What Do We Do All Day?
27˚ 20.0’ North
112˚ 15.6’ West
Hola,
We went up the coast for another checkout sail and ended up in San Pedro Bay again. The first day and night was ideal. We went swimming and snorkeling. I found a “wall” under water that went from 5 to 25 feet deep straight down. The water was so clear that after I jumped in I saw that my dinghy anchor was not touching the bottom even though I was just a few yards from the wall. I pulled the boat in until the anchor hit the sand.
Vagari has fish, bird and marine mammal field guides on board so we know a little about what we are seeing. On the second trip to the wall Rhea was aboard. She could see a lot from the dinghy so on our third dinghy ride she took a mask. Now she wants her own snorkel.
We also took two trips to the end of San Pedro Point to explore the sea caves. We took the dinghy into the largest one, cool.
In the very early hours of the second day the waves and wind moved from the South East to the West. We were anchored in a place that is protected us from every direction but the West. Vagari starts doing the rock and roll thing and the rocks that are so neat to dive on don’t look quite so neat now that they are dead downwind from us. If our anchor drags we end up on the rocks.
I decide to leave at first light. To this day Rhea is still amazed by the boat motion as we motored out of the bay. Given the right (or wrong) conditions the front of 25,000 pound boat can point way up in the air and then go under water in just a couple of seconds. Makes a big splash also.
Vagari got a free wash but our dinghy oars got washed overboard in the process. Rhea drove the boat while I handled the anchor and chain. She did a first class job of handling the boat in the rough seas.
When we got back to Catch 22 bay the seas were flat and we had no trouble getting into our harbor.
You may wonder why these wind shifts etc. are not predicted. For the last week or two and it looks like the next week or two there are no big fronts moving thru this area. The barometric pressure is almost the same every day and almost the same from the North end to the South end of the Sea. This means that the wind (and therefore the waves) is controlled by local thermal conditions. Which is the difference between the temperatures of the land and sea. Or for that matter, the North side of a hill or mountain vs. the South side. Therefore the wind direction and velocity vary from bay or cove to cove and change very quickly. It also means that once you get away from land there is no wind or waves. We found this to be true on our crossing.
We talked to another boat that saw us leave the anchorage. She decided to rough it out in the bay after seeing us get tossed around as we left the bay.
A couple of days later Rhea met the Captain of the boat that stayed in the bay. She is a mother with 3 kids. Her husband died on the trip down from Canada. She is continuing the cruise with her kids. Rhea can tell you more about this lady and her situation.
Wednesday (23rd) we got up at 4 AM so we could make the crossing to the Baja side of the Sea and finish in daylight. By 5:30 the sails were up and we were sailing with the motor on so we could keep the average speed needed to finish in daylight.
We had a very uneventful crossing no waves and very little wind. We motored the whole time; the wind died completely about a third of the way across. We saw: sea turtles; one large whale; dolphin; lots of flying fish and what I think were a pod of pilot whales but could have been dolphin. Arrived at 5:45 PM, average speed 6 knots.
I had my lucky cedar plug trailing behind looking for a tasty Dorado but the water was so clear it didn’t fool them.
Santa Rosalia has a small marina with 13 boat slips. People from the other boats helped us dock. One then took me to the clubhouse were I was given keys to the dock and the clubhouse and a sheet of paper where we mark down the beer and soda we take from the coolers. We “settle up when you leave”. They also have a washing machine and dryer we can use. We put that on the sheet also. “Don’t forget to turn the propane tank on all the way or the dryer won’t work”
We are learning that getting to know the other cruisers is one of the best parts of cruising. This marina is so small that we get to meet everybody. In the late afternoon the men drink beer and tell lies in the clubhouse. Perhaps today I will join them.
Santa Rosalia has an interesting history. I won’t go into it but we have been in a church designed and built by Carl Gustaf Eiffel who built a tower in Paris at the same time right next to this church.
Breakfast today in the Hotel Frances built in the 1886. It has a museum in the lobby we want to see.
And now, a word from your mother….
This cruising life is certainly interesting and too, are the people who participate. It has been mostly fun. The places we have seen are beautiful in their own way and the people are really nice. It should be a lot nicer in the fall when the weather is better and more of the cruisers are around. I think I may be able to convert to a part-time cruiser. However, I keep thinking of you and that empty house on Canyon Drive with ac and white walls in need of paint. Can’t wait to see you and my three grandbabies. I love and miss you. Mom
P.S. We had breakfast at the most charming restaurant at the top of the hill this morning. It was a hotel at the time of the big copper mines run by the French here in Santa Rosalia. about a hundred years ago.
Mom and Dad
6/25/04 2PM
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