Anyone
who follows
the
adventures of El Bucko is probably already aware that he has cast off,
and is now in the final stages of preparation for the journey South.
This is scheduled to begin in November.
July 7, 1998 - "WIND GIFT" escapes marina grip, and sails to Santa Barbara
to wait out the hurricane season before heading South. Please understand
that I use the "*" symbol in place of degrees, because I don't see a degree
symbol anywhere on my keyboard!
***
October
31, 1998
From
Santa Barbara to Ventura:
from:
34* 24.59' N 119* 40.82' W
to:
34* 14.82' N 119* 15.98' W
22.8
Nautical miles
Left
@ 0640; Arrived @ 1230.
Light
winds. Motored most of the way. Cold. Coats and sweaters.
Stayed
in a slip in Ventura for the night.
November
01, 1998
Ventura
to Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard.
to:
34* 10.22' N 119* 13.38' W
Stayed
in a slip at Anacapa Marine Services for the night.
Hauled
out for bottom paint, and to replace the swing keel.
November
05, 1998
Launched,
but stayed in a slip for the night.
Small
Craft Advisories.
November
06, 1998
To
Marina Del Rey
0600
~ 1530
to:
33* 58.57' N 118* 26.73' W
42
Nautical Miles
Coats
and Sweaters!
Stayed
in a slip.
November
10, 1998
my
crew member that I located with an ad in a boating magazine came on board.
He
is Toby Sagara; just out of the Coast Guard.
November
11, 1998
Left
Marina Del Rey; 0630
99
Nautical miles
November
12, 1998
Arrived
San Diego 1030
Left
in rain. Had to motor most of the way.
Light
winds.
Cold,
cold; COLD!!!!
to:
32* 40.00' N. 117* 15.00' W
Into
a slip.
the
letter left off with saying that they were to depart for Ensenada, the
Port of Entry,
on
November 17. Today is the 19th, so I guess they must be about there.
***
Thanksgiving
This
letter arrived December 14:
We
left San Diego at 0900 and arrived in Ensenada 0830, crossing the border
at
11 after 11, on 11/17/98. sailing in light following winds all night.
60
nautical miles.
Ensenada:
11/18
31*
49.91' N
116*
42.25' W
60*
air 60* water.
November
19, 1998
Left
for Punta San Jose and motored in light breezes (0~3 knots) on the nose
to Punta Colnett.
Still
feeling cold.
30
nautical miles.
31*
27.53' N
116*
35.61' W
65*
air 60* water.
November
20
Another
day of light breezes on the nose, and we motored the rest of the way to
Punta Colnett.
33
nautical miles.
November
21
We
motored again to Bahia San Quintin. We caught our first fish!
A Bonita, about 2' long.
We
barbecued it at anchor in Bahia San Quintin, near the NE end of the bay.
39
nautical miles
30*
24.04' N
115*
56.20'W
65*
air
60*
water.
November
22
The
surf was too high for a dinghy landing on the beach, so we motored back
to the NW
corner
of the bay. Then took the dinghy over the sandbar into an estuary,
and left the dinghy on a calm protected shore while we went for provisions.
When we returned to the dinghy, the calm protected shore had left also.
The tide had gone out, and the dinghy was a quarter mile from the water.
We
had to wait for 7 hours in that cold, miserable, dark and spooky swamp
until about 9 that night before enough water came in to float the dinghy.
We left on the morning of
November
23
motoring
only about a mile to get out of the heavy swells in shallow water.
A mile out, we caught
another
2' Bonito! We sailed all but the last 32 miles in a run of 146 miles
to Turtle Bay. The run across the open ocean to Cedris Island was
in confused choppy seas, with winds gusting sometimes to 20 knots.
The
heavy seas were from storms farther North, but we sailed on a reefed genoa
(no mainsail) to maintain control in the heavy seas. We left San
Quintin at 0700, 11/23, and arrived Turtle Bay at 1600, 11/25.
We approached Cedris Island in the dark, looking for a light house on its'
North end. We couldn't see it, and finally, I realized we were coming
down the wrong side (West side) of Cedris Island, and had to correct course
to get around to the other side without hitting any rocks.
So,
here we sit in Turtle Bay. Last night, I had my first shower in two
weeks, a hot meal and a quiet nights' sleep. We will hang out here
for a few days, before our next leg, which will be a day sail from Turtle
Bay to Bahia San Pablo, 32 miles away.
"WIND
GIFT" is a sweet ship. The solar panels support a reasonable power
budget. Something new for me this trip are safety harnesses that
keep you tethered to the boat in case you fall overboard. We wear
them religiously when there is only one person in the cockpit at night.
I
am so happy to be this far into Mexico, away from the black vibes of L.A.
Toby is a super shipmate.
-Even
when we are stuck in a cold, dark, spooky swamp!
Turtle
Bay:
27*41.27'
N
114*53.26'
W
70*
air
65*
water
Next
update comes when the mail arrives!
So,
the mail came, from Cabo San Lucas.
There
are new photos, and it's a new year, so let's start a
new
page.