HOLA to ALOHA

If it is going to Happen, It is going to Happen OUT There - Captain Ron

I have never watched Captain Ron to everyone’s surprise so this was included on the LIST TO DO before we made passage! 

Well, on the last blog we talked about getting to La Paz to meet up with Matt and Amahra from Alaska. They made it on the 15th as scheduled and we were in the slip by the evening of the 14th. Amahra took advantage of the Mexican medical system getting a few MRIs on 4/16 at 250$ each with film included, CD, and printed radiology reading! So amazing as an MRI in the US costs at least 3000$ outpatient and ER 5-7,000$. Her deductible in the US is quite high, so this was definitely worth it. 

In the meantime, we continued with accomplishing a few errands to include more provisioning, boat cleaning, and visiting with friends. We met up with Milou again, Larry, Nicole, and Ellie ( our buddy boat from last year) and Blue Wind once again, Alex and Chris. There were also many other boats in the La Paz area that we connected with as well. We had some street taco dinner meet-ups and waited for some wind to leave for San Jose del Cabo. By the way, if you do go to La Paz, the bakery Dulce Romero has delicious pastries!!! So buttery & flaky! Great coffee too.  

On 4/19, we left La Paz and Milou helped with dock lines but really just to wave us off. We sailed and motored again, the wind was not as strong as forecast. We arrived Tuesday early afternoon. We were in this same marina 3 years ago when we sailed down from Seattle so it was familiar to us. The Drunken Sailor across the street was well known to us for tacos and drinks so we celebrated with a nice lunch on arrival only to see Blue Wind in the parking lot. They had rented a car for a road trip and decided to see if we were around. ha! I teased they were stalking us and we would see them in Hilo:) 

After several trips to the Port Captain (it was closed in San Jose del Cabo for the 1st 3 days we there and Cabo San Lucas Port Captain said we had to check out in San Jose del Cabo because the boat was in the marina there) and 2 trips to Immigration (they filled out our paperwork wrong) WE FINALLY GOT OUR ZARPE. 

Once you get your Zarpe, you have 48 hours to exit the country. Our departure is planned for today. 

We looked at weather and it will be a nice start with a beam reach and winds in the teens but then we will get becalmed. The hard part about this is that the swell can make it uncomfortable. We also decided to buy an a la carte forecast from the Weather Routing Institute. They too agreed with our forecast and suggested we wait 4 more days. The difficult part about this is weather a week out is not reliable and we could either get into trouble with too much wind on the cape as well as another ridge of low wind at some point in time. All four of us made the decision that we getting around the cape safely was very important and we had wind now. We recognize we will get becalmed, maybe hurl up some food and need some scopolamine patches and Zofran which we have plenty but waiting with no guarantees seemed not favorable either. 

IF IT GOING TO HAPPEN, IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OUT THERE!!

The tracker allows me to add post-it notes now thanks to Predict Wind. So I have added that feature. Somehow when I did this it erased all our old tracks ( Seattle down and even as far South as Zihuatenejo) which I was sad about but PW is trying to resurrect these. In the meantime, enjoy the notes and hopefully include “ Large yellowtail on the line!” or “ Large dorado for dinner today”, “Broad reach with 20 knots and making >100 miles a day” 

The passage is 2558 miles so we will have some time together!! Podcasts downloaded - check

Music downloaded- check

Kindle books and audiobooks downloaded - check

Fuel, water, FOOD - SO MUCH FOOD for 4 hungry people! check

Follow along for the ride @ 

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SVSoulstice

“Life was meant for great adventures and close friends” 

Wapiti

Left to Right: Alex & Chris from Blue Wind, me, Matt, Amahra, Stephen

Cross on hill adjacent to Marina - it lights up at night with different colors

Just a very cool ride! 

Speaking the philosophies of life as Stephen likes to say - Stephen and Matt

Cool mural/wall painting outside of one of the tackle shops

LEAVING PUERTO ESCONDIDO TO NAUTILUS COVE

Cool marine layer on leaving mooring field/ Pre-IFR conditions

Thank you Mr. Cabria and Mr. Trigger for your delicious bounty:)

April 10th we left PE around 9am and arrived in Nautilus Cove, adjacent to Agua Verde around 2pm. We spent A LOT of time here last cruising season and this place is quite sentimental to us. It was like coming to a HOME on water. 

