The end of Cruising Season 2020 for SV Soulstice

Bahia de Los Angeles arrived 7/27 and left 7/29

to Puerto Refugio on Isla Angel de la Guarda 7/29 

Bay of LA is a HUGE bay with 16 charted different islands. The main bay has a small community with some touristy places, like RV parks, hotels/motels, and some restaurants. Whale sharks are known to hang out here, particularly in La Gringa,  just slightly north of the bay and elefantes ( not animals but a localized strong westerly winds) are also known to frequent here. We did not see a whale shark but did experience an elefante our first night. Have you ever climbed in a hot oven and stayed there for 8 hours? How about put a blow dryer on HOT and just blow it in your face and on your body for 8 hours? Us neither but nature provided this experience for us our 1st night there. We arrived there in the afternoon and it was mild conditions on the way from Los Animas slot, our last anchorage, so we towed the dinghy and kept the paddleboards on deck. 

When we arrived we only saw one sailboat in the huge bay and anchored fairly close because we thought it was another cruiser we knew.  We were wrong ha! ha! In the distance, shortly after we arrived, Gabe, on Aiyana, dinghied over and greeted us with some Tecate beers. He will always be remembered for that sweet gesture. We chatted with him for a bit and realized his boat was probably another 500 yards away and not the boat 100 yards from us. That night was the hell night of unrelenting heat. Eventually at 2 am it calmed down from blowing 25 knots of HOT air. Even in the dark of night, the rigging on the boat was hot to touch.  I went into the cockpit to sleep as now there a slightly cooler breeze. The cockpit before that time was even hotter despite being nighttime. When I awoke, I noted several pangas fishing very close and was quite embarrassed because I had little clothing on and had to slither back in through the companionway to hideout. Stephen was laughing when he realized what was going on. 

We had a day of chores, which was to get fuel, we only needed 10 gallons as well as stock back up on freshies. Our last shop had in been in Santa Rosalia and the was just a baby shop with just a backpack full of goodies. So we got jerry cans and grocery bags and hopped in the dinghy and headed to shore. We landed the dinghy on the beach in front of a restaurant called Guillermo's. This was the recommended place in the cruiser’s guide and Gabe confirmed this. The place was closed due to the COVID. We made our way to get fuel walking to the Pemex about a 1 mile away. The 1st Pemex had gasoline but no diesel. It was already hot outside. Stephen came out of the store with a Tecate 40oz  that we shared on the curb at 0930am. Was it wrong to split a 40 at 0930am in the gas station parking lot? We decided it was not and the beer went back easy and quenched our thirst! Aaaahhhh The joy of cruising!

We then needed to walk to the other Pemex which interestingly was less than a mile from this Pemex?! Weird but ok it is Mexico.  We filled up on diesel and then had a luggage dolly we going to try to stack the fuel and walk back. A local offered us a ride in the back of his pick up. We gladly took the ride because it was already in high 90’s with temp and the luggage dolly was going to be sketchy. It was a young father with his 2 boys in the front seat. He dropped us back off Guillermos and I gave him some dineros as a thank you! We then loaded the dinghy with the fuel and gathered our grocery bags for now we needed to walk to the Mercado. Before we left, an old man came out and started chatting us up. He informed us the restaurant and tienda was closed. He was very soft-spoken and a good conversationalist. We realized he was Guillermo! We conversed with him for quite some time and realized he had many accolades including winning (1st place) the Baja 1000 race 2 separate times. He opened up the restaurant and showed us his trophies and awards from the races as well as many fishing trophies. He was so kind that he offered to drive us to the store or just even take his truck to the store and return it when we were done. We were complete strangers and he offered us his truck?? This has happened to us several times now with local folks and it is a consistent trait of the Mexican culture to be generous and helpful! 

Despite his thoughtfulness, we declined. We actually wanted the walk for some exercise and so we went to the store. It was a tiny Mercado, more like a big tienda. We got most of our items except they had no cucumbers or limes. We do notice limes are often unavailable in Mexico, shocking I know! We made our way back to our little floating home to clean and put away our food. It was a bit windy now with some choppy wind waves so we decided not to paddleboard or swim. We waited for sunset and hopped in the dinghy for a troll session. This evening session was definitely not like fishing at Isla Partida. I got only one bite from a little mackeral looking guy with yellow distinct dots on his body. We threw him back and decided to go visit Aiyana. Gabe on SV Aiyana, a 1996 Island Packet, was just hanging out and gladly welcomed us aboard.  The Caliber is often mistaken for an Island Packet and they do have the same designer, George McCreary, so that is why. It is always fun to admire and ogle someone else’s floating home. We let him know were going to take off to Puerto Refugio in the morning and just wish him a good rest of his cruising season. He is a single-hander and I always admire that because I know how much work a boat is with 2 people to help let alone be by yourself. 

