We've made it to La Paz! January 17 - 22

Wonders of wonders - all our plans worked out to leave Guaymas last Monday (January 17th) at 8 a.m.  We bid 'adios' to old and new friends at Singlar Marina and to the helpful marina staff who have made our stay a good one.  INTREPID II and crew are now resting up at Marina Palmira in La Paz as of late yesterday.  Same Dock 4 as last season, just a bit further down the dock.  It is almost like coming home!

Guaymas lies on far right, across from Santa Rosalia
we sailed south to east of Santa Catalina and inside San Jose to Isla San Francisco

Our crossing from Guaymas went smoothly, with only minor inconveniences and little sleep.   We motored out through the harbour, raised the main with one reef and waited for those north-west winds which had been forecast.  They never materialized.  There were mainly south, south-west winds so we made the best of it.  We rolled out the jib shortly after we reached open water and kept the motor on at low revs to maintain a 6 knot speed most of the journey.  The Captain observed that one of the benefits of our recent delays was that we had a nearly full moon to light our way.  It was a bright one, setting not much before false dawn.

By dawn we were nearing Isla Catalina, east of Puerto Escondido and the town of Loreto.  It's possible that we spotted a whale shark in the distance.  We like to think so.  There wasn't as much marine life on this crossing; a whale sighting from a distance, frigates and a few playful dolphins. Each one is a special treat.

Our latest whale sighting

Tuesday continued sunny, still south winds, but we encountered a strong current nearing the San Jose Channel.  Kelly tried to find some back eddies to make up lost time.  We decided to carry on to Isla San Francisco and save a visit to the village of San Evaristo for the journey back.  Peeking into its anchorage there were no boats anchored that we could see.  By 5 pm we had the hook down in the bright blue waters of Isla San Francisco.  Looking around the inviting crescent shaped bay it was as special a spot as we remembered. Hot showers (as we'd had the engine on), a hot dinner and to bed!  It will take awhile to recover from only 'cat naps' on the crossing, but it was a fairly restful night.

INTREPID II at anchor - far right - Isla San Francisco

Wednesday morning proved to be a choppy one with westerly and south-west winds, but we felt we were secure in our current spot.  Kelly tackled a few of our new-found projects, including why wouldn't the auto-pilot in the cockpit work (we'd had spent our crossing popping into the cabin to adjust course).  Later we were tempted to the beach by the crews of SV Adagio and SV AKA.  Nice to get off and stretch our legs and compare cruising stories.  Thanks for the dingy taxi rides Jeff! 



SV AKA and Adagio crews with INTREPID II captain on the beach

At some point we also decided since we hadn't had enough anchoring practice we needed to move closer into the SE side of the bay.  Our idea of using 2 way radios to communicate between the helm and the foredeck still needs some work.   We found we were clipping each other's  words and the Admiral felt she needed three hands to steer and use the radio.  However we took time to to enjoy the peace and quiet of the approaching sunset and the beauty of the bay.

Yesterday was still breezy and winds were from the south east - right on our intended course to La Paz.  We raised the main and motor sailed.  The wind didn't shift to the north until just before the La Paz channel, so no chance to raise the jib.  Along the way, while trying to raise the marina on channel 16, we were hailed by SV Salish Sea - hi Ian!  Hope to catch up with you and Moonraker before we leave of La Paz.  The Full Moon Regatta was also underway around the north end of Isla Partida as we were passing to the west.

INTREPID II was given a royal 'dolphin' welcome just as we entered the channel - two large bottle-nose dolphins came swimming up and around for several minutes - how special is that!  Motoring in to Marina Palmira and tying up on Dock 4 we received a warm welcome from the reception staff.  Once again, hot showers, a good dinner and time to rest before enjoying the sites of La Paz.