Wednesday 21st June - summer solstice! 

After a 'vigorous' (!) overnight passage from San Juanico, bashing into wind and seas in foggy conditions, arrived Bahia Asuncion ~9.30am today - in thick fog, to find big surf crashing onshore... Got uncomfortably close to the surf and made a quick right turn...!  Couldn't see where to head for the anchorage and shore contact was of no help, so was forced to head back out to sea. 
Very disappointing -I'd been really looking forward to reasonably-priced diesel, a meal, fresh provisions, phone coverage, Internet..... and maybe a nice hot shower in a calm anchorage.  None of that now..  That surf will take a time to die down...
Presently continuing on to Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay) to get fuel (at an exorbitant price I'd hoped to avoid ) - ETA around sunset so it will become an overnight stop since the fuel panga won't deliver diesel until the morning - but at least there's no surf problem in the
protected, easy-access anchorage there.
Other boats we know are there already so we'll meet up - might end up with a mini-fleet of six to nine boats, all heading north...
Weather is looking good and calm until Friday night when headwinds are forecast to become strong.  By then we'll be just a day from Ensenada but might have to pause in San Quintin or Isla San Martin to let winds die down - which could take another two days or so.....  (If we could keep on going now without any stops, we'd arrive in Ensenada early Saturday morning)
Looks as though the sae-fog will come down again later.
Feeling very frustrated just now - and too much motoring and virtually no sailing doesn't help...
Time to sit on deck with a mug of tea and remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to enjoy the sun shining on Pico Hermoso as we pass by.......  ?

Wednesday 21st June 2017 -summer solstice

1.30 a.m.

Fog still around. Still a very bumpy ride, bashing straight into seas.... Wind has been light, ~7kt, but the seas have not lain down yet !

Just rounded PuntaAbreojos- nasty rocks there, so kept well off, avoiding fish floats & nets also - can't see those in the dark! 46ml DTG to Asuncion.

Friend there said 20kt wind in the bay most afternoons - getting fuel Tuesday would have been impossible with big surf crashing onto shore all day long with SW wind. Pangas were hauled well up the beach and not getting out.. We'll see how that works out later this morning - hope we don't have a big delay due to surf still up.

Monday 19th June 2017

Vivid memories still of nine years ago today - but I’m here to tell the tale… Life is good!!

Busy today - held a 'seminar' on "Nereida" with fellow-cruisers to discuss weather forecasts for our passage to Ensenada, looking at up-to-date grib files using both COAMPS for inshore and NDFD for offshore - wind looking OK for first half of 110 ml passage to Asuncion tomorrow but might get a spell of increased headwind off Abreojos before, hopefully, winds abate to make rest of passage pleasanter. My plan is to arrive in time for breakfast!

Also discussed obtaining weather faxes via Pactor modem and radio in 'real time' rather than downloading big files as email attachments. All good, useful stuff!!

Spotted my wind instrument suddenly come to life unexpectedly this morning - but I don’t somehow think we’ve 50 knots (Force 10!) of wind - the bay has been fairly calm all day with maximum wind of 5-10 kt, I reckon… When I checked the cable coming down from the mast-top instrument yesterday, it seemed to be powered up and generally looked to be working OK so I’m suspecting the wind instrument itself is now faulty. At one time, the needle was whizzing around back and forth! It’s display is erratic, often showing blanks and then suddenly switching to zeros or stupid wind values. The wind direction is complete nonsense when it’s displayed…

Took a time this afternoon to transfer diesel from jerry cans into main tank - almost full now. Will be able to get more fuel in Asuncion on arrival early on Wednesday - there’s a friendly, helpful couple there who, for $20, will come out to boat in their 'panga' and take crew to shore with their jerry cans to fill up at the local Pemex station (at a standard, sensible price), stopping off at a restaurant and/or a tienda on the way if food/provisions are needed. I hear they also run a well-kept small hotel and RV (caravan) park nearby - but we’re 'out of season' now - most people sensibly head out of the area over hurricane season - which is exactly what we’re doing also!

