Ships
Log
Page
2
In
real time, it is well into January, 1999, but communication lag time between
the world
where
El Bucko roams and the one where HTML is a common language is more than
Earth to Mars. This is easy to imagine, when you look outside your
window, and compare it to this view:
The
Dolphins are a regular view, from the "back porch".
The
fine young fellow there is Toby Sagara, knitting his brow at the workings
of
the
GPS as he alters the course of "Wind Gift".
You
know for sure that this isn't Marina Del Rey, because you can see the hills.
Now,
a transcript of the log of El Capitan Bucko:
November
28
A
storm - sprinkles and Southerly winds to 15 knots. Sure glad to be
in a harbor!
(Still
in Turtle Bay).
Left
Turtle Bay 12/2 and sailed in bouncy seas to Bahia San Pablo. Stayed
only a few hours because the bay was too bouncy to sleep - upped anchor
and sailed all the way to Abreojas. (Neat name - it means "open eyes",
probably because of white water breaking over a shoal miles from shore.)
70*
air 68* water
97.6
nautical miles
26*42.68'
N. 113*34.01' W.
***
December
05
Ready
to go but the winds picked up too much, and we decided to stay. It
increased to a
steady
30 knots with gusts to 35 knots. A gale! Some boats we were
travelling with got caught
in
it and got hammered. Silvercloud was with us! I tried to get
Toby, my shipmate, to bow down in front of my picture of Silver Cloud*,
but he wouldn't do it. Non-believer!
***
December
06
Left
at 11:30, with favorable weather and winds and sailed to Bahia Santa Maria.
Arrived
at 1930, December 07.
24*45.73'
N. 112*15.15' W.
75*
air 62* water
155
nautical miles
Toby
checked the surf. It was too small.
***
December
09
Sailed
out of Bahia Santa Maria to Punta Belcher, inside Mag Bay (Bahia Magdalena).
24*34.64'
N. 112*04.27' W.
75*
air 67* water
22
nautical miles
***
December
10
Motored
into San Carlos for supplies
75*
air 68* water
24*46.92'
N. 112*07.08' N.
15
nautical miles
***
December
11
Sailed
back to Punta Belcher
***
December
12
Left
Punta Belcher at 0600. Beautiful sailing weather at first.
December
13
Mousy
winds on the nose. Let them get me off course, hoping they would
shift later and
blow
us back. They didn't. Had to motor, 60 miles.
***
December
14
Arrived
Cabo San Lucas, 0930
22*53.43'
N. 109*53.84' W.
80*
air 76* water!!!
160
nautical miles
943
nautical miles total, from Santa Barbara.
At
that point, there came a peculiar paradox. El Bucko wrote:
"I
love the laid back ways of this la-la land, but the price I pay is the
loss of efficiency.
Stores
open late and close early. People are not motivated. Can't
get through on phones.
But
I like being warm!"
***
I
want to trade problems with him!!
He
left Cabo' on Jan. 10, Southbound, as usual.
Toby
ran out of money, and went back to "the real world".
***
*About
Silver Cloud-
He
was Chief of the Oglala Sioux when we met him, in 1973.
For
that whole story, go
To
continue with the saga, click here