San Felipe was a stop of necessity, and not really a typical cruiser’s destination. But after a horrific passage it was a safe haven and then an easy place for Tim to stay with Exodus while the boys and I crossed to border for my sister’s wedding. It seemed different than the other Mexican towns we had been in recently, maybe due to it’s proximity to the border or maybe because I had been there before. In any case, our stay here marked the end of another era as the weather changed and we now considered ourselves fairly seasoned cruisers.
The San Felipe Harbor, Marina Fonatur
Logbook – October 10, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Exodus boat cleaning day
Met Todd, SV Updog, 19 foot boat, dinner on Exodus
Had to wear Uggs & Sweats!
It’s cold here! Brenden needs a blanket.Getting some work done.Putting Brenden to work too……and Alex didn’t miss the fun.
Logbook – October 11, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Internet Day
The San Felipe HarborOur neighbor boat in the Marina Fonatur
Logbook – October 12, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Hot coffee tastes good again
Walked along the beach to town. Short Malecon. Lunch @ Taco Factory
Found small grocery store
Looking towards the beach south of the harborNot many boats in the marinaWalking along the beach to town (It’s a couple of miles north of the harbor)At low tide truck’s just drive down the beach to pick up the pangasGoofing off on the MaleconChecking out the bus schedule (we have to take the bus to Mexicali because there are no rental cars)
Logbook – October 13, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Cleaning & Laundry Day
Getting closer to full moon, the tide just keeps getting lowerThere’s an island in the harbor nowYes, Alex is carrying Brenden back to the boat
Logbook – October 14, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Finally published essay & fixed FB page
Had water delivered. Decided to dump tomorrow.
Tim went to town with Todd (SV Updog)
Tim hanging out with Todd on SV Updog (What’s updog? Nothing, what’s up with you?)
Logbook – October 15, 2013 (San Felipe)
Daily Notes
Headed out to dump heads
Dinner & Dodger game at Fat Boy Pizza
The bridge/ramp is nearly horizontal at high tide (there is about a 20 ft tide swing here)This time we walked to town closer to low tide
It was a long night on passage from Puerto Refugio to San Felipe. You can see that the inReach coverage was spotty as well.
Logbook – October 8, 2013 (Puerto Refugio to San Felipe)
Passage Log Highlights
1131 Depart Puerto Refugio
1231 Port engine off
1239 SB engine off, Main + Genniker
1524 Dorado! 8.6 kts SE
1742 Main + Genoa, 15.7 kts SW
Daily Notes
Southbound Net – Steve asks, “Any Exoduses underway?”
Fish On!Alex ready with the gaffeA nice Dorado
Logbook – October 9, 2013 (Puerto Refugio to San Felipe)
Passage Log Highlights
0300 47.6 kts wind! No main, 3 reef genoa
Daily Notes
Gale force winds
So happy to be @ San Felipe
Alex had to take the 8-10am watch
Summary of passage sent in email from airmail account
Wifi from the boat
Shore power working well
Alex made top ramen when we got here
Alex busted out the fans right away, but it’s much cooler here than in Santa Rosalia
Went to bed with Exodus still a mess
This was by far the strongest wind we have had on passage so far
Email to family and friends dated October 9, 2013
Subject: we made it
We made it to San Felipe, and holy crap, what a night. We left Puerto Refugio about 11am yesterday and for the first 6 hours or so we had light winds from the ESE and confused seas such that the sails had trouble staying full, and we limped along at an uncomfortable 2-3 kts. Then the wind picked up to 12 kts or so and within the next hour they had picked up to a steady 20. (Steve, this is about when we talked on the Southbound net). We were expecting about 20-25 kts during the night, and we put 2 reefs in the main and 1 in the Genoa just to be on the safe side. I went to bed with plans to get up at 2am for my watch and did very little sleeping because the seas were still very confused just bigger so they tossed around quite a bit. At midnight I heard the engines come on so I came up to see 37 kts on the instruments and Tim is preparing to drop the main sail. I took the engine controls to try to steer us to the wind to bring down the main and since Tim was already wearing my foul weather jacket I got totally drenched. We brought the main down and then just had the smallest possible Genoa still out. The washing machine was on turbo cycle, we were getting tossed like crazy! I went below to change into dry clothes and find another jacket, and that’s when the sea