It was a foggy start with a dynamic marine layer and stayed that way for several hours. We had to pull out the navigation cheat sheet to remind ourselves how to communicate with other vessels via sound signals and use instrument navigation only because visibility was only 2/10th  of a mile. The channel of Candeleros which is right outside the exit channel of Puerto Escondido was littered with small islands, fishing nets, and strong currents. Also, fancy charter boats going 15-20 knots and not receptive on the hailing channel of VHF 16 when head-on! 

On a better note… It was beautiful really seeing the heavy, white condensation billowing over islands and land masses and sitting on the water like a surreal entrance to heaven. Some of the views looked like a waterfall of clouds. 

The wind was not in our favor, initially none, then being South, which was forecasted and the direction we were headed. It wasn’t quite 30 degrees off the bow, so not enough to be a close haul even. We decided to tow our dinghy which we rarely do but our destination was only 30 nm away.  Because the dinghy was on a tow leash behind us, we didn’t want to do long tacks with the building fetch to avoid any chances of swamping the dinghy. It was a motor fest. 

It has been a challenging cruising season emotionally for us. We are so excited to make a big passage but we are on a timeline which is the antithesis of cruising! We could have had an extra week to get South from Puerto Penasco if weather would have cooperated and then we would have a little more time to enjoy the anchorages but that is how it goes with weather dependent activities. But… this upcoming sailing adventure ( going to Hawaii) demands we move in a more timely fashion due to our late return to Mexico on March 1. June is when possible storms could arise so you do need to scoot and boogie and ideally March/April is the the recommended time to depart from Mexico. 

Mexico is SO enjoyable to cruise ( I think I have "rain-manned" this feeling) and it is hard to quickly pass by… for a destination. It is about the journey right? So, we have had some hijacking of our emotions on leaving the Sea of Cortez and scurrying down the Baja coast. 

As I mentioned with the weather hurdles, very windy days have had us hunkered down in anchorages at times as well.  Too windy to paddle board with inflatables or leave the boat. Remember ALL our rescues in other anchorages!!!???!!! And the water temp has primarily been COLD. Today, even as we are farther South with a latitude of 25 degrees vs the 31 degrees latitude of Penasco,  the temp in the water today registered 64-66 degrees!  BURR!!! I have been swimming with a shorty wetsuit when 68 or above regardless to help get the ants out my pants.

Regardless, we have a magical afternoon in Nautilus Cove with some troll fishing in the dinghy. Cabria and Trigger quickly hit our lines and it was like OLD times. My new Euro 110 Riffe Speargun still remains unused this season. Bummer! I am cranky about it missing out on amazing opportunities in places like La Lancha ad here but the visibility, wind or water temp prevented both us from the underwater hunt. 

We came back from our successful trolling session, even throwing back some smaller fish, very excited for our FIRST personally acquired fish tacos of the season.  We did have the chore of putting the dinghy away in BIG winds but our new system with a 4:1 mechanical advantage has made a huge difference. We always pouted about taking the dinghy out or putting her away but this new system we devised has made it much easier and quicker. We have to move again in the am farther south and a longer distance with wind against us, so the dinghy needed to be nestled up on the deck. 

The anchorage initially was our little paradise as most people like to go to Agua Verde next door. It has a tienda, protection from more wind ranges and internet ( poor) from the tienda. And then a single hander arrived about an hour after we did. Bienvenidos to Nautilus Cove!   We gave big hand waves gesturing welcoming him to this amazing place. It is funny, we feel like the hosts of Nautilus Cove. Similar to the camp hosts at a campground. It is hard to explain but the amount of time we have spent here, especially during the early days of the COVID pandemic, it has provided us with comfort and safety. We were able to obtain food here, swim here like it was glass swimming pool, see amazing night skies and the most artistic displays of phosphorescence with a paddleboard paddles after a beach side campfire with friends and returning to Soulstice. Phosphorescence snow angels listening to Benny Goodman on the Blue Tooth stereo on paddleboards returning to Soulstice were common. 

I know everyone out there has that memorable place or places and we do have more then Nautilus Cove but the common theme is that your soul can breathe with a rhythm synchronous with our Mother…. Nature … and it is such a blessing and called GRACE! 

Blasting through to San Evaristo and Isla San Francisco. 

