First leg down! Actual time underway was 25 hours, all of which was spent under sail. Sea conditions were 3-5ft seas with occasional 6 and 7ft sets, winds 20-25 knots out of the east, occasional stronger gusts, small craft advisory over the lower half of the route.
Provisioning complete! Most boat systems were tested functional. Generator worked. Some odd issues with electronics, but could by operator error. (imagine that!)
A number of important tasks were NOT finished before we were FORCED out of Lauderdale. The dock lady made us leave a day earlier than she’d originally told us to leave. >:(
We don’t like her! Since Reliant is officially in the Conch Republic, I’m now free to say “Eileen from stupid Dockfinders, BUZZ OFF!!”
We had to replace one battery in the house bank before departure, and the outboard for the tender has unresolved issues, but is currently at the service shop. A few other miscellaneous technical items on board will need to be addressed on the next leg, but overall the boat did well.
We worked hard and didn’t have a lot of time to play, but the day we spent ashore in Key West was a blast!
Thanks to Lee for all the help(the gulf stream fish thank him for dinner on Wednesday night). Super big thanks to Jim Sr. for the huge help provisioning and prepping for departure, plus the awesome meals!
Reliant is currently double tied on a mooring at Garrison Bight.
The fun factor on this leg was pretty low, and it started with the Coast Guard documentation papers being delayed until Wednesday, which meant we were stuck in Key West for the first half of the trip. As a result, Cuba was out as a stop over. Key West would have been more enjoyable, but we were on standby everyday for departure.
We missed a nice weather window on Monday, and conditions across the Gulf Stream were what is typically predicted, sloppy seas, and hard going against the current.
What wasn’t predicted was the squall we hit about 8 hours out of Key West. 40+ knot winds, and instantly built seas. We still aren’t sure how, but after the squall passed we confirmed that at some point we spun out the starboard engine prop. Suffered some additional rigging damage, and frayed the head sail a little, but the boat is still in one piece.
Some electrical bugs came up that had not yet shown themselves. Will take some time to work through it all. So much for trying this trip on one autopilot. :{
Nathan did a great job on deck and was a huge help, and Gabby get’s the best crew award for keeping everyone positive and hanging in on overnight watches.
Reliant is currently at V&V Marina, Puerto Cancun.
Fun meter up a notch or two on this leg. Credit to PaPa Pablo’s “Ron Burgundy” sense of humor.(with the mustache, Will Ferrell bares a striking resemblance)
Thanks to Paul and Sean for the huge help in port with repairs prior to departure. Thanks to Patty and Stacy for some awesome meals!
Mexico was hot, but off shore was nice. We hit Chinchorro Bank, and I mean HIT(inside joke for leg 3 crew), and did a little diving there. Weather otherwise was mostly fair, but the tropical waves pushing through made for bigger than desirable seas. That made overnight passages tough, and dives spots messy.
Arrival into San Pedro, Belize was fun, very el Caribe! Incredible to be inside the huge reef. Like sailing on a massive pond.
Boat issues a plenty. Had additional prop problems, as well as more autopilot failure, but we were able to bypass the drive controller and were fortunate to have autopilot for most of the trip.
AIS still not functional, and radar was plagued by intermittent operation. We now think the numerous instrument failures, along with electronic problems with the washer/dryer, tank gauges, and inverter controllers, are all do to a previously undisclosed lightning strike! No Bueno to discover while underway, but we’re dealing. Nothing money can’t fix.
Still, the dude abides…
Leg Complete! (see 3.5 for current Reliant status)
AH BELIZE! What can I say to express how off the charts, unbelievably, totally Caribe, stellar beyond compare, scuba diving crazy, Belize is? They even still have pictures of the queen on their money. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
I loved it, and I think the crew did too. The atolls and reefs off shore are amazing. I think Dr. Dyan said it would take ten lifetimes to do it all. The people in Belize are so nice and laid back, and coupled with the fact that most of Belize is absolutely not touristy at all, you get pretty close to paradise in my book. Hard to believe it’s so close yet feels so far away.
