Ensenada to Bahia de Bartolome (Turtle Bay), and on to Cabo San Lucas

Jan. 16, 2014
Dawn brought a beautiful sunny, windless day.  I walked to the nearby 7-11 to get some bags of ice just prior to leaving.  We left the dock at 10:30 a.m., motored out of the harbor and set sails and cut the engine.  We had good wind for about an hour, then it was on the nose, so on went the engine.  We had a two day and night passage to Turtle bay ahead.  On the way we saw several whales, grey's and humpbacks, lots of dolphins and birds.  Not many ships or yachts this trip.  We entered Turtle bay, dropped anchor and thought we'd have a nap then get fuel.  This was not to be as it was high tide and the fuel dock is in shallow water, so we raised anchor and motored over for fuel.  At this point, we decided it was just as easy to nap while moving, so off we went to Cabo.

It was difficult to see where the ocean ended and the sky began.

   As we motored onward, we noticed a strange thing... our refrigerator and freezer were colder than 32 degrees, hence it was working!  Odd, but good.
   We motored onward with little or no wind, which is  also strange, it's usually howling off Baja.  As we crossed towards Bahia Santa Maria, the seas were glass-like and hundreds of turtles were sun bathing.  It was difficult to miss them with the boat.  The sea temps were quite warm, 70 degrees and rising.  Last time we passed this way it was 45 degrees!

Our yellow-fin tuna, near Turtle bay.

   As we approached Cabo, the air and water were getting quite warm, no more warm clothing and we put out the fishing line.  After an hour, we had two small Yellow-fin Tuna hit the feathers.  We released one and filleted the other for a later date.

Cabo in full swing, tourists enjoying a trip out for the day.

   Sailing overnight for so many days was a little challenging, but not too bad.  The night watches were fairly warm and a lovely moon to see by.  We arrived at Cabo San Lucas at midnight, checked in to our slip and went to sleep.  Ahh, to not be bouncing around while sleeping!  We awoke to pangas of cheering, clapping tourists driving by our boat on their way out to the arch rock for snorkeling.  This time Cabo seemed more welcoming, cheaper and not as noisy as the last time.  We ate several meals along the malecon, rested up and cleaned the salt off of the boat.  Two days here, then off to cross the Sea of Cortez and head to Punta de Mita and La Cruz.  

San Diego to Ensenada

January 12, 2014, Sunday
We had a wonderful time in San Diego visiting with our friends Tom, Mary Ellen, Dave and Jan.  T and ME, we met in La Cruz four years ago and have been enjoying our friendship ever since; and Dave and Jan owned Pendragon a Davidson 44 that Leif raced on, and I joined in later to be a part of the crew as well.  We ate, sailed, drank and generally caught up on things past and present.  Then it was time to leave, and we were fortunate to have Tom and Mary Ellen join us on the leg to Ensenada.

Leif and Tom discussing the ipad navigation system.  Very state of the art!

  We all met at the dock at SDYC at 6 a.m. for an early start, hoping to arrive in time for celebratory cervezas y refrescos.  Well, it was foggy, cold, and no wind.  Lovely start.  Then the wind filled in, but from astern and so we motor-sailed the entire way.  It was a cold, windy cloudy day.  Not what the Dr. ordered. Just east of the Coronado islands we had a surprise inspection from the Mexican Navy.  They appeared out of no where, and hailed us to stop and allow them to come aboard.  There were about 10 of them, many with large weapons, so who's going to complain?  We tied up in very bouncy seas, and they were formal yet friendly, only wanting our documentation, and to know where we would check into Mexico.  Still, not a fun experience.  Once we arrived, we cleaned up and went to Sano's, an excellent restaurant owned by T & ME's friend Juan Hussong, who also joined us for dinner.  After a fantastic meal we were driven back to the boat by Juan and hit the sack.  It was a very special night having such good friends to dine with.

Mary Ellen and Tom, from cold and foggy to beautiful sunny morning.