Sunday 18th June 2017
San Juanico -lovely sweeping bay.and another surf spot. "No crime here," I was happily told by Ed Liddle who's been here for quite a few years. It's a small community with difficult road access.
Having to wait for a good weather window - hoping to leave Tuesday morning for Asuncion when headwinds are expected to have abated.
'Chatelaine' kindly included me in their dinghy for a trip to shore through the surf .. Always exciting and we managed to pick a good spot, with a nearby surfer guiding us in and helping as two waves suddenly came in together. - breaking a little over the stern - but all ended just fine.
Off for a short walk in the village to find a burrito and to meet up with 'Rikitikitavi' - the kids were enjoying games over an intermittent Internet connection but there's no phone signal here.
Back to the dinghies, as the sun was setting, where both of us managed to get back out through the surf without getting flipped - excellent! !

Safely anchored in 6m depth in peaceful, sunny (fog cleared as got closer), protected Bahia San Juanico.
280 n.ml. from Bahia San Jose - a passage of just 2 days 9 hrs - a lot of motoring although did get in a touch of motor-sailing last evening.
Food, sleep .... and then a few boat jobs to catch up on - nothing like being at sea to remind one of certain outstanding jobs waiting to be done in calm conditions!
Two other boats on their way here, expecting to arrive later today.

Friday 16thJune 2017


Still motoring in light headwinds, with patchy fog around since first light this morning. .. At midday, a weak sun is struggling out and Isla Santa Magdalena and the Baja mountains behind can just be made out...
It's chilly! Sea temp dropped from 28C in San Jose to 15C now, so no wonder we've had fog!
Had good sessions on HF radio last night & this morning - nice to have use of radio again after my repairs but I never know if 20m band will work OK - was perfect last night on Pacific Seafarers' Net!
Sea is glassy-smooth surfaced but a good 2m W swell is coming in from out in Pacific.
The other boats heading N are not far away, mostly ahead. Some are making for Turtle Bay, others for Asuncion.
I'm making for San Juanico - also an overnight passage but shorter. I've only ever been to Bahias Magdalena, Santa Maria or Tortuga on previous trips along this Baja coast, so it will b e nice to visit what, by all accounts, is a very pleasant place before moving on to Asuncion soon, if winds allow...
Just about to post this and I suddenly noticed my wind info has disappeared. .. a new problem to deal with... The instrument was newly replaced in February in San Diego..... Damn!! More electrical connections to check out....

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It's been very pleasant being on anchor for several days, here in Bahia San Jose. Has also meant I could tackle several problems.

On Monday I wrote:..

Radio problem still alive & kicking! !

Thanks to Sarah of 'Rikitikitavi ' for coming over to make sure I stayed safe while perched on a crate to access the backstay lower insulator - bringing over some lovely freshly-made muffins later (made by her young crew!). Took connection apart eventually and started re-making.... Many thanks to Bob of 'Kachina' for helping finishing putting back together - he rowed over with Sam to help... He's a tad taller than I am so that was a great help.

Unfortunately, having gone to all that effort- problem.hadn't gone away.... Good receive but no transmit possible.

Wednesday...Thanks yesterday morning to Alan of 'Kemo Sabe. He'd suggested tuner was the problem ( as already mentioned by a radio friend)' but came over with a coax lead to test... Worked fine... In testing with mine again, he spotted a loose coax connection on a jumper lead - when that was removed, my system worked a lot better - buy still eventually ended up with 20m problem.

The good news is winlink works for emailing and I can talk on most freqs I want to -- even PacSeaNet heard me and we had a chat but there's definitely a problem still to be resolved...

Spent several hours this morning replacing 4 butt joints on the solar panel wiring - hoped time wasn't wasted but fuse blew again... Two untinned wires clearly need replacing - the ground wires were black inside! Slowly making progress...

Weather window - at last!! Several boats will be away, as we shall, before dawn, hoping to round Cabo Falso and head north in light conditions for a few days ..... Ensenada... we-re on our way !

So ... spent all afternoon accessing the ATU, checking, tightening, cleaning (several now bright and shiny from sanding!) all radio connections, including checking inside the ATU -which looks fine (that took a couple of hours to take apart and then get the cover back with the gasket properly in place).

The result? NO transmission possible on ANY frequency now!!! Even tuning sounds my SWR meter alarm. The only place I've not yet checked is the most likely culprit - the feed-wire-to-backstay connection. That's high up above the aft deck and I need the boat to be still to perch on something to reach there - likely to have to go back to the marina to sort that out.

No radio use until this problem is fixed!

