May 15, 2022-Ballandra and Beyond

wingssail images fredrick roswold
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.

wingssail images fredrick roswold
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.

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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mexico

April 20, 2022-Venturing Into the Sea of Cortez

wingssail images-fredrick roswold 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.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold 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.

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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Sea of Cortez