  We then said good bye to Tom and Mary Ellen, who took the bus back to San Diego while we checked into Mexico.  Upon arriving at the Capitania de Puerto, we met one of the fellows from the Navy boat that inspected us, all smiles, and we were grateful that we did what we said we were going to do.    One more event for us was a wine country tour that we had heard was excellent.  And, it was. I expected strong rich wines similar to Paso Robles, but no, very refined and smooth.  Not rough at all.   We went to L.A. Cetto, Adobe Guadalupe, and J.C. Bravo.  These ranged from large production like Californian wineries to exclusive/expensive to a small winery run by one gentleman who produces one red and one white, but very good.
   Our one glitch was that on the evening prior to leaving our refrigerator decided to not turn on.  Bummer as we had a full freezer of meat and frozen dishes.  So, I gave some away on the dock, and went in search of ice and a cheap ice chest for cold drinks on our trip south.  We have plenty of food that's not in need of cold, but it would have been so nice!

Arriving at Cruiseport marina in Ensenada, wearing long pants and jackets for one of the last times in awhile.

We are off to see the wizard, or whatever appears along the way!

We left Alamitos Bay in dense fog on January 3.  I asked Leif if we were out of the jetties yet, and he said "Oh yes, we're off of Seal Beach".  Thank heavens for radar!  We headed for Newport Beach, not such a long way, but still a beginning of our new journey.  It stayed socked in fog until we were off of the Huntington Beach power plant.  Arriving at the American Legion Yacht Club in Newport we tied up to the guest dock and sorted out the boat.  We had two days of friends dropping in to visit and help send us off.  Thank you to: Craig, Liz, Steve, Muffy, Marlane, Chris, Beverly, Steve, Koren, Greg, Lon, Mark, Maria, Susie, Craig and Shelly.  We are truly grateful for all of our friends.

The American Legion Yacht Club in Newport Beach at high tide.

  On Jan.5th we left Newport for Dana Point, and had a hot, sunny sail which reminded us both of our final destination.  It was amazing to be sunbathing in January!  We arrived in DP at 3:00 p.m. and anchored for the night.  Morning arrived early, 4:00 a.m. our alarm clocks went off and we left by 5:00 a.m. bound for San Diego, and Southwestern Yacht Club.  On our way down we encountered several whale pods, one of humpbacks and one of grays near Point Loma, and another near Laguna Beach farther north.  It was a wonderful sight to see, and very uplifting as we set off.

Leaving Newport Beach for the last time.  Fashion Island in the background.  Such an odd feeling!

 

Sunrise over Camp Pendleton and Oceanside on our way from Dana Point.  I love being at sea in the mornings, and even seeing the stars prior to sunrise.  It makes me feel alive. 

 Southwestern YC is a welcoming yacht club, with a new clubhouse and our friends Tom and MaryEllen there to catch our lines as we arrived.  It seemed like old times as the last time we were here, we were on our way back from Mexico, and there were Tom and MaryEllen to welcome us.

Gray whale off of Point Loma, crossing our bow.  We stopped.  

   We spent three days at SWYC, some spent at T & ME's home and some on the boat.  Great food, great friends, and a fantastic West Marine store.  Our friends Jan and Dave from the yacht Pendragon also live down here and we got together for a fun time catching up and seeing their new Beneteau 473.  It's going to be hard to leave, but the best news is that Tom and MaryEllen are going to join us for the trip to Ensenada!  Tom and Leif are like two peas in a pod, both design boats, love sailing and can talk all day about past boats.  MaryEllen is a fantastic cook, and I'm hoping to learn a bit from her.  She and I get along so well, I even got my hair cut again by her stylist.
  We are moving to San Diego Yacht Club tomorrow, then off to Ensenada on Sunday.  Tomorrow we plan on playing Mexican Train at T& ME's and another lovely evening at their home with their mom who's 95 and doing well.