Sail Further

Some strategies for avoiding the 20-feet seas possible around the Point: When fog settles for days in Santa Barbara Channel the winds are likely to be at a minimum, a nighttime passage (after midnight) is usually best to avoid the diurnal wind cycle, early summer and September and October are usually the best times of the year when fogs are common.

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This map from "Charlie's Charts" shows the inshore route to avoid big seas off the notorious Cabo Falso. Sitting tight in Marina Cabo San Lucas waiting for a lull in the weather to start the Bash up the Baja peninsula. I read in Latitude 38 that the Marina had dropped its astronomical rates, turns out to be true (Noonsite claims 40ft boat $152/night - 2011, I paid $62/night for my 37' sailboat). This Marina has the most active watersports business I've seen in Mexico. I had to dodge all manner of sailboat charters, fishing charters, jetskis etc. while entering and trying to find my assigned berth. There seems to be two contradictory strategies to avoid bashing into the big seas created by the "cape effect" and the prevailing North-west winds. Charlie's Charts suggests staying well inshore (following the 10-15 fathom depth contour) while Capt. Jim Elfers' guide acknowledges that the lowest seas are about one-mile offshore but cautions against th...

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - Robert A. Heinlein

What could be worse than sailing your half-million-plus-dollar J/160 yacht into a reef?! Probably having Latitude38 tell all their readers in great sordid detail that you did it... Blast Wrap-Up December 5, 2011 – Banderas Bay One thing everyone learned from this Blast is that you can't mess with the offshore reefs as much as three miles to the east of Punta Mita. The reefs are great for creating waves to surf, but bad for bouncing off of with boats. Sailmaker Mike Danielson guided the J/160 Blue at the very edge of one of the reefs in search of a smidgen more wind. They gybed just short of the reef, but fouled a spinnaker line in the bowsprit, fell off, and slammed into the reef. They struck so abruptly that the bowman flew right off the front of the boat, looking just like Superman in the old television show. We saw it with our own eyes. It took about 15 minutes of banging before Blue was able to get free of what will surely become known at Mike's Recife Azul, and...

For fellow cruisers who plan on putting in at Marina El Cid: if they assign you to slip A15 you might want to check if they've dredged it lately. My draft is 6' 3" and at low tide I was careened. As you can see wxtide said that the lower, low tide was -0.8ft on Nov. 23.

The gentleman on my left is Miguel Hernandez, proprietor of Electricidad Delta. He helped me troubleshoot my engine's tachometer. Afterwards, he invited me over to his brother's home where they have their weekly fish fry. Delicious. Miguel does excellent work, is punctual, and is nearly fluent in english. I definitely got the impression that he takes pride in his work. His contact information: