wingssail images Leading Swan Fun

Javier was head down in the engine compartment fitting a new shaft coupling. He was quiet for a moment, not unusual because Javier usually goes about his work with quiet competence. But this time was different. He grunted and then said, "It doesn't fit, I have to go back to the machine shop and have this re-machined." 

This wasn't the first time that we had a setback on the engine and drive train project we embarked on in July, after I got back from my spring cruise, there had been plenty: parts which were unavailable, replacements which didn't fit. It seemed endless. But we got through it. Engine work

By the end of August the whole engine project was completed and my car was also finally fixed right. That too was a bit of a struggle. "I have no more ideas senior, maybe Jose over in Mescales can figure it out." That's the polite way of saying ,"I no want to work on your car any more." One car mechanic after another thought he knew what was wrong with the engine and transmission only to fix that with no results. Fair enough, so I trekked over to Jose's shop in Mescales. But eventually, gradually, the car got better. And there were a ton of other nagging projects to be addressed. I never took time to write about it all, I guess I was just too busy to update my blog. Sorry to leave you in the dark.

But then November rolled around. Racing season was on the horizon.

Time to line up a race crew.

One day Terry stopped by, surprise! "Hey Terry, great to see you, want to come aboard. What's up?" It turned out that Terry wanted to rejoin the crew, as fore deck. SUPER! That's one down. Mark and Linda joined. Vicki came back. Then Arjan. The crew came together. A group of women signed on and became good friends and when they helped Terry and Geoff on the bow the began to call themselves "the foredeck bitches" Racing was good in December and January. When we dominated in the Punta Mita race we all partied hard.

Happy Crew Tequila Sandy came aboard for several weeks as live aboard crew and she and I sailed down south to Tenacatita to participate in a couple races there. Sandy

Sandy has been great as crew and companion but not the whole crew could make the trip.

I needed a full crew and particularly a jib trimmer and I didn't have one. At the bar the night before the race that came together too. Vicki called me over and said, "You should meet Joey, he might want to sail." "Hi Joey, I'm Fred, I hear you might be interested in sailing?" "Yeah mate, I might be." I liked his down-under accent immediately. Auzzie or Kiwi, they are often great sailors. "What do you like to do on the boat?" "Anything, bow, trim, steer, what ever." "Great Joey, we are in the anchorage. Be on the boat tomorrow at 11:00." So that's how we got our jib trimmer and he was really good. We won that race too.

Vicki says, "First Place" Now we are back in La Cruz. I am sure there are more adventures to come. I'll try not to wait so long to update you.

Cartel Wars UPDATE: FIRES AND DESTUCTION: When we arrived back in La Cruz the whole Banderas Bay area was in shock. The day before the drug cartel had struck back at the government and community for the arrest and death of the drug cartel’s leader. Cars and buses had been burned in the streets and in Puerto Vallarta every OXXO store has been torched and burned to bare bones. People were in lock down, airport was closed and most businesses were closed. The streets were empty. But by Monday everything was quiet. Traffic had resumed. We got the car started and went to the store. It was busy. By now things are normal. No civilians or tourists had been killed, but it was a big fight between the government and the cartel. We don’t know who won or what is next. But for now, life goes on as normal. Fredrick Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico

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Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico

July 7, 2025- Spring Cruise to Sea of Cortez

           

This is Sailing 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Happy with a reefed main

We were hitting speeds in the high sixes going upwind with 25 knots of wind and big seas and the ride was pretty bad. It would be nice to slow down but Wings, sailing to windward in a strong breeze, doesn’t know slow. Puttin up a small headsail and putting in a reef in the main makes no difference; still too fast. We flew off of wave after wave and landing was like hitting concrete. The noise was deafening. The bow tossed up ocean water like someone throwing buckets, only lots more. The wind then carried it back and it landed on the dock in rivers. The whole boat was continuously covered with salt water. Down below conditions were not so bad but after a day or so things started getting wet there too. 

And the pounding continued. 

