June 18, 2022-Coromel Winds and Puerto Balandra
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Protected by Punta Diablo
The incessant Coromel winds have tired us. For the two weeks
that we’ve been in the La Paz area these night time winds have howled and Wings
has rocked and rolled so that we could hardly get any sleep. And that has been
in the supposedly “good” anchorages which aren’t really very good. Anchorages which are actually calm when the
Coromels blow are hard to find around here.
We tried Playa Pichilingue, but the waves looped around the
corner and it was rough all night. We lasted four nights there trying different
spots. None worked.
We looked at Caleta Lobo but we knew it was too small to
offer any good protection.
Then we considered Puerto Balandra. It looked pretty good on the chart. We could see that the point on the south
side, Punta Diablo, would give excellent shelter from the southerly Coromels and
figured it would be calm.
What about Internet? There wasn’t supposed to be any coverage
in Balandra, but I thought there might be. We like anchorages that are calm and
also where we can also get Internet (for weather forecasts, mostly), so we
decided to go to Balandra, find a calm spot under Punta Diablo, and check out
the Internet once we got there. Even without Internet we might enjoy a calm
place for a few nights.
We motored the 3 miles from Playa Pichilingue to Punta
Balandra, tucked up behind the point and set the anchor. The bay looked
gorgeous and there wasn’t any wind at all.
In the afternoon, however, the Coromel did come up and it
came right over Punta Diablo onto us. By 7:00 pm we had 20 knots and before
midnight there were nearly 30. It never slacked off. There weren’t any waves to
speak of, so that was good, but the wind gusts were pretty horrendous. I kept
my clothes on and slept on the settee just in case I needed to run on deck for
any reason during the night, which I didn’t.
It was still blowing in the morning with a cold, brisk, south
wind. It was a classic Coromel but in the crystal clear morning light the place
was indeed beautiful. We caught a couple of hours of Internet, surprisingly,
and updated our weather information. So, except for the night time winds we
were pretty happy with Puerto Balandra.
(I should point out that once we got out of La Paz town
itself we have not been able to get weather other than with an Internet connection.
The La Paz cruiser’s radio net forecasts have been, except for the hurricane forecasts, worthless for a sailor, the
regular guy who gives it is out of town and the substitute guy’s forecast is
all about how hot it’s going to be in town every afternoon or what the hurricanes are doing, but not much about the wind, and anyway we can't hear the
morning net out in the islands. Other
boats have satellite set-ups to get weather but we don’t, so we need Internet.)
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Judy on the DuneThere was a French boat anchored a bit farther in and they
seemed to have less wind so we thought we’d move next to them and try another night
but first we explored the bay in the dingy. We took one of our computers so we
could test the Internet connection in case some location was better than the
others in that regard. There weren’t any but before heading back to the boat
and repositioning Wings, we went ashore to look at the sand dunes, which was
really fun.
That night was better. The wind was less, still no waves, and
again in the morning we got a bit of Internet.
The views here are so stunning we have decided that despite
the wind we really like it. Puerto Balandra is now one of our favorites; it is
such a beautiful place, and with the prospect of calm nights, we are loving
Puerto Balandra.
But tomorrow we need to go back to La Paz and start
preparing for our return to La Cruz so well have to cut short our stay in
Puerto Balandra, and we’ll see you in La Cruz soon.
Click here for lots more images
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Puerto Balandra
Post script:
We thought there were going to some calmer nights. Well,
there wasn’t. The next night after I wrote this post we got pasted again. The
Coromel wind started at 5:00PM and by 8:00PM it was in the twenties. It never
slacked off all night and I saw steady to high 20’s after midnight. The gusts,
however, were the worst, they hit with sudden force from many directions. This
time we had damage, minor damage, but damage. At 1:30 am the dingy blew off the
deck. I already taken off the motor, gas tank and oars but we’d left the dingy
itself upside down on the foredeck. A racket at 1:30 AM awakened us. What in
blazes was that? It repeated itself. I ran on deck wondering, “What the
hell?” I saw our Zodiac dingy over the
side of the boat hanging upside down by the ropes I’d tied it with. Apparently
not well enough. Judy came up and we horsed the dingy back onto the deck and
this time tied it securely. Then I noticed the solar panel. It too had been caught
by the wind. Instead of spreading its wings out to the side where it could
catch the sun (in daytime) it was now vertical. Obviously the wind had blown
that too. And our flag which we’ve flown on the backstay since we left La Cruz
was flapping violently, torn to shreds, but still making a terrible noise. With
the howling of the wind and the flapping of the flag sleep was going to be
impossible. We took the flag down.
In the morning the wind was still blowing and we saw several
boats which had ducked into the bay around us during the night. Apparently it
was worse outside.
At 9:00 AM the wind shut off like someone threw a switch: 20
knots to zero instantly. Around us our new neighbors were upping anchors and
heading back on their way to whereever they were going when the wind
interrupted their plans the night before.
At noon we left too, we’ve had enough.
June 10, 2022-Kids Achieve Critical Mass
A young girl squealing with delight suddenly leaped from the
newly arriving boat and started splashing towards the nearest other boat among the small fleet anchored in Aqua Verde. At
the same time a second girl, on the other boat, also squealing with delight,
jumped from her boat and started swimming towards the first.
They met in the middle and shrieked and hugged. It was clear
that they were happy to see each other.
