The Journey North to Puerto Penasco (part 3)

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By Lowell McCulley | May 23, 2024 | Category Baja 2024

May 21, 2024 (Day 6)

Well, I guess it’s too much to ask for that we have a completely mishap free trip.  Today we had rough seas coupled by strong winds later on that made for a rollicking ride. If you like roller coaster rides, you would have enjoyed this day.  If not, well, too bad sailing is a roller coaster you can’t opt out of or get off of when you have had enough.  We left Mulege without incident en route to Santa Rosalia ultimately, crossing through the Craig Channel.  It was bumpy, and we didn’t have the forward hatches closed initially due to the fact there really wasn’t any wind so the wave activity we encountered was a bit of a surprise. The bow was taking the waves head on sending crashing waves onto the tramp and forward hulls.  We didn’t take on too much water but enough to dampen a quilt and the floor of the galley. After the hatches were battened no more troubles there, but the wild ride continued.  We had a bit of a reprieve and had the delight of seeing a pod of pilot whales that passed right along side us and between our hulls.  Very cool indeed, they look a lot like large dolphins until you get close. After that we were close to the Isla San Marcos, which turned out to be lucky because as we were furling the jib, the line stripped to its core. Thankfully the line held, allowing us to sheet in, and then Doug, Paul and I made our way to the jib and were able to hand furl it, with Lowell maneuvering the boat to bring us downwind, lowering the wind we were having to fight to hand furl.  The proximity to the island allowed us to drop a quick anchor and make repairs.  The line was toast, but we had a back up that would serve.  After taking apart the furling drum and winding the new line back on (had to do a few times…the correct wrapping is counterclockwise in case that ever comes up on Jeopardy) and then we were able to furl the jib again. After a lunch break, we put up first reef on the main due to the winds by now being quite strong, and were off again.  The rough seas and winds continued and it was exhausting. We did have the bonus of seeing a large pod of small dolphins (maybe 30-50?) and hoped they would come close to us to swim with the boat, but they had a change of heart and a change of direction.  Bummer.

Finally, we sailed into the marina at Santa Rosalia.  It was a very welcome sight.  We all were thoroughly tuckered out and I had a level of seasick on top of it all (plus I suspect a recovering acidic stomach from requisite birthday margaritas) so we were very happy for land.   We also had a slip right next to the boat with the family we saw in Coyote Bay.  They started their voyage in Vancouver, so Paul chatted with them a bit. After a real shower, we divided and conquered with Lowell and Paul doing gas, then Doug and Paul doing ice/water while Lowell and I walked about a mile into the town for groceries.  I really enjoyed Santa Rosalia.  No overt touristy feel, more the feel of a town where people work and live.  We caught the tail end of residents doing a Zumba like class at the town plaza and there was a healthy hustle and bustle of average daily life.  While not as beautiful as Mulege, it had a contented feel at its city center.   Paul and Lowell headed out for a quick dinner, I still didn’t have much of an appetite and neither did Doug so we stayed in and it was early lights out.  The wind trend and rough sea forecast continues so we are planning for a sunrise departure tomorrow to get a jump on the day before things pick up.

May 22, 2024 (Day 7)

Sunrise departure from Santa Rosalia with smooth seas AND good winds, so the skill of Paul and Lowell in setting the sails give us a turbo boost to start off our voyage.   The winds didn’t last and we had a bit of rolling seas but nothing like yesterday, thank goodness. A few boat hiccups: our main sheet shackle came loose at the traveler. Fortunately winds weren’t too high so we could hold manually while we found a replacement shackle. We think the screw just came loose due to all the heavy action yesterday as we’d tightened it earlier in the voyage. We had a issue while raising the jib that resulted in a bent jib sheet turning block, but this was also dealt with easily.  Never a dull moment.  The long sailing day was broken up by quite a few sea life sightings including a couple of large dolphin pods. I’ve never seen such a sight! We were able to get fairly close to one large pod that we estimate had 300-400 dolphins.  A few broke loose to swim  near us but they didn’t stay long, unfortunately.  They were on a mission! We saw quite a few sea lions and a couple swam after the boat which was fun.  Usually I’ve just seen them sunning themselves and it’s a lot more enjoyable to see them swim. Saw another whale in the distance and a large bait ball with hundreds of seagulls circling the ball. It was a long sailing day and we were short on time, so we resisted the urge to go over and run our fishing lines through it.  We’ve come up empty on the fishing side of boat life since the bonito we caught a few days ago.

Finally after a long day, we pull into San Francisquito and drop anchor close to the beach. Paul and I took the dinghy ashore and walked the beach for a bit.  We saw what we believe is a sea turtle hatching site as multiple remnants of eggs. Some nice small caves carved out of the inland area. It looks like it is a flood plain for when they have monsoon season. We arrive back on boat in time for a delicious dinner from Chef Doug: grilled chicken, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes in a tortilla wrap.  It hits the spot after a long day.  We all retire early as we are bushed from the last 2 days of hard sailing.  I can understand why Lowell and Paul are tired as they did the hard sailing work, but it’s amazing how tired I feel for not doing really all that much during the day in comparison.  But, on a boat your body is constantly adjusting to keep balance and mine is certainly not used to that.  I do reflect on how incredibly exhausting and dangerous early sailing voyages were and I’m grateful for our creature comforts, advanced navigational equipment and motors for when the wind isn’t your favor.

Our Canadian buddy boat as we head north with the full moon rise in our anchorage. The full moon created a tide challenge (2 knots against us) as we tacked into our anchorage.

As always check out the Instagram feed for lots more photos.