sickness started, the worst I’ve ever had. I was pretty much out of commission. Poor Tim had to have watch duty all night! I got up around 3am and tried to “suck it up”, but I just couldn’t manage. At that point he had seen sustained winds over 40 kts with gusts up to 47. We were running downwind with no sails and dragging warps to slow us down. When I got up again at sunrise the winds had died to below 15 kts but the seas were still a mess and we had minimal Genoa out and were dragging warps still to only go about 1-2 kts. At this point we were way off course, about 40 miles due East of San Felipe. We were hoping the seas would settle down a bit so we just sort of hung out there for an hour or so. The seas never really did settle down, but I thought we needed to make a move so I pulled in the warps and started the engines and just powered through the remaining swells. I was worried the winds would pick up again and even contemplated heading to Puerto Penasco at that point since at least then the main swells would be on our stern. It turned out OK since the wind did pick up again to 20kts, but this time from the North, so while it confused the seas even more, it at least didn’t cause them to build. Alex even took a watch since I was still in pretty bad shape and Tim desperately needed some sleep. He had instructions to wake Tim if the wind shifted or got to 25kts, which thankfully it never did. We had a very uncomfortable ride but we pulled into the marina here in San Felipe about 1:30. I have never been so happy to be in a marina. Exodus did awesome, and at no time were we in any real danger since Tim handled every situation extremely well. It was inevitable that we would see this kind of weather at some point, and we’ve come through it stronger, and at least for me, with an immense amount of confidence in Exodus and Tim.
Steve, I’m sorry I didn’t check in this morning on the Amigo net but I really was barely functioning. I’m wondering if this rivals your guys’ experience on the southern crossing! Also, can you be sure my yahoo email is ok to send to your winlink account?
There is supposedly wifi at the marina here, but we haven’t gotten it to work yet. Hopefully soon.
Love and miss everyone, -D.
One additional bit about that night that I’d like to share was when I came up to the helm after Tim and turned the engines on in order to drop the main sail, I looked around at the seas battering us, and cried, “Tim, this is horrible!” His response was priceless. He said, in a very calm voice, “No, it’s not. It’s fine. Everything is fine. Just point us into the wind.” To which I thought, “Ok, sure, I can do that.” Pointing us into the wind is something I’ve done hundreds times while anchoring and raising/lowering the main. I was only a little bit offended when he called back, “Don’t put it in reverse!” We were going about 6-7 kts, did he really think I would put it in reverse? Well, better safe than sorry.
Tim’s “Of fish and men” essay was so good, I’ve been trying to get him to write his version of the San Felipe passage. Maybe eventually…
We enjoyed Puerto Refugio so much we had to come back, and well, it was a natural stop between BLA and San Felipe, where we are headed. This time we were here during a Norther, so we anchored in what’s called the West Bay, which is basically a channel between the main Island of Isla de La Guarda and a smaller island called Isla Mejia. We had excellent wind protection but the swells came through from both sides, so it was a bit uncomfortable at times. The no-see-ums weren’t as bad this time, so we were able to go ashore and we also did some snorkeling and spear fishing. This is one of my favorite places so far. It’s very remote since so few cruisers make it this far North into the Sea. Not even all the boats that were in BLA this summer came up here.
Logbook – October 1, 2013 (BLA Village to Alcatraz)
Passage Log Highlights
1113 Depart BLA Village
1138 Engines off – Main + Genoa
1556 Arrive Alcatraz
Daily Notes
Whale sightin off the bows dead ahead
Boys reminded me about “Momma, why you oways caw dem smooches?”
Boys invented scribble game
(Edit: When the boys were little and I would put them to bed in their bunk beds I used to say things like, “who has goodnight smooches for mom?” They were always baffled that I called them smooches and not kisses.)
(Edit: The scribble game was where one boy drew a random scribble and the other boy had to try to draw it into something recognizable)
The wind didn’t cooperate so we didn’t make it all the way to Puerto Refugio, rather we stopped for one night at Alcatraz
Email to family and friends dated October 2, 2013
Subject: Shutdown?