Just beware the sand flies.(they will eat you alive)
Botswain’s Mate Tatoo(aka Bjorn) had some good planning on meals. We did fun excursions on various little cays, got a a few dives in, learned all about the Boobie Birds, and we all got to snorkle the BLUE HOLE! We even drove the Big R up into it!(and the Blue Hole isn’t nearly as big as it looks in pics)
The dive at Lighthouse Reef was simply one of the finest dives I’ve ever done. The reefs in Belize are healthy, and more variety of fish than Hawaii. Going to be hard to leave, and I’m still not sure that we do. Belize is the perfect place for a boat like Reliant. In fact, of the 30 boats in Old Belize Marina, two others are Lagoon 500.
A couple of squalls rolled through, but we were out of the way of the worst of them thanks to the atolls and reefs. Weather off shore was otherwise pretty nice considering the temp and humidity. The effects of the tropical waves persisted until our last two days.
There were a few naggy issues with the boat, outside of the previously reported repair list from leg 3, but thanks to Bjorn I’m trying to not over react. Radar is off to Raymarine, AIS is here in LA being serviced, another new prop is on it’s way, and autopilot solutions are in process. Tank senders are in hand, as well as vent loops for the bilge pumps.
(side note, someone at Lagoon should be strung up for putting the Bilge Pump thru hulls at the water line, and without anti-siphon breaks! Very uncool, and very dangerous!)
Gina get’s the best of crew award for the biggest smiles and for keeping the love going. Was great to watch the kids have so much fun in the water, but now I know why some animals eat their young! 😛
Special thanks to Matthew and his dad in Old Belize Marina. They are working on some special upgrades for Reliant, and are going to help with prep for leg 4.
Reliant is currently docked inside Old Belize Marina, just south of Belize City.
We did it! 800+nm, south of the hurricane zone, and now I can relax!
For those not familiar, the problem with this leg was getting out of the Bay of Honduras, which means a 48-72 hour block of motoring directly into the trade winds.
If you are really luck, you can leave between Tropical Waves(bad weather) that knock down the winds and make a nice ride. We got lucky and it happened just as we arrived. No problem, right?
Wrong. The start from Belize City was kind of a mess. I had commissioned a custom hardtop for the fly bridge back in May. It was planned to be complete by Monday July 24th at the latest. Of course it wasn’t. They hadn’t even mounted it by the 28th.
I pushed(imagine that), and got the top secured and ready to depart by the 29th(will post pictures soon). Not the best finish work, so my OCD meter was pegged for the rest of the trip, but even mellow Mr. Ealing agreed the caulk job was nerve racking. Still, the weather was forgiving. We were able to motor out of Belize peacefully on Saturday.
Sunday night we ran over a fishing net, which forced a stop in the Bay Islands of Honduras for repairs(which turned out to be a highlight of the trip). We spent Monday and Tuesday relaxing, diving, and eating in “casual elegance”at an all inclusive yacht resort on a private Cay. So not only did we find the most incredible spot in the entire western Caribbean(Barefoot Cay, check it out), we got to mark off one of the scratched mission objectives. Roatan! Thanks to Gary from New Jersey(the manager) for all the help
Departing on Wednesday the motoring was wet, but acceptable. Outside of about 6 hours of really rough conditions just before the turn southward, the weather for the rest of the trip was very fine.
On Thursday we reached the Banco Vivorillo. Beautiful and remote, but not empty. We counted four full size fishing boats, plus launches collecting lobster traps. From what we could tell, they had no interest in us, but stories of fishing boats turning out to be pirates, and our tight schedule to reach Panama meant a short stay. We anchored for a couple of hours then continued on. Lot’s of jelly fish at the bank!
Friday afternoon we reached Isla de Providencia! Hands down the highlight of the trip for me. The place was beautiful, and something about the remoteness and sailing into the harbor made it like a scene from a movie. We stopped long enough to refuel and go ashore for dinner, then continued on.
The trip down to Panama was uneventful, but Panama itself is a trip! Setting aside the city of Colon(really dangerous and scary), the approach to the Canal is intense by boating standards. They actually have a traffic control that directs you via radio, a lot like ATC when flying. There are tankers and cargo ships in every direction as far as the eye can see.
The crew on Leg 4 was really in sync. Everyone helped and got along. Thanks to Sue for the great meals(I still don’t know what happened to all the chocolate ship cookies) Super thanks to Ryan and Sailing Master Liam for carrying the bulk of overnight watches.
We actually made it all the way through Mutiny on the Bounty, with enthusiasm!
