03-08-2010 - Update 4

03-08-2010 - Update 4

hi everyone, 

sorry this update is going to be a little shorter, im on a mexican computer which has a different keyboard that i cant figure out...weird characters and no shift key. 

we woke up the morning after the last update, thinking we were safe and sound in ensenada looking forward to a day of rest, since our weather forecast said there was a pretty 

substantial storm coming through, with gale force south winds. it wasnt to be though, because around 745 a couple of the buddies we made came over to warn us of the tsunami coming! 

stuck between a rock and a hard place...out into the storm or risk the harbor during a tsunami?  so instead of our warm cozy day of rest waiting out the rain, orca and friends left the harbor into the teeth of the gale.  inside the bay that surrounds ensenada , the winds and rain werent bad, but outside the bay we were slammed by a big squall.  the rain came down sideways in sheets turning the ocean white and spray moved like smoke, swirling around the peaks of waves and running along the troughs in rivulets of air-water mixture. kara bravely jumped up tot he foredeck to reef down the main.  we beat out to sea under a double-reefed main and jib, but as we got farther from land the wind increased.  we reefed further -- then struck the main all together as soon as we decided we had enough sea room to ride out the gale.  then the jib was too much sail, so we took that down too and set our tiny extra strong storm staysail just as it got dark.  we slowly reached down the coast at about two knots, with our self steering gear doing wonderfully.  we spent most of the night below, with the boat boarded up as numerous squalls swept over accompanied by thunder and lightening.  every half hour whoever was on watch would stick their head out to make sure we werent getting run down by a freighter.  every hour or so we would get a big thump as a wave broke against us, showering the boat with whitewater and partially filling the cockpìt. 

dawn showed us that the wind had subsided but there were still 15-20 foot seas.  we were over 20 miles offshore, so we set more sail and sailed downwind to bahia san quintin, one of the better protected anchorages along that stretch.  the wind calmed quickly and it turned into a nice sailing day.  as we neared san quintin we were treated to a beautiful sunset just as our fishing poles started to squeal.  we pulled in two nice looking bonito and immediately filleted them up and had some sashimi. 

we entered the anchorage at night -- something that was pretty stressful, but it was a big bay, with few rocks, and we have detailed charts of it.  we dropped the hook next to a sandbar and finally got some real sleep. 

the next morning we sailed for punta baha, which is a well known surf spot. we landed another, bigger bonito, which we cut into steaks.  we bit off more than we could chew here -- we had fish for every meal for days.  fish steaks.  steamed fish.  fish stew.  even fish cake.  we had too much fish....wont make that mistake again.  we will be throwing the big ones back from now on!  

when we got to punta baja, the swell was gone, and there was no where to go ashore.  we sailed the next day for punta san carlos, but when we arrived the wind was so strong that there was 2 feet of chop just a few hundred yards off the beach.  we tacked and headed back out to sea. we made the 90 mile run to isla cedros overnight.  we anchored at the little fishing village named cedros, meaning cedars, and went ashore to get beer and supplies.  the town was tiny, with a single school, a single police officer, and a single store.  the roads are unpaved and seem to be almost completely unmodified tracts of open desert left between structures. we hiked around in the dust and got hot and sweaty.  that first cold beer tasted great.  we talked to some of the people on the island, and found out some basic information.  population was about 300, tourism due to great sportfishing is a major industry.  hows the weather?   it NEVER rains here, mostly sunny, desert, etc. the following day, our weatherfax showed another cold front poised to sweep baha.  we moved our anchor to a better spot in anticipation of the wind change.   the weather was still nice, so kara dove overboard to clean the hull.  the water was beautifully clear, which was something we hadnt seen yet -- on the mainland baja the water was always milky. 

that night, the wind howeled through the rigging and quite a chop wrapped around the point to our anchorage, but we felt safe as the rain, which wasnt supposed to exist, pounded the cabin.  we were a little miffed that the chop was rolling the boat around so much, but we had it better than we knew. 

dawn was beautiful--clear, crisp, with a great sailing wind.  we hauled up the anchor and sailed past the giant freighters loading salt, past isla natividad, just south of cedros, to check a famous surf spot called open doors, for obvious reasons.  too bad it was flat, i hear it needs a big south or southwest swell to work. 

last night we sailed into turtle bay chased by a beautiful sunset.  we ghosted in between anchored cruisers and dropped the hook right off the beach.  we spent a restful night, excited to eat at a little restaurant tomorrow and explore the town. 

this morning, we got a good look around.  turtle bay is a large bay, with its biggest dimension angled north and south.  there are around 10 other sailboats here, including two boats we recognize from further north.  we talked to two people, both of whom weathered the recent cold front in turtle bay, at the north end, which is a no-no in south storm winds.  one of them had his anchor shackle snap during the height of the storm and had his jib blown apart at some point, he wasnt very talkative. 

now were in a tiny shack with a few computers, sending out lots of email.  both of the cell phones we carried have given up on us, so email is our sole means of communication now. thanks everyone for all the replies, were sorry we havent been good about writing back but keep the news from home coming, we love it. 

thanks, 

john and kara.