I heard our federal government has shut down? What’s going on? I’m just really glad there isn’t a raging hurricane heading up the sea of cortez right now, since we depend on the National Hurricane Center (which is shut down) for our tropical storm updates. I also heard the NOAA website is shut down. Not good for all the mariners out here. OK, there’s my egocentric take on the shutdown, what’s goin on at home? We had a crazy sail from BLA village up to Alcatraz yesterday, we went from moderate winds to absolutely nothing, and then not 10 min later we had 25 kts and had to reef the head sail. We also lost our big trash can overboard and were too slow to retrieve it. We pretty much failed at that man over board drill, although most of the time was wasted debating whether we should go back for it, which I’m guessing we wouldn’t have done if it was one of the boys who had fallen over. 🙂 The wind is still blowing about 15 kts from the SW, so we will be heading up to Refugio later this morning. We’ll hang out there a couple days and then start heading North to San Felipe. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – October 2, 2013 (Alcatraz to Puerto Refugio)
Passage Log Highlights
0937 Depart Alcatraz
1503 Arrive Puerto Refugio
Daily Notes
Upwelling in the water – thought it was dolphins
Seamless transition from genoa to genniker
Wind died and Steve put the choice out there. Diesel or spearfish. Spearfish was unanimous.
Dinner @ Chara. Joyce gave the boys cards to play. Very nice evening.
Refugio is beautiful without no-see-ums.
Alcatraz to Puerto RefugioWe anchored in the middle lobe of Puerto Refugio again
Logbook – October 3, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Passage Log Highlights
0953 Depart Refugio middle bight
1038 Arrive Refugio west bay
Daily Notes
Moved anchorages to better NW protection
T, B, Steve, Kyle – Spearfishing at Roca Vela. B didn’t like it, “too deep”
D, A, Carolina, Joel – snorkeling near the boat. Alex, Joel collected rocks
Fish dinner on Exodus
Winds picked up from SW to 22 knots. Rolly night.
I did a little on shore exploring before we moved anchoragesChara, Exodus, and Lady Carolina at anchor at Puerto RefugioWe moved anchorages over to the “West Bay” which is was really just a channel. We were in search of better protection from winds from the NW. We found wind protection here, but there was plenty of wraparound swell that made for some rolly conditions.When we moved to the West Bay, this fishing boat was already there. They left later that day.If you squint you can see Alex, Joel, and Carolina at the shore. We snorkeled around the rocks to the left and I took this after I came back to Exodus. Alex and Joel actually didn’t snorkel for too long, they enjoyed collecting rocks on the beach.
Logbook – October 4, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Passage Log Highlights
0933 Engines on to move anchor
0950 Reanchor complete
Daily Notes
Boys – scalloping and dinghy fishing
Chicken dinner – gross chicken – good potatoes
Logbook – October 5, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Passage Log Highlights
0837 Depart West Bay
0933 Engines off at the West Bight
1103 Depart
1230 Arrive back at West Bay – N Side
Daily Notes
Tim was annoyed by the side swell so we took Exodus to check out the West bight. It was worse, but we still dropped anchor and waited about 45 min, then raised anchor and came back. Anchored on the other side (North side) of West Bay when we returned
Windlass wouldn’t work. Dropped anchor manually.
Boys – dinghy fishing – caught a yellowtail
Sleepover on Lady Carolina
When we returned to the West Bay we anchored on the other side hoping to get just a little less side swellTroubleshooting the windlass again
Logbook – October 6, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
Hike up Isla Mejia. Beautiful views
Boys – more dinghy fishing
Spaghetti dinner on Lady Carolina
The view from the port bowThe gorgeous geography of Puerto Refugio1024Roca Vela (Sail Rock). The boys spear fished there and swam with sea lions. When Brenden came back he told me he didn’t like it because it was too deep and he didn’t get any fish, oh and by the way he swam with sea lions. I guess after going to Los Islotes three times he’s taking sea lions a bit for granted.Kyle and Brenden getting ready to clean their latest dinghy fishing catch. They ususally take turns with each filleting one sideWe took the dinghy to shore and found this very small patch of sand to park on.This is the view from a very small hill just near where Exodus was anchored. You can see Roca Vela in the distance. That’s the SW end of the channel. D with Exodus, and that is also the SW end of the channel out thereLooking the other direction you can see Lady Carolina and the NE end of the channel.Another, less sandy, parking spot for the dinghyNot quite sure what’s going on here!There’s a frame of reference for you. These cacti must be very old!Here we hiked up to a much higher ridge first through this ravine with enormous cactiD and the boys on the ridgeThe boys had fun hiking aroundI think this is my favorite picture of our whole trip so farSuch amazing viewsSuch amazing viewsAll alone but not lostPuerto Refugio panoramaLady Carolina in the West Bay of Puerto RefugioA view to the EastWoo hoo! Heading back to the boatsA beautiful sliver moon rising at Puerto Refugio
Logbook – October 7, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
Family snorkel. Mom in the land of the minis. Tim shot a small yellowtail, it got away, then Brenden shot it. On video.