Bunks got a little soaked from the green water over the bows on Wednesday and Thursday(ridiculously leaky hatches), and other typical problems, fuel filters, etc. Otherwise, no major failures.
Reliant is now safely slipped just inside the canal zone at Shelter Bay Marina.
I’d heard mixed reviews about the San Blas Islands. If you’ve read about them, you know they are made up of hundreds of small islands scattered near the main land, many of which are inhabited by a group of native indians, semi-autonomous from Panama.
Whatever you’ve heard about them, take my word for it, they are a cruising paradise! Granted the weather in Panama can be oppressive, and no doubt we were lucky on weather, but the water is amazing, there is great snorkeling everywhere, and if you are wiling to go just a few miles out of your way you can get away from the crowds….wait, there really weren’t crowds. At least not like the BVI or Catalina.
Waters are shallow, anchoring is easy, and there is a reef that protects most of it. For our trip the temps were in the 70s at night, and 80s in the day. Not many bugs, and fortunately the big squalls missed us.
Highlights of the trip were finding the Coronado atoll and islands on our way down to the San Blas, finding our sand spit island(I’ll post pics), and stopping in the village of Portebello on our way back to Cristobal.
Portebello was the original harbor and land route across the isthmus of Panama before there was a canal. Spanish fortifications dating back to the 16th century are still intact. It’s a deep natural, all weather harbor, and a lot of cruisers anchor there. Dinner and drinks ashore turned into a big party on the big R. The last thing the captain remembers is jumping off the fly bridge top…but clearly I’m still alive.(shout out to the Belize crews, we figured out how to turn on the underwater lights)
It was also my first time experiencing a Halocline! The rain waters from the day had brought a thin layer of 65-70 degree fresh water down from the mountains, that sat on top of the 85 degree salt water. Very cool!
Crew was totally awesome, and between the great help on board and the first opportunity to actually relax and go nowhere, we had a full blown vacation. Liz by far has the most Caribbean sailing experience of any of us, and I think she approved. No one wanted to go home.
Cleanup and canal prep in Cristobal went according to plan. A couple of issues that arose in port over the last month were resolved. The new auto-pilot install was completed, engines serviced, radios replaced, and the balance of rigging issues that piled up over the summer were addressed. All in all, Reliant is ready to take on the Pacific.
Thanks to Sue and Liz for getting us ready to depart, and Aimee and Charlotte for cleanup when we got back. Big thanks to Nick for all the help on the squawk list.
All paperwork and inspections for canal transit are complete(more info to come).
Reliant is safe in Shelter Bay Marina. Pete and Elaina on board in port, Panamanian Crocodiles on guard patrol.
What a great trip! Islands of Pacific Panama, Costa Rica, the Canal, and it was just great to be in the Pacific. I had forgotten what Pacific sunsets were like on the water. It felt like home.
The islands on the Pacific side are under rated for sure. They are truly tropical paradises, and relatively untouched. The cooler water temps makes the air temp much milder compared to the Carribean side.
Costa Rica is as beautiful as everyone says. The ex-pats in Golfito are an interesting bunch of people, and I’ll regret not getting to spend more time there.
The canal transit was, however, the highlight of Leg 5. So I’ll detail our transit experience.
The Canal is 48 miles long, and it took exactly 24 hours, including the 9 hours of anchoring overnight on Gatun Lake. There are three sets of locks on each side of the canal, connecting either ocean with Gatun Lake, a huge man made lake that makes up the bulk of the ‘canal’. We departed our holding anchorage at around 5pm on Friday with our Transit Advisor, a Canal employee that comes on board to direct you and coordinate with canal controllers. After a series of holds for passing ships, we entered the first lock at sunset.
Up-locking is the most complicated part of the transit. To keep from being pushed against the concrete walls, we ‘center chambered’, which means we had dock lines running to the walls on either side, and stayed in the middle of the lock.
Holding the boat in place is very difficult, because the inrush of water from the bottom of the lock creates strong currents that change direction as the water rises, and each lock raises you around 30′. The process is a coordination between the crew on deck taking in slack on the dock lines while the skipper holds the boat in place with the engines.
By coincidence, the only other small boat transiting Friday was another Lagoon Catamaran, a model 400, which is the 40′ version of Reliant. It must have looked like the big R had a mini-me from the top of the locks. That boat tied to us on our Starboard side, and each crew worked dock lines on their side of the lock to keep both boats in place as one unit.
