SV Gallant Fox

Notes from Underway III

Underway 10: Puerto Ballandra/Isla Carmen to Punta Mangles/Baja mainland - 2/27

Engine gave no trouble on start; motored in 5-8kt light air out of Puerto Ballandra at 1015, N 20mi. past Isla Coronados to the new-to-us anchorage of Punta Mangles. Odd N swell of 1'-2' at 3 seconds was accompanied by no wind. However, by noon, abeam of Isla Coronados, the wind quickly increased from 0 to 8, then to 15, then to 29kt., with rapidly increasing chop. At 1400 we were pounding the last 5mi. to Punta Mangles thru 5’, 5 sec. chop. Norther? Thermal event? Whatever - too bad we’d kept the spray-shield down for ventilation. Cockpit = wet & salty. Anchored at Pta. Mangles in 20’ without incident. Next day, 2/28, on wanting to re-anchor closer to N cliffs for more protection from swell, starter motor broke down w <917hrs. on it. Lucky us, we learn from experience & carry a spare! GB quickly replaced starter motor, confirmed first motor’s failure (broken compression spring) & we reanchored 200’ closer to cliffs in 20’ depth, with up to 2500rpm reverse, in 18kt wind, without incident. Beachcombing, snorkeling & fishing ensued. Good anchorage, good shelter, lots to do, bypassed by the herd that goes 8mi. further to Caleta San Juanico.

Underway 11: Punta Mangles to Caleta San Juanico/Baja mainland - 3/3

Departed Mangles at 0912 in 0kt wind. Motored 8mi. to Caleta San Juanico, anchored NE of “Isla Spires” in 28’, backing down up to 2300rpm, without incident. 4 other boats here but 2 soon departed. Wind 0kt all day. Osprey, pelicans, grebes & cliff swallows abound. More boats left 3/4, now only 2 of us here w/ Isla Spires between so it feels like we’re alone. Snorkeling, fishing & beachcombing, all w/ satisfying results. Weather stays calm ‘til NW wind to 15 kt on 3/5. Morning of 3/6 wind oddly shifts to E 6-8, making our anchorage a lee shore. Left for a new, nearby anchorage.

Underway 12: Caleta San Juanico to Punta Pulpito/Baja mainland - 3/6

Light air, less than 8kt. rapidly diminishing to less than 4kt. Motored 8 mi. to a N-sheltered anchorage beneath the imposing rock massif of Punta Pulpito. Anchored in 18’, backing-down at 2400rpm, w/o incident. Breeze remains very light & variable but still with an E and S component. Overcast skies prevent optimum snorkeling which otherwise looks very good. Beach appears inaccessible as 2006 hurricane removed the beach sand leaving nothing but small boulders under cliffs on shore. Wind drops to 0 kt., late p.m. calm.

[to be continued...]

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Notes from Underway II

Again with the recap.

Underway 7: Puerto Escondido to Punta Colorada, SE Isla Carmen - 2/22

Couldn’t pass up a good weather forecast so left Pto. Escondido a day early for a short 15-mi. motor in light air to the SE side of Isla Carmen. Plan: explore a couple anchorages we’d not seen before. 2 blue whales circled the boat at a distance; later a Minke whale surfaced & circled very close by. Wind increased to 10-15kt. as we approached Punta Colorada at noon; wind then died. Anchored in 20’ without incident, backing-down as usual to a maximum 2000rpm. Bay = slightly rolly. However, on 2/23 at 0600, a warm wind came from west (shore) to 23kt with an increased northerly fetch. At 0800, as MS was checking-in with the AmigoNet on SSB, we dragged anchor. First time in 10 years of boating. Unnerving. Should have checked-in as a "vessel underway."

Underway 8: Punta Colorada to Punta Perico South - 2/23

Strength of land breeze & discombobulatinon from anchor dragging = Punta Colorada untenable for us - so moved 10mi. to a better-protected anchorage on NE side of Isla Carmen: Punta Perico. Anchored in cove on S side of point in 22’, 15kt. breeze & low NW fetch, without incident. Snorkeled for 1-½ hrs. on N side of anchorage. Wind dropped at 1400, then rose to 20kt at 2345 and blew a warm wind to 2/24, 0115. Anchor held well, chop was minimal especially compared to Punta Colorada. More snorkeling as underwater topography is textured & varied. Only problem in this private spot - much more sheltered than the more popular Bahia Salinas 1/2mi. away - are the many bobos (non-biting but annoying little gnats). Smoke coils & bug screens on all portholes yielded favorable results.

Underway 9: Punta Perico South to Puerto Ballandra - 2/25

At 0645, before departing Punta Perico, GB went dinghy fishing on the Punta Perico reef & caught a fine barred pargo about 18”-20” long. After thanking the pargo & Neptune for their gifts we motored in 0-5kt. air for 24mi. around the N side of Isla Carmen to a more popular anchorage, Puerto Ballandra. We’d been there last year & wanted to see it again. Anchored in the S-central portion of bay in 18’ without incident; 4 other boats were on the more popular N side of bay. As on Carmen’s E side, afternoon thermal winds soon increased to 18kt. but anchor held firm as usual & wind died after sunset. Night was rolly w/ fetch but otherwise quiet. Ballandra’s bees & wasps, so thirsty for fresh water, were deterred by smoke coils & bug screens. Next day was boat-cleaning (GB) and beachcombing (MS); the following morning GB caught a burrito grunt while dinghy/reef fishing. Chose to leave for a new anchorage due to continued rolliness. Engine started, but only on the second go - is this a low battery, or something more vital?