T/B – more spearfishing in the afternoon with Steve and Kyle. Alex dinghy fish with Joel.
Dessert & drinks with LC on Exodus. Game of Oh Hell.
Another successful day spearfishingOur “we didn’t get our butts kicked by a Chubasco or a Hurricane this summer and so long to Lady Carolina for 6 weeks” dessert, drinks, and games party. Joel and Brenden are down below watching a movie.
Email to family and friends dated October 8, 2013
Subject: Headed to San Felipe
We have a three day weather window where the winds will be out of the south, so we are leaving in just an hour or so from Puerto Refugio for San Felipe. It’s 111 miles and we plan to head straight there so it should take just over a day, but it will depend on wind, of course. We are having trouble with the anchor windlass again, so that’s why we don’t plan to stop anywhere in between, so Tim doesn’t have to lower/raise the anchor manually. We’ll be arriving in San Felipe much earlier than necessary, but hey, hopefully there’s wifi. We had a great goodbye get dessert, drinks, and cards get together with Lady Carolina last night. We probably won’t see them for 6 weeks or so, which will be strange, since we’ve pretty much been inseparable for 4 months. We’ve had a great couple days here at Refugio, hiking and snorkeling. This is actually one of the most beautiful places we’ve been and it’s so far North up in the sea, most cruisers don’t come here. Time to get the boat ready to go. We’ll have the inReach on, so follow us if you like. -D.
These were quick stops at La Gringa and BLA village. We got blown out of Isla Mitlan and took refuge for a night at La Gringa from the North wind, and then made a quick stop at the village for provisioning before heading North to Puerto Refugio and then San Felipe.
Logbook – September 28, 2013 (La Gringa)
Daily Notes
Boys after school – Bocce ball on the beach, then dinghy fishing. They caught sierra & bonito.
Lost the Raybans 😦 Both Alex & Brenden dove in, B said if he had fins he would have gotten them
Game of hearts before bed
Dinghy fishing is now a favorite pastime. Favorite catches are Bonito, Yellowtail, and SierraKyle and his mini-me after dinghy fishing
Email to family and friends dated September 29, 2013
Subject: Better Weather
We got chased out of the Isla Mitlan anchorage two days ago because the wind blew directly out of the NW right into the anchorage. We probably had 6-8 ft swells. When we were leaving I actually got sprayed from water from the bow when I was at the helm. Pretty sure that’s a first for me. I was really bummed that our time at Mitlan was spoiled by wind because it’s a beautiful place and I was hoping to do a lot of paddle boarding and hike the volcano. We moved to La Gringa with better North wind protection. Yesterday the boys went out dinghy fishing with the Lady Carolina boys and brought back a Sierra and a Pacific Bonito. They caught it and cleaned it themselves and then later we had Sashimi for dinner. Today we will probably head to the village for our last wifi and grocery fix before beginning our trip up to San Felipe. Less than a month! Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – September 29, 2013 (La Gringa to BLA)
Passage Log Highlights
1203 Depart La Gringa
1418 Arrive BLA Village
Logbook – September 30, 2013 (BLA Village)
Daily Notes
A little chilly in the dinghy on the way back from dinner
AM – boys dinghy fish with LC boys
D/T – groceries and laundry
T – fuel run with Steve & Alex
Dinner @ Guillermos
Alex’s rock collection. This was a school assignment and he was supposed to make a display for them, and when you homeschool on a boat, you just make due with the materials you have
Brenden wanted to go to La Gringa for his birthday to play in the estuary, but since the forecast was for strong (20+ kt) winds from the SW we decided that being tucked in behind Isla Mitlan would provide better protection. Our first full day there, which was Brenden’s birthday, was not bad and the boys spear fished and then we had an awesome pasta dinner and sugar cookie celebration for his birthday. The next day, though, the winds blew hard out of the West, so we had a fair amount of wraparound swell, which wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too bad either. Then the next day it blew hard straight out of the NW and we had to get out of there. We ended up retreating to La Gringa for protection from the NW swell.
Logbook – September 24, 2013 (La Mona to Isla Mitlan)
Passage Log Highlights
1219 Depart La Mona
1447 Fish on! Sierra
1650 Arrive Isla Mitlan
Daily Notes
Caught 2 sierras underway. Second one was huge but it got away while we were anchoring. First one was big enough for sashimi dinner.
