DEEPWATER SWIMMING
24º 23’ N, 113º 39’ W
1428 Ship’s Time
Sailing
After poke tuna nachos (corn tortilla chips + Ryan’s guac + leftover poke tuna), we stopped the boat for a swim. The water had been glassy since shortly after sunrise and we finally gave up on ghosting along at 2-3 knots and fired up the diesel. The sun was out, music was playing in the cabin, and with a sloppy weather forecast on the horizon for tonight and tomorrow morning, we took advantage and took the plunge.
The water here is 10,000-feet deep, and extremely blue. Crustal clear, you open your eyes underwater and can just see forever, right into the literal abyss. Temps are in the mid-70s, so for me who’s used to swimming in Sweden in the summertime in the mid-60s, it was downright balmy. Most of the crew partook, with Eric standing watch on the cockpit and doing the final headcount to make sure we all came back aboard. It’s been a while since I did an offshore swim, and man it’s so fun.
Now we’re in prep mode for some anticipated heavy-ish weather tonight and into the morning. The boat’s cleaned up inside and out, the staysail is rigged and flaked on the foredeck, and the off-watches are resting. Just as I started writing this the wind is starting to fill in from the SSW, and we’re sailing again, now on a close-reach with the yankee and full main. If I had to bet, I’d say we’ll be reefed down before midnight, and maybe wet by sun-up with some rain squalls in the offing as part of a weak cold front that’s going to pass over us tonight and tomorrow morning.
We’ve also decided to stop short in Cabo San Lucas. The marina there has space for us, and being that we’re behind schedule thanks to a very light-wind passage thus far, the crew voted to pull in, so if you see us on the tracker in Cabo, we didn’t just stop off to party :) Mary and me, plus the incoming staff for the next leg, might move the boat up to La Paz in-between trips, but that remains a future problem for now. And in any case, it’s only a two-hour drive from La Paz to Cabo, so if we end up staying put it’s not going to mess up the big-picture plans.
// Andy
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HMS Night Watch Party
Wing on wing worked well until the wind shifted then the helm became the cone of despair for our night watch crew of three (H, M and S) Alex made the decision to drop the pole, shifting wing on wing to a close reach. Wind increased to low teens and speed picked up to a flying pace. Day spent wandering toward Ensenada. Alex, Adam and David got us into port under another starry night.
No Kitemares Today
After a night marked by sudden wind accelerations peeling off Point Conception, and a vibrant, pulsating sky blistered with shooting stars, the off-watch woke to commotion on the foredeck. The wind had gone light and the swell had tapered just enough to raise the spinnaker. The sail filled with an urgent pop, the sheet strained and Falken charged down the face of the next wave. By mid-day, we doused the spinnaker and set our minds to the more precise task of safely punching through a gap in the notorious Cortez Bank. The border to Mexico looms ahead.
The California coast
We had a very lively first day of sailing with steady winds between 25 and 30 kn gusting to mid 30s. All of the crew got experience at difficult downwind helming as we covered 200 nautical miles in the first 24 hours. This morning brings winds in the teens and calmer seas. The sun is still shining, and the green monster has been slayed by those afflicted!