Second Wind Voyage: Passages

Since we'd left the US later than expected and we want to do a lot of exploring in the Sea of Cortez, we decided not to linger in the Pacific Coast anchorages. The first transit (Ensenada to Turtle Bay) was quite pleasant, with clear weather and consistent steady winds. These were our first overnight passages with just two crew on board--3 hours on, 3 hours off, all day and all night--and though we were sleepy, knowing they were short transits (just two nights between each anchorage) made them manageable. We didn't see as much wildlife as we expected--hardly any dolphins or sea birds, no whales or flying fish--but we did enjoy fantastic moonrises & starry skies, and glorious sunrises & sunsets.

Following the weather change in Turtle Bay, the second transit (to the Magdalena Bay area) had very little wind. We didn't like having to use the engine as much as we did--driving isn't nearly as magical as sailing--but the upside was that with no wind and practically flat seas, we felt like we could be safe in the cockpit without lifejackets. Complete with D rings and tethers (to clip in/attach ourselves to the boat; the best man overboard strategy is to not fall overboard), these lifejackets feel very heavy after a while. It felt emancipating to remove them...

We were glad to set our clocks forward in Bahia Santa Maria, having come far enough east to be in Mountain Time. Our body rhythms feel much more normal when dusk falls at 1745 rather than 1645 (5:45 p.m. rather than 4:45 p.m.). We also realized we can completely lose track of the days of the week! Dates we know--keeping accurate logs ensures that--but unless I'm looking for a specific day for weather purposes, there is no need to know what day it is. Now that's new!

Though we had enough wind on the final transit to Cabo San Lucas, it was the most difficult passage. Even the meager amount of sleep allotted at night was disrupted by changing winds, which meant changing sails. By the time we reached Cabo--one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet--all we were driven to do was take a nap!

My favorite aspect of the passages was having Orion keep me company during my daily two dark watches. We both traveled throughout the night, and I learned to identify many stars by their relationship to that striking constellation.

Art's favorite part was catching fish. He trolls a line tied on to a cleat rather than using a rod & reel, and still catches all the fish we can eat. He pulled in a striped bonito outside of Ensenada, then caught a magnificent dorado on the third transit--4'1" long! We don't know how much it weighed, but it fed us for days!