North from Puerto Escondido 02/26/2012

North from Puerto Escondido | Chasing the Dream
North from Puerto Escondido. 02/26/2012. I left Puerto Escondido about 9am with plans of a leisurely few days going north. There was very little wind but I put up ...
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Chasing the Dream

North from Puerto Escondido 02/26/2012 I left Puerto Escondido about 9am with plans of a leisurely few days going north. There was very little wind but I put up the main sail to get a little exercise in the morning. The wind filled in and soon we were sailing. With internet reception off Loreto I checked the weather and saw the wind was to blow for a day and then be dead for a few. I didn't feel like motoring so I decided to sail the 130 miles to San Carlos in one go. With two tacks to get past Isla Coronados we were headed straight to San Carlos on port tack with a nice 12 knots of breeze until the wind died at sunset. On went the motor and I took this shot of my last Baja sunset for a while.  Comments [0] Back to Puerto Escondido 02/23/2012 Manuel brought me a nice Red Snapper in half an hour. I was motoring along fileting the fish when the wind picked up and away we went. This continued until a few miles from Puerto Escondido where the wind dropped to 5 knots. I was reading when I heard a splash and looked up to see about 100 dolphins. About 80 headed off fishing while 20 or so stayed with me for a good ten minutes. It was magical.  Comments [0] Timbabeche 02/23/2012 I had planned on staying at Isla San Francisco but the wind was up in the morning and the forecast called for calm days to come so I said goodbye to Gayle and Howard and set sail. It was a good decision as conditions were great. The wind blew a steady 14 knots on the nose and the waves were very small. As I neared the edges of the channel the wind kept changing to allow me to head farther north each time and I did the whole channel with just four tacks. I also saw the first, I think, Blue whale of the trip. Unfortunately after leaving the channel the wind fell to 5 knots and the rest of the day was very slow and I didn't get to Timbabiche until sunset. It's morning now and my new amigo Manuel has just set off to get a fish for me before I leave.  Comments [0] 02/23/2012, Isla San Francisco I left Partida in the morning with light winds on the beam and all three sails up. It quickly built to 15 knots on the nose so away went the screecher and I had a nice, if slightly bumpy, sail to Isla San Francisco. On the way I noticed some light coming through the jib and closer inspection revealed some tearing. The main is also starting to show signs of age but nothing lasts forever. The sails will soon have 12 years on them so I will fix them for a while and start shopping. I arrived at Isla San Francisco as the wind died. After some quick sail repair I paddled over to Anu and did happy hour with Gayle and Howard before heading back to the boat for dinner.  Comments [0] Caleta Partida 02/23/2012 A slow sail to Pardida and a relaxed dinner.  Comments [0] Bahia San Gabriel 02/23/2012 It was a decent sail to Bahia San Gabriel until the wind dies and the sea was like a washing machine. Very bumpy, wet and slow. It was nice once I got there and the internet reception was okay so I was happy. A few fruitless attempts at communication the next morning but you can't have everything.