Brenden shot 2 parrot fish for his birthday ceviche
La Mona to Isla Mitlan. Light winds and a tack.Isla Mitlan is a small island next to Isla Coronado (Isla Smith) and the anchorage is between the two islands.Lady Carolina and one other boat in the anchorage. It was a tight fit.This is Volcan Colorado, which we had wanted to hike up to, but with the strong winds it didn’t work out. It is on Isla Coronado (Isla Smith)En route to Isla Mitlan the boys had caught a sierra, but we lost it b/c it got pulled into the prop when we were anchoring. Brenden got all suited up and jumped in to find the sierra as soon as we were anchored. He didn’t find it, but he did get a Parrot fish for his birthday ceviche.Peaking up the channel to the Las Rocas anchorage
Spearfishing party! Steve caught a yellowtail, B caught a triggerfish
Ceviche, sashimi, bread, pasta, suchini, sugar cookies
Email to family and friends dated September 25, 2013
Subject: Happy Birthday to Brenden!
We moved yesterday to Isla Mitlan. We had a nice sail, although slow, and several times the wind died completely on us, but we made it 11 miles in 4.5 hours, lol. The boys caught 2 sierras while underway, but one was dragging in the water behind one of the props when we were anchoring and it got caught in the prop and fell off the stringer. As soon as we anchored Brenden was suited up in his wetsuit to dive looking for the sierra, because, you see, they make good sashimi (not as good as yellowtail, but pretty good). He couldn’t find the sierra but he came back to the boat for his spear because, “there were fish everywhere” and not long after that he came back with a couple parrot fish, so he could have “birthday ceviche.”
The yellowtail expedition will be leaving later this morning, because more than anything, Brenden wants “birthday sashimi.”
At BLA village Alex found a lego Battleship game to give to Brenden, and he was so pleased that it’s the perfect present for Brenden. We should have a nice day today, the plan is to have a big pasta dinner with Lady Carolina this evening, and then maybe have all the other boats in the anchorage over later for drinks and desserts. I haven’t decided if I’m up for that yet after being up half the night last night moving anchor locations because we got too close to an underwater pinnacle rock. Love and miss you all, -D.
A fine catch at Brenden’s “spearfishing parting”HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDEN!!!Alex picked this gift out in BLA Village. In case you can’t read the sign on the gift.. the P.S. at the bottom says “I dibs beating you first.”This is a reenactment of Brenden’s surprised face when he realized the gift from Alex wasn’t just the game Battleship, it was Lego Battleship (where you build the ships out of Legos) Giant birthday sugar cookieThis is also a reenactment. Mom’s a little slow with the camera tonight.
Logbook – September 26, 2013 (Isla Mitlan)
Daily Notes
The wind blew hard all day, 20-33 knots. We decided to put out more chain.
We didn’t get off the boat all day. Brenden finished test lesson 120!
Needed sweatshirst for the first time last night in a long time.
It’s officially the end of summer! Breaking out the sweatshirts!
Email to family and friends dated September 27, 2013
Subject: Brrrrrr
We got blown around pretty good yesterday with steady wind in the 25-35 kt range, and we picked an anchorage with SW protection, because that was the forecast, of course it blew more NW and we basically had white caps breaking under the boat. It was like being underway! It’s calmed down this morning, only 10-12 kts, but it’s supposed to blow hard again today. The wind has also brought cold air with it, in fact the boys put sweatshirts on last night, we slept with the salon doors and windows shut for the first time in I can’t remember how long, and when I got up this morning it was 68 degrees! Looks like summer is over. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – September 27, 2013 (Isla Mitlan to La Gringa)
Passage Log Highlights
1310 Depart Isla Mitlan
1405 Arrive La Gringa
Daily Notes
68 degrees when I got up this morning!
Wind from the NW blew us out of the Isla Mitlan anchorage. BIG swells when leaving, I got sprayed from the bow while I was at the helm
Killer game of hearts – Brenden had a comeback win by accidentally shooting the moon
Dinks on Exodus with LC & Odyssey
Edit: Tim and Steve were out spearfishing when the wind shifted and kicked up and they had no idea the conditions we were facing. Carolina and I went crazy waiting for them. I was on high alert makin sure we didn’t drag, and as soon as they got back we raised the dinghy and got out of there!