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Kids Swarming
This was our introduction to the gathering of cruiser kids,
soon to achieve critical mass, which was happening in Aqua Verde.
Before nightfall there were 10 boats anchored in the
northern lobe of Aqua Verde and most of them were “kid boats”; boats with kids
aboard. They had been travelling around Mexico for weeks and had met at
anchorages where they had established many close friendships. What happened
when they got together was a joy to watch.
After launching their kayaks and paddle boards they all migrated
towards one or the other of the boats. When four or five kids got together things
were sort of quiet, but when there got to be about six or more things exploded
and invariably there erupted a flurry of gleeful and excited voices and frantic
splashing, the sounds of which echoed off the rocks surrounding the anchorage.
The gatherings turned into spontaneous water based versions of King of the
Mountain.
Aboard Wings the screaming and squealing that echoed off the
rock walls surrounding the bay was amazing and we loved it.
One day, on the beach, they had a Pinatta for a girl’s
birthday and when the stuffed donkey was finally bashed to the ground the mob
just swarmed on it. The adults just backed away. On another occasion they had a
scavenger hunt where they had to get clues from each boat in the anchorage,
including Wings, and the paddling and squealing as they went from boat to boat
seemed like an aquatic Oklahoma Land Rush.
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Judy
When the kid fleet resumed its journey north Wings sailed
south, to Isla San Francisco and then on to Evaristo, both favorites of ours,
and finally to La Paz. As we neared La Paz we started to encounter a mob of a
different kind: Party boats for charter. In each anchorage we were surrounded
by large powerboats which came from La Paz for a couple of days or nights loaded
with party goers. They were all intent on having a grand time, and we were
subjected to loud music, jet skis, and the all night running of gen-sets. Each
yacht had uniformed crew as servants and fancy dinners were served on the upper
decks to owners and guests who all dressed for the occasion. We watched as
plates and trays of food and fine Champaign were carried up and down the
yacht’s stairways.
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Isla San Francisco
.
Now we’ve made our way to La Paz itself, the home base for
all these charter boats. At first it seemed like La Paz hadn’t changed very
much from when we first visited here in 1997. The dusty streets were paved over
and the small houses replaced by towering condos, but it was recognizable. Now
we see that suburbs have popped up and there are shopping malls and more
traffic. The marinas have been populated with rows and rows of those big fancy
powerboats, and the marinas are full. It is a good thing that we are not
looking for a marina berth now, they are all taken. La Paz is absolutely the busiest
port we’ve ever been in. The radio traffic from boats to the Port Captain fills
the airwaves all day and into the night. But we’re happily anchored out in the
Mogate and we can go ashore whenever we want in our dingy. Of course we can’t
wash Wings so the grime from three month’s cruising is just accumulating, and
the crowds and prices in town seem to be increasing, but we can survive all of
these things, and the multitudes of pangas which whizz by each morning and
night, as well.
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Parked in Panga Highway
So that is our routine now: Stay anchored in La Paz, or
nearby, relax, ignore the hubbub, and fix some boat projects (we could tell you
some stories). There has been some socializing, we’ve met some of our cruising
friends here and made some new ones, but it’s all been pretty relaxed.
We’ll be back in La Cruz soon.
Click here for a few more photos
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Paz Labels: Aqua Verde, Baja California, Evaristo, Isla San Francisco, La Paz, Mexico, Playa Pichilingue, Sea of Cortez
May 15, 2022-Ballandra and Beyond
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Sunset in Ballandra
Life on Wings has been as tranquil these days as the Sea of
Cortez where we’ve been cruising. We haven’t been worried by storms or rough
seas; our anchorages have been calm and, since we completed our frantic race to
get here back in April, have been quite pleasant so we haven’t been in a hurry
to move from one to another
We’ve been in these waters before, going back more than 20
years, and we know where our favorite bay and harbors are. To those favorite
places we have returned this season and when we have glided into their quiet
waters we’ve just dropped our anchor and stayed. As always we’ve been awed by
the majestic beauty of Baja and the peace and quiet here which surrounds us has
invaded our souls and we, in turn, have become peaceful and quiet.
And that is why we came here.
Since arriving we have maintained a gentle routine which has
included doing almost nothing other than taking care not to miss our daily naps.
That is not to say that we actually have been doing nothing.
We’ve found boat projects to work on and we’ve made trips to town for shopping.
We’ve met new friends and, when the mood strikes us, have socialized with other
cruisers.
For three weeks we stayed at Caleta Ballandra, on Isla
Carmen. We sun bathed on the beach and attempted
to swim in the clear waters but found it too cool. We took a tour in the dingy
to another beach, our secret beach, to hike around and explore.
Then, one day, lacking wind to sail, we motored to another
favorite spot, Aqua Verde, and where we sat out a rare for this time of year weather
event, a cold northerly. The harbor at Aqua Verde offers protection from
northerly winds if you get there early and can find a spot. We did but we shared
it with nine other boats that squeezed in after us.
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Roca Solitaria
Neither Ballandra or Aqua Verde have changed much in 22
years. In Ballandra bees are still there and still looking for water but they
didn’t bother us much. In Aqua Verde there are still goats, however the lady
who runs the El Faro Restaurant there told us there is less water these days
and the goat herds are diminished. We
shared with her our fond memories of 25 years ago when we anchored here there
were large herds of goats roaming the hillside, and how a farmer put on a banquet
of barbequed goat for several cruisers, including ourselves. Her eyes
brightened and a smile came to her face and while she crossed herself, she said
that it had been her father who often would prepare a feast of goat for the
cruisers.
