On the first day, Colin described a really cool anchorage that should have excellent protection from the Southeast winds. The bonus is that there is a mangrove and lagoon to be explored by dinghy. OK – Dave having enough of fretting about rocking and rolling all night was looking forward to some protection. On the way out, Dave saw a turtle swimming on the surface and flying Manta Rays. Later, south of IsleSan Francisco he saw a bunch of porpoises playing in the waves. Sailing past IsleSan Francisco and seeing the boats roll in the southeast winds made the new destination even more desirable.
Brunch on the way was a turkey, avocado, and bacon on chips. Yum. Melissa knows how to take care of her guy. Dave thinks she cooks better in the rough weather. The wind was blowing about 20-25 knots with 4-foot seas and whitecaps but Melissa was fine below frying up bacon in a stove that pivots when the waves roll the boat.
Dave convinces Smokey that he needs to learn to sail. A quick study, Smokey is soon manning the winches and steering the ship.
Arriving at the spit was a delight. The winds subsided and protection from the seas was perfect with a mile of sand spit blocking the swell. We toured the mangrove by dinghy. It is probably over a mile inside with a fabulous cactus forest coming down the water. Later, a big trawler came in with jet skis buzzing around. At first put off by this intrusion of silence, Dave regained his composure when he noticed the women on the front deck were all topless. OK, they are welcome to share our anchorage; All is forgiven.
Dinner was ham roll ups with papaya and mango fruit salad. The fruit down here is absolutely delicious. The boat next to us seemed to have attracted local interest. Panga after panga brought their goods by for inspection and probable purchase. Dave suspected that the pangas were from a nearby fishing village on a small island called Isla Coyote – one of the few inhabited islands in the Sea of Cortes. We debated whether we could muster enough Spanish to see if they could stir up a yellow tail tuna and call them over to the boat.
Dave is becoming sure that the air molecules are conspiring against him. A perfectly chosen anchorage for Southeast winds became a galloping girdy after midnight when the winds shifted to the West. Whitecaps were rolling in with a 2-3 foot swell. At least the winds, waves and swell were aligned so rolling was not much of an issue. The phosphorescence was absolutely spectacular with the wave tops glowing while the anchor chain cut bright swaths through the waves as the bow heaved. Dave’s anchoring technique must be pretty good because the chain was tight as a guitar string but did not drag.