resins, caulks, bits, stainless bolts, gaskets, pumps, and you name it. Boat bits come with the territory.

But finally we were ready to leave!! Our "hot" port engine that we experienced on our overnight to Catalina was dealt with: a broken (but new) impeller, a small leak on the injector pump, and a small crack in the exhaust pipe (that easily cracked in two!) But our man Omar worked hard to get things squared away. He arrived at 5pm Tuesday and worked a couple of hours; then it was back again on Wednesday to reinstall and test everything. By Wednesday night we felt "good to go" and move on to the sailing part of cruising. And as luck would have it: there was a weather window to sail south, across the Sea of Cortez, to Loreto on the Baja peninsula. For us a weather window meant: some wind but nothing forecast over 20; not in a building pattern; lasting at least 36 hours; and wind from the north north west. The window was Friday - Friday night and part of Saturday before a day or so of southerlies and then a return of strong northerlies. Time to get going!!

So a quick trip to the mercado for fresh provisions (we will be a week or so before seeing a market again) and then we took the car up to the storage yard in San Carlos. Settle up with the marina and get our "dispatch" papers that no one ever asks for but seem to be required. Stow some gear. And pull up that anchor. And that anchor was mired in the most sticky yucky thick black mud; sort of reminded me of San Francisco Bay. Bring in a few feet and hose it off; bring in some more. With a hundred feet out it took some time! But finally Guaymas was off our stern. We anchored again at Bahia Catalina and had a lazy Friday morning.

Pulled up anchor (nice sandy bottom) and put up the main sail (with one reef in as that sail is too big for our taste). Time to act like a sail boat!! We motored for awhile to get away from the headlands and within an hour or so the breeze began filling in. YEAH. And then we began to sail. Flat and fast; a few waves snapping at the hulls cause "booms" inside. But the miles of our passage clicked past. By mid afternoon we put the second reef in; rolled up a bit of the jib. Flat and fast -- on we went. Blue skies and blue water. Such a fun time!

Late in the evening (maybe 9:30pm) the nearly full moon rose. Quite lovely to see. The wind began to fade and by midnight the engines were back on and we continued south. By sunrise, the peaks of the Baja peninsula were clearly in view. And dolphins were everywhere. The fish did not bite on this trip to the disappointment of the skipper --but maybe next time.

We had the hook down in Bahia Ballandra on Isla Carmen by 11am. We are due east of Loreto--there are 4 boats here for the evening. The crew of Magic will be sleeping soundly tonight.

We plan to spend a day or so here and then head further south. We want to be in La Paz for Carnival again this year.