Another big change is WiFi. The little store in Aqua Verde
now has a satellite dish and offers WiFi, for a price. Our WiFi antenna can
pick it up from where we are anchored. It’s slow, and we have to rotate the
antenna when the boat swings, but it works. Back at Ballandra there was no WiFi
but we had cell service from Loreto, 9 miles away, so we were able to get
Internet there too.
So I guess, besides protection from winds and peace and
quiet, we like to stay where we can get Internet.
Times have changed.
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Judy Waits Her Turn at Bache Ball
The next afternoon, after the winds passed from our “wind
event”, we went to the beach here at Aqua Verde with several other cruisers and
played Bache Ball until it got too dark. A man named Joaquin whose family has
occupied that cove for more than 100 years lives in a shelter on the beach as
caretaker. Apparently Bache Ball is often played on his well kept stretch of
sand and he often must join in because he was clearly the best player amongst
all of us.
Judy did OK, but I was the worst. I have never played Bache
Ball before.
We are not watching a calendar; we have plenty of time
before we need to head back to La Cruz, but we are keeping an eye on our
provisions and when they get low we’ll be on the move again, to more beautiful
Sea of Cortez sites, and maybe one with a good store.
Click here for more photos.
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mexico Labels: Aqua Verde, Baja Caifornia, Ballandra, Mexico, Sea of Cortez
April 20, 2022-Venturing Into the Sea of Cortez
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Sailing Into Caleta Partida
They say that having a “schedule” is the worst thing for
making sailboat trips. Our effort to get
to La Paz by early April and meet Jimmy and Robin, on their chartered boat La Marvela, proved the truth of that old
saying.
That dash to get to La Paz came to a screaming halt on April
3 when we entered the Cerralvo passage at midnight and faced a black night with
big waves and a cold north wind of 24 knots. There was no moon or stars, the
wind was freezing cold and right on the nose, we were taking spray everywhere and
we were dead tired.
“Nope, we’re not
going.” I said to Judy. We turned Wings
back toward Los Muertos, a protected bay just over 6 miles south.
Even that little trip of six miles was stressful. It took over an hour to get there and neither
the wind nor the waves gave any sign of abating. We donned life jackets and
planned how we would get the sails down and secured and get the boat anchored
in those conditions.
In the end it was easy; the wind did drop and the seas
calmed down and by 02:00 we were safely anchored among a small group of other
boats whose welcoming anchor lights guided us in. We were happy to be stopped.
We had a shot of rum and crashed into our bunks and stayed in Los Muertos for two
nights.
Judy and I had worked at a frantic pace after the finish of
the Banderas Bay Regatta to get Wings converted from race boat to cruising boat
so we could take off. Meeting Jimmy and
Robin on La Marvela in La Paz was to
be the beginning of a three-month cruise in the Sea of Cortez. Rene and Denny helped us get ready and in four
days we completed what would normally take a week or more. Then we set off on
the pursuit.
It was a joy to sheet in Wings’ sails, just the two of us,
and head out into the Pacific Ocean, the blue Pacific. The crossing from
Banderas Bay to Baja it is 340 miles, the way the crow flies. Of course we
can’t often sail the way the crow flies, direct, and the wind was against us,
so we began to tack, and it was shifty, so we found ourselves changing course
often and sailing on which ever board was favored. But it was nice sailing and
even the occasional tacks didn’t bother us. One of us on watch and lazing in
the cockpit, gazing at the ocean, and the other, likely as not, napping below. When
the wind changed whomever was on watch woke the other.
“It’s time to tack.”
And we threw off the sheets and turned the boat.
But shifty winds were not the only challenge Nature
presented. The wind was not consistent in strength either. Sometimes it was
blowing 10 knots, which was beautiful, other times 14 and we wondered if a sail
change was going to be needed. Then, unsurprisingly, the wind would drop all
together and we had to take down the sails and turn on the motor.
Later the wind would come back and we had to turn off the
motor and put the sails back up. This cycle repeated itself and it became
tiring. Pulling sails up and then down is a lot of work.
After three days we weren’t exhausted but we were tired.
Then came our encounter with the Cerralvo Channel. We took a rest.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Wings Moored in Ellipse at Puerto Escondido
After we resumed the charge we moved fast. We had three long
days on the water, sometimes motoring, sometimes sailing, (and the sailing was
often a heavy weather beat with lots of tacks) up the Baja coast past tall
mountains and stunning scenery which we’d love to have stopped and enjoyed, but
the time for which we just could not afford. We caught up with La Marvela in Puerto Escondido. They were impressed that
we overcame their three-day head start. We reached Puerto Escondido 4 hours after
they did.
Sitting with Jimmy and Robin at the bar at Puerto Escondido looking
down onto Wings moored peacefully in the Ellipse in I felt we’d achieved our
objective and that we could finally relax. Margaritas for everybody.
Jimmy and Robin image
Jimmy and Robin
Two days later we said our goodbyes and La Marvela reversed course and began its trek back south.
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Judy Handles the Halyard as Fred Works Aloft
Since then, with no schedule and no particular objective, we’ve
been really cruising; going where we want, meeting new friends, finding nice
anchorages, and taking long naps. wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Wings Anchored in Ballandra, Isla Carmen
The sailing has been terrific, not too much motoring, the
boat maintenance projects have not been too arduous, and even the bees at Isla
Carmen are not too aggravating this year.