Originally, I had intended for us to fit in at least one of island anchorages in Bay of LA called Isla Smith. It has a huge dormant volcano, 1500 ft high with a nice hike to it. If we went there it would be for a day and then we would have just 2 days at our next spot. We decided to forgo Isla Smith so we could get to our “last” anchorage and enjoy it for a few days before heading up the marina to get Soulstice ready for haul out. You can’t do everything and see everything so maybe next time. 

We knew our sail to Refugio on the northern end of Isla Angel de La Guarda would be dynamic and it was! Winds with gust in high 20’s and low 30’s, big wind waves, swell and some of it cross. We had the dinghy and the paddleboards deflated and put away for safety. We sailed upwind, downwind, on the beam. We were reefed down to just a handkerchief of a genoa and reefed main and still making 6-7 knots. It started with an upwind journey due to wind wrapping around into the Bay of LA and then the rest was downwind, with lots of jibes. We decided not to use the whisker pole for the downwind sail. We usually get that set up the night before and due to the numerous points of sail, we would want to do we decided it was not our best option. In those high winds and bigger seas, we made the right decision. We jibed back and forth for several hours along the West side of the long island which is approximately 30nm long and so covering most of the distance of our 40nm sail. We eventually reached the well-known maker of Roca Vela and made the turn east to enter the anchorage. There is a small passage you can pass through to get to the anchorage more quickly but it is only 2/10 mile wide and has a 5-knot current. We are very conservative and decided to bypass this and go all the way around. It was slightly longer but gave us peace of mind. 

Coming around to the entrance there are 3 bays to anchor in with the middle bite being the largest and the one we chose. All 3 bays were empty so we had another pristine place all to ourselves. We were too pooped to blow up the paddle boards or dinghy and decided to wait until the next day. The next day we noted a catamaran in the Easternmost bay and recognized it was some friends we met in Puerto Escondido, Ken, and Wendy, on SV SeaShifter. Stephen and I had a nice swim in the bay for exercise and did some spearfishing too. We each speared a nice size cabrilla and it was decided we would have dinner on SV SeaShifter that night. Catamarans have way more space for entertaining than a monohull so no complaints by us. Another guest for dinner would be coming too and that was Gabe from Aiyana. The heat at this time of year was too much, so he decided shortly after we left Bay of LA, that he too would head to Puerto Penasco for haul out. 

Ken made fabulous dirty rice and beans to accompany our cabrilla on the grill. It was an enjoyable dinner followed by a meet up on the beach for a campfire. We made a small campfire, brought some tunes, and admired the starry sky. After Baja midnight ( 0930 which can be 0830 sometimes - ha!) we all paddled back to our respective boats for a dreamy sleep. The next day would be another day of swimming and spearfishing. Wendy joined us for our hour-long swim and it was fun to share with someone else our snorkel/swim time. If we saw a cool fish or sea turtle or ray we would put our heads up and be like, “ did you see that?” We all passed the cool electric ray with it’s noted 3 shark tooth bumped tail. We also had some large sea turtles go by as well. Spearfishing today was just ok as the visibility was not so great. Gabe joined us for his 1st time. We decided to call it and I speared a trigger with my pulse spear and used Stephen’s gun for another trigger. We would make ceviche tonight and meet up on the beach for our last evening campfire. The next morning was a buddy boat sail with all 3 vessels to Penasco. No other boats arrived at Refugio until the next am when we were leaving. 

We all timed our exit so we could arrive close to high tide the next day. The tidal change was 18ft and it was a Spring Tide as the full moon was on 8/3 and we left at noon on 8/2 from Refugio. We all left with a decent wind on the beam and eventually the wind veered to the expected downwind sail. The sun was setting and the moon was rising. It was beautiful last sail to port.

