Letter 1
l am finally sitting down to compose my first letter of the journey. It's not that I've been very busy on the voyage South, its more my inability to reflect on where I've been or what I've observed so far. We are presently in Puerto Vallarta, where we will stay for the next few weeks before heading North, through the Sea of Cortez to our final destination of San Carlos located in the northeast corner of thegulf in May. The summers in this part of the Pacific make cruising any latter than that brutally hot. The day of our departure was wet and cold. Many friends and family crowded the boat and docks to wish us farewell. The crowds made our planed departure time of 0900A impossible, but our schedule was flexible enough that it wasn't a problem. The weather didn't dampen the spirits of the well wishers, and we were able to leave the docks about 1015 heading to our first stop at Dana Point. As it happened, we didn't reach Mexican Waters for another week due to delays caused by the weather and boat problems on Wayne and Bonnies'boat Magic Castle, who were buddy boating with us. Reluctantly we were forced to leave without them when delays in repairs continued with no determinations as to when they would be completed.The weather was warm and clear on the day we left San Diego on the first leg of our trip into Mexico, the last we would see for the next few days. Our next stop was to be Bahia de Tortuga, requiring us to make off shore passages at night. Rough weather conditions were to make this part of the voyage very uncomfortable for the next 300 miles. When you travel by sailboat, at 6 knots average speed, youexperience your surroundings and environment in a way that is more complete than any other form I, with the possible exception of walking. Nature decides when, where, or how you will stop or go, everything changes from moment to moment onthe water, the only thing you can count on is the unexpected. You have a fuller sense of the smells and sights of your surroundings, for sailing is an endeavor borne on the powers of nature. North of Isla de Cedros, at night, about 0100A we werehit with rough following seas being driven by 30 knot winds. The resulting "death rolls", which are pitches in the boats angle from side to side and bow to stern of up to 45 degrees are so named because they can make the skipper and crew very sick,wanting to die. At night we maintained our watches from the pilot house as much as possible with half our time being spent in the cold on deck in foul weather gear and safety harnesses. Having a full main up, we were forced to all go topside andreduce sail to the second reefing point. It gives you a real appreciation and respect for the sailors on the old sailing ships before the turn of the century. When the sun sets on our night passages the main sail is now reefed and any head sails brought in as a precaution, we learned a valuable lesson that night; If you have to reef your main sail, you've waited too long. Trying to sleep in the foreword cabin under these conditions is difficult to describe, but 1'11 try. To begin with, my berth foreword is located in the bow of the boat, which takes the most punishment in these kinds of seas, which also results in the most violent movement on the boat. Our watches at night were 2 hours on and 4 hours between, in whichwe tried to sleep. You must keep all lights to a minimum to maintain night vision. My bunk is just a little bigger than a coffin, a thought which gave me very little comfort at the time, and very dark as Well as noisy. You can hear every wave, groan and slap topsides from it. With the weather cloth in place I was in no danger of rolling out onto the cabin floor. With all the pitching in the noisy dark I spent amajority of my time rolling back and forth or in a state of free fall. The experience can leave even the most seasoned sailor nauseous, so when my watchcame up, I didn't mind to much. The days following our night passages found us ragged and exhausted The nights spent anchored afterwards found all of us in bed early, none on board having any trouble sleeping. At our first anchorage in the Bahia de Tortuga, we were approached by some Mexican fishermen in a ponga, the bottom of which was full of live lobsters. Because use of Co-ops, they are notallowed to sell them to us. We accepted four nice sized ones in exchange for a 5year Old pack of Marlboros, 2 warm Budweisers (their favorite) and 3 dollars. I think they feel they got the best deal for our bargaining abilities were still rusty. That night we had Lobsters and barbecued steaks for dinner, it was delicious. Sailing down the "Outside", or the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, we sailed pastsome of the most isolated shores in the world. Eventually things would start warming up south of Turtle Bay. The waters in this part of the Pacific are teeming with wild life. We passed whales heading south to their breeding grounds in Magdelena Bay, several broached nearby, with huge cascades of water pouring off them. Dolphins visited us in huge pods swimming at high speed off the bow forshort periods before swimming off into the distance. We started fishing when we reached warmer parts catching 3 Yellow Fin Tunas which were delicious and several Skipjack Tunas, which we released. At 35 pounds, the Yellow Fins put up a good fight, the biggest fish I have ever caught, and possibly the tastiest. As we neared Magdelena Bay to spend the night at Man of War cove we were topped and boarded by the Mexican Navy. Its intimidating to have two sailors stationed guard on deck with Uzi machine guns and a power boat used to intercept us full of sailors with more guns. The officers that asked to see our papers proved to be very polite,and after about 20 minutes and a short check of the foreword compartment, Head and galley area and