In a few days we’ll
go into Loreto for provisions and begin planning the next leg.
Click here for many more images.
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Sea of Cortez Labels: Baja Caifornia, friends, Isla Carmen, Mexico, Puerto Escondido, sailing, Sea of Cortez
April 17, Banderas Bay Regatta
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Leading
(Thank you John Pounder for the loan of your image, I'll buy it from you when we are back together.)
In our preparations for the Banderas Bay Regatta we practiced
hard and prepared hard. We pushed the boat, we pushed the crew, and now I was pushing
the yacht club, and they were pushing back. It was about the racing class we
wanted to be in and it was too much; they weren’t having it.
“Fred, would you just shut up!”
That was the yacht club commodore talking. He’d had enough.
I decided to chill out a bit. I agreed to stay in the class where they wanted us and that was that.
Then came the racing.
This year we had some crew issues. We were constantly trying
to recruit new crew to replace people who had boats of their own and wanted to
go cruising. To make it worse the other skippers who were planning to
compete in Banderas Bay Regatta were also scrambling for crew. It seemed like every
good sailor was taken.
We did manage to put together a crew, a good one, and we
practiced and practiced, including racing in the Beer Can Races. We also
managed to address all the boat issues we’d experienced on the lead up to BBR. By race day we were ready.
This year’s Banderas Bay Regatta was exceptional. There was
wind, plenty of it, and the races were long, longer than usual. We had
exhausting days on the water but we never let up on the boat or ourselves in
these long windy races.
That practice and preparation paid off. On day one we placed
second. It was our friends on Edwina who came in from behind and beat us by a
minute and 11 seconds. It was clear that they were going to be tough but we
were not giving up.
Then came the second race. I urged the crew, “OK folks, here we go. We
can win this one if we all, every one of us, really concentrate. And Shawn, my
man, it’s up to you to keep that genoa perfectly trimmed the whole way. That’s
what will win this race.”
They did it. We won
the second race.
Shawn was the star. A new guy on the boat, but a power
house. He stayed focused on the jib like no one I’ve seen. He never lost his
concentration. We beat Edwina by 18 seconds.
The fleet was having problems though. Two boats withdrew,
and then in the third race Edwina blew out a sail and they were struggling. We got another first.
On day three it was windy, over twenty knots. The race committee
decided to run two races. When they announced the second race I groaned, “Geez,
another one?” We were tired.
But we stuck with it. “OK folks, one more.”
Again, we pushed everything to the limit. When we got to the
top mark and the wind was howling we never hesitated to set the spinnaker. At
the bottom marks we sheeted the in sails rock hard. Sometimes it took two men
to winch in the jib. And we hiked hard. Stefan urged us, “All the way out, get
your cheeks over the side.”
On the last windward leg as we were pounding upwind, Richard
said to me, “This is a tough boat Fred, all this punishment and it’s still
taking it.”
“It’s a tough crew too, Richard.”
We were flying on the downwind leg. I looked down at Jim who
was grinding the spin sheet. He was
grinning like a kid.
We won again.
So, it was a great regatta; three first places and one
second place. We were jubilant.
Awards
Everybody contributed. On the foredeck Denny and Eddie were
fantastic always getting set up for the next rounding even as the boat tried to
throw them off. Rene grumbled about not having enough winches to do everything
at once, but she managed it. The trimmers and grinders, Shawn, Luis and Stefan,
put everything into it and never quit. Shawn, for his stellar jib trimming, was
awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player), and got to keep the first-place trophy.
In the midst of all the chaos, Judy, Rena, Gloria and Dennis, at various times,
went below and packed wet spinnakers faster than I’ve seen.
Jim Brainard joined for this regatta and, in addition to
trimming and occasional grinding, was a great coach and tactical assistant.
Richard, as he always is, was a rock on main and tactics,
plus assisting Gloria on runners. Richard said
later that that last day’s races were the best ever.
Gloria handled the running back stays, normally a two-person
job, and Judy, my wonderful Judy, was navigator par excellence. She kept our
starts perfectly timed, our laylines exact, and kept us pointed to the marks. She has taken real ownership of the on-deck
navigation computer and no one has come close to what she can do with that
machine. Plus Judy went forward to assist Rene, helped with the spinnaker
take-downs, and went below to repack them.
Even I did a good job; the whole crew kept me focused on my driving
by nagging continuously if I didn’t keep the steering perfect.
Oh, one more crew addition: Eddie brought his dog Charley.
Charlie stayed below while we were racing but he was part of the
team.
It was definitely a team effort, three days, four races, and
10 people with total concentration. I
love them all.
Click here for more images.
Fred and Judy, SV Wings, Mexico Labels: Banderas Bay Regatta, crew, Mexico, racing
April 16, 2022-Catching Up With Febuary
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Wings and Jazzy II
February was even more hectic than January.
We were looking forward to some peace and quiet in February. After all, the racing schedule was reduced and there was not much else on the agenda.
But the Wednesday Beer Can Races continued. We had wind, wind, and more wind. On the windiest days we had breeze into the 20’s and it didn’t seem to stop. Pushing the boat hard in that wind on those short courses was exhausting. We wore out our sail trimmers, actually experienced loss of control at times, blew out a spinnaker and, to top it off, we had engine and other boat problems.
