March 9, Ensenada de los Muertos

A 7 1/2 hour romping downwind sail in about 15-20 knots of wind with following seas has landed me in Ensenada de los Muertos at around 3:30pm today.  It was a pretty frollicky day busting downwind to Muertos and got a little uncomfortable after after 1 pm or so as the following seas had built up as a result of the constantly brisk NW winds.  The seas were not huge, maybe 4', but when they are right behind you it makes for a rolly ride.  At about 2 pm or so I saw a sailboat hugging close along the shore going north beating into the seas and the winds.  I tried to hail them on the radio but heard nothing.  That was pretty late in the day and they still had probably 30 miles or more to go to get to LaPaz or Playa Bonanza. They definitely won't be getting in before dark. I was glad I was not them. ha.

My trip today covered about 43 miles and took me through the Ceralvo Channel, notorious for it's strong currents and winds that funnel between the 4.5 mile gap that lies between mainland Baja and Isla Ceralvo.  I was lucky that mother nature and I were both traveling down the same road together.  Ensenada de los Muertos (Bay of the Dead) is a small little place tucked in behind a nice, rocky point with excellent protection from wind and waves from the north to northwest.  I'm  not sure if there is a little town here or not but there are definitely some houses along the east and west ends of this mile long bay.  I am anchored over excellent holding sand in about 25' of water.  Water, by the way, that is now showing a nice 72 degrees.  Things are warming up my friends.

And speaking of warming up, let's move on to the fishing report.  Yes, there has been a change in the fishing report starting today! ha.  At about 1pm I hooked into a small, maybe 5 lb., Bonita on one of the handlines.  Bonita are super red meat and pretty nasty so he got to live to swim another day.  However, my next victim was a medium sized, maybe 4', male Dorado.  Hell ya!  He was caught on the rod and reel and I owe a big thanks to my numnber 1 son Tanner because I caught this tasty meal on the cedar plug that Tanner gave me for Christmas.  Thank you T-Man1!  Gonna be some fresh eats tonight!  My third victim turned out to not be a victim at all. Rather he actually turned the tables on me and I became the victim.  I don't know what it was but it was something pretty big.  It was on the other handline and I say it was big because when it hit it straight opened up the stainless steel split ring that holds the lure on the leader.  Adios $20 Rapala!  Would have liked to at least put some eyes on that one.

Dorado

So that is it for today.  I am happy to be here in Muertos, even though I'm the only boat anchored here.  From here I have another 45ish mile hop to Frailles on the east cape then another 30 mile hop to get to San Jose del Cabo.  I don't need to be into Cabo until Saturday so I may sit here a day or two depending on what the weather looks like later in the week.  Ciao for now!

Bret
SV Liahona

March 8, Playa Bonanza

Beautiful Playa Bonanza, Isla Espiritu Santo

Still here at Playa Bonanza just doing chores that need to be handled, relaxing and biding my time before I head south towards Cabo on Tuesday.  Pretty chill day today, literally and figuratively speaking.  I woke up to overcast skies which have kept the temperatures down in the low 70s all day.  I believe it is supposed to clear up later in the afternoon tomorrow.  Today I started my project of cataloging the boat.  You are probably scratching your heads thinking "cataloging what"?  There are a myriad of cabinets, cubby holes, compartments and lockers on a boat. No space is wasted.  Living aboard you have nearly everything that you have at home, just in smaller quantities and sizes. Tools, lubricants, glues, sealants, cleaning supplies, food stores, electronics, manuals for all the equipment, toys, games, diving and fishing gear, clothing, dishes, pots, pans, flatware, knife sets, sail inventory, sail repair kits...and the list goes on.  Some items are stored in obvious places, many things are not.  They are stored where they fit the best or where it suits that item best.  Like fresh fruits and vegetables are stored under the setee (couch and dining room bench) down low in the boat, below the water line and against the hull where it is the most cool so they will last longer.  Needless to say, sometimes finding that item that you are looking for can turn out to be a real treasure hunt and sometimes your are successful and sometimes not.  So I came up with a number/lettering system for every cabinet, cubby hole, closet and possible storage spot on the boat.  Every item, whether it be a jar of salt, a specific tool or a snap shackle gets logged into my iPad with it's corresponding cabinet or locker number.  Starting from the bow and moving aft all the port storage areas are numbered with odd numbers and all the starboard side areas are even numbers.  Then they are also assigned a letter based on the elevation of the cabinet. A for head height (top shelf), B for anything around chest height, C for storage around the waist area (behind seats or beds) and D for anything on the floor level at your feet. When you need to find something you simply search for it on the iPad app and it will give you the corresponding numbered space where it can be found. Viola!  It is a major undertaking and most likely will not be completed for at least several weeks and then it constant updating when things are moved to a different location.  However, it is well worth the effort when you need that special little gadget or morsel of food.