Ahead of us in the lock was ‘Tequila Sunrise’, a 560′ bulk carrier(when uplocking, they put smaller boats behind the big transports). We stayed with the other Lagoon and the big transport through all three locks.
We cleared the last Atlantic lock around 9pm, and after a fresh water swim we spent the night anchored in the jungle, with howler monkeys screaming all around. We started again at 6am when the next Transit Advisor came aboard.
The lake itself is beautiful, and according to the Transit Advisor, full of Peacock Bass. Along the shorelines it looks a lot like man made lakes in the states. The only section that really looks like a ‘canal’ is the Gallard Cut, which is the final 8 miles before reaching the Pacific side. The lake passage was relaxing and uneventful and we reached the Pacific locks by 3pm.
Down locking is a milder experience compared to up locking because there are no significant currents, and sometimes the only way you know you are descending is by watching the water level drop against the lock walls. Otherwise it is the same process in reverse, three sets of locks, entering and maneuvering with a large transport ship behind(they put little boats in front when down locking), and whatever other small boats are going through with you.
We cleared the last lock a little after 5pm, and after dropping off Ricardo the Transit Advisor, we moored at Balboa Yacht Club.
Sunday night was spent partying with locals at Taboga Island, which is about 15 miles from Panama City. The crew of the Reliant risked life and limb to swim ashore for emergency provisions(I believe land lubbers sometimes call this a ‘beer run’) Jeff gets an honorable mention for discovering the ‘BEAVER STROKE’. This is a little like a back stroke, except you put your paws up like a beaver and carry the beer on your chest. If only I had a picture…
Monday morning we dropped Nate, Gary, and Stephanie off in Panama City, and the Reliant continued on to Costa Rica, passing through the many islands on the Pacific side of Panama. We passed so many small island groups I can’t mention them all, but one of note was Coiba Island. We did not go ashore, but Coiba is the largest Central American Island, and a marine preserve.
We did stop at Isla Montuosa on our way up the coast. The island was completely uninhabited, except for the remnants of an old fishing camp. White sand beaches, Palm Trees, and real jungle in the interior. We were able to secure coconuts for desert, and we did find a fresh water stream.
Passage to Costa Rica from Panama City took about 48 hours, including our stop. The new autopilot worked! The only event was another fishing net we picked up on the starboard prop. I was able to clear it while underway. Oh, and lot’s of dolphins, a couple of sea turtles, and we think a pilot whale.
No sloths sighted in either country…so my search continues.
Reliant is currently moored at Banana Bay Marina, Golfito, Costa Rica.
Before I get into leg details, I have an important announcement to make. I FOUND A SLOTH!!! A LOT OF SLOTHS!!! Hanging from trees! Crawling on the ground! Eating stuff! And smiling!
On the layover in San Jose, Dave and I visited the “Toucan Ranch”. (we saw Toucans too) I have decided that sloths are my friends. If you have never seen a sloth in real life, put it on the bucket list.
Pete and Elaina were waiting at the dock on Thursday, and had the boat in tip top shape!! BIG THANKS PnE! After the departure paper work cha-cha, the crew did Thanksgiving at the bar.
6am the next day, we departed Golfito. Golfito is a must do for any sailor, and someday Reliant will be back. The town is chill, the people are great, plenty of anchoring space in the harbor, and very well sheltered. No bugs either!
We anchored briefly off Isla de Cano as we departed the Costa Rican coast. Archeologists say the island was used by pre-Mayan Indians for burials and rituals. Didn’t find signs of Indians, but we found an army of ants carrying leaves from 100s of yards away, through a rain forest full of leaves, to a tree surrounded by and filled with…wait for it… LEAVES. Still haven’t figured that one out.
Also, I MADE MY FIRST HAM RADIO CONTACT! Was able to reach Gordon West in California with the SSB, 2500 miles away! To all previous crew I say, the many hours of annoying static paid off!
Coming up the coast from Costa Rica was a breeze. Very light Papagayo winds, and light north swell all the way to Mexico. With the exception of the Tehantepec Gulf, and a few dodged rain storms, the weather was smooth.