We headed out of Nautilus Cove in early am and made our way to San Evaristo, nose in the wind and it was another motor fest! The Southeast wind was unrelenting but the sea state tolerable to make it. We kept discussing potential “outs” but most were early on in the passage.  Once we were over 11nm past Nautilus Cove we needed to be committed to our destination. We arrived tired and bummed as the anchorage with southerly protection was small and already had 2 boats in it. We had a VERY rolly night and have been spoiled because we have not had to endure a rolly night in a LONG time. We woke up tired and grumpy because we knew we needed to move again. We WANTED to move again too because we could not spend another night there. 

We were in San Evaristo in the past 2 years ago in the Northern lobe and had a lovely time. Our early spearfishing career was blooming there and there are some nice walls from that lobe but the Southern lobe has more of the fishing village structures and more traffic. For this current weather/wind it was not an enjoyable visit unfortunately. So… off we went with plans initially for Caleta Partida on Isla Partida, a 30 nm journey. 

Well… we headed out and the swell was already quite large and then the wind picked up making for very uncomfortable conditions. Early on we decided to abort our plans of Caleta Partida and head to Isla San Francisco only 9nm away. It is one of our favorite anchorages anyway and would afford us the protection from S/SE wind/waves we needed. We were tired and decided to get in somewhere safe and early enough to recoup and get ready still for a full day to La Paz. The winds will S/SE for the next few days. 

It was a great decision. We read/made bread/I studied some celestial nav and just continued to be tired…. We did muster up some energy for a swim. Water temp 72 degrees but still seemed chilly!!! I wanted to try to wake up but also to feel like we could earn a dinner drink! The only bummer of being here is it is a popular anchorage. Lots of charter boats but we should not be so snotty -  ha! Although, all the boats provide waypoints to swim around and again give a sense of security that no BIG fish linger here:) We did see some sea turtles and scored a pair of Ray Bans from the sandy bottom! 

SURRENDER

Surrender to me means giving in to a struggle. This is more of a personal note from me about transitioning from the work/land scene to the cruising scene. Maybe a little trendy talk about mindfulness:) Sometimes my mind is like the “haunted forest of toxic jibber-jabber” (a phrase from Tristan Jones, author of the Incredible Voyage). I try to avoid toxic people but sometimes I find myself toxic. 

When I say this, it is because I may appear quite adaptable and act adaptable but not without a lot of self-talk at times. My personal metamorphosis from a life in the working world to the sailboat is a bit of acceptance for me. I will lose some of the conveniences of life on land but will gain a stillness in my mind that is invaluable. 

I use exercise as my chill pill. It works great for me. When I go exercise it has the same effect on me as valium to others. I can get rid of my anxious energy which allows me to think better and even interact with others better. But even then my mind can race. I am a forward thinker, Stephen tells me. I have a hard time enjoying the present moment because I am always planning the next move. It must be a security thing for me. I don’t know. I like to know what the plan is and he is fine just to be. 

After a month of being back on the boat and 10 of those days at sea, I finally had a true moment of stillness in my mind. I felt like I was able to take in my surroundings without distractions, internally or externally. It helped to be in an anchorage without other boats, incredible weather, and peaceful surroundings but IT HaPPENED! I am grateful for the experience and welcome more. We cannot have change without loss. In my mind, I felt like I “lost” some of my comforts of land life but without that loss, I could not appreciate the simplicity of the life I was now in. I love camping and backpacking and have always been attracted to those activities for their simplicity but I never did them for a month or more. I loved checking out or better yet checking “in” as my friend says, for that week or two of outdoors living. Being on the boat each time for more than 6 months is an extended time frame of that same conscious, thoughtful living. I say this because I am able to access more resources when not on the boat such as food, water, internet, whatever. The boat provides for me but it is more of an effort to achieve those comforts we take for granted. On the same token, escaping the ability to get whatever you want, whenever you want, grants you the feeling of gratefulness which can be easily forgotten. 

It is still an effort for me to quiet my mind. 

“ Those Himalayas of the mind

Are not so easily possessed

There’s more than precipice and storm

Between you and your Everest.”

C. Day Lewis

I did want to pursue the adventures of sailing and I knew it would be challenging. Sailing helps with my “emotional presbyopia”, allowing me to pull back and see the bigger picture ( quote from Lori Gottlieb/book Maybe you should talk to someone). Also to work on my lack of patience, “ Patience requires endurance and effort. It’s defined as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.” 

