SVSoulsticeAdventures

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.