[to be continued...]

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Notes From Underway

Here we go again with a recap of the posts that never posted while underway. Now, with better editing! More commentary! And pictures!

Underway 4: Cazadero to Timbabichi on Baja Peninsula - 2/1

Motored 4.5 hrs. in light & variable N wind for 23 mi. Arrived 1300. Received a mayday at 1530 & by 1600 were underway to tow in a disabled gringo sportfisher about to go aground on an island. Rescue took 3 hrs., 13-mi. round trip. General hilarity & problems arose from this over the next 2 days - w/ much interaction w/ the panguero community - details later. This was our 2^nd vessel rescue in 10 yrs.

Underway 5: Timbabichi to Bahia San Marte/San Marcial - 2/3

Left rolly Timbabichi 0730 to find N winds to 23 kt., 4’ chop. Unable to sail N or in any other direction near our destination in such chop, we motored 22 mi. to Bahia San Marte aka San Marcial on Baja Peninsula. Anchored 1140 in 14.5’ in calm water, xlnt N-wind shelter. Found forward hatch left open underneath dinghy inverted on foredeck. V-berth & contents flooded w/ salt water. Vituperations exchanged between skipper & navigator. Cleanup occupied 3 days, interspersed w/ fishing, shore hikes, swims & hull cleaning. Had bay to ourselves most days. Longest time ever in 1 anchorage - 12 days total. Gorgeous spot.

Underway 6: Bahia San Marte/San Marcial to Puerto Escondido - 2/16

Bade farewell to San Marcial, motored 30 mi. to Puerto Escondido in 0-8 kts. air. Last year when transiting this area we’d had heavy fog; this time all was clear & bright. Threaded our way betw. Baja peninsula & the 3 rocky islets known as Los Candeleros. Entered main bay of Pto. Escondido & took one of Singlar’s many mooring buoys. Spent 6 days doing laundry, boat chores & provisioning in Loreto 22 mi. distant. Enjoyed the unique personalities & atmosphere that will always be Puerto Escondido.

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So, Yeah - A Few Bugs Yet

Our clever plan for posting via satellite while underway, hasn't quite worked out yet. We posted, but sadly no text made it through to this here blog. We are college graduates so the problem will get resolved. Eventually. Meanwhile, here's what we've been trying to post for the past 2 months. Let us stumble back into history, to posts that were intended to be contemporaneous, and more purely sailing, logs. But now that they aren't so contemporaneous, I can include pictures. So there.

Underway 1: La Paz to Espiritu Santo - 1/24

Departed Costa Baja Marina 0740 under power in light air. CBM's building tennis courts, condos & golf courses around the marina, so the area’s loud 24/7 w/ dump trucks, pile drivers & dust.

At the S edge of Espiritu Santo, raised sails in 6 kt., increased to 19 kt. as we broad reached into Caleta Partida. Chose Partida for shelter from the forecast S-SW winds which rose for 2 days, reaching 15 kt. in this sheltered cove. Mlg. = 21, 4.4 engine hrs.

Underway 2: Norther at The Hook - 1/26

Left Partida for Isla San Francisco to wait out a forecast Norther. Sailed downwind, broad reach, in southerly conditions to 15 kt. Mlg = 25, 2.7 engine hrs. Anchored among 12 boats next to small decrepit yellow boat, who later ran the noisiest on-deck generator for 3-5 hrs./day starting at 0645. So, we relocated in tight space between 2 boats, rode out nightly winds to 20 kts. (Winds in channel, forecast to 35 kts.) After 24 hrs. of the norther, the couple on the older boat to our left, hunting on its anchor, began to complain about us being too close - no danger, but we re-relocated to shut them up. They shouted off 2 other boats who tried to take that space. Later, learned they were saving the spot for an approaching friend. We observed 4 days of negative encounters with this self-claimed experienced Baja cruiser of 8 yrs. - their behavior was the worst we’ve seen. Who fights w/ park rangers?

[Update: between December 2008 and March 2009 we saw for ourselves this couple's behavior on this older boat, and heard from a total of 7 other boats who encountered them at various popular anchorages up and down the Sea within about 200 miles of La Paz. Same MO, same abuse, in every anchorage. Protip: be nice to everyone you meet, because you will see them again...and again...and again...And some day, somewhere, the enemies you've made will all be there when you pull into an anchorage. Oopsie.]

Underway 3: Isla San Francisco to Isla San Jose - 1/30

Arrived at Cazadero aka Gacatero, Isla San Jose, after 3.5 hrs. motoring - 15 miles traveled. Very pleasant place, sheltered from N winds, all to ourselves after the weirdness of SF. Walked ashore, hunted seashells, hiked up dry marshes & arroyos, drank too much. Perfect.

[To be continued...]

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Nostalgia

There I was, sifting through some old photos from our times cruising around the PacNW & BC from 1998 to 2007.  Those pics sure took me back to some good times.

Here I am, underway, during a typical February:

And, here I am in April.  That's Point Hudson in the background, and The Fox is approaching the top of Marrowstone Island on its way back to Seattle.  It's obviously April in this photo, because I've traded the heavier winter foulies and Polarfleece balaclava for a Springtime-y ensemble of baseball cap and microfiber Buff : 

It's been a while since I've worn 3 layers of sailing togs.

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