The boat problems included broken blocks, broken battens, bent stanchions, plugged fuel lines, blown out exhaust mixing elbow, of course a totally blown spinnaker and minor issues. I was fixing things every Thursday.
As for control problems, in the strong gusts of wind the boat became unruly as the wind took over and I had to fight to keep the boat under control. Our crew had to scramble to stay on the boat and at their jobs. That included me.
In one strong puff I lost my grip on the deck and slid dangerously close to the edge of the boat while hanging on to the tiller! Of course, my death grip on the tiller while I fell caused the boat to round right up into the wind AND RIGHT TOWARDS THE SIDE OF ANOTHER BOAT GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY! It was a T-Bone between two boats going 6 knots in opposite directions about to happen. All I could do was pull the tiller farther which caused the boat to do a sudden tack and put us out of danger. Whew! Dodged that bullet. The crew on the winches never even noticed my pratfall; they just frantically completed the tack and wondered why I didn’t call for it ahead of time.
But we got through those tough races and afterwards thought they were fun. One thing about it: it turned out that they were good practice for the windy Banderas Bay Regatta which came later (we’ll write more on that soon.)
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Beach Party
Also in February, spontaneous social activities kept us entertained and busy.
Beach parties were organized and we attended some of them. Dinners out, dancing in the moonlight. Yeah!
We had an opportunity to actually sail on other boats, including John and Lynn’s 54 foot EDWINA and Peter & Eileen’s APPLESEEDS, and spent time on various other boats with friends we’ve become close to in Mexico.
In all, February, instead of being quiet, was a very busy month, but a good one for the Wingers.
Click here for more images.
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mexico
Labels: boat work, friends, Mexico, racing
Jan. 29, 2022-Good Crew Work Wins Vallarta Cup
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Crew Work
“Four minutes to the layline”
It was Judy’s voice from the back of the boat. She was getting data from the “brick”, our navigation computer. She was telling us that in four minutes we could tack and sail directly to the windward mark which nobody on the boat had caught a glimpse of yet.
We were sailing off to the right of the course with our arch rivals off to leeward. We were ahead of them and nobody wanted to tack away and let them go to the new wind everyone expected from the right-hand side. But if Judy was correct then we had them; we could tack and if they continued off to the right they would overstand.
But if she was wrong and we tacked away they could get a bit more of the new wind and might catch up.
Where is that bloody mark?
We couldn’t see it yet.
The hell with it, I thought, Judy has been all over her new job as navigator, it’s time to trust her. “OK. Let’s tack” I called.
“Ready”, from the genoa crew.
“Tacking”.
We made our turn and then, as if by magic, the mark appeared right on our bow. I looked behind; our rivals had tacked right on our course. We had them.
That was the way it went for the Vallarta Cup this year: Judy did her job; everybody did their job. We had excellent all-around crew work and the results showed it: four races and three first places and one second place. We won the Vallarta Cup.
Actually, we probably had the best crew we’ve had for years. Foredeck was Terry and Dennis: hot shots on the bow. At the mast and feeding tactical information back to the afterguard was Jim Brainard, magician of the yacht Brainwaves. Rena held down the halyards with Cristine helping. John from Mangata and Russ from Jazz were trimming and Pat tailing made a solid center of the boat. In the back, Richard excellently trimming main and calling tactics, Sherri doing runner and all-around assistant, me steering and Judy navigating. Superstars all!
So the boat was hot, the crew was hot, and the racing was great. In the end when we had two wins under our belt and one second place it all came down to the last race. Our rivals had one win and two seconds. Whomever won that race would win the regatta.
We were right on their tail, meaning we were winning, as we charged towards the finish line of the last race.
Then the wind died. I mean completely died. They drifted across. We had about four minutes to finish to be able to beat them, but we were stopped.
We dropped off the heavy spinnaker guys and manually jibed for the line, barely moving.
I watched the clock and I watched the committee boat. What would come up first, the line or the time limit? There was not a sound on the boat nor a movement. We caught a slight puff and crossed the line. It was 22 seconds to go, just soon enough.
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Happy Crew
So it was a happy boat onboard Wings as we sailed back to our berth in La Cruz. The second big race of the year and our second first place. We’re doing well and it felt great.
wingssail images fredrick roswold
Trophy
Click here for more photos.
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz Mexico
Labels: crew, Mexico, Race, sailing
Jan 21, 2022-One Cowhide Over the Moon
Norma, from the gym, told me about the tapiceria in Bucerias. A tapiceria is a upholstery shop and we'd been searching all over Puerto Vallarta for a tapiceria which could fix the leather seats in our car. Not having much luck either!
Then Norma told us about the shop right across the street from the gym.
Same old story: when you can't find what you're looking for, look closer to home.
So I walked over to the tapiceria and met David, the main guy. And I met his mom Zanaida, who runs the desk, and Ceasar, David's brother. I met the whole family. I showed David our ripped upholstery.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
David
He said he could fix it. His mom gave me an estimate, "Not bad", I thought.
But their leather selection was not what I wanted.
"Can I bring my own leather?" I asked.
"Sure."
Next I searched for leather in Mexico. That should be easy, I figured, Mexico is rich in leather.
I found a shop n Guadalajara and ordered a whole cowhide, black, fine finish, $73.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
One Cowhide
I took my cowhide to David.
"Looks fine" he said.
We made an appointment and on the designated day I took my car to his shop and pulled it into the back yard. When it was supposed to be ready I went back. The seats were perfect, like new, but there was a problem: the electric seats didn't work!
