Ships'
Log, Page 3
Wind
Gift, amid the famous rocks of Cabo San Lucas
Nearly
5 months out, "Wind Gift" has covered some serious Southbound miles.
The
log resumes with a letter that was sent from Mexico on January 31, 1999:
12/14/98
to 1/11/99
Sitting
in Cabo San Lucas, waiting the last twenty days for mail. It came.
1/12/99
Left
Cabo at 0800. Made only 12.8 nm all day.
Anchored
at Costa Azul, near Cabo de San Jose.
1/13/99
Left
at 0900. It started slow, then switched to a Northerly at 8 - 10
knots,
for
a run of 100.3 nautical miles in a 24 hour period.
1/14/99
Caught
a Bonito!
1/15/99
Winds
died. Slept. 1000: becalmed.
Cranked
on motor. Saw 2 sea turtles! 1400: back on sail.
57.8
nm
1,119.9
total nm from Santa Barbara.
1/16/99
Sighted
Isla Isabella at 1050.
Motored
on glassy seas. Anchored at 1400.
22.5
nm.
1/19/99
Left
at 0730.
49
nm.
1/20/99
0730
Liesurely trip. Saw no Gray Whales!
Anchored
at Punta Mita, 1430.
20*45'
N 105* 59'W
23.3
nm.
1/21/99
Wind
came up. Left at 0800. As soon as I got going, it stopped,
and I had to motor
to
Puerto Vallarta. No anchoring available. I had to take a slip!
20*
39.79' N 105* 15.05' W
11.24
nm.
On
the way, about a half mile off, a Humpback breached many times.
He
did it upside down! Belly up! Awesome!!!
1/23/99
Left
Puerto Vallarta at 1030. Sailed against the wind all the way back
to Punta Mita.
Anchored
at 1715.
1/24/99
Left
at 0730. Light winds, motoring.
Passed
Cabo Corrientos light house at 1515. Took a photo.
1/25/99
Cranked
on the motor before dawn to make Bahia Chamela before dark.
Anchored
1715
1030,
1/24 to 1030 1/25, 57 nm.
Air:
85* Water: 75*
19*35.05'
N. 105*07.92' W.
1,589.4
total miles sailed from Santa Barbara.
1/29/99
Bahia
Chamela to Bahia Tenacatita, 0800 to 1500.
Air:
85* Water: 80*
19*18.01'
N 104* 50.28' W
30.8
nm
Caught
another Bonito!
1/30/99
Gave
my Canadian courtesy flag to Les on the "GYPSY WIND".
His
flag was all faded.
1/31/99
0800
to 1115: Bahia Tenacatita to Bahia Navidad.
I
am the only sailboat here!
Motored
all the way with light winds on the nose.
85*
air 82* water.
19*13.03'
N 104*42.71' W
12.27
nm
2/1/99
Bahia
Navidad to Manzanillo, 0630 to 1330
Motored.
Air:
85* Water: 82*
19*03.31'
N 104*18.67' W
24.3
nm
2/8/99
Left
Manzanillo, 1300. Tried working the jib.
It
balances better than the genoa for self-steering.
Sailed
halfway to Bahia Maruata. Wind came from every direction.
2/9/99
Ended
up motoring the last 30 miles.
Watched
dolphins play on my bow while motoring on a moonlit glassy sea.
Anchored
Bahia Maruata 1430.
85*
air 82* water
18*16.12'
N 103*20.73' W
78
nm
2/10/99
Bahia
Maruata to Bahia Pechilinguillo, 0830 to 1330.
Air:
90* Water: 85*
18*12.05'N
103*07.93'W
13.3
nm.
2/11/99
Left
at 0600 in a light Northerly. It died at 0900.
As
"GIFT" sits becalmed on a glassy sea, schools of fish, 2 inches long
with
vertical white bands scurry to keep in "GIFTS" shadow.
A
Booby circles anxiously, trying to figure out how to catch the fish without
coming
too close to "GIFT".
1108:
A light Southerly comes up, and turns into a travelling wind that lasts
all day
and
half the night.
2/12/99
I
motored during a calm while the wind was changing to a Northerly.
Good
winds! At one time, it was 8 to 10 knots, and whole schools of flying
fish (10 to 20)
were
flying together to celebrate the wind.
A
whale breeched maybe 20 times off my port side, a half mile away.
I
saw a sea turtle!
Motored
last 30 miles to anchor in daylight.
Anchored
1600 at Zihuatanejo.
Air:
90* Water: 85*
17*38.21'
N 101*33.32' W
95.2
nm
Brian
and Rosemary on "MARIA LENA" raced me in.
I
saw them last in Santa Barbara,
1,831
Nautical Miles ago.
And
how would it be?
2/14/99
I'm
all rested up, and today I went snorkelling. I explored Bahia Zihuatanejo
in
the dinghy, and when I found a place where I wanted to snorkel, I would
just tow the dinghy behind me. That's easier than trying to anchor
it, or tie it up someplace.
Today
may be the most delightful swim of my life. I didn't see any spearable
fish, but it
is
so neat to just put on a mask and fins, and roll off the boat! No
wet suit!
No
divers' ear!
And
from there, he was headed for Acapulco, expecting to be there in time for
the mail to catch up to him by April 01. After that, email could
be a problem for awhile, as he intends to make a
straight
run of 336 miles, bypassing Guatemala altogether and landing next at
Puerto
Corinto, in Nicaragua.
Well,
that was the plan.....
The
ships' log resumes again on March 27
Left
Acapulco at 0700. Motored 4 hours, then a most wonderful travelling
wind set in to last most of the night.
Dolphins
blessed me. I saw one about 8 feet long in crystal clear water, smiling
at me under my boat. 0700, 3/27 ~ 0700, 3/28: 81.9 nautical
miles.
3/28
Good
sailing day with milder winds. Motored the last ten miles to anchor
at
Bahia
Chacahna at 1014, 3/29
0700,
3/28 ~ 1014, 3/29: 61.6 nautical miles.
Air:
90* Water: 78*
15*50.01'N
97*40.08' W
3/29
Anchorage
too bouncy - big swee running. Did some work on the boat.
Tightened
and water sealed the rudder bolts, then left at 1315.
Took
a good nap ghosting outta' there on a light westerly.
Then,
a mousy Easterly set in and I motored most of the night.
3/30
Honda
outboard began acting up; finally started making death moans, but with
some
sailing
and some motoring, I anchored at Puerto Huatulco at 1615.
15*45.15'N
96*07.73'W
Air:
90* Water 80*
90.5
nautical miles.
4/9
Paid
17,646 pesos to Pablo Dominguez for a new 8 h.p. Johnson long shaft,
to
be here in 15 days.
2,173.5
nautical miles, total.
I
last received an email from him on April 22nd., saying that his new motor
arrived early.
h
He
was to leave Huatulco the following Monday, bound again for Costa Rica.
I
hope he emails again pretty soon!
Meanwhile,
As
most visitors to this page are aware, a major interest to El Bucko is Whale
tracking.
I
will be trying to attract people like Honda, and the makers of just about
everything
he
uses. If anyone knows the right companies to approach about some
kind of
super
cell phone, and how to convince them that they need a whale chaser in
thier
advertising,
please,
Thank
you for visiting!