Crossing the Sea of Cortez

Called "The Crossing" in local lingo, many cruisers travel between the mainland and the Baja peninsula. Either direction and at any time of year, though, it is not a small undertaking. Like everyone else, we watched the weather carefully on grib files and listened to Gaery, the Baja weather guru, on the ham radio net before we took the 3-day plunge.

Our crossing was largely uneventful: no big winds (and at a crucial time, no wind at all), no fish hungry enough to grab our lure, no boats in sight. It would have been completely uneventful if some coupling bolts between the V-drive and the propeller shaft hadn't sheared off! Fortunately Art is a good mechanic and he had some bolts with the correct thread, so after a five hour operation--all while rolling in large waves--we were back underway. The motto "Be Prepared" sure gets tested out here...

A new experience was watching both Venus and the full moon set in the west. At different times (of course), each of them got larger and redder as they approached the horizon. Venus ended up looking like a coal, and the moon looked like the setting sun, but without the glowing radiance (a tired sun, perhaps?). As we approached the mainland shore, we began passing many sea turtles swimming on the surface. As always, treats abound!

Venus over the Sea of Cortez

Setting moon

Sea turtle floating in the Sea of Cortez