Our time in Puerto Penasco was busy and HOT!!! Lots of shrimp boats playing bumper boats. It was nice to see el pastor tacos again! Otherwise, it was unrelenting HOT with dock showers and pools/puddles of sweat daily from the moment we woke until sunset. At sunset it was still HOT but the sweating was only slightly better) ( this probably because we more dehydrated!). We hauled out on 8/8 in the evening at high tide and made our way across the border to Phoenix on 8/11 for an evening flight to MD. The end of our 2020 cruising season that was supposed to end in New Zealand. We “enjoyed” the pandemic on the Sea of Cortez and now are returning to the hurricane of humanity as we like to call it. This too shall pass…..

Roca Vela on Northwest corner of Isla Angel de la Guarda

Dolphins tagging along 

Ahoy Matey! Land Ho! Puerto Refugio

Sails drying out ready to be stowed below decks

Final safety check - time to go aloft

Where's my screwdriver? jk. time to wrap masthead in foil and do some white vinegar to the rigging/take down running backs. 

Soulstice haul out on 8/8 at 1655 local time in Puerto Penasco at Cabrales Yard

One last video - Large cave at Isla San Marcos - good reflection 

San Francisquito to Bahia de Los Angeles

Sunset at Los Animas Slot

Yellowtail success while trolling at Isla Partida

Jenny got a Yellowtail! whoop! whoop! 2 actually if you read below. My friend likes to say, "Jenny got a gun..." while I'm spearfishing but this time just a desired lime green rapala

San Francisquito 7/20 arrived after 88nm journey 16 hours arriving approximately 1600

Isla Partida 7/22-7/25

Las Animas slot 7/25-7/27

off to Bahia de Los Angeles

The last blog we were leaving Isla San Marcos to head to San Francisquito….

Stephen and I had an eventful sail to San Francisquito. We woke up at 1130 pm, actually, Stephen did, I stayed up (and never napped) and we readied the boat for the 88nm journey to San Francisquito from Isla San Marcos. Earlier in the evening, Blue Wind, Chris and Alex, did arrive to San Marcos in time for a quick visit and a paddleboard session back through the sea caves. We returned their Tristan Jones book. Most of the time with book exchanges you do not ask for the book back but this book was part of their “classics” and we agreed to return it after we read it. I can see why they wanted it back, it truly is a classic for sailing as many have done circumnavigations but to sail in the Dead Sea and Lake Titicaca is remarkable. It was a quick visit with them and they knew we were heading north taking off just after midnight. We will see them again maybe in Puerto Penasco. 

Around 1am we motored out the anchorage and started a beautiful night passage. We knew we would motor and then sail later in the day. Stephen wanted the chubasco report before we left and the ability to arrive early in the day. If the report was fine, which we get at 2100 via email from a gentleman named Jake from the Amigo net, we would give the thumbs up to leave. Our other option to leave was to leave in the leave in the afternoon and sail overnight arriving early morning the next day. If we did this we would get the advantage of having wind right away but then regardless of the report, we would have to deal with consequences if it was unfavorable. By choosing to leave after midnight we could get a small rest in (Stephen did) and also get the chubasco report.  If a chubasco was heading our way we could make the informed decision to postpone our departure and avoid the squall. So leaving at night meant using some fuel as we knew there would not be wind that night but we deemed our safety worth the expense. 

It was a great night and I was awake for some reason;) I was excited to move farther north and the bouquet of stars above kept me occupied. It was a glorious night sky and we also had been watching the comet NEO that was seen just below the big dipper. It was made out of ice and was giving a great show the last several nights visible by the naked eye and magnificent with binoculars. Stephen slept up in the cockpit with me while I kept watch. At daylight, some wind was already filling in and we were able to get sails out. We planned for a nice downwind sail and had the whisker pole set up already so the genoa could be pulled out. It was going to be too windy for the spinnaker. 

It was a great downwind sail except the sea state but was bit lumpy and some swell was coming from the east as well as the southeast. The side swipes every now and then did hamper our progress and made it more washing machine-like. Also because we would be going through some tide cycles due to the distance and time needed to cover the distance, we had the effect of current against the wind on the ebbing tide for part of the sail and that was no fun. Eventually, when the tide started to flood and we had the wind and the current as a team, we started cruising making 7-8 knots. That was the sail I imagined the entire time but no such luck. Downwind still is always better in winds of 15-20knots! Our hand-lines on this sail remained empty although we pulled them a fair bit because the sea state was too chunky and we did not want to have to deal with catching and cleaning a fish at the same time too.  We did note the water was not as blue as it was by Isla San Marcos. The water temp had also cooled so we realized dorado was not going to be hitting the lines probably anyway OH well…. we DID get some dorado already and we had plenty of fish in the fridge and freezer so we were good! 