Later in the trip, I caused a minor emergency by contacting the Coast Guard on SSB. Apparently they copied vessel name and station ID, but didn’t hear “non-emergency traffic”. They called us on sat phone(by tying the station ID to the sat phone account) and cancelled the alert to the Nicaraguan Navy. Overnight a bulk carrier hailed us on VHF to let us know the Coast Guard was looking for us.
Moral of the story is, don’t play with the SSB! 🙂
Somewhere off the cost of El Savador, we caught our first Mahi mahi and landed him… by landing I mean got the fish on deck… without a gaff… or a net…
Without a gaff, he slid right back off the port transom, but we fixed that problem when we got to port in Guatemala as you can see above, and I’ll leave the rest of the story to the video below.
Before reaching Guatemala, we once again experienced the Leg 4 intermittent issue where one engine or the other would max out around 2100 rpms. The engines otherwise ran fine, and the problem went away after a shutdown and cool off.
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala was our stop on Monday. Really cool, but pretty remote! First, it’s the only port on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Reliant docked 100 yards from the Guatemalan Navy base(the ONLY Guatemalan Navy base), and one of Dave’s families LPG carriers.(seriously, his family owns some big ships)
Quetzal’s private docks total about 30 small craft, with one decent bar/restaurant. Cold cerveza is obtainable! Otherwise the entire port is a commercial harbor, with no supply house in sight. In Guatemala, you have to drive to Guatemala City to get anything.
Day one in port: the crew relaxed while my new Guatemalan buddy Rosendo and I drove up to “ciudad” to pickup new filter assemblies to replace the junk Lagoon installed. Believe it or not, there is a Parker Industries Distribution Center in Guatemala City. They had two good old reliable Racor 500fg’s in stock! Fuel filter problem solved forever. 🙂
Day two: the crew got a hiking trip in at the Volcan Pacya thanks to my friend Evelyn and her Guatemalan cousin. THANKS EVELYN! We didn’t see actual lava flowing, but you could still feel the heat from underneath the lava field, and we watched a mini-eruption. I think it’s reasonable to say the guide who kept Dave from hiking to the top saved Dave’s life!
Continuing on from Guatemala we finally landed the big Mahi mahi, along with a few Black Fin Tuna. Gaff was critical. Ballyhoo and tackle resupply also helped. The first official “fresh fish fest” was had, and we put enough fish in the freezer for the rest of the trip to CA. Pete did the fillets. Sushi and Dave’s tuna lettuce wraps were the highlights!
The Tehantepec Gulf was next, and it is seriously no joke. It was a moderate Tehantepec week, and I cut us in too deep off shore before we got slammed by the winds. Blowing like crazy, the seas built up fast, and we got banged up before I tucked us back under the lee of the shore line. From there on around, we passed 100 miles of pristine white sand beach in flat water, while the winds blew 30 kts overhead.
Another return destination for Reliant.
Reliant made Acapulco, Mexico on Saturday. I would judge Acapulco as one of the finest natural harbors to be found. It is surrounded by high hills on all sides, and has few shoals or obstructions. You enter through a large bay from the south, and turn west bound to tuck inside the hills. Night life is non-stop, but docks and anchorage on the southern side of the harbor are quiet.
My overall impression of Acapulco as a crusing destination was that it’s ok. They say that the drug war scared off most tourists. To us, it seemed safe for a big town. Like Cancun, it’s more about the big tourist resorts than anything else. Works for some people. We spent our last day exploring the shoreline by dingy, and had a nice meal in town.
Ships report is good. The four 55 Gallon drums worked well, and only minor issues with cabin LED fixtures and other wear items. New props holding(replaced the starboard zinc with proper hardware and re-tightened before Golfito departure). Same issues with lighting struck equipment, but working around it all. The dude abides…
Reliant is safely end tied at Santa Lucia Marina, Acapulco.
Reliant made it to Baja! We knocked out another 800+ nm, and are finally on the same coast line as California!
Wednesday after Christmas, we arrived in Acapulco to a messy boat. The end tie that we thought was such a cool rockstar parking spot turned out to be a bird poop magnet. In all the places we’ve left the boat over the summer, I’ve not yet returned to the deck conditions we discovered in Acapulco. It was like the Pearl Harbor of guano attacks!
I spared you pictures, but suffice it to say we spent a lot of time cleaning underway.
Departure from Acapulco was mostly uneventful. We encountered un poquito problemo with the ship’s agent over paperwork, and there was a small frustration with some canvas work that turned out modestly rougher than I’d anticipated. Hard to imagine me actually not happy with work quality on the boat, right?