Mp4 102 Rene Stands Watch on the Crossing (to see this video try clicking on the heading and then maybe click "replay")

Heavy water hitting the dodger

I knew the boat was strong and over the years I’d been through this before but after a while you just wonder how the hull and rig can keep taking it. But what to do? We really had to go upwind; we were crossing the Sea of Cortez going to La Paz and the route was up wind. So we just kept going, hoping it would be over. Resting down below or on deck huddling behind the dodger we just sat there taking a beating. Rene was stoic and I was glad for her experience and calmness but I was anxious and jumpy.

We tolerated it for two days 

Finally I said to Rene, “Let’s try heaving to.” 

“OK” 

Hove too we were basically stopped, there was no slamming and no noise. 

Hove to the boat became quiet and calm. Don’t let anyone tell you a race boat can’t heave to. It can. 

We began to relax: “This is nice!” 

We resumed sailing the next day and the wind continued. It was more of the same tough conditions. We hove too again the next night.

By the fifth day we had battled our way across the Sea of Cortez and we anchored in Baja at Los Frailies. 

Well that was an quite an experience but it was over. 

For the next month Rene and I explored Baja and it was much nicer. After Rene four other great crew members joined me, one by one, and helped me sail. It was fun. In the months after rough crossing there was some great cruising with weeks of sailing every day between the islands and many pleasant nights anchored in quiet harbors. 

 

 Mp4 108 Tacking San Jose Channel (to see this video try clicking on the heading and then maybe click "replay")

There were even some overnighters when Dulce and I found ourselves becalmed in the middle of the Sea of Cortez for hours on end but we kept sailing and kept the boat moving. Dulce became a pretty good light air sailor, she had to. 

Three months later, on the trip home though, there was more tough sailing. Kelly and I found ourselves in a big squall which ripped the mainsail in half (more on this later) but we survived. 

So, that’s sailing I guess. 

Boat Work 

There were also projects and repairs. Things like starters burning out and leaking water tanks which were wake up calls and needed immediate attention. 

Small repairs kept us busy also. 

The new dodger And then there was the dodger. I’ve made dodgers for Wings a few times over the years and the one I made in in Trinidad in 2013 was looking pretty ragged. We were lucky the heavy weather on the way up the Sea didn’t blow it out. Making a new one seemed like a good project to do when I had a few days alone in La Paz after Rene left. I got out my roll of white acrylic cloth and started cutting and sewing. I sweated and worked and made an ungodly mess with cuttings and threads and tools all over the boat. I was glad there was no crew aboard to have to deal with the mess. 

For much of the trip we had a big problem with the propellor shaft and had to sail everywhere. The engine was basically useless even though we worked on it every day. When I returned the boat to La Cruz it immediately went into the boat yard for major repairs. 

Living in Close Quarters 

“What? No door on the toilet? Really? Will you please go on deck for a while? I need some privacy. And maybe you could put on some music.” 

I had five crew members on board on this trip. Four single women and one guy, Kelly, who is one of my best friends. They all came individually. The women who dared to venture into this unknown liveaboard sailing thing were all pretty brave individuals, and trusting I guess, because they were going to be alone with me on this small boat and three of them had never met me before. But it worked out. It’s not just the toilet. There are no private quarters and no doors anywhere. Living in close quarters like this on a stripped-out race boat with a total stranger takes some getting used to. We shared the main cabin, changed clothes behind a partition, and everybody got the privacy they needed. We all tolerated each other’s quirks, and if anybody got on anybody’s nerves they never let it show. In any case it all went pretty smoothly. 

About the toilet: Well, I told them about that before they signed up but it was still pretty shocking I guess. For the people joining me for the first time to live on Wings for a few weeks it was quite an experience. 

Me? I had no problem? I enjoyed it all including the domestic stuff like sharing cooking and cleaning and choosing a wine together to have with dinner, I need the company. In fact I like it so well and am so used to it I think they are still there sleeping on the bunk across the cabin even after they have left. I wake up in the mornings surprised to find nobody there. 

Meet the crew

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Rene

“Hello Wings!” came the hail from the wharf. Terry, my new crew, an old friend of Rene’s had arrived she and she sailed with me for twelve days. 

Terry

Kallie leqrns to steer

Kallie showed up next and we had a wild and crazy time going up and down the islands and exploring the small towns. 

Dulce arrives

After Kallie the next crew change was scheduled in Loretto on the 17 of June and Dulce stepped off the bus right on time as the fourth crew member this year. 

Dulce and I also had a lot of fun sailing around the Sea of Cortez including a few nights homeward bound when lack of wind and a broken motor left us sitting for hours. 

Finally Dulce flew home from Mazatlán and Kelly arrived, after a grueling bus trip. 

Kelly

How was it? 

Terry had the worst time of it I think. When strong winds kept us hunkered down for several nights we didn’t get to go very far. But we made the best of it: we got to Puerto Balandra and went to the beach during the day for sunbathing and swimming and got back to the boat and got it closed up every night for the strong Coramel winds. If you know the right places to anchor 31 knots all night at is not a problem. 

Night time Coremel winds

 there were other ports and other crew, we all had a good trip. 

Enjoying the sunset

But probably the best thing for my crew was the sailing. Rene and Kelly were old hands but the other three were pretty new to sailing so there was really a lot to learn. It was one long class. At anchor I demonstrated their jobs to them and then we practiced. 

And we practiced. 

Things like raising the anchor and setting the sails got to be mundane, as did getting the dingy up and down. Even anchoring, which takes some skill and coordination, became ordinary. Charts were studied and navigation was taught. I added nothing that we didn’t need to do on our cruise, but we covered everything, even repairs. 

Sailing however, was the real fun. 

Putting sails up I work the foredeck and crew tail the halyards and use the autopilot to keep us head to wind.

 

“Are you ready?” 

“Yes” 

“Ok, right 10 degrees, then hoist.” 

Sometimes it’s hard work and I was glad for my time in the gym the last few months. 

Tacking or jibing I am usually steering and handling the mainsail and helping with the running backstays. Sometimes we traded jobs but usually the crew did everything else, releasing, winching and including running forward to skirt the jib. 

“OK, Ready to tack?”, I would call. 

“Ready” 

“Tacking” 

Then winches spin and sails fly and three or four jobs have to be completed in quick succession. We did it all. And we did it well. Some days we did it over and over. There were no bad tacks. 

 

 MP4 424 Approaching Nopolo (to see this video try clicking on the heading and then maybe click "replay")

We sailed into tight anchorages and dropped sails on deck then secured them to prevent them from going overboard. Choosing the spot and setting anchor was the next challenge. My crews learned how to judge the bottom with their toe on the chain, how to tell when the anchor was holding and how to decide we were swell set. On their signal I would cut the engine and we would have a cold drink before the task of folding sails. 

“It is time to start dinner or do I have time for a swim?” I think I heard that every day. 

The Squall 

After Dulce left my friend Kelly came for the trip from Mazatlán to La Cruz. I needed the experience he brought. The engine was basically useless and we had to sail out of Mazatlán harbor and of course all the rest of the way home. 

We had some good wind and exited the harbor under sail without a problem but the season had changed and there were southerlies, so it was upwind work again. 

About 03:30 in the morning I was below and Kelly was sailing close hauled on starboard tack in about 10 knots, using the windvane. The genoa was close hauled and the main boom was prevented out to port to keep it stable in the sort of lumpy seas. 

“Hey Fred, something is going on with the wind”. I heard the call from my sleep. 

Yep, something was going on all right, 30 knots hit us from the south east and knocked us right down on our starboard side, both sails aback. 

I got on the helm, but what to do? I swung the boat around but close hauled on starboard, aside from being way over canvassed, took us to the NE. The other tack was pretty much west and neither was going to be good for the sails which were straining. Reefing the main would require going upwind and the genoa wouldn’t tolerate that, so it had to come down, not easy in this breeze, besides, which of us could go forward to hand the sail? It was one moment when I wished for roller furling. 