Oh, I did forget a very memorable hand line moment… 2 hours before our arrival to the new anchorage, the 2 hand-lines we had deployed when the sea state laid down were attracting some fish. We could see what looked like dorado dashing about the hand lines in the wake. The sea state began to liven up again and so we decided to pull the lines back in again. As Stephen was coiling in the lines he felt a generous tug and I looked at the end of the line and saw a shark bite it off. He pulled it in and noted the wire leader was cut through and through- YIKES! On the other hand I was grateful we did not have to try to remove a hook from a shark’s mouth!!

We arrived at San Francisquito with one last bout of washing machine action before turning into the anchorage. This was due to the ebbing current and accelerated winds.  We were pretty tired and arrived around 4pm, exactly 16 hours later as projected. We enjoyed recuperation and fell asleep by probably 730p that night. We awoke to another boat in the anchorage and figured they must have come in after dark. The day was spent as a down day because I needed a paddleboard repair. My paddle-board had a small leak due to an injury it sustained in high winds in the anchorage in San Marcos. I, unfortunately, had it tied up well to the boat and so well I decided to put a second point of attachment during some very gusty winds, 18-25 knots. That was a bad idea as it made the paddleboard a “wing” and launched it up in the air and it hit a corner of the solar panel. The force of which it hit and pointed corner put a fine tear in the board but enough I noted the sizzle when paddling the next day and saw bubbles when the seawater lapped over the board. AAAHHH! I love inflatable SUPs but that is the one problem. I try to be so careful with barnacles on docks and coming into shore and I was furious at myself for tying up the board that way. Lesson learned! Note to self, don’t put 2 points of attachment, at least opposite directions in high winds! We did a repair and made it a movie day!! We were going to paddle in to shore on one board but decided with 2 backpacks, 2 people and it was quite windy that day as well with wind waves that we would just chill inside. Movie day was a blast from the past with the documentary called Apollo and then appropriately following Hidden Figures. What a great time in history for the US with space travel. I feel the US is far from any great achievements lately that deserves world recognition, it is sad. I am hopeful there can be change as certainly even during that great time, race riots were prevalent everywhere and certainly are now too. Interesting times… When can we all just be respectful to one another, treat others how you would like to be treated! The GOLDEN RULE from kindergarten! 

We were on more a timeline now so after a full day of rest, we decided to leave the next day to head towards Isla Partida which was 30 nm away. The wind was supposed to be again SE with 15-20kts and it was. We carefully left so we were on a flooding tide and the day would be short enough we could avoid the ebb. It worked out beautiful with us making upwards of 9 knots at times with the current helping to push us along. The Genoa was back out on the whisker pole and we were cruising in an unfamiliar territory which always keeps you on your toes. The Midriff Islands is a set of islands in the Northern Sea of Cortez that are mostly uninhabited. We got to our new anchorage and 2 other boats were there. We knew one of the boats from another anchorage, Peter, and Tom, on Bohemia. Peter is from the Czech republic and Tom is British. They would be spending their summer up in the Sea. They had flights to England but canceled them after the pandemic and decided to stay safe and sound on their floating home. They gave us the beta on the island and informed us they were leaving the next day. Stephen and I arrived around 2pm and got busy re-inflating paddleboards and decided to bring the dinghy back to life again as well. We wanted to troll fish. The Northeast corner of the island had some rip tides and it would be too risky with paddleboards to go over there but not with a 15HP Johnson to help us scoot along! We went trolling that night and I got 2 FISH on one lure, a cabrilla, and a trigger. It has 2 treble hooks on the one lure but still, that was wild and Stephen said he had never seen anyone catch 2 fish at one time. He got a cabrilla too. We threw back my cabrilla as it was the smaller one and kept the trigger and his cabrilla. Dorado was still in the fridge to be eaten as well! 