This is turning into a ramble and but the point of this haunted house of toxic jibber-jabber is that loss, change, heartbreak (which did not happen) but anything that disrupts your routine, your comfort level, makes you anxious, uncomfortable, uneasy, SHOULD BE ENCOUNTERED with emotional presbyopia as there is an opportunity to learn about yourself and the world. And as disruptive as it is, IT MAY QUIET YOUR MIND AND SOUL! 

Bahia Cobre, Puerto de la Lancha and Puerto Ballandran on Isla Carmen

April 4- April 8

La Lancha ( north anchorage on Isla Carmen) 

Happy Easter!! We sailed from Bahia Concepcion to Bahia Cobre, 90 nm sail or approximtely 18 hours. We had some mild conditions so only made 3 knots at times but then had a strong finish with a close haul and 7 knots to finish. We were asked to be the net controller for the amigo net on Easter Sunday and we were excited as it was our 1st time for net controller this year on the Sonrisa net. We had 9 check in’s total. We arrived in Cobre around noon and I was excited! Stephen took a nap and I took to blowing up the paddleboards ASAP so we could go for a paddle as soon as he woke up. 

I also diligently continued with my celestial navigation studies. I haven’t mentioned that but I have decided to delve into the celestial navigation book by David Burch. Stephen had been studying CN since last year and thoughtfully with many 3-4 hour morning study sessions even when we returned to Reno. The nice part about that is that my studies are feel have been expedited because I have a knowledge source onboard for my questions. We have taken sights and reduced them together which has made my studies in the book more understandable. Nuff’ said on that! 

Bahia Cobre was one of our favorite anchorages last year. It has a great ridge-line hike and great fishing. The visibility was just ok on our paddleboarding later that afternoon. On the way back to the boat we both saw a LARGE fish, which we have agreed now, that a LARGE fish = Shark! I said that is a shark and he said, “Nah, that is a tuna.” He circled around twice to check us out on the paddleboards and I felt a tuna would just bugger off, sharks are curious creatures. We got back to Soulstice and decided we would do a sunset hike on the ridge. It was 4 pm and we had a time change so sunset now for us is 7:30pm:) We paddled to shore and enjoyed our hike which gives you great views of the anchorage and additionally affords you views of Bahia Salinas. There is a ram or two who enjoys the same terrain and we see their scat but still have yet to lay eyes on one. The frigates and vultures were having a great thermal session above the peak.  As we walked the ridgeline from above we did see the LARGE fish from above. Stephen now agreed based on his behavior in the water and tail movements that he/she was a shark indeed. Indeed! I felt vindicated but this did ruin my thoughts about open water swim for the next day and even made us 2nd guess a spearfishing session if visibility improved. 

April 5, 2021, was a nice placid morning! Another paddleboard session was had in the am and no evidence of the LARGE fish today:) but South Easterly Winds were going to occur later that afternoon and Cobre does not provide protection for that direction. We decided to have a nice afternoon sail to La Lancha that was on the northern tip of Isla Carmen and would provide for Southeast or Southwest winds. It would prove to be a great decision as the winds kicked up that night and into the next day. We scoped out Puerto La Plancha with the paddleboards and it has great deep walls and snapper, grouper and Pargo could be seen from our paddle. We were excited to plan a spearfishing session on the 6th if the winds were not too rowdy which was not the case. But the water maker was unpickled and we added some water to the tanks!

The next morning the wind has settled and we decided to paddle in for a hike. We shot some great drone footage that I will add to this blog post once I get it edited and figured out. Without good internet editing/downloading etc.. is a challenge. Everything uses an app and requires updates, etc... The drone really does help you appreciate the beauty of a place but it is not without the added element of frustration with a digital device that one can encounter. 

After our hike, we needed to scoot and boogie to Puerto Ballandra to be tucked in for the North winds coming. It was a short sail but a long one too because the winds were light. Stephen and I say we got 'Nothin' to do and All day to do it!" so we just enjoy the ride. There were only 2 other boats in this anchorage but by sunset, another 4 had arrived. I enjoyed a nice swim in the anchorage at the temp was a respectable 70 degrees. I am loving my shorty wetsuit for these types of conditions. There was some coral as I swam the perimeter of the anchorage and some tropical fish but to be honest it was not as scenic as La Lancha. We were still lamenting leaving La Lancha because it truly seemed like an ideal anchorage to spend days hiking, spearfishing, paddling, and snorkeling. We will definitely be back there in the future. 