These are the swells coming into the anchorage. They don’t look nearly as bad in the photoWaves crashing against Isla MitlanSerious swell pummeling Lady CarolinaIsla Mitla to La Gringa to BLA VillageBrenden shot the moon!
BLA VIllage to La Mona The geography of the La Mona anchorageThe estuary at La MonaBrenden trying to stay cool in the waterAlex getting ready to hit the waterThe beach at La MonaAll the boys in the waterIn the water at La MonaSeptember full moon party – relaxing in the whirlpoolSeptember full moon party – relaxing in the whirlpoolSeptember full moon party – A game of bocce ballDo they need a judge?Tim takes a turnNot to be outdone by Steve
Logbook – September 20, 2013 (La Mona)
Daily Notes
“Progressive” on Mai Tai Roa
Deanne’s “Me time” cut short when 4 boys showed up
Check in from Morro Bay on the South Bound Net
Brenden’s ready for some serious fly swatting Brenden’s ready for some serious fly swatting Tim relaxing in the salonA game of lego finger twister
Logbook – September 21, 2013 (La Mona)
Daily Notes
D – exploring on shore
Boys – dinghy fishing
We had calm mornings here, so I paddled to shore and walked almost every dayA view of the anchorage at La MonaExodus at anchor at La MonaBoats at anchor between the rocky shoreline and the desert mountainsAnother shot of Exodus at anchor“Shipwreck” ashoreWhat little remains of a sunken PangaHey Hey!My footprints in the sandThe rocky shoreline at La MonaAlex’s catchKyle at the fish cleaning tableBrenden looks a bit disgusted, but he got the job doneThis is our EPIRB. Thankfully, we never needed it.Not sure exactly what’s going on here. I guess the boys still aren’t too big to wrestle with dad.
Logbook – September 22, 2013 (La Mona to BLA Village to La Mona)
Passage Log Highlights
1009 Depart La Mona
1117 Arrive BLA Village
1349 Depart BLA
1458 Arrive La Mona
Daily Notes
We sailed Exodus to BLA village and back in order for Alex to buy B a birthday present
Bell Peppers!!! Red, yellow, orange!
Ad hoc party at the whirlpool
Bitter, bitter civiche
There are actually houses all along the La Mona coast (except the small stretch where the estuary and the “SS Minnow” are. Sailing Vessels Sara M and True Companion.Bird watchingThe houses along the shoreline at La MonaA palapa on shore at La MonaAd hoc party at the whirlpool – Tim and Joel kept busy building a dam
Logbook – September 23, 2013 (La Mona)
Daily Notes
Deanne almost forgot about the Amigo Net
75 deg this morning! My coffee is actually enjoyable again
Carolina’s birthday – drinks and dinner w/ LC and Chara
Morning paddle – lots of jumping fish adn an uninterested pelican
Reminded that TBV left San Diego on the same day we did
We went back to the village to provision, do some laundry, and for the annual BLA Regatta!
Logbook – September 16, 2013 (BLA Village)
Daily Notes
B caught a small yellowtail off back of boat. Sashimi snack.
D – trip to tienda x 2
Logbook – September 17, 2013 (BLA Village)
Daily Notes
Regatta !!!
Issues with windlass again. Had to manually raise & lower. Got a late start in the regatta – came in 4th place (1. TBV 2. Trimaran 3. Sara M). Great sail up wind both ways.
Elefante – strong, hot westerly up to 26 knots. Temp got over 100 deg with very low humidity.
Dinner at Costa del Sol w/ Odyssey (Ken & Denita), TBV (Craig & Leanne), LC, Sara M (Alan), Mai Tai Roa (Alex & Sue).
Tied out dinghy to LC’s dinghy
Beautiful morning for a regattaThe sunrise reflecting off of BLA VillageThis is where the boys like to sleep these daysThe boats in the anchorageExodus crew is ready!Our anchor windlass picked this moment to crap out so we pretty much started in last place, right behind Lady Carolina. We didn’t end in last place, though.We finally got the anchor up and our sails raisedThe Exodus pose!Mom at the helmTeam Exodus!Lady Carolina approaching the turnaround pointLady Carolina approaching the turnaround pointMom having some fun at the helmAlex looking sharp in his Exodus crew shirtSara M with the maroon sailsTim at the helmBrenden keeping busy during the regattaThe lighthouse at Punta Arena right near the villageAfter the race the hot wind kicked up and the temperature reached 100 degWhen Alex saw this picture he said, “creepy, Mom”The after party at Costa del Sol restaurant
Logbook – September 18, 2013 (BLA Village)
Daily Notes
T/Steve – worked all day to fix the windlass. Help from Alan (Sara M) too.
