S/V INTREPID II - Cape Dory Intrepid 40

My photo
Intrepid II is a Cape Dory Intrepid 40 sailboat, hull #2, designed by Chuck Paine and discovered by the Captain in Blue Hill Maine in 2006. The crew are Kelly (Captain) and Carol (Admiral and Blogger). In 2009 INTREPID II embarked on her West Coast journey from Victoria to San Francisco, the Baja Sur Peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez. In 2010/2011, we sailed from Guaymas, south to Bahia Banderas and back. In 2011/2012 we left Guaymas, headed south to La Paz, spent three weeks at anchor on our northward journey and rested on the hard in San Carlos. Her 4th, 5th and 6th seasons were Boat Projects related. Season 7 - an incredible amount of boat work - but no cruising. Season 8 - Tropical Storm Sergio toppled Intrepid II in San Carlos dry storage. A disappointing season of serious and costly repairs. Season 9 - continuing those repairs and still hopeful for cruising.

May 22, 2012

Back home on the Wet Coast!

Rhodos still in bloom
It is wonderful to be in our land-based home once again and reunited with two very patient and forgiving kitties, Rosie and Sebastian.  These non-sailing felines have been house-sharing with our attentive house-sitters, Lois and Rod.  We arrived home mid-afternoon Sunday, after a somewhat rolly crossing on the Coho Ferry from Port Angeles.  Those conditions were just the thing to remind us of those swells and short, steep wind waves of the Sea of Cortez!

Our transition continues as we catch up with 5 months of mail and events around the neighbourhood and community.  We are taking a break to allow the Captain to enjoy his birthday this evening.  Then we will reflect on the 5 months of cruising we mostly loved, as well as those few times we had to pause and consider.  We will post catch-up posts for each of the anchorages we discovered or re-visited this season and share our highlights with you.  It will be a treat to spend time reading our friends' blogs without worrying the wifi connections will go down.

Victoria is grey, overcast, a bit of sun here and there and of course very cool to our Baja-tempered bodies.  The fleecies and socks are on as we renew our relationship with the lush greenery that greets us through our windows; such a change from the arid and rocky environment of the past 5 months. That's what exploration is all about; learning to appreciate what you have at home and what the world has to offer!
Home in time to enjoy our giant irises
Thanks for keeping us company on this year's travels and stay tuned as we 'catch up'.

May 14, 2012

We are homeward bound!

Heading home after five months in the Sea of Cortez
All the fun and games of our 3rd cruising season haul out will have to be posted once we get back home.

INTREPID II was ready for our Thursday, May 10th haul out on time.  We finished up in the San Carlos works yard by Saturday morning, then had her moved to the dry storage yard (marina seca) for the hot, dusty Sonoran summer and fall.  The rest of Saturday was spent getting our store room sorted out; then stuffing and organizing all the things that needed to come back in the car with us.  We took time to have a bbq potluck with 5 other cruisers who were staying at the Adlai Departementos with us.  Our bbq consisted of whatever we couldn't take back with us!  A fun time.

Intrepid being loaded onto low bed truck at marina

Ready to head down the road to marina seca

In the works yard...Kelly found a ladder
Remarkably, we left San Carlos at 07:30 am, heading northward on Highway 15 through Hermosilla, to Santa Ana, then northwest through Caborca to Sonoyta/Lukeville, where we crossed into the U.S. after 5 months.  The surroundings are desert and the air hot and dry.  We over-nighted in the town of Goodyear, west of Phoenix.  This morning provided an 'interesting' drive into the red rock country of Sedona.  It's worth seeing, we spent time in the area and enjoyed a satisfying lunch.  Finding reasonable priced accommodations is a challenge; not much of our cruising budget remains.  Onward we traveled through red rocks and green pines of the Oak Creek valley towards Flagstaff.  The air was fresher, clearer and cooler as we reached 6,000 feet; such a change after being at sea level.

We turned west on I-40 towards Williams, which is 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon and whose main street is part the historic "Route 66".  Much more funky and fun than Sedona.  We found a comfortable motel, strolled down the streets, posed under the Route 66 signs and had an excellent dinner.  Now we are planning for the next few days:  the Grand Canyon tomorrow (a first time visit for Carol) and onward to south-west Utah; hopefully to explore Zion National Park.  Once there we we will plan the next travel legs.

Hope all is well with everyone.  We look forward to catching up with you on our return.

Crossing to San Carlos via Bahia San Pedro

Waves on the leeward side 
Hola!  We are back in wifi land, off and on, so when the connections work we will slowly update our blog for all those new or familiar spots we mentioned in our quick overview.  As of April 2nd, we are now in Marina San Carlos, having spent 3 nights in Bahia San Pedro. This is our last stop of this year's cruising season.  We've chosen to haul out in this location for various reasons and have started the lists and tasks necessary to 'put INTREPID II to bed' for the summer and fall.