The fun part is we have now been to several anchorages we have never been to before even with 3 seasons in the Sea of Cortez. Again, it is and would be easy to just stay here as your needs are easily met for enjoyable activities and spectacular scenery. But we are on a time schedule now as I mentioned previously to get to La Paz by 4/15, so off to Puerto Escondido Marina for an oil change, some freshies ( 1/2 a head of cabbage and some red onions are left-meal planning challenges), and laundry. 

Inside the lazarette commissioning the water maker 

Morning coffee in the cockpit - our am ritual

La Lancha

We made a pizza with homemade dough in the cast iron! Yummy, sausage, red onion of course :) olives, mix of cheese and tomato sauce

La Lancha

Some fog rolled in - reminded me of the Northwest

All the pics are primarily of La Lancha, no pics from Ballandra. Hope to add drone footage soon! 

Playa La Gringa ( Bahia de Los Angeles) &  Playa Santispac in Bahia Coyote ( Bahia Concepion)

March 27-April 3

Sunrise leaving Bahia de Los Angeles on passage to La Gringa, Bahia Concepion

After a 140 nautical mile passage from Puerto Penasco to La Gringa, we rested up for a day and a half before making another 168 nautical miles or 34-hour passage to Playa Santispac. We were making a quicker journey south due to our concern of short-weather windows in the Northern Sea of Cortez. We felt if we got farther south quicker we could be relieved that we would make our April 15th time frame to meet our Alaskan crew coming. 

Blue Wind, Chris, and Alex, once again joined us for a buddy boat session from PP to La Gringa. We both arrived in the later afternoon with a nice passage of mainly sailing! It was a great start to the season. There was another Norther coming so La Gringa was chosen for its protection, to be honest, mainly from the waves as the terrain is low lying but it served us well. Unfortunately, not a French family that was camping on the beach but more to that story below.  The next day we hunkered down due to the high winds doing projects, me, splicing some Dyneema to make 4 antal rings with a dyneema loop for some less cumbersome rigging ( see pic below) and Stephen replacing our faulty bilge pump! Luckily we had an extra bilge pump that pumps an additional 500 gallons more:) And now add “buy another bilge pump” to our replacement parts list! As we were feeling productive and successful on our projects, we heard screaming outside. We initially thought it was Blue Wind making some noise but then when we popped our heads out and went up into the cockpit & it was someone screaming help. We saw a swimmer coming towards our sailboat from the beach and 3 small children in a raft getting blown out of the anchorage. The wind was ripping around 25kn. Our dinghy was deflated, packed away on deck and strapped down. Blue Wind had their dinghy on their deck and another sailboat arrived that morning and their dinghy too was not in the water. This is very common when sailboats go on long passages, we don’t tow the dinghy behind due to the concern of it getting swamped with bigger conditions or windage. There were no other boats in the anchorage beside us 3 who just arrived in the last 24-36 hours. The water temp was 60 degrees and the outside temp was low 70’s. Many cruisers choose to be farther south by this time of year for the warmer water as many start their traditional cruising season in Nov/Dec. 

We called on channel 16, the hailing station, to the other sailboats in the anchorage to notify them of the emergency and then we decided to make plans to up anchor. We of course could not get too close to the beach, we draft 5,5 but we could start to be prepared for a rescue if the kids got blown farther out. We encouraged the Dad to swim to our boat as he was closest to us and we have a swim step on the stern for easy maneuvering into the boat. Dad came on board and I asked him the ages of the girls, which were 8, 6, and 2. No lifejackets except water wings on the 2-year-old. I know many folks still do water wings but they still let a kid’s face go in the water as they have no neck support like a proper PFD. By this time, Chris, on Blue Wind was able to launch her inflated dinghy and put the outboard on and make tracks for these kids. The kids were already a 1/2 mile away and moving quick. Chris was close to the kid’s raft, started to tow them, and then her OB engine quit! She was able to restart it, get to the kids, load them up into her dinghy and then start to head back but then her engine quit again!! She was closest to us and she was able to row over to us where we threw her throw bag with a line so I could pull her and the kids into us. I had put on a wetsuit and PFD myself in case I needed to get in the water to do a swimming rescue. During this time also, I had made another hail in my best Spanglish to ask for help to the adjacent playa, more proper Bay of LA, with restaurants and pangas. We were staying on a playa with no construction, just a few scattered campers. A motorboat did arrive from the adjacent beach just as Chris was getting to us, which was great because the dad and the kids still needed to get to the beach and Chris needed a tow back to her boat on her dinghy. The kids and the Dad were all unharmed and I think in shock. 