According to Nathan, the negotiations were somewhat…’heated’ I believe was the word he used.
The upside is we finally have a working full enclosure for the fly bridge. It’s a must have for heading up the coast this winter, and it turned out we got it just in the nick of time. The average night time temp dropped near 30 degrees from the coast at Acapulco to the mouth of the Sea of Cortez.
Seabirds, and crocodiles, and whales… oh my!
I’ve selected three pics to illuminate our encounters with wildlife on this leg. The first being Pablo Pajaro(no relation to Pablo Dinkins). He made numerous carrier landings on the bow, and rode not one, but two days perched atop the forepeak as we traveled up the Mexican mainland coast.
The second was one of the Crocs we saw on the river expedition in Tenacatita. Liam took point and I ran the skiff. There was some controversy over whether these were actually Caymens vs. Crocs, but my sources called them Crocodiles, so the captain ruled Crocs.
The third speaks for itself, all though we aren’t sure if they were grays or humpback.(videos in the Leg photo album at bottom)
Trip up the coast from Acapulco was sweet. No significant weather. No wind, but flat seas made it fine motoring.
We stopped in Tenacatita for the river trip mentioned above, which is a five mile river that runs up from the beach and ends at a large lagoon. Neat change of pace for anyone transiting the coast line down near Mazatlan, and the anchorage is great.
Further up the coast we stopped in Bahia de Chamela. Chamela get’s the must stop award for leg 7. For some reason, the anchorage was completely empty, except for a few Mexican pangas and a nice Canadian couple in a 40′ sloop. Great beaches with really cool local bars on the beach. Groceries near by, and plenty of cold cerveza. If you are heading down the coast and looking for a relaxing place with just the right mix of activity and quite, try Chamela.
We bypassed Z-Town(Zihuatanejo) and Puerto Vallarta to get some of the crew to Cabo in time for flights.(the big R will be back down someday so no problemo) We departed Chamela direct for the tip of Baja and spent New Year’s underway.
ADVICE FROM THE CAPTAIN When you’re in a deep peaceful sleep, with the comforting drone of a marine diesel inboard in proper calibration drowning all worries away from the outside world, and you are suddenly jolted awake by the sharp loud crashing clanking sound like that of a sail drive transmission that has suddenly exploded and is allowing thousands of gallons per minute to flood the compartment that is directly behind the bulkhead of your captain’s berth, try not to have a heart attack as you leap out of bed to save the ship… it’s just Liam banging on a frying pan to ring in the new year…
Oustide of that, New Year’s was a blast on the Reliant. Really!!
Arrival to San Jose de los Cabos was ideal. The marina is expensive, but probably worth the price. Brand new beautiful docks, neat restaurants and facilities at the top of the gang way. Our local hangout has already become el Marinero Barracho!(the Drunken Sailor) I can’t think of a more fitting palapa style Mexican bar to greet the crew of Reliant. The fish and chips are even decent, but what is it with Mexico and vinegar? A sailor don’t eat anything without malt vinegar! They act like they’ve never heard of it down there. Weird.
Anyone who wants to head down for a weekend, give me a call!
Cultural Addendum: Nathan and I spent the day in Ciudad Mexico, where we explored the mysteries of the church of Rome in the largest cathedral in North America, Metro Cathedral of the Assumption, toured the remains of the Aztec temples of Tenochtitlan(the dudes the Spanish took Mexico City from), and spent a cultured afternoon at the Museo Nacional de Arte. Never fear, we are still Americans, we like American food, and we speak American, which makes google translate all the more important in a foreign country.
Reliant is currently on the east side main channel docks at Puerto Los Cabos Marina, Mexico
Reliant has reached Ensenada, the drop point for boats shipped from Florida to California. Distance from the border is 48 nautical miles. I call that mission accomplished!
To begin, I’d like to remind everyone how arduous the so called delivery experts said a northbound passage on the Baja coast would be in the spring time. I’ve included the following picture to demonstrate the ordeal(note the ferocity of the seas in the background)…
…and that’s an emergency flotation device in Tim’s hand, not a bottle of Pacifico…
To every delivery captain that says NO to northbound baja deliveries after January, TRY CHECKING THE WEATHER dude, it helps!