Well, I knew they were bad before but when David and Ceasar worked them over they stopped working.
David's English wasn't good.
We talked with Google translate. He said, "He fixes the engine and I fix the upholstery" meaning the electric seat motors were my problem.
No problem, I found a used seat adjuster in a wrecking yard in Ohio, near the town where we found the car itself several years ago, and ordered it.
Now I have replaced the seat adjuster (big job, actually) and the electric seats work and the leather is very nice.
All good.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
New Seats
We're over the moon with it.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz Huanacaxtle, Mexico Labels: boat work, Chrysler 300M Special, Mexico
Dec 26, 2021-Christmas Dinner with G to G Windward
wingssail images-Sherri Wilkinson
 Fred & Judy
wingssail images-judy jensen Greg & Gloria in the Kithchen
We were invited to a wonderful Christmas Dinner at Greg and Gloria's (G to G Windward) condo with some other cruisers.
We had lots of fun.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz, Mexico Labels: Christmas, friends, Mexico
Dec. 22, 2021-New Racing Season
wingssail images-judy jensen
Richard turned to me with a smile on his face, “It wasn’t much fun sitting there for an hour with no wind but it sure was nice when the wind filled in and we won!”
“Yep.”
We’d just come in first on the first day of the Banderas Bay Blast, the kick-off race of the season but it wasn’t easy.
Oh yeah, we got a good start but all the smaller or slower boats had already gone before our start was called. So we started behind.
But we were fast and we immediately started passing them. That was fun. Then the wind died.
I mean zero wind.
Everyone stopped including the one boat still ahead of us, a Gulfstar 50, and several fast boats who were close behind. Whoever got the wind first would win.
We tried our lightest spinnaker. So did the Gulfstar. So did a couple of boats behind. Our the ancient ½ oz kite sort of filled. Same with the boats behind, their kites filled slightly, looking like deflated balloons, but nobody moved.
Boats started to withdraw. There was a parade of boat motoring past, headed for home.
“It often is flat calm like this for a while then the wind springs up all of a sudden.” I tried to cheer up the crew, and maybe I was reminding the wind gods that we were still out here.
But it worked!
The wind came in; we all got it at the same time and we were off.
It was a northerly and that meant it was a beat to the finish; our strong point.
We pulled out from the boats behind and closed in on the Gulfstar. They tried to cover us.
Finally, we broke out of their wind shadow and passed them from leeward, pointing on them and sailing faster. Soon they were directly behind us.
wingssail images-judy jensen
That was day one of a three day regatta, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
After Saturday’s race the following two days looked to be repeats. We would start behind all the boats (except a few which were deemed to be faster than us, but weren’t; they started behind.) and then try to pick them off one by one.
On Sunday we did just that. We sailed well and were first by a mile, literally. We’ve sailed that course before and this wasn’t a record but it was close. We finished in one hour and 41 minutes. The best we’ve done was 1 hour and 31 minutes. Comparing the tracks for that day in 2019 and this race we could see what cost us the extra 10 minutes. It was a little less wind and much less of a right hand shift. The Gulfstar was second.
On Monday the Gulfstar stayed ahead all the way to the finish but we won our class and won overall and that sewed up the regatta: First in class and first overall.
After that we’ve been racing Beer Can Races and doing well, so the season is off to a good start.
I give a lot of credit to the crew and a lot to Judy who has taken over the navigation role and she is doing great. Judy needed to move off of running backstays and while she didn’t want the navigator job it was the right move for her and she stepped up. It's more work for her because she still has to do her old role of being crew boss. She's a busy lady but she's handling it well.
From now on however, the racing gets tougher.
Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz Huancaxtle
Labels: crew, Mexico, racing
Dec 19, 2021-B&G Instrument Project-Part II
We said good bye to a long time friend this month and it was sad. I escorted the B&G Hercules instrument system off the premises, in a box, and wished him well.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
How I'll Remember B&G
For nearly 40 years, like a loyal employee, B&G served quietly onboard Wings providing accurate and timely wind and boat speed information. We did have our ups and downs; I had to work hard at times to keep B&G operating smoothly, but I was proud that the teamwork was successful, that we had our forty year old instruments still going! And even though it was 40 years old, B&G gave us information and flexibility that few modern systems could equal. I loved that system.
But there were signs that its time was drawing near. Accuracy was becoming questionable and, some functions were unreliable. I’m sorry to say so but it was clear that it was time for B&G to go.
I brought a replacement system, a newer B&G Hercules system, onboard for a tryout. The old B&G must have seen the handwriting on the wall, retirement in a box? What an ignominious end he faced ; but what could he do? Nothing.
One day at the gym when I knew I was going to go home that day to disconnect B&G for the last time I actually had a tear in my eye. But all good things must end.
Now the newer B&G Hercules 2000 system is in place. The old B&G Hercules 390 is gone.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
New B&G H2000 system in place
Things with the new instruments are not completely smooth, and at times I still miss the old system and wonder if we made the right decision, but we had to move forward.
It wasn’t cheap though either in terms of time or money. The new system came in a couple of boxes filled with used pieces with no guarantees that they would work. I spent about 100 hours testing and installing it all. I still needed quite a few pieces, so I was on Ebay most days.
Some of the software was out of date and though I had the latest versions of it stored on my PC, they have to be burned into Eprom chips and physically installed to be useful. I bought an Eprom burner and learned how to use it.