The INTREPID II crew was up early Sunday, April 29.  We departed Marina Fonatur in Santa Rosalia at 06:00 in the dark, with a light wind.  Pangas were headed out, without benefit of lights.  On went our radar to ensure we could see them as we left the harbour and breakwater behind.  The mainsail went up smoothly.  We headed north-eastward on a heading to take us towards Bahia San Pedro, 15 nm north of San Carlos and 70 nm from our departure point. As we weren't ready to tie up to another marina and end our cruising just yet, this bay looked like it provided reasonable protection from north west and some southerly winds.  The trip could take 12 hours at 6 knots or much longer, depending on conditions and how the day progressed.  We estimated to allow enough time to arrive well before sunset.

The sky lightened with the false dawn, with a heavy cloud cover, so sunrise was muted.  We mused about what this cruising day would bring.  Winds were forecast from the east south east, with 1 - 2 foot seas; if we could find the right point of sail we should have a good day.  With the engine running, when it came time to check in with the Sonrisa ham net, we did not have a good connection. Thanks to Diane on SV True Love, we relayed our destination and position to net control.  Guru Geary's weather update was lost in the static.  We were committed to keep going.  Later in the morning on VHF radio we heard that a whale trapped in a fishing net near Mulege had been successfully freed by some cruisers and we were pleased and thankful at their success.

Kelly rolled out the jib.  We sailed for a short time, but lost the wind; on went the motor again and we motor-sailed.  The seas were already 2 - 3 feet and fairly short period ones, so there went the idea of a smooth sail.  When the Captain noticed INTREPID II was sailing fairly directly to our destination, give or take the 10 degree swing, off went the engine.  We continued for over 7 hours under sail; just what INTREPID II had been looking for all season.  However the seas continued to build.  They were now 3 - 5 feet from the east on our starboard side, accounting for the yawing and the effort our trusty auto-pilot had to make to keep us on course.
Captain checking way-points and heading

When this happens, we rely on our GPS in the cabin for more accurate readings.  One of us pops down regularly to check our heading and boat speed and make adjustments to the auto-pilot on that basis.  The sun shone and by noon the clouds had disappeared, leaving clear blue skies.  The hours passed; at times we had boobie birds and pelicans check us out and passed a very relaxed seal waving a flipper off our port side.


Having fun -- really!
Moving about below required hanging on as we were well-heeled to port and glad all the lockers stayed latched and secure.  We use tethers attached to our PFDs when it is this rolly and the seas are erratic.  Always have 'one hand for the boat' to prevent unexpected stumbles; however, the bruisers tend to accumulate, at least on the Admiral!
South end of Isla San Pedro Noalsco

Isla San Pedro Noalsco is a steep-to island about 9 miles from Bahia San Pedro.  It forms part of a series of protected islands known for good diving and snorkeling, but provides no safe anchorages. We were nearing this way-point about 15:30 (3:30 pm) and pleased with our crossing time.   INTREPID II weighs about 25,000 lbs. with all our gear and provisions onboard, so she is not light-weight.  She does  however respond well when sails are balanced.  At times we were making 6.8 - 7.0 knots, putting us slightly ahead of schedule.  For a brief time as we passed south of the island, the seas subsided to the 2 - 3 foot range and we enjoyed the smoother motion.  They soon picked up again as we closed on the mainland; a short-lived breather.

Nearing Bahia San Pedro, under full sail, we spotted a large shrimp boat heading southward at 90 degrees to us off our port side.  Would we pass in front or did we need to anticipate some adjustments?  Kelly took compass sightings and it was a hard to determine at first.  Soon we saw the vessel had made a move to pass behind us, which was appreciated. The swells continued into the bay, where two sailboats were at anchor on the south side.  We we were surrounded by formations of pelicans flying into the bay about 17:00 (5:00 pm) - a fascinating sight.  Anchoring between the two boats, the crew offered congratulations and thanks to INTREPID II for once again delivering us safely to another destination. Obviously the Captain's skill and decision-making in conjunction with our trusty sailing vessel had much to do with our positive experience.  The Admiral felt she'd carried out her role well too (if you don't think too much about that "oops" as the mainsail was being dropped in those rolly seas!)

More about Bahia San Pedro to follow.

Our haul-out date is next Thursday, May 10th - so there is much to accomplish by then, but it nice to see familiar faces here at the docks and anchorage.  We will take time for "r and r" as well.  Take care and stay well amigos.

May 4, 2012

Bahia San Pedro - April 29 to May 1

Photos from out anchorage north of San Carlos.  Frustratingly, our dependable camera, with its excellent zoom lens, now has some very fine sand embedded inside, which shows up in the photos.

Our view in Bahia San Pedro - lovely but rolly anchorage

SV Storm Bay - Bahia San Pedro

Watching the pelicans dive bomb a school of fish
Pelicans at rest after dinner

INTREPID II with Punta San Pedro in background 
Discussion on the beach