Wind Model Routing a Joke

Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur

Sunset at anchor in Ensenada El Muerto, Punta Chivato

The wind models and PredictWind routing turned out to be complete busts. I headed 10nm further offshore than the rhumb line between Bahía San Francisquito and Punta Chivato yesterday morning to catch afternoon westerly winds. No such winds materialized. I motored into light southerlies, looking forward to the 10-15 knot westerlies forecasted for the evening and night. All we got were some feeble 5 knot wafts. 

Just after midnight, likely due to a combination of boredom and fatigue, I decided that the mainsail had aired out doing nothing long enough and dropped it. Just after I got the sail and lines stowed, the wind piped up to 12 knots for a beautiful beam reach. A few swear words may have got mixed in to my lighthearted chuckling.  Up went the sails again, off went the engines and we enjoyed three hours of peaceful sailing. The winds lightened up and we sailed most of the time at under 4 knots, a perfect speed for arriving at the Punta Chivato anchorage after sunrise.

We dropped anchor here at 6:25am. I did some post-passage straightening up and had a snooze until 11:30. After coffee and a light breakfast, I got the boom gooseneck to stop its infernal creaking by shortening the topping lift, then tried to get the outboard to run right. No luck with the latter, but I think it will be good enough to ferry back and forth to docks in La Paz and San Jose de Cabo and to haul fuel jugs on the Baja Bash. That's all it has to do. Maybe I can get Sea Otter Jimmy, the local small engine guru,  to look at it in La Paz.

Intermezzo's track to-date. Follow at https://share.garmin.com/sjcox/

We've sailed 303nm so far and have crossed the halfway point to Cabo. I'm enjoying being back on Intermezzo and in the Sea of Cortez. The weather is lovely, sunny and just-hot in the afternoons, cool enough for a blanket at night. I love the remoteness of this sea and the wildlife. As I keep pressing onward, I remind myself to take it all in, appreciate the beauty, acknowledge that I might never be back, be grateful for how lucky I am. 

Puerto Don Juan to Bahía San Francisquito

Bahía San Francisquito

Yesterday’s passage from Puerto Don Juan was an uneventful motor in very calm conditions at a steady 6-plus knots. An early arrival in Bahía San Francisquito at 4pm gave me the opportunity to rebuild the outboard’s carburetor and fuel pump. The engine is running better but not like it should be. I suspect an air leak between the carb and the intake manifold. So, more work to do.

By the time I had put the outboard back together, I was pretty tired. I made a simple dinner of potatoes, beans, broccoli and eggs. Strange combination, but perfect for my mood and a satisfying meal.

It is very peaceful in this anchorage, just one other boat with me. We’ve kept to ourselves. A pack of coyotes sang for us just before bedtime. There are no bobitos here! A few bees have come scouting for water, but not the swarms that have descended upon the boat in the past, so very easy to coexist as friends.

Today we head to Punta Chivato (Goat Point), about 99nm away on the rhumb line. I’m going to head offshore to try and catch some nighttime westerlies suggested by PredictWind weather routing. Choosing this route will add about 10nm to our passage, but half the time spent motoring. In my (and others) experience, the weather models for the Sea of Cortez are hardly never correct, but I figure the downside of adding a couple hours to the passage is worth the possible benefit of significantly less motoring.

I’ll report on how things turn out after I arrive in Punta Chivato tomorrow morning.

Puerto Refugio to Puerto Don Juan

Sea of Cortez, Leaving Puerto Don Juan

Puerto Don Juan

Puerto Refugio is one of the most beautiful anchorages in the Sea of Cortez, but I was glad to leave the huge colony of little flies (I call them "bobitos") behind yesterday morning, heading to Puerto Don Juan.

We motored in calm, little-or-no wind conditions until 1pm when the wind piped up and I hoisted the sails. Hard to believe, but we spent the rest of the trip sailing in a 10-15 knot breeze, downwind! I spent a pleasant afternoon cleaning the windows and the salon. Intermezzo is still grimy and dusty from the boatyard.

We anchored in Puerto Don Juan at 5:45pm last evening. I was pleased to find that the bobitos were very few in number, though enthusiastic about my presence. They don't bite, but like to land on you, crawl around on your skin so you notice them, fly off when you swat at them and then, infuriatingly, land in the exact same spot. They also occasionally find their way into you nostrils, their version of spelunking, I suppose.

I guess that the sailing, cleaning, sun and wind took their toll on my, because I was too tired to do anything than just make dinner, read for a bit and then go to bed early. A bit disappointing because there are a few things I would have liked to have got done, had I not felt so spent.

The outboard carburetor is fouled again, like it seems to be at the start of every year. I need to take it apart to clean and get it working before I get to Puerto Escondido, as I need the dinghy to get to and from the mooring there. 

Also, one of my multifunction displays (chart plotter) is acting up, taking several cycles of powering on and off to boot up. Fortunately I have two of these critical navigational devices at the helm, plus a spare in the locker. I hope I don't have to swap the malfunctioning one out. I have too many things on my list already.

Today's passage to Bahía San Francisquito has started out under clear skies, cool temperature, a light breeze and gentle swell from the north.  We have 47nm to travel today, so need to keep boat speed up. We'll motor unless the wind builds to 10 knots or more from a favorable direction.

Beginning of the San Francisco Bash

Puerto Refugio, Baja California

Middle Bight Anchorage, Puerto Refugio

I began the first leg of my San Francisco Bash yesterday, slipping Intermezzo's ducklings in Puerto Peñasco at 11am and heading south towards Los Cabos. a sailing distance of 570nm away. I need to get to Los Cabos by June 4th to meet my crew for the second and most difficult leg of the trip up the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula. I'll be moving along with purpose over the next 10 days to meet Robin in La Paz and take a little break before more than a month of sailing uphill against wind and waves.