The mast head unit I built works, but I have doubts about the 40year old cable to it which we still have installed. I may need a new one of those. The performance CPU is not outputting data and even a new Eprom didn’t help it, so I had to find a another one on Ebay and it’s now on the way. Then there is the issue of spares. For the old system we had boxes of spare parts. I now have to find some spares for the new system. Keep in mind that while it is 22 years newer than the one it replaces, it is still an old system, and spare parts are rare.
But in the end we should have a better system at a pretty substantial cost savings. A new B&G Hercules 5000 system would cost over $10,000. We’ve got one a little bit older (but still an improvement over our previous system), at a fraction of that cost.
Now if only it will be as loyal and reliable as old B&G.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz, Mexico
Labels: B&G, boat work, H2000, Hercules 390, Instruments, Mexico
Oct 17, 2021-B&G Instrument Project
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
B&G Hercules 390: 40 years old
We’ve had these B&G Hercules instruments since we got the boat in 1986. They actually date from 1979, most of them. We’ve maintained, fixed, upgraded and babied them for 35 years. They still work, but barely, and parts are getting thin. We’d love to upgrade them to newer model instruments but the cost is prohibitive. Then I was given a box of slightly newer B&G Hercules gear which was taken out of a boat which was hit by lightning. They were not working and the owner said, “Replace them all”. Opening them up I did find burned out circuit boards. But I thought they might be repairable so I set them up on the work bench and chart table and began an “bench test’.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Bench Testing
I found most of a complete system could be created out of the box of pieces but a lot of them were trashed.
One of the most challenging parts was the wind sensor which goes on the top of the mast. It was broken and also, I wanted a newer vertical version (the new part lists for $4600, so that was out!).
It took several tries but finally I had even that wind sensor working and I engineered a vertical spar.
Hoorah!
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Wind Data Works!
Well, I still have to do some work, including a new mount must be made for the wind unit, and some other parts need to be fabricated to install the stuff, but it looks like we could have newer instruments for a pretty good price (fixer – upper instruments). Of course we don’t know if they will really work once they are all installed, or how long they will last, and honestly, I’ve been pretty proud of how long we’ve kept the old ones working, and I'll be sorry to see them go, but I think it’s worth it to try this.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Nikon Down
Now if only I could get my trusty Nikon to work again. This month it died after 12 years of hard use. I’ll definitely miss that one.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mexico Labels: B&G, boat work, Instruments, Mexico, nikon
September 17, 2021-700 Gallons of Free Water
Right now it’s raining like hell.
That’s OK, we’re getting water in our tanks thanks to our
great water catching system. Rainwater is sweet, much nicer to drink than the
dock water we normally use to fill our tanks. That water is supposedly safe,
and we did drink it for a few years, now we avoid it because it has a bad
taste; we buy bottled water. But rain water…that is Sooo nice. Since August 1 when we got back to La
Cruz we’ve collected about 700 gallons of sweet rain water and still counting!
We have not had to buy water at all!
Yes, the season has been wet. We’ve had daily rains, often
an inch or more. And we’ve had a near miss by a hurricane, which brought several
inches.
But Hurricane Nora brought more than rain. It brought winds
and waves. We were safe here in the marina but some boats had decided to
weather the hurricane out in the anchorage. Two were lost.
La Cruz anchorage is not protected and not safe. Out of four
boats out there three dragged their anchors. Two went aground and were wrecked.
One was just dragged close to shore but in the end his anchor held. A fourth
boat did not drag and held OK during the hurricane. We are glad we are not in
the anchorage.
These boats were permitted to come into the marina for free but
they declined. We don’t know why they choose that. Now two boat owners who
lived on their boats are homeless. It is sad.
I am going to say this: In the last several years about
seven boats have dragged ashore in this anchorage, onto the rocks, and all but
one were total losses. Now here is the weird part, all were owned by single
men, mostly men without much in the way of financial means. Guys without much
money get boats on the cheap, they come to Mexico, and then they can’t afford to
really take care of their boats, and too often, they lose them. I become
disgusted when I think about that.
Other than hurricanes, rain, and boat wrecks, things are pretty normal here. We’ve been
doing boat projects, and gym workouts, not much else.
I think I’ll make some coffee and look outside and see how
much rain is happening.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz Mexico
Labels: boat work, hurricane, Mexico
August 1, 2021-Storm Clouds over Perula
On July 25, in the late afternoon, a dark cloud moved in over Chamela Bay. It was black and threatening; rain and wind were coming. On Wings we battened down our hatches and prepared for the squall as we watched the stormy sky move over ourselves and over the Cochinas Islands.
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
 Cochinas Islands
While storm clouds rolled over us in Perula out at the Cochinas Island there was a group of tourists on the beach. They had arrived by panga but now they were wondering where their ride home was.
A funny thing about the pangas in Perula is that they often leave their load of tourists on the beach at Isla Cochinas while they come back to town for another load. In the afternoon they have to make several trips to bring them all back.
So, at the darkest hour of this squall a lone, empty, panga went tearing out across the bay at breakneck speed towards the islands to do a rescue.
Then the rain came.
We were happy sitting in our warm dry boat as the pouring down rain landed in our rain catching awning and quickly filled our water tanks, but I’ll bet the boatload of tourists coming back in the panga a little later, barely visible through the murk, mostly in swimsuits or wet beach clothing, were all shivering and they were probably very happy to just get back to the dock.
