Hand Steering Northbound

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By Lowell | June 11, 2017 | Category Baja 2017

Friday June 9th

4 AM and Rick made it home from running with the staff at Tonka Grill, our  dinner location last night. He reported a great time and visited most of the bars in Santa Rosalia. Jeffrey has his alarm set for 5:30 for our 6 AM departure. We’re headed to San Francisquito 78 miles north today. With some  help from the wind we should be able to make the anchorage before dark. Backing out of the

Fonatur marina slip Gato Loco is acting very weird. Pulling forward I raise one motor and railroad tie exits the stern of the boat. It must have drifted under the boat during the night. All good, no apparent damage and we’re underway 6ish. The full moon is about to set as we head north outside the breakwater. The sun is raising 6:30ish as we finish up our calls and internet before we loose cell coverage. This will be our last cell coverage until we approach Penasco next week. We should get internet in Bay of LA and Gonzaga.

 

Our Autohelm saga continues.

Our best efforts to make adjustments to the autohelm with the motor Travita loaned us has failed to reduce the sway 12 degrees off our course each direction so the drunken sailor syndrome is too overwhelming for us to tolerate. When seas grow the situation gets worse.

Two photos of Jeffrey hand and foot steering. Yes, Rick and I took our turn also.

We set the anchor in the slot anchorage in San Francisquito at 8PM just as the sun goes behind the ridge to the west. Very long day (14 hours) with good morning and mid-afternoon winds. We finished the day with no wind and a 2kt current in our face making it seem like forever to make around Punta San Teresa. The current was boiling with up swells making the fishermen on board hopeful for the big hookup. No luck.

 

Photos entering the well protected slot anchorage with the sunset behind the little lighthouse. Shortly after followed by the moon rising over the east ridge.

Jeffrey continues to be the galley all star fixing a beautiful salmon dinner with a huge batch of grilled veg’s. Weather is much cooler than Santa Rosalia. Water is now in the mid 60s down nearly 10 degrees.

 Saturday June 10th

 Circus Mexcious is fully underway in Penasco. Sorry we missed it this year. Frankie and Lynnie are in Cholla and can represent us well I’m sure.

 HERE’S TO LIFE

Cool quiet sleeping night. Sure wish I would have had that blanket to pull up. Awesome breakfast with left-over salmon and eggs.

 Note to Randy and Jody: There’s internet available in this anchorage by contacting ALberto in the house on the left most house on the ridge. We didn’t use it only spoke to another neighbor who gave us the details.

 We’re off to Bay of LA where we will be sending this Update when we arrive. We’ve begun watching weather for our planning north. Our south winds switch to north on Monday which is a bit problematic. We really don’t want to bash our way to Penasco with the wind on our nose. We will do the  channel up to Refugio tomorrow and then decide which route home would work best, via Puerto Lobos or Bahia Gonzaga. We hope to make Gonzaga.

Wow… Not giving up on the autohelm this morning I made one last desperate configuration change. I’d changed all the parameters to correct the drunken sway. The unit is a ST4000 and the software can be configured as a ST5000. Switching to a 5000 and it begins working perfectly. Who would of thought. Crew members are very happy and ready to celebrate.

 

Hello from Bay of LA. Nice sail north with currents in our favor. Entering the Bay and we see green water with strong winds north of us. Before long winds are making there way to the Guillermo’s anchorage.

Photo with Guillermo the owner.

Looks to be an elephonta tonight while Penasco enjoys Circus Mexious.

We enjoyed our first dinner inside at Guillermo’s while gust hit 50kt outside.

Check out the video of Jeffrey and I  taking the dinghy to shore in these conditions.

Murril, Rick want’s to thank you for the “Red Platoon” book. Best book he’s read in years.