Puerto Lobos to Bay of LA

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By Lowell | April 23, 2013 | Category Baja 07

 

Windy Day Lobos to Refugio

Monday April 22.. One of the better daytime crossings in recent memory. Shortly after motoring out of the Lobos south bay we shut our engines down with a 15kt breeze on our port beam. Gato Loco is cruising at 7+kts with light seas… Couldn’t be any better.

 

 

Happy crew with no motors and the tunes a jamming.

60nm crossing in less than 9 hours..Friends greeting us  below.

Bill’s Curse …Bill always worries about the bugs in Refugio. I guess I’ve always been lucky in past visits BUT this time we arrived with a full on gnat infestation. Swarms on our heads force us to drop anchor in the west channel where the winds was blowing 15kt and relax on the front deck using the wind to help keep them away.  Time to celebrate a perfect crossing by opening the Lynnie & Jeffery’s special bottle of Don Julio tequila.

No hope in defending the boat from the gnats, so nothing to do but wait for sunset when they go home to roost like a bird.

Excellent carni asada dinner after all our friends left.

The west bay is susceptible to rollers coming in from the channel and as we clean up dinner things get a little worrisome so we pick up the anchor under a beautiful near full moon and move to the east bay near where Doug and I anchored last year. Perfect, windy but totally calm seas. Making for a quiet night of sleeping.

Tuesday April 23, 5:45

Jeffery and Craig are up and decide to wake the boat so we can get underway. We are near full moon and Whale Channel will be flowing north on our nose after 8AM. No wind in our anchorage BUT as we motor through the slot to the west bay the channel looks rough. 2 ft chop and 15kt winds greet us coming up the channel as we clear the dangerous rock pile reef outside the west bay.  Slug, slug is the word for our first couple of hours but as we get more distance from Isla la Guarda winds lighten and seas flatten. There was point that conditions seem to be worsening and we discussed the conditions  verses going back to the bugs in Refugio. The crew might  mutiny if I said back to the bugs so we pressed on which turned out to be a good decision. Soon we were motor sailing on flat seas. UNTIL.. There a Baja shore area in the channel where Pacific air spills over to the channel and today it’s blowing at 22-25kts from the west. We’re ready with only the jib flying. 45 minutes of stable 23kt wind we decide to put the main up and power through with an hour of sail only time. Channel currents are 2kt against us as we approach Smith island entering Bay of LA. Overall a good passage considering how things looked earlier in the day.  Breakie as we slug the channel……>>>^^^

Bay of LA by 3…  Lunch on the way.. Lynnie and Jeffery are galley extraordinaire crew mates creating exceptional creations from the galley. We’re definitely being spoiled on this leg. Lightly sired yellowtail salad / sesame seeds and wine for lunch (seriously)!

Happy Crew

Anchor down in Bay of LA at 2:15… All well on Gato Loco 

Until the next Update. 🙂

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Leg 1 Information

Cruise planning estimate

Saturday 20th, dinner ashore, sleep on board for sunrise departure

Sunday, 21, Puerto Lobos, meals on board

Monday, 22,  Puerto Refugio, meals on board

Tuesday, 23, Bahia de Los Angeles, dinner ashore, internet, provisioning

Wednesday, 24, San Fransiquito, meals on board

Thursday, 25, Santa Rosalia, dinner ashore, internet, provisions

Friday, April 26, Isla San Marcos, meals on board

Saturday, April 27, Bahia Conception, dinner ashore

Sunday, April, 28, Mulege, dinner ashore, internet, provision if needed

Monday, April 29, San Sebastian, meals on board

Tuesday, April 30, San Juanico, meals on board

Wednesday, May 1, Isla Coronados, meals on board, internet

Thursday, May 2, Puerto Escondido, dinner ashore, internet

Friday, May 3,  Loreto Fest…

 

Tides and Moon for Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California Norte, Mexico
Units are meters

Saturday 2013-04-20  
Sunrise  6:02 AM USMST, Sunset  7:03 PM USMST
Moonset  2:29 AM USMST, Moonrise  2:14 PM USMST
   Low Tide:   6:24 AM USMST   0.6
  High Tide:  11:49 AM USMST   1.2
   Low Tide:   5:25 PM USMST   0.5

Sunday 2013-04-21  
Sunrise  6:01 AM USMST, Sunset  7:04 PM USMST
Moonset  3:05 AM USMST, Moonrise  3:11 PM USMST
  High Tide:  12:09 AM USMST   1.8
   Low Tide:   6:48 AM USMST   0.4
  High Tide:  12:40 PM USMST   1.4
   Low Tide:   6:23 PM USMST   0.4

Monday 2013-04-22  
Sunrise  6:00 AM USMST, Sunset  7:04 PM USMST
Moonset  3:42 AM USMST, Moonrise  4:10 PM USMST
  High Tide:  12:44 AM USMST   1.9
   Low Tide:   7:14 AM USMST   0.1
  High Tide:   1:21 PM USMST   1.7
   Low Tide:   7:10 PM USMST   0.3

Tuesday 2013-04-23  
Sunrise  5:59 AM USMST, Sunset  7:05 PM USMST
Moonset  4:19 AM USMST, Moonrise  5:12 PM USMST
  High Tide:   1:16 AM USMST   2.0
   Low Tide:   7:41 AM USMST  -0.1
  High Tide:   2:00 PM USMST   1.9
   Low Tide:   7:53 PM USMST   0.3

Wednesday 2013-04-24  
Sunrise  5:58 AM USMST, Sunset  7:05 PM USMST
Moonset  5:00 AM USMST, Moonrise  6:15 PM USMST
  High Tide:   1:48 AM USMST   2.0
   Low Tide:   8:11 AM USMST  -0.3
  High Tide:   2:39 PM USMST   2.2
   Low Tide:   8:35 PM USMST   0.3

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Zoom in to our cruising grounds

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