Intermezzo is anchored in Puerto Refugio, where we were exactly one year ago on the way north. We sailed 110nm yesterday and last night to get here. I'm single-handing, so no sleep on overnight passages requiring today to be a much-needed rest day.

As I have come to expect, the wind was on the nose most of the way here. Fortunately, it was a very light wind with calm seas. No bashing, but the newly serviced engines and sail drives got a good test run.

Three boats past me last night on a reciprocal course, all heading to the Cabrales Boatyard to haul out for the summer and hurricane season. The yard was already getting crowded when I left. I don't know how they are going to fit more boats in.

I enjoyed watching a SpaceX rocket streak across the night sky, but missed the descent of the re-usable engine because I had to dodge a fishing boat that seemed determined to intersect my course.

At 1am the wind shifted west, blowing at 10 knots. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to actually sail. I clambered up on to the cabintop to prepare the main for hoisting, only to discover that the topping lift was fouled in the lazy jacks and the two-part main halyard was twisted. I worked in the dark by myself on the mildly pitching deck getting things sorted out and 40 minutes later, raised the main, followed by unfurling the jib. The wind blew continued to blow for another five minutes and then, just like that, it was gone. I spent the next 20 minutes dousing the sails and cleaning up lines. It was chilly and damp out, so I was wearing foulies over a down jacket while sitting on watch. All my work getting the sails up and down resulted in me being very hot and sweaty. In my sailing past, I would have felt frustrated and angry. Instead, I just chuckled and accepted things being just as they are. I'm a much happier sailor now.

I spent today mostly resting. Tomorrow we push off early for Puerto Don Juan.

Intermezzo Sails Again!

Puerto Refugio, Baja California

Aloft in the Cabrales Boat Yard, Puerto Peñasco

I left Intermezzo on the hard in the Cabrales Boatyard in Puerto Peñasco last May. I began a major "10 Year Refit" project last September and substantial completed the work at the beginning of April. It was a lot of work!

I replaced the cracked front windows, repaired a transom crack, re-galvanized the anchor, repaired a leaking hull-to-deck joint, replaced sail drive oil seals, bearings and shafts, performed major service on the engines, replaced the engine mounts and replaced hatch seals. Those were all big, difficult jobs. There a many more small jobs still on the list, which aways seems be growing in length.

Puerto Peñasco is a sandy, dusty, gritty town and the best I could do was to manage the level of filth that collected on and in Intermezzo. I rented a studio apartment while I was working on the boat and the best I could do was manage the level of filth that collected on me, too.

The Cabrales yard is a great place to do your own work among others doing likewise. It is a great community of boaters, always ready to help each other out. I made some good friends while I was there.

Intermezzo finally went into the water again two days ago. I paid my yard bill, bid farewell to my friends, said goodbye to Puerto Peñasco and pushed off the dock yesterday. I felt happy to be leaving the dust and dirt, but with a touch of melancholy that comes from leaving a place I called "home", even if just for a spell.

Yesterday began "The Bash to San Francisco".

I'm bringing Intermezzo back to San Francisco Bay for a while. I'll be sailing the length of the Sea of Cortez south, turn north at Los Cabos and do the notorious "Baja Bash" against wind and weather along the remote Pacific Coast of the peninsula, and then harbor-hop up the coast of California, also against prevailing winds and waves.

I'm hoping to pass through the Golden Gate in mid-July, almost nine years after passing in the other direction and beginning my sailing life.

Sailing Intermezzo Book - Softcover and eBook Editions Now Available

I'm pleased to announce that more affordable softcover and eBook editions of my book Sailing Intermezzo - The Voyage are now on sale at my publisher's online bookstore.  The "deluxe" hardcover edition with color photos remains available for purchase there also. Scroll to my previous blog post for a description of and inspiration for the book.

Readers of this blog can apply the following coupon codes to receive discounts off the list prices:

• BLOG - receive a 20% discount off the $24.99 list price of the softcover print edition
• FRIENDS to receive a 50% discount off the $95.00 list price of the deluxe edition

The eBook edition is also available at Amazon and other online booksellers.

Please remember that publishing this book is a non-profit enterprise. All royalty proceeds I receive in excess of the cost of producing the book will be donated to charity.

My Sailing Intermezzo Book Release

 Penngrove, CA

I'm pleased to announce the release of the "deluxe edition" of my long-awaited book, Sailing Intermezzo, The Voyage. This book combines my blog posts and writings from my personal journal to weave together the story of my sailing voyage from San Francisco to New York with a story of my struggles with love. Readers of this blog will be familiar with the sailing story. The love story reveals what I went through personally during the voyage while I was blogging about it.

My mom was the inspiration for this book. She asked me if I could print out the blog so she could have a hardcopy. When I got the blog converted to printable form, I decided to divide it into chapters and write prefaces for each chapter. When I started writing the prefaces, I realized I had more of a story to tell. And so printing out the blog turned into writing a book.

Writing this book was harder than I thought it would be, painful at times. Finishing the book felt satisfying. I feel both excited and apprehensive as I release it to the wild.

The deluxe edition is a hardcover book of over 600 pages with color photos. I self-published this book and, as it is printed on demand, is expensive. However, for a limited time, readers of this blog can receive a 30% discount off the list price by applying the coupon code BLOGDLX.  The deluxe edition can only be purchased at my publisher's (BookBaby) webstore at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/sailing-intermezzo.

I am working on a "standard edition", a softcover without the photos and an e-book, both of which which will be much more affordable. I expect these versions to be finished by the end of June and will announce their release as soon as they are available. They will be available from BookBaby and all the major online retailers.

Publishing this book is a non-profit enterprise. All royalty proceeds I receive in excess of the cost of producing the book will be donated to charity.