That is not the only episode with a squall we’ve had recently.
wingssail images-judy jensen

Two days later we were sailing back to Banderas Bay on a very nice day of nice winds and beautiful blue skies and water. It was even pleasant as midnight approached and we were sailing towards Cabo Corrientes.
But Cabo Correintes has a bad reputation. That night it lived up to its bad reputation.
I came on watch at 9:00PM and Judy told me there was a lot of lightning out west and some dark clouds. I sat in the cockpit for the next couple of hours mesmerized by a spectacular lightning. Bolt after bolt of lightning slammed down from the clouds to the sea, sometimes several at once. I noticed that behind my back there were other lightning flashes happening. We were surrounded.
We were sailing close hauled on the wind vane in 13 knots of wind with a full main and genoa but the wind began to build. First 15 knots, then 17, and quickly 22 knots. I wondered when it would stop rising. The genoa is rated for a max of 21 knots and I usually want it down if the wind gets over 14. But at that moment in that pitch black night, with waves getting bigger and the wind rising, I was not looking forward to going to the bow to take down the sails. I decided to stall and see what happened.
Judy called up from below, “Do I need to get dressed and come help?”
“Well, I’m not planning on doing anything right at the moment, so there is nothing for you to help me do.”
The next time I looked she was dressed, wearing her life jacket and safety harness, and just lying on her bunk. She was ready.
The windvane came to our aid. As the wind increased the pressure on the sails generated weather helm; the boat wanted to turn up into the wind. The wind vane only partially compensated for that weather helm and actually allowed the boat to steer high with the sails partially luffing. If I had been steering I’d have said I was feathering it. The wind vane, however, was holding a very steady course and the luffing of the sails slowed us down and took the pressure off. I thought we could manage this if things stayed the same.
After about 30 minutes the wind began to drop, quickly. Suddenly it seemed like the wind would go to zero.
At under 5 knots of wind we decided to take down the genoa and turn on the motor.
As soon as we did the wind came back up to 22!
Now, we can sail in 22 knots of wind. No problem. But to do it properly we couldn’t put the genoa up again, we’d need to set the jib and reef the main. The problem was I didn’t trust that the wind would stay at 22. The forecast and all of our previous experiences going past Cabo Correintes and into to Banderas Bay at night was that it would be light air sailing once we got past the Cape. I didn’t want to go the work of getting all set up for sailing in 22 knots only to have the wind drop again and then have to shake out the reef and change to the genoa.
So we motor-sailed.
I never like to motor-sail but on this night I decided that we could do it. We could sail on a close hauled course with the main up and fully sheeted in and the motor kicking over at 1500RPM and we could chug along at 5 knots, just waiting for the wind to go back down.
We did that.
At 0600 the wind did go down. When it got to 6 knots we put the genoa back up and turned off the motor for good. We had gotten far off our course while motor-sailing so we were faced with a long beat into the Bay.
As dawn approached the wind began to lift us towards Punta Mita, our destination. It was a big, steady, lift. We didn’t have to tack at all until the final approach to the point, we just took the lift.
Oh, did I tell you that we had several dozen dolphins cavorting around us all afternoon and evening and again in the morning?
It was an interesting night!
wingssail images-fredrick roswold

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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, La Cruz, Mexico
Labels: Chamela, Dragon, Mexico, Perula
July 25, 2021-Magic of Punta Farallon and Playa Teopa
A few years ago, as we sailed down the coast of Mexico, we noticed a strange bowl shaped structure on a point of land between Chamela and Tenacatita. What was it we wondered? A radio telescope antenna? Or something else?

It turned out that the point of land was Punta Farallon and the bowl was a large work of art known as La Copa del Sol, The Cup of the Sun, which is part of Costa Careyes, a private community created by Gian Franco Brignone.
As intriguing as that was the charts of the area showed something that was even more interesting to us sailors: there wasn't much detail but it showed a large, protected bay behind the point. We wondered if it would make a good south wind anchorage.
We found little written about that bay, nobody we knew had ever been there, it wasn’t in the guide books, and there was no detail on the charts. We decided that someday we’d take a look for ourselves.
So, on July 21, 2021, guided by a pair of dolphins, Wings rounded Punta Farallon and entered into a fantastical dream world of untouched beaches, rugged cliffs, mysterious sea caves, and, of course, that marvelous big cup.
We felt a little like Captain Cook, exploring the unknown.
What we found was a superb anchorage, a pristine two mile long white sand beach (Playa Teopa), plenty of crystal clear water for swimming, and loads of craggy cliffs and coves for exploring. We even found a turtle sanctuary. Of course we were the only boat there.
What we didn’t find was a way to get to the Copa. Apparently Costa Careyes has closed access to it, due to COVID, we were told.

But never mind, we stayed for three days, went ashore, pulled the dingy up the beach and walked around a while. We met Roberto who runs the turtle camp, got to hold some turtles, met some visitors who were brought to the beach for a picnic from the house on the hill above the bay. We did some swimming from the boat, and explored the whole area by dingy. We could have stayed longer but the weather was predicted to turn to northerlies (it didn’t) which would not be the best for Punta Farallon. This anchorage would only be good in calm weather with wind and swell out of the south. In other words, summertime weather.
Beautiful Beach But that’s the beauty of our cruise this year, we’re doing it in the summer when the winds are light, the crowds are gone and we have all the time in the world.
And that includes time to discover a new paradise.
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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mexico
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