having found nothing illegal let US go. I Would say they were more professional and courteous than our own U.S. Coast Guard At Man of War Cove we spent 2 days waiting for a storm to pass. When we heard the plight of another boat on the radio in 20 foot seas with 35-4 knot winds that night, we hadno problem deciding to stay right where we were, even if it was a little rocky. The 2nd day after leaving the bay we came around the corner of Cabo San Lucas. The weather was beautiful, sailing conditions perfect when we came upon Los Arcos, the natural rock arches at Land's End. The Pinnacles seem to be a very fitting end to this long peninsula and are beautiful. Unable to get a slip in the town is beautifuland typical of towns in Mexico. Along the harbor or Marina where you have the resorts, surrounded by the next "layer" of the usual bars, Money exchangers, and businesses. As you go further you run into the real Mexico and its poverty witheverything in short supply but the peoples' pride and dignity. Stepping on dry, solid ground for the first time in 2 weeks, I felt as though I had suddenly gained a hundred pounds, and even though nothing moved, it seemed to. Checking in was a lesson in Mexican Bureaucracy. Forming each of the 3 points of a triangle, almost equal distance from each other on the opposite sides of town, you will findImmigration, the Harbor Master and Customs. It took most of the morning to go through the whole procedure which had to be repeated 2 days later on
check out. As we sailed east, towards Mazatlan, into the evening, a full bright, golden Harvest/est Moon slowly rose out of the oceans' horizon, providing us with good visibility the whole night. The following day, U.S. Coast Guard paid us a visit in a helicopter and flew around us several times. The crossing took 36 hours to Mazatlan, where we planned on staying till Mardi Gras, as we heard it is the third largest in the world. Charlie Turner who sailed south in late October aboard his boat FAR NIENTE, arranged a slip for us, and greeted us at the docks. During our visit he provided us with local information as well as acted as our tour guide around town. He took us to several great restaurants and "local sights". The day after we departed Mazatlan he was going back to the States to "visit" his wife Agnes before heading to Panama where he will assist some friends with their transit through the canal. We will be seeing him when we return next month The Marina we stayed at, El Cid Resort was beautiful, with full facilities being provided to the boaters that are available to the guests of the resort. My favorite part was ridingthe crowded; noisy city buses and exploring different parts of the city. For 1.5 Pesos it was the best bargain on the trip so far. We watched the Super Bowl down at a bar on the beach called Carlitos Bar and Grill. He seems to enjoy telling all the female tourists that he is in the Mafia. The game was in Spanish, but every one enjoyed themselves. Beers were 5 Pesos (Pacifico, what else?) and all the shrimp you can eat for 60 pesos. The Nuevo Terra Ingles and Bahia de Verde Packers played a good game. We went to a pot luck in the Marina behind the one we were staying at and visited with friends who were staying there in their 65 foot schooner. Marvin and Chieko have sailed as far as Australia and now stay primarily in the Sea. He built the boat himself and it is beautiful, We went to Mardi Grasparade with them, where we viewed the proceedings from a balcony overlooking the street. With an open bar, we were feeling no pain by its end. It would be hard to describe the parade, so you just have to see the video I took of it. Imagine a Rose Bowl Parade, pulled by farm tractors in Tijuana, then you will be getting close. Lots of beautiful women, loud music, and fun.
The next stop south after leaving Mazatlan was Chacala. On this passage, during my first night watch, the sea was calm, temperature warm, sky clear with a light 5 knot breeze. There was no moon that evening and I've never seen so many stars in the sky. The water was glowing with fluorescence that night and the night and the wake of the boat appeared to be lit, with green lights, from below. Noticing movement on the port beam, I saw what appeared to be three bright streaks of light traveling at high speed, under the surface, towards the boat. As I watched one of the dolphins leaped clear ofthe water trailing bright sparks of light off its back. I ran foreword in time to see one of the animals swim under the bow of the boat. It was one of the mostbeautiful experiences of my life. As it swam under the waves bubbles bright with light trailed it like fire. It is something I will never forget, a memory I will carry with me always. Shortly after that, a large meteorite streaked across the horizon from west to east, the longest flight I've seen so far. t was an enchanted watch. Just North of Chacala is where the tropical shores begin, with Coconut groves and banana plantations. I would say this is my favorite stop so far. Its the first time we've had water warm enough to go diving. There are palapas (thatch roofed restaurants) on the beach serving fresh fish and ice cold beers. It’s very quiet there, not one loud radio, or leaf blower. There is an old lady who lives up the hill that bangs a bell every once and awhile, but we haven't been able to figure out why. Bruce and I dropped Donn off at the airport yesterday, we are going to miss him, he is a very capable sailor and makes a mean margarita and omelet. He will bejoining us again in April in the Sea to sail up to San Carlos. We had a going away party where none of us were feeling any pain, except or the large combo pizza that we generously "slathered" with hot sauce. I will try to keep in touch and must sign off for now.
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