Clam chowder report.  So I added the sauteed clams to my cheddar potato soup last night.  I wish I could report that it was amazing. haha  It wasn't awful but I obviously don't know how to prepare clams properly.  First mistake was that I obviously did not let the clams sit long enough in the bucket for them to spit out all the sand because my chowder was definitely a bit grindy/crunchy.  Secondly, when I sauteed the clams in the skillet before adding them to the soup I added some salt and pepper.  Umm...note to self...no need for added salt with clams.  The soup was ok but definitely too salty (that is saying a lot coming from me! haha), pretty gritty and the clams were like rubber.  So chalk that one up to the "thumbs down" category.  Oh well, it was fun trying.  I was thinking that my dear, sweet Marne, having lived in Coos Bay for several years, can probably help me out in the clam preparation department.

Today there are two groups of campers on the beach so I took a paddle over to say hi.  One group of 18, several of which are small children, are from Montana and the other small group of 4 are from north of Seattle. All very nice people and it was nice to chat with gringos for a spell.

For the last note of the day, it's also a "thubms down" moment, I am having to run my generator today because I watched a movie last night and spent a fair amount of time on the computer and being that it is overcast today my solar panels are not going to be able to get me back to 100% so I'm wasting some fossil fuels getting my battery bank up to speed.  That is it for today my friends.  Hasta manana.

Bret
SV Liahona

March 7, Playa Bonanza

Still here at Playa Bonanza.  It is beautiful, quiet and I'm the only boat here.  Plus there is still more to do here that I haven't gotten to yet. The first item of business today was to check a couple more things off of the to-do list.  So today I continued with upgrading my running rigging.  I replaced the boom vang line and the two main preventer lines with new 3/8" Novabraid XLE.  However, I had to do yet another double braid splice.  My braiding skills are improving because this one only took me about 45 minutes and it came out super bueno.  The blister on my forefinger can attest that it isn't easy to get the line all smooth and "milked out" once the braid is complete.

After the line projects were done I decided to go for a trail run which again turned into more of a rock scramble/crawl up the side of the mountain.  Both Alberto and El Pelon said there were mountain goats in there are and they see them quite often.  So on this morning's run I had a mission to scour the rocky hillsides until I spotted a group of them.  After scrambling to the top of the first knoll, which was maybe 500' above sea level I stopped on top to catch my breath and also to scan the surrounding hillsides.  I couldn't see them but I heard them off in the far distance so I ran across the ridgeline in the direction that I heard their bellowing.  It wasn't long before I spotted one standing on top of a large boulder on the ridgeline in front of me.  I counted a total of 11 in the group.  As I ran in their direction they scampered up the ridge and around the corner.  I was pretty tired by then but was enthralled with these goats. lol.  We played a little hide and seek in the rock strewn hills for about 45 minutes or so before I decided that I was definitely tiring of the game much quicker than they were.  It was also clearly apparent that they were much quicker and definitely more sure footed navigating over and through the large granite boulders that made up this picturesque hillside above Playa Bonanza so I watched as they gracefully bounded off over the next ridge.  The last I saw of them was two smaller ones that were on a large boulder and leaped probably 15' down an onto another boulder and then they were gone.  Amazing animals.

After the run I came back to the camp on the beach where I left my paddleboard and El Pelon asked if I had any ice.  I told him I had a bag left in the freezer and we negotiated a trade for some fresh vegetables that he had plenty of in exchange for the ice that would keep some of the meats cold that he had in his ice box.  For lunch I added some thick, ruby red sliced tomatoes to my daily sandwich and enjoyed every bite!

The last item on the checklist today was to check into the Chocolata clams situation.  After a brief description of their whereabouts from El Pelon I paddled into the area he pointed out equipped with my mask, snorkel and a bucket.  It wasn't long before I was digging up some giant clams from the silty white sand bottom in about 15' of water.  Most of the clams were large white pismo type clams but there were definitely some brown Chocolatas in there as well. So currently they are in a bucket of water on the back deck, I am waiting for them to spit out the sand before I clean them.  Then I will saute them in garlic and add them to my potato cheese soup that I have leftover from the other night. Sounds pretty tasty.  I hope it turns out as good as it sounds.

Fresh clams

Well it is only 3pm here but I feel like I have had a full day.  I'm going to do some reading in my Harmony on the High Seas book, clean the clams when they are ready and then start on some fresh clam soup dinner.  Hope all is well up north.  Until tomorrow my landlocked friends!  Ciao for now.