Actually thought I was wrong - tried radio and all seemed fine on every band except 20m (tried that last) -but when I re-tried after that, all other frequencies sounded the alarm - so we're back to square one...

Can you believe that one small screw can take two hours to remove. ..? Damaged head, corrosion plus difficult access.... Grrr!!! At least it finally began to unscrew. Wanted to check solar regulator connections were good... Still removing stuff from aft cabin to get access to beneath bunks and behind aftmost wood panel to deal with radio and, if regulator connections looking good, solar wiring problems ...

Later......

So - after all that effort, the panel refused to be pulled forward! Not enough slack cable behind? So I took out the instrument next to it and found torch and extending small (dental-type) mirror to look behind from there - not a chance... impossible to see anything useful!!

All put back together ( with some new screws) and went aft to look at fuse-holder area. Fixed a spade connector firmly in place.... decided to try one more time replacing fuse... it did NOT blow!! Re-inserted other fuse... still OK... Full solar power getting to batteries.... What did I do to fix it???

Will be looking tomorrow midday, when input at its highest, to see if fuse is still holding.... Still have radio transmit problem - but only on 20m, occasionally on 30m and never on 40m. .. Will be busy clearing aft cabin to access ATU tomorrow morning .. and hoping to change prop anode in the afternoon - a good excuse for a refreshing swim.

Was nice to have company arrive tonight -Rikitikitavi came from marina to anchor nearby - in good time to enjoy firework display onshore. Have seen fireworks often since anchoring here - get a good view!

They are also waiting on the weather to begin their sail up north to Victoria. Was pleased yesterday to be able to help Pete sort out problem with getting good grib files using his HF radio.

Did same via email today for Randy - 'Spirit of Hanalei ' is holed up with 'Stella Blue' in San Juanico waiting for this bad weather to pass and they were both in need of good weather info - nice to be able to help people stay safe.

Hourly check on wind and anchor overnight. In lee of nearby high ground, winds were mostly 10-13 kt from W, with a few brief lulls of 8-10 kt. By dawn, wind was blowing 14-18 kt. Soon after, harbour master came over to ask me to move - seemed I was in way of the monster 'Carnival Miracle' that was about to anchor not far away. Don't think I was actually that close but.... I raised anchor and moved off - delighted to see small group of Mobelo rays nearby as I checked out Harbour depths.

Decided to try rounding Cabo Falso to see what conditions were like.... 17-19 kt on the nose -giving over 20kt apparent wind and big, short seas as well... Way too much... speed dropped to 2.5 kt... Turned back and found wind seemed to abate a lot....so gave it another try.... True wind was 18-22 kt! This was clearly not going to be a sensible move! Turned around again, and eventually enjoyed a pleasant downwind sail back up the coast in the lee of the land towards San Jose. Wind got very light here soon after midday but that would not be true S of Cabo San Lucas and on along the windy exposed Baja SW coast.

Weather forecast is not looking hopeful for next few days so I'll get some more jobs done on board. It was great to sail for a change but that highlighted some overlooked jobs needed on deck - later today maybe... or tomorrow, for sure!

Hourly check on wind and anchor overnight. In lee of nearby high ground, winds were mostly 10-13 kt from W, with a few brief lulls of 8-10 kt. By dawn, wind was blowing 14-18 kt. Soon after, harbour master came over to ask me to move - seemed I was in way of the monster 'Carnival Miracle' that was about to anchor not far away. Don't think I was actually that close but.... I raised anchor and moved off - delighted to see small group of Mobelo rays nearby as I checked out Harbour depths.

Decided to try rounding Cabo Falso to see what conditions were like.... 17-19 kt on the nose -giving over 20kt apparent wind and big, short seas as well... Way too much... speed dropped to 2.5 kt... Turned back and found wind seemed to abate a lot....so gave it another try.... True wind was 18-22 kt! This was clearly not going to be a sensible move! Turned around again, and eventually enjoyed a pleasant downwind sail back up the coast in the lee of the land tow ards San Jose. Wind got very light here soon after midday but that would not be true S of Cabo San Lucas and on along the windy exposed Baja SW coast.

Weather forecast is not looking hopeful for next few days so I'll get some more jobs done on board. It was great to sail for a change but that highlighted some overlooked jobs needed on deck - later today maybe... or tomorrow, for sure!