It was a great ending and unfortunately due to our work history, Stephen and I knew that event could have had a very different outcome. The wind continued to howl the rest of the day!! We ended up leaving at 0500 am the next morning to make our next 34 hours passage to Bahia Concepcion but Chris sent a picture with the Dad and kids as they paddled to Blue Wind the next morning with “thank you” pancakes! Coincidentally, the French camping family was from a town very close to Alex’s hometown in France. 

We got an early start like I mentioned (3/29) with a glorious sunrise and a glorious sunset that evening (see pics below). It was a day of switchy winds but some good sailing overall! The next morning the wind was more consistent on a close haul most of the way and eventually wing/wing for the last 6 nm. We had some motor time but once we arrived we looked at our fuel usage and had used only 20 gallons of diesel for 310 nautical miles!!! We were practicing for our passage to Hawaii:) As a reminder, SV Soulstice only carries 46 gallons of diesel and we have another 20 onboard in 4 (5 gallons) diesel jugs. 

We arrived in the late afternoon (3/30) and were kind of punchy. We wanted to get out and start enjoying the new surroundings but we were also tired. We decided to just hang low, watch some movies on the hard drive and get an early am start the next day. It is a holiday week in Mexico, called Amanta Santa, or Easter Week basically. Many locals are camping and on holiday during this time. The beach has several tents with car campers and some RVs. Jet skis buzzing about and some motorboats giving tours of the bay. We launched the dinghy just in time but held off on the inflatable paddle boards because the wind kicked up strong! We did purposely pick this anchorage as well because we knew another Norther was coming today and this anchorage has good wind & wave protection from the North.  We decided we would wait out the Norther of 1.5 days forecast and then enjoy a day or two before making some more nm South! 

 A local restaurant called Ana’s ( yellow building in the picture with dinghy below) is managed by a gentleman named Carlos. We were told he would drive into Mulege for you for diesel and freshies. We dumped our 4 jerry jugs into the tank and brought him our empties, which he was able to fill up at the Pemex and have for us the next day! We held off on freshies as we still had done well with our provisioning. Also, on our 2nd morning here, a local named Arturo and his dog Pinto in a kayak brought by some clams. Gringos are not allowed to procure shellfish, only locals. We bought a bucket full of clams and enjoyed grilled clams with a white sauce (parm, garlic, butter, cream) on pasta, and then the next night just grilled clams with butter and garlic! What a treat! 

The water temp here is 69 so warmer but still cold. I did dawn a shorty wetsuit and go for an open water swim. I always have to psych myself up with the poor water visibility. No sharks, don’t think about sharks, Jenny, is the inside voice chant! Ha! I will try to encourage Stephen to go next time as there is always more false security with  company and a better menus selection for the nonhumans - ha! Paddleboards were eventually blown up once the wind died down and margaritas later at Ana’s! 2 other boats in the anchorage we met were Pablo on Puffin and Gary on Cayenne, both single-handers. We had some drinks with these guys and some intense conversations about worldly matters. I now wanted to retreat to somewhere less busy. 4/2 we will move to Playa Burro ( still in Bahia Coyote in Bahia Concepcion) so we can do a hike with recommended Petroglyphs. 

4/2 Well…..we did not move and the wind kicked up about 10:30am just as we finally were ready to splash ourselves in the cold water for a swim. I got Stephen to join me but he needed to gather all his swimming stuff (oh yeah and I need my polypropene line and my swim goggles, where are they? oh the plastic disintegrated in the heat… where are my other goggles?) AND it was JP’s, Stephen’s Dad, 75th Bday, so we needed to make a sat call before we left. After our Birthday song and a limited 15-minute call because only have so many free satellite minutes ( need to save some for emergencies) we finally hopped in the cold water. Stephen was getting hot with his shorty wetsuit on getting ready but once he jumped in the water that feeling quickly dissipated. 