Bret
SV Liahona

March 6, Playa Bonanza

The winds in the lower portion of the Sea of Cortez have finally somewhat abated.  Today was a really nice day with the winds out of the north from 5-10 knots.  It is a little bit stronger now but probably around 10-12 knots.  Earlier this morning my pal Alberto, the Baja Adventures camp dude, left and was traded out with Victor, or as his friends call him...Pelon (melon head). lol  After getting a few things done this morning I decided that today's exercise was a paddle around the bay so I started out with going over to the beach and introducing myself to Melon Head.  A younger guy, kind of chubby and no hair, but he seems like a nice guy.  He said they won't have clients in until Sunday so he is basically just watching over the camp.  Tough job. ha.  After visiting with Victor I paddled out to the end of the point...into the wind. ugh.  It took me about 35 minutes to paddle the 1 mile into the wind and then I turned around and cruised downwind and the same mile took me just over 15 minutes.  The paddle was super cool as I was paddling over crystal clear, aqua blue water and was able to see the reef, coral, sand and various fishes as I passed over them.  That view beats a gym any day!

After lunch I set about to start replacing some of my running rigging.  The running rigging are all of the lines/ropes that control the sails which includes hoisting, trimming or furling.  All told it took me about 3 hours to replace the main sheet and the main outhaul lines.  I know it doesn't sound like much but the outhaul line passes through the inside of the boom so I had to sew the end of the new line to the end of the old in order to pull it through and be sure that it didn't separate somewhere in the middle of the boom.  It is not something you want to take a chance on by just taping them together.  The main sheet didn't require me to sew the ends together as it doesn't pass through any unreachable voids like the boom.  However, I did have to put an eye splice in the end of it where it attaches to the boom and that is a serious project for a beginner like myself.  Eye splicing double braid line is seriously complicated and to do the one splice took me about an hour and 15 minutes.  Whoever figures this stuff out for the first time anyway?  If you saw what was entailed, you would be impressed.

Now it is about 5pm or so and I'm getting ready to put another meal on the table.  I think tonight I will finish off that last lobster from Los Gatos along with some fried spuds and poblano peppers in garlic.  Before Alberto left he paddled over in his kayak and was telling me that there are Chocolatas (large brown clams) right under the boat.  I didn't get around to it today but I think tomorrow I will take a dive and see if I can grab a few.  I have some leftover cheese, potato soup that would greatly be enhanced if I threw in some fresh clams.  Sounds good anyway.  Will let you know tomorrow about the Chocolata situation.

That's about it for today.  I will be grilling that lobster watching the sun go down on another day in the Sea of Cortez.  Ciao for now.

Bret
SV Liahona

March 5, Playa Bonanza, Isla Espiritu Santo

I am the lone boat just off of the nearly 2 mile long white sand beach of Playa Bonanza on the southeastern end of Isla Espiritu Santo.  The winds were blowing steady at about 20+ knots all night long and have continued through today.  As I look through the binoculars out to the open water to the east I can easily see the "white buffaloes" (white caps in a rough sea) romping southward before the strong north winds.  It is a bit rolly here in the anchorage but the shore and mountains to the north and west of me along with the shallow, good holding sand bottom keeps me comfortably safe.

Around noon today I threw the paddle board in the water and paddled the short 1/4 mile or so to shore with my trail shoes and camera in my backpack hoping to do a little trail run to the other side of the island.  The Baja cruising guide talks of a trail that leads from this beach over to the west side of the island to Bahia San Gabriel, about 2 miles each way.  As I approached the beach I spotted a man sitting under a small tree/bush and after landing I walked over to him and we began to chat.  He is a guide here on the island for a company called Baja Adventures and stays on the island for 10 days taking care of clients who come and go.  After the 10 days he goes home to LaPaz for 3-4 days to be with his family and then comes back here to care for the client who come to kayak, sailboard, hike, dive and do whatever else it is that they do here.  After a brief visit I wiped the sand off of my feet, put on my Cascadia trail shoes and jaunted off to the other side of the island.  Baja is definitely a desert environment and I enjoyed the beauty of red rock cliffs, large cactus and various thorny shrubs that lined the not so well marked trail.  My paddle back to the boat into 20+ knots of wind was a bit challenging but topped off the day's workout nicely.

Before lunch I treated myself to a sun warmed, fresh water shower on deck.  Since then I have just been bouncing between leisurely reading and various small projects.  While I read I ran the watermaker for about an hour and topped off the tanks while the new array of solar panels did it's job of running the equipment and keeping the batteries full.

According to the weather reports this norther should start to settle down over the next two days.  I will be 3 to 4 days of day sailing to get down to San Jose del Cabo where I pick up Dave and Stephanie on the 14th.  I have been considering going in to LaPaz for a couple of days as it is only about 4 hours away but not really sure if I will or not.  I'm not really a big fan of the city life and other than grabbing a few more fresh fruits and vegetables, there is really nothing there I need.

Question for all...I have been considering having my sister post these updates on the blog...what do you think?  A waste of time or a good idea?  Unfortunately there are no pictures to go with all of this writing, there is just no way of uploading pics unless I have internet, which obviously I don't.  Well, I guess that will do for the report from my windy hide-a-way here in Playa Bonanza.

Bret
SV Liahona