Dawn over Cabo San Lucas. I've been up every hour, hoping for wind to drop -but has been mainly 10-12kt, occasionally dropping briefly to 8-9kt... and that's in lee of San Lucas Bay.
Now, at 6.30 a.m. 15 kt, gusting to 18-20kt. from W. Must be more on outside. Too strong a headwind to motor into it for long -so no escaping today...
Got heŕe at sunset yesterday from San Jose del Cabo after losing the morning weather window due to a fuelling fiasco when a BIG boat came in (& took all morning up to past 1pm to fueĺ up) as I was about to fill my tank .. Another frustrating day.

Sat 3rd June

Left before sunrise to make Bahia Frailes by early afternoon.
Newly-cleaned speed impellor not working properly - I'll have to remove it again and clean it some more later.  Can't calibrate it enough at the moment to compensate for its poor performance.
Lifted kayak out of water so it wouldn't slow us down -lots of barnacles to be  removed before stowing it deflated for the 700 mile passage north next week. Almost no swell here.
Hoping to leave Cabo early Monday to head to Ensenada in light headwinds, becoming calm at times.  Might have stronger headwind around the Cape -hopefully for just a short time!

Los Muertos 2nd June 2017

A frustrating day…..

Decided recently wind generator not working properly - keeps making noise and not putting in power when wind is well up.

Fuse on circuit to one solar panel keeps blowing - can’t see why despite lots of trouble-shooting. Panel is putting out same power as other one- must be a wiring problem…but where? Need to dig deeper in aft cabin.

Looking to replace secondary water-maker pump - not simple and will take quite a time.

My only minimal achievement today was giving 'Nomad' a 40A blade fuse to replace in their engine control panel - theirs was blowing when they went to start engine. Problem turned into a bare wire at alternator from engine wiring harness - now fixed but too late for them to get underway. They lent me a clamp ammeter - turned out that mine was only good for AC, not DC… hadn’t realised until today… Grrr!!!

Wind dying down now - will go for a swim and clean boat some more…. Good news from yesterday was finding long hose I thought I no longer had - so can dive on keel or prop if needed - so long as tank has air enough.

Some boats took off around the Cape this morning - into 15-20kt wind on the nose, one told me - will be very uncomfortable and slow, bashing into wind and waves for the next day or more. They’ve been getting impatient with all the waiting for a weather window. I’m looking at a possibility early on Monday. Time will tell.

Thursday 1st June 2017 - A big overnight 'blow' last night!

Looking at latest COAMPS weather files for up to Sat 6pm LT (0000Z)... they show strong headwinds (WNW 14-16kt) around Cape Falso at that time - so that puts off going around the cape at Cabo San Lucas on Saturday, it seems.

So I'll stay on in Los Muertos today (Thursday) and maybe move to Los Frailes by tomorrow evening - Friday - ready to move on to San Jose and CSL over Saturday if Sunday winds look good - but could end up in Frailes another night if Sunday winds are still too strong to round the cape.... We'll see!

Had strong SW winds here overnight for quite a few hours. Began increasing from 10pm and quickly got to SW 20-22 kt for quite a time (I put out more rode at 10.30pm) before very slowly dying - still nearly 20kt at midnight. Got down to SW 8kt by 4am and then quickly died to almost nothing (2-3 kt) from NW by 4.45am. Similar picture of stronger winds over early evening than during daytime as was seen at La Ventana but nothing like as strong there as here last night. Due to strong winds getting over from the outside (Pacific side), I think - like a Coromuel? I was late to my bunk!

Heard there were strong winds last night in La Paz also.

I'll assume same pattern at Frailes when I go there... and will make sure I've plenty of scope out and the anchor is well dug in, ready for a repeat of Wednesday night's winds.

Seems that, once around the Cape, winds next week are looking fine for the rest of the long trip N - mainly calm or light, with frequent aftenoon/evening (onshore) W breezes to 15kt or so up as far as Isla Cedros and then mainly calm all the way to Ensenada and San Diego.

Dawn is breaking here - I'm off back to my bunk for more sleep!

Los Muertos 31st May 2017

Hopped the short distance (16 n.mls.) from just off La Ventana village, in SW corner of Bahia La Ventana, soon after Phil left on 'Sail a Vie' at 8 a.m. Very light wind and flooding tide meant I had no choice but to motor the passage E and then S to Los Muertos - but the highlight of a very scenic journey was seeing a big Manta ray leap out of the sea soon after rounding Punta Arena de La Ventana.