We started off our swim and it was not too bad but then the wind came on with a vengeance. This was not only surprising to us but also to many of the beachgoers and young kids on the street side-purchased flotation rafts without paddles, PFDs, or lines. We made a plan to swim to the beach from Soulstice, about 450 yards, and then back to Soulstice, and if I felt good and was still warm enough I would repeat the process. As we were 2/3 of the way we heard a kid screaming, “momma, momma!” and saw him on a big raft getting blown out and he obviously was too scared to get into the water to swim and tow his raft that was 5 sizes bigger than him. Stephen tows his paddleboard so people can see him and in case if he gets leg cramps he can hop up and paddle back. I just use a yellow float on a line that is really for spearfishing. As we both approached the kid, I took over to help the kid because another kid, about 5 or 6yo in a sit-on-top kayak was getting blown out too. He did have a paddle but was too young to have any coordinated effect with the paddle. Some other adult kayakers saw this little kid in trouble too and made the effort to help him. I was struggling myself with the kid on the big raft. He had a sandbag that was good for a drogue-type aid but made it too heavy for me to tow and swim him into to shore. I decided to dump the sand out of the bag and did struggle trying to tow him in due to the high winds and wave action. Luckily, a motorboat came by and I was able to give them the line and they got the kid on board and towed his raft. 

We continued with our swim and went across the beach and did a ferry angle back to the boat. After all that I was cold and tired and the waves and wind were still howling. I had no interest in a 2nd lap! We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and played some cribbage. 1st game on the boat. I won of course :) but Stephen showed some improved skills this year - ha. We decided we wanted to go for a hike and the wind had a lull eventually. we got our bags together and sure enough, the WIND returned!!! Uggh but we do have a 15 hp OB engine so whatever we were heading in. A little wet I get before we plane out but will dry in seconds once on the beach. Humidity 30% here. We get to shore, haul up the dinghy on the beach and get our shoes and socks on. As we are about to start our walk, Stephen looks over and sees a raft in front of our boat and a man on our bow!!! WTF??? 

We quickly run back to the dinghy and the beach now is filling up with new campsites and more people for the weekend. We get our shoes off, throw them in the dinghy and rip back to our boat to find a man and 2 kids sitting on the bow of our boat and their raft tied to our anchor line off the bow of the boat. They were getting blown out TOO and could not paddle to get back due to the wave action and strong winds. The kids look frightened. They were so apologetic for boarding our boat but of course, we are so glad they did! We do have a swim step in the back of the boat but they would not have seen that and so we still are unsure how they boarded our boat but they did. It was a grandfather, his granddaughter who looked to be 12 or 13, and his grandson who looked to be 8 or 9. We got kids in the dinghy and Stephen brought them to their campground on the beach and then we got the grandfather with their cooler, fins, snorkel, and a HUGE speaker and brought him back too. They were so sweet and they gave us a nice offer to stay with them whenever we are in Ensenada, where they live. 

When Stephen came back to the boat we both needed some time before venturing out again. We finally did make a 2nd trip back in and had a lovely hike up a ridgeline to a peak overlooking the anchorage. It was a great end to a day full of rescues and made us take a pause to be grateful for our health and wellbeing! Sitting in the anchorage that evening with my dirty martini and burgers cooking on the grill for dinner, I was admiring the beach with all the locals, Mexican music playing, and gorgeous surroundings. Baja Mexico is truly a paradise and still, I feel lost in time a bit and keeps the presence of time standing still that is impossible to find elsewhere. We are excited to make a passage in Soulstice but I have a feeling that cruising in Mexico will be hard to beat because of the kind nature of the people and culture, the untouched beauty ( yes some resorts but for the most part still untouched), and the peso exchange:)

Evolving Sunset from leaving Bay of LA to Bay of Concepion

The French Family rescued in Bay of LA- La Gringa

Clams from Arturo - yummy! 

Bahia Coyote in Bahia Concepion

Soulstice Dinghy beached with Ana's restaurant in the distance

White sauce and pasta awaiting grilled clams for the finishing touch!

Happy as a Clam! 

Jenny's Celestial Navigation study time

Tedious is the word! Or any other synonym to TEDIOUS

#3rd rescue at Playa Santispac /Bahia Coyote - Stephen taking the grandfather, rafts, and goodies including a GIGANTIC speaker back to shore. The grandkids were taken 1st back to shore.

Gorgeous view of Playa Santispac/Bahia Coyote in Bahia Concepion ( mouthful) - we hiked a ridge to get a nice peak view

Stephen's attention getter!