May each day create new opportunities for learning and growth... phew!
We last wrote on Nov. 20th and we were on our way from Isla San Martin to Turtle Bay (Bahia San Bartolome)... well, we made it. We arrived, or were rather blown in, at about 1020 hrs. on Tuesday the 22nd, after what I will describe as our toughest leg yet. Don't get me wrong.. there were times when it was the best of the best that Georgia Strait has ever had to offer... downwind sailing with seas not too huge, blue sky, blue water and sunshine.... And/but there were parts where the winds were a bit more than that, the seas a bit bigger than that, and well... to be honest, for the last 24 hours of the leg... we were hand-steering again - our auto-pilot complaining about something or other. Given the wind strengths, water conditions, and wave and swell heights, and our equipment issues... this leg taught us more about ourselves than any other has so far. So, really, it's all good.. isn't it. We're even stronger than we realized :-)... and Princess Sophie, boat dog extraordinaire continues to amaze us. She is now truly a live-aboard boat dog... using the deck for 'both' and doing so where she's supposed to - even at a fair heel in 15 knots of wind... what an amazing little creature!
Having arrived safely in Turtle Bay, we were quickly joined by several boats we had already met and so, in the company of SV Lorelei, SV Reunion, SV Prairie Rose and SV Desolita we have spent the last few days visiting each other and touring the small town of Turtle Bay. Yesterday, we all met for lunch at a small mom and pop restaurant for what turned out to be a 3 hour meal... (who knew that once you placed your orders, the proprietors then rush to the store to buy the food to bring it back to fix for you?) It was truly delicious and Carlos and Mercedes were wonderful hosts... The only downside was it gets dark so early here that it was dusk before we got back to our boats and began to prepare for departure the next morning...
However... the weather gods were not on the same page and we've all decided to hang out here for a couple more days while a system packing up to 30 knots of wind blows by... Then (hopefully Monday) we'll weigh anchor and head south to Magdallena Bay where we have a date with some whales. Anchorages such as Bahia Asuncion, Punta Abreojos and Bahia Santa Maria are along the way and available to take refuge in should we need to as we travel south. Our friends Jeanne and Tom (SV Eagle) are already snorkeling in Los Frailes and we're just a wee bit jealous... but we'll get there in due course. We plan to spend Christmas and New Years in La Paz and have secured moorage at Marina Palmira from mid-December to mid-January. Then we'll see which way the wind blows... no firm plans on direction yet.
As for thanksgivings.. we missed both opportunities for turkey dinners but will try and make it up later... To our Canadian and American friends... Happy Thanksgiving everyone !!
Bye bye for now... CJ
