Well, I said we'd be in Puerto Vallarta on Saturday or so. More like leaving then. We left La Paz Monday, as planned, and all went fine--it is just that at 6 MPH, 400 miles is a long way. We are sitting in Ensenada de Los Muertos--a tiny cove with nothing much to recommend it other than good anchorage and shelter from the north, 70 miles from La Paz (probably about 30 as the crow flies--but out of the big bay and headed south). We'd planned to stop here Tuesday evening, and did. We woke yesterday to wind getting stronger fast. The winds have been moving between 15 and 25-30 knots--gusts to 35 a few times, and are expected to do so until Saturday AM. We're in the middle of what they call a "Norther" here. Their winter storms here are winter storms that got out of the US by accident, and so always come from that direction.
We can sail in that kind of weather--we did a time or two on the way down the Oregon and CA coast, but it is bumpy and no fun. On top of that, Anne found a virus to bring with us from La Paz--just a minor flu bug, but who wants to sit up all night in a bumpy sea with anything that resembles the flu? Oh, yes--the Sea of Cortez is noted for "square waves", meaning very short period waves that seems to be as far apart as they are tall. I think they over-play them some, but it is a real phenomenon, common to Southeast Alaska, as well as to shallow water everywhere. Wind opposing current in shallow water does make different waves, and 25 knots of wind can make for some very uncomfortable conditions. Thankfully, we'll be going downwind when we go!
The engine is working fine. No shakes or shudders--which is new to us, and makes hot water in the water heater without overheating--something we have been without for a while. After our sea trials, I wondered why the math was not working. Knowing how fast the old engine was spinning the prop, and spinning the same prop a the same speed ought to make the boat go the same speed. So, why were we coming up a half-knot short? We could run the engine up to get the same speed, but it was working harder. Oh, yes--we have been sitting for 2 1/2 months in a tropical sea--boat not moving, and aggressive marine crud attaching. I hired a local diver for a "shave and haircut" consisting of a scrape with a very dull trowel (dull is good, as it won't skin off the paint) followed by a thorough scrubbing with a green pad, and replacing the prop zinc, which was going away very fast. 1.5 hours work underwater--$30. I could not resist the urge to tip a bit.
So we sit in jeans and sweaters, wishing we hadn't put so many warm clothes in storage. It may be in the mid-60s, and mid-50's at night, but that much wind makes it seem distinctly un-tropical. Our major source of entertainment has been a Mexican Shrimper that pulled in here late Tuesday night--and dragged anchor away by morning--to steam back up the bay and anchor--three more times today. They have a huge and ancient looking "classic" anchor--the kind that they always use in cartoons--with two big hooks, and a stock on the other end to make it lie flat. Probably enough anchor for that boat, but they have no chain, and seem to put out about 50 feet or so of rope in 25 feet of water. I don't think they anchor a lot, but they are learning. The last time, they dropped that big hook about 100 feet behind us, and let out anchor rope until they stopped about 1/4 mile away. They seemed to stick this time!
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