D – laundry, internet, groceries
Looks like it’s getting to be a full moon – it must be time to head to La Mona for the September full moon partyThe cockpit table became a workbenchWorking on the anchor windlass
Email to family and friends dated September 18, 2013
Subject: Regatta
We had the annual cruisers “regatta” yesterday across the Bay of LA with 8 boats “racing” from BLA village to La Mona and back. Our day got off to a rough start when we were raising anchor and the windlass cut out on us. After troubleshooting for a little while we ended up raising the anchor manually, and by that I seriously mean manually. Tim raised it hand over hand. Mine and Alex’s jobs were to feed the chain into the locker and Brenden’s job was to standby with a hook that was attached to a line attached to a cleat and hook the anchor chain secure when Tim needed a break. What fun! By the time we raised anchor and got our sail up the “race” had already started, but we actually weren’t in last place, believe it or not. We had a great sail across the bay, and we all wore our blue Exodus shirts (thanks Marsha!), but when we got back (in 4th place, I might add) the windlass still wasn’t working and we had to drop the anchor manually as well. Needless to say today’s top priority if fixing that windlass. We had a great dinner onshore with everyone last night as well. Tomorrow is the full moon party and potluck at La Mona so hopefully, we can solve the windlass problem today so we don’t have to manually anchor again!
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Email to family and friends dated September 19, 2013
Subject: Hurricane Manuel
To our surprise (and apparently the surprise of the forecasters) Manuel was upgraded to a cat 1 hurricane yesterday and is parked near Los Mochis in the sourthern Sea of Cortez. The forecast track has it continuing N and dissipating over the mainland, but there’s lots of uncertainty so we are all watching it closely. Tropical storms love the warm water in the sea. As of right now, we aren’t seeing any affects up here, not even any cloud cover. I just wanted to let you know all is well up here and we are watching. This SSB radio, while expensive, has been very much worth it to me. In addition to keeping in touch with all of you when we are away from internet (which seems like most of the time) I can download weather any time so I can stay informed on wind and sea state predictions and tropical storm information. Several boats up here don’t have SSB, and they rely on those of us that do to relay information over VHF, which we all do, because that’s what we do, have each other’s backs.
Speaking of… Tim thinks the windlass is fixed after working on it all day yesterday, and he got a lot of help from other cruisers. There’s a guy up here who is a single-hander of a 60 ft schooner, and he built the entire boat himself, down to cutting and sanding the wood. Amazing! And he doesn’t have an engine either. He’s a really nice guy, and he came over and helped Tim for awhile yesterday.
Today is talk like a pirate day, and it’s also our full moon party and potluck, and we are going to have a bocce ball tournament. Should be a lot of fun.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – September 15, 2013 (La Gringa to BLA Village)
Passage Log Highlights
1334 Depart La Gringa
1524 Arrive BLA Village
Daily Notes
Boys cleaned the hulls before leaving La Gringa
Delay weighing anchor because the windlass cut out mid way. Turned breaker off/on then it came back on but immediately tripped again when activated. Could not get it to work manually. Tim cleaned it, then it worked (electrically).
The bottom of a glass bottle of tonic water detached itself so I has to clean the sticky mess out of the bilge.Mask faces after cleaning the hullsHeading back to BLA Village
The anchorage called Alcatraz wasn’t in the guidebook, but we had heard about it from other cruisers, so we decided to make a pitstop on the way from Puerto Refugio back down to La Gringa.
Logbook – September 11, 2013 (Puerto Refugio to Alcatraz)
Passage Log Highlights
0910 Depart Puerto Refugio
1604 Arrive Ensenada Alcatraz
Daily Notes
Survey the little cove, fish on, no helm control
Dorado!
Dinks on Exodus w/ LC and TBV. LC stayed for dinner.
Religious discussion on the net – boys to LC to watch a movie
Puerto Refugio to Ensenada AlcatrazOn passage from Puerto Refugio to Alcatraz both Exodus and Lady Carolina caught Dorados so we had to pull up next to each other to compare and snap photos. Here’s Tim with his.And here’s Kyle with his.The geography of Alcatraz
I would like to say that we loved Puerto Refugio, but the no-see-ums really put a damper on our enjoyment here. We also had an awesome view of convection all around us but never had any lightning right there in the anchorage with us.