The next day we explored the island with a hike over the entire northwest ridge. Great scenery and stunning views. When we returned and after a lunch break I noted some yellowtail running the shallows on a  paddleboard excursion. We decided the next morning we would head out for yellowtail and so we did. We got 2 yellowtail almost back to back but only netted one! Mine as I brought him to the surface, somehow Stephen was unable to net him and he got away. They are a powerful fish and definitely active to bring in. I was bummed but truly we had plenty of fish and they are quite large. I was so happy for Stephen because he has been trying to get a yellowtail for as long as he has been trying for the dorado - 2 years!! We had sashimi for lunch and it was delectable!! We went for another hike that afternoon and covered the Northeast ridge this time. We had an afternoon swim as well since we had some good water clarity. I love to swim for exercise but if the water is murky it is too spooky… I cannot relax and keep thinking Mr. Sharky is going to come to visit me and accidentally chew on my leg because he couldn’t see it was just Jen and not a fish. By the way, we had this entire gorgeous anchorage all to ourselves. That is the glory of having a sailboat. It is even hard to go hiking these days and find solitude. The sailboat does afford you to get really remote places, explore and have that solitude you are looking for. It is truly magical and I am so grateful it is a part of my life. 

The next day we had another troll session and guess who got yellowtail?? Jenny did!!! whoop whoop! Stephen was happy for me because he felt so bad about the net incident. Ha! Yellowtail is probably my favorite fish for sashimi besides unagi. We were set now and actually, would welcome another boat to gift some fish so we could fish some more. We were heading over to Animas Slot and we wouldn’t be putting out hand lines because we did not need any more fish fo’ sure! We will miss that lovely little anchorage! Oh, I did forget to mention one sunset after returning from a hike I got munched on terribly by no-see-ums!!! Stephen did not get one bite but I probably got 100+ ( no exaggeration) and for the last several nights the itching has been unbearable. I remember seeing these tiny gnats swarm me on my paddleboard but did not feel the bites right away. As annoying as it is, after all the books we have read on the Amazon this year, I definitely felt like this is a minor intrusion. I always wanted to go the Amazon but at this stage in my life and after reading multiple books that confirm the nightmare of insect bites over there amongst of other animals/insect savagery that occurs,  I have no interest to go and only to continue to read about the adventures ( or miseries) of others. 

Animas slot is only 12 nm away west/southwest from Isla Partida and we expected it to be a motor but some sea breeze filled in and we sailed 1/2 the way on a beam. Easy peasy and lovely. Again we chose a flood despite really just heading across the Sea of Cortez back to the Baja peninsula side. We did get some info earlier on the amigo net that no one was in this small anchorage that really would only fit 2 boats comfortably. It is tight with lots of reef on either side and we were grateful to have time to pick our spot. We had a nice reconnaissance paddleboard in the anchorage when we arrived and then settled in for a quiet evening. In the morning we enjoyed morning coffee and did our usual nets, the Sonrisa and then shortly after the amigo net. Every day seems to be getting hotter and hotter but the water here was bit cooler at 75 so that was helpful. We packed our bags for a day hike, there is a trail that ascends a ridge-line and then heads over to the adjacent anchorage. It was a good scramble up and then followed an arroyo down to the beach. It was a rocky beach that we meandered along and then made the return back to our beach. When we got back we had a nice soak in the water next to Soulstice. We decided to stay in the shade of the boat until sunset when we made our way back to the beach for an evening campfire. When we were on shore earlier we gathered some driftwood and made a nice fire ring with some decent sized rocks so it would all be ready for when we came in later. It is sometimes still amazing to me that we can be in such a gorgeous place, have this stunning setting and all to ourselves!!! It is so hard to find that in the States these days. More and more folks are getting outside which is great but then it does make solitude more difficult. For example, my girlfriend went to go paddleboard on Lake Tahoe with her son and there was a mile LONG line at 8am and so she will attempt 6 am the next day to beat the crowd! Uggh! So frustrating to have such beauty in your backyard but difficult to enjoy due to the hordes of people. Cruising up in the Sea of Cortez has afforded us a return to nature and be able to have it selfishly to ourselves many times. The mainland of Mexico is busy and of course, there are other cruisers up here but thanks to the pandemic, the fear of the heat of the summer, and *** Hurricane Season **** ( June to Nov) we have scored some phenomenally lovely anchorages all just for Soulstice! 

Feeling grateful the next morning, we made our way to Bahia de Los Angeles or better known as Bay of LA which was 30nm away. We had to get a move on since we have flights home now midAugust.  

Finally uploaded videos on YouTube. Hmmmm.... not sure why haven't for so long during this blogging time but probably because lazy on the editing (aka no editing) but will need to start to work on that.