Did we get lucky? Maybe, but out of a 10 day window in March, there were enough easy days to piece together an uneventful motor north.(it’s all about the Lows, watch for them coming in off the open Pacific to break up the NW flow)
Cabo San Lucas
Starting early Sunday, we checked the famous Cabo arch, then made a 30 hour run direct to Magdalena Bay.
We anchored in Santa Maria Bay, on the northwest side of Magdalena, an easy in and out. Unless you are fuel critical, Maria is a better rest stop than Mag.
There we made a great trade with local fisherman: Spam and Oreos for Lobster! Monday night, Reliant hosted Lobster dinner for the only other boat in the bay, a southbounder out of San Francisco.
Tuesday morning we continued north, tucking close to shore inside of Punta Abreojos. (cruiser note: there’s a light counter current if you get near shore, especially before Abreojos, good northbound push for a slow boat) We passed several groups of Gray Whales traveling northbound near San Ignacio. We also made VHF contact with boats southbound on the San Diego to PV race.
Wednesday we reached Bahia Asuncion, and spent all day ashore so Hannah could say she’d been to “real” Mexico. Dinner was at Loncheria Mary, a three table establishment which was pretty “real” Mexican and the only open joint in town. Highly recommended!
Having plenty of fuel on board made stopping in Turtle Bay unnecessary, and with good weather potential developing for a north bound sail over the weekend, we decided to make for the San Benitos on Thursday morning.
The Islas San Benito are a group of three volcanic rock islands, barren and uninhabited, except for a small fishing camp on the middle island. They
Elephant Seals, San Benitos
give shelter from prevailing NW weather, and are a great jump off point for the last part of the passage north. (cruiser note: try this instead of Cedros unless you need fuel, better point of sail to Ensenada)
The weak low pressure center promising a reverse in wind direction by Saturday, stalled about 200 miles off shore. If it had moved further in as predicted, we would have enjoyed a 10 knot breeze south to north on Sunday.
San Benitos – Anchorage
Realizing there would be no good sailing, we shoved off on the final leg for Ensenada on Saturday afternoon.
Arriving Ensenada Sunday, we spent one very crowded night at the Hotel Coral Marina. The crew used Margaritas to distract me from the noisy power transformer next to our slip. I mean really, it’s the 21st century, do power transformers need to make that much noise??!!
I strongly recommend against Coral. It’s not a terrible marina, but the docks and facilities aren’t nice enough to make up for not being able to walk to town. Plus it costs more.
Cruiseport has much nicer concrete docks, 50 amp service on all, plenty of room in the ways and double wides, and is right across the street from the nicest part of centro. You pick up soot from commercial and cruise ships, but it’s no dirtier than Marina Del Rey, and just as quiet as Coral. The intel I received on these places was incorrect. Do Cruiseport, you won’t be sorry. (cruiser note: CP is dirty, and your rigging will be coated with a gritty stuff if you stay more than a month, but if you won’t be there long it’s not a factor)
Back to the trip, we spent Sunday and Monday enjoying Ensenada and Tuesday departed for Estado Unidos by bus, foot, and rental car.
The crew requested I detail why we had to cross the border on foot instead of flying back with pilot buddies.
We had a plan for evac by Cessna with the help of Dave Karlsberg and Eric Roth(thanks for trying guys), because there is no commercial service in Ensenada. We just forgot to tell President Trump.
Mr. Trump decided to inspect his future wall the day we were planning to fly out. Since the secret service shuts down the National Airspace surrounding any VIP movement, because Cessna Skyhawks are so dangerous(do I sound bitter?), we had to hitch a ride to the bus station, bus ride from Ensenada to the border, walk across the border, Uber to Budget Rental, and drive back to LA.
I’ve been waiting for a tweet apology, but no shout out. Guess he isn’t plugged into the adventures of Reliant. You’re Fired!
Getting back to the crew, it is amazing to hand your credit card to a guy at the Budget Rental counter, and in 5 minutes drive off in a brand new car full of gas for destination wherever. Only in America. Also, kind of nice when the guy at the border crossing says welcome home. Still the best place to be.
I guess that’s as good a way as any to end the blog. I’ve missed a detail or two, but I’ve covered the highlights.
Reliant is now resting at Cruiseport, Ensenada, Echo 3. Weekend trips are approved. All former crew, you know where the key is.