Logbook – September 6, 2013 (La Ventana to Puerto Refugio)
Passage Log Highlights
0910 Depart La Ventana
1136 Spinnaker
1439 Genoa only (15 knots TWS)
1627 Arrive Puerto Refugio
1900 Re-anchor
Daily Notes
Beautiful sail up to Puerto Refugio w/ LC, Dazzler, Chara. Spinnaker run most of the way
Everyone in the water quickly (hot)
Small bird visitor while we were anchoring. Boys got a kick out of it. Fed it chips.
13-foot tide swing
No-see-ums, so we moved anchor spots further from shore
Kyle & Joel over for dinner & a movie
Thunder & lightning from multiple directions, not too much wind. Large swells in the night.
From La Ventana to Puerto Refugio was a nice day sail, and we even busted out the spinnakerThis is Volcan Colorado which is on Isla Coronado (Isla Smith) which we passed along the way.We had a gorgeous sail up to Puerto Refugio. It was a spinnaker run most of the way. We caravanned with Lady Carolina, Charra, and Dazzler. This is Lady Carolina with her colors flying!Lady Carolina and CharaApproaching Puerto RefugioThe geography of the northern tip of Isla Angel de La GuardaThe geography of the northern tip of Isla Angel de La GuardaThe geography of the northern tip of Isla Angel de La GuardaThe geography of Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of Isla Angel de La Guarda. There are three lobes to anchor in and this time we chose the middle lobe.
Logbook – September 7, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
Shifty winds
D – unsuccessful paddle due to wind & chop
T/B – spearfish
Potluck on Exodus w/ LC, Dazzler, Chara, True Blue V
Email to family and friends dated September 7, 2013
Subject: Puerto Refugio
We sailed up to Puerto Refugio yesterday, and it was a fantastic sail. We “caravaned” with 3 other boats and we all had our spinnakers out because the wind was almost directly behind us. This anchorage is beautiful, except for the no-see-um bugs that are eating me alive. We moved our anchor location to be further from shore hoping that would help. It’s hard to tell since I’m already covered in bites. We had quite the thunder and lightning show last night, and although I never turned on the instruments, I’m pretty sure we didn’t see over 20 kt winds. The swell got pretty significant though, making it difficult to sleep. We plan to stay here a few days and head back down at our first North-ish wind opportunity. Alex’s ear is much better, but he’s still a little restless since he can’t swim or dive. Tim and Brenden are getting some pretty good one-on-one time though. The day before last when they went spearfishing Tim could tell that the current was pretty strong, so he had B stay in the dinghy while he checked it out, which was good because Brenden had to go pick him up! B raised the dinghy anchor, started the outboard, and drove over. If Alex were there, Alex would have had all the responsibility. I’m not sure what the plan is for today, but I’m going to have to get in the water soon!
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – September 8, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
Tim tried to stern anchor fo the first time
D paddle – turned back due to lightning and thunder
D – made yogurt and bread
Boys – lots of lego playing w/ Joel
Dinner w/ LC on Exodus – Carolina made spaghetti, D made clam chowder & bread
Convection in the distancTrue Blue V with a convection backdrop
Logbook – September 9, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
D – paddleboard to the window
T – defrosted the fridge & permanently installed fan
Leftover clam chowder & another loaf of fresh bread
Drinks on Exodus w/ LC, Dazzler, Chara
Lady Carolina at Puerto RefugioThis size fish is pretty much what they bring back all the time, unless we restrict them to only Yellowtail.Brenden poses in the pink hue of the sunset
Logbook – September 10, 2013 (Puerto Refugio)
Daily Notes
I am an anti-itch gel junkie
Email to family and friends dated September 11, 2013
Subject: Heading South
We will be on the move today back towards the BLA area. The wind is supposed to blow from the north for the next several days, so we will probably settle in at La Gringa until we run out of fresh veggies, then it will be back to the village. I’ve started making bread, and it’s been a huge hit. When I come up to the states I will have to load up on little packets of yeast. I also made clam chowder with fresh clams, and I probably mentioned this before, but I make my own yogurt too. We haven’t been able to enjoy Puerto Refugio as much as I would like because of the bugs. I am looking forward to being in a bug free anchorage for awhile.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 