It’s a very pleasant anchorage here, with a fairly calm sea just now, and likely to stay that way for the next few days - forecast for this part of the Baja coast is for daytime calms or v. light variable winds, mostly from the N, with possibility of overnight westerlies up to10 kt - this place is well-protected from both W and N directions and even a short spell of NE-SE winds to 10 kt or so would not pose a problem.

Looking ahead to rounding Cabo Falso, off Cabo San Lucas, on my way north, I don’t see a clear window in sight - there’s a vague possibility this weekend but it’s definitely not looking as though anytime before Saturday will work out. Forecast for Friday evening is for a15 kt headwind (which probably translates into more!) at the Cape - not good! Of course, it’s not just a matter of getting around the Cape but also then not getting strong headwinds on the leg up to the first possible stops of Bahia Sta Maria or Magdalena…

It’s a situation where it’s great not to have a deadline looming to force a decision to leave and have a possibly uncomfortable, slow, fuel-consuming bash up the coast into short, sharp chop… I need one day from here to Los Frailes and one more to make Cabo San Lucas from there, including a stop at San Jose del Cabo for fuel, So with a good 3-day weather forecast, I can stay here as long as necessary - far pleasanter than being in a costly marina or being used as a mark by jet-skis at anchor in Bahia San Lucas… and I can usefully get on with more jobs while I wait…

Tuesday 30th May 2017

Clear blue sky again for most of the day...

Nice to meet up yesterday with Phil, who was on Sail a Vie . Went in his dinghy to see the place he's buying, close to the beach here - has couple of ancient cacti the size of big trees.

A lot of it was made using local stone and bamboo, as well as the inevitable concrete. Quite different from a normal dwelling - all areas are separate modules Good thing it's a desert here with infrequent rain or you'd get wet going from shower to kitchen/lounge to bedroom!

Phil plans to learn to kiteboard and keep up his passion for cycling when here over the winter months.

It got a little windy and rolly this afternoon but wind died down later and it was calm again overnight -a familiar pattern.

Got a couple more jobs done, including renewing the seal around the underside of the cockpit locker lid - an important item.

Probably making for Los Muertos tomorrow but will confirm forecast wind direction first.

Keeping busy checking weather several times a day.... Late Friday might be possible for rounding Cabo San Lucas to head on N to Ensenada but won't know for sure until Wednesday's forecast arrives... COAMPS inshore forecasts are only for three days at a time. Might have to wait longer ...

At least 8 tiny creatures, one long ragworm, several weed growths & a lot of squiggly chalky 'worm homes' - no wonder the speed impellor hasn't been giving a readout. Propspeed on the paddle wheel did a good job, as usual, but the uncoated cavity & side walls were home to a living congested village!
Now to replace it & dry the area before starting the next job.... but after a swim under the bright sun... It is Sunday, after all!
It will be nice to get true wind and current readouts ...for a time, at least.
Relaxing in between work - have been laughing out loud while reading some of Bill Bryson's comments - hilarious!

Left Balandra on Saturday after a bad night's sleep with strong (20-25kt) S-SSE winds. Anchor was well-set but had to be sure of that before I could settle down in my bunk around 2 am.
Passed through San Lorenzo Channel -slow progress made with headwind and some current. On down the Canal Cerralvo, past barren uninhabited Isla Cerralvo to Bahia La Ventana for a secure overnight anchorage
The long sandy spit of Punta Arena de La Ventana gives perfect protection from any SE wind! Two other boats were there overnight including friends on 'Sands-End' who left well before dawn to make San Jose del Cabo - a good distance away.
I had a good night's sleep in calm, peaceful conditions. Bright crescent moon was seen for a time after a lovely sunset over the Baja hills beyond the sweeping sandy Bay of La Ventana.
Light winds are forecast for several days here on E and SE tip of the Baja but N winds ~15kt are forecast on the SW coast - not good for heading N just now . I'll stay today and possibly tomorrow before heading further S - I've several boat jobs I can do while here.
This is a popular kite boarding spot so maybe I'll see some fun if there's some breeze today.

Typical rugged mountain peaks with sandy beach below.
Didn't mention that a sealion, probably from Isla Lobos colony not far away, poked it's head up to look at us as we left Balandra