We left the sails up as they were and I turned downwind. Kelly handled the sheets and I worked the runners and main. It was completely the wrong way to go but the flogging sails settled down and the boat came back under control. I steered by the Windex light at the top of the mast keeping the wind right behind us. Wings took off at 8 plus knots heading pretty much due north. We were glad we had sea room. 

That was when the main let go. I heard a tear, then the sail unzipped from the leech to the luff, right across the middle. 

Kelly said, “That is not a good sound to hear.” 

We were still going 8 knots and steering was a handful. I couldn’t leave the helm and there wasn’t much Kelly could do either, so we just sailed, with the main in tatters. 

Finally the wind moderated and I managed to get the windvane on and it took over the steering. Kelly and I went to work, untangling the mess, and put a reef in the main, just above the rip. Then we turned upwind and resumed sail to the south.

ITime for a bit of work

There are a lot more photos that go with this story. 

Click here to see all the images.

Fredrick Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico

March 23, 2025- Banderas Bay regatta and thoughts about the future

wingssail images-vicki westphal

We’ve just finished another Banderas Bay Regatta, the eleventh one we’ve done on Wings since 1997. Last night we went to the Banderas Bay Regatta awards ceremony. We had some good sailing in this regatta (and a lot of hard work) but for the first time in the eleven times we have sailed it, since 1997, Wings was not on the podium. In the past we have typically been 1st or 2nd. Now this year we were forth out of 4 in our class; last place. It is disappointing. But all good things pass into history. 

The question was asked, “Can you get back on top?” 

Well maybe. It's partially about crew and partially about boat types. 

This crew is getting better; they are good. But it takes years of experience to make really great sailors. This bunch will be ok with more practice and experience but even though I have some superstars I need a few more if I want to win. It’s tough to find superstars, and even keeping these people will be hard, some will move on to other things and others will decide the commitment and hard work is too much and I will have to rebuild. It would take two or three years to put together a really great team; we are on the way but it takes time. I know, I've done it before a few times. 

Boat types is another challenge. In all three monohull classes this year the winning boats were modern, light weight, faster boats or much bigger boats. All were ones that reach better than Wings. The courses used by Vallarta Yacht Club favor lighter, reaching boats. If I am racing against similar boats, with a great crew, I can get back in top. Tenacatita this year proved that, we were dominant. But that was a different fleet, excellent pick-up-crew, and a course which didn't require fast reaching speeds. We also have one regatta here in the bay which is like that, the Blast, which occurs in December. We always win that. Last December we dominated it, winning by 20 mins in the second race. Wow! What fun. 

For the other races the rating system could be changed that might help us older, slower boats, but there is little incentive for the yacht club to change it. 

On top of it all it is hard work to keep this boat in racing shape and manage the program by myself. Harder each year as both myself and the boat ages. And expensive. For 38 years it was Judy and I. We were a good team. This year and last I have had crew who came to Vallarta and lived on the boat and helped do the work (a lot of it requires two people). Last year Rhonda was here a lot, she was wonderful. This year it has been Renee and she has been super also. These two women and some others have been close friends, not GF but friends, who were happy to come here and help. Mark, a very loyal crew member, has been a big help too. I have been very fortunate. 

Since I have owned this boat I have raced it over 600 times, mostly winning or placing well, in addition to sailing around the world. Now I feel like I need to reassess my life. I will still sail but maybe a full-on, 26 race per year, program needs to be reconsidered. Is it worth it to carry on until the boat's glory years, and mine, are just a fading memory? 

Now I will get to work for a week to convert back to a cruising boat and then go into the Sea of Cortez and relax for a few months. Rene, a great sailor who is another really good friend, is going with me for part of it and that will be fun. Then I see what life brings and how I feel about everything. One thing I know: this year was hard, more than anything getting and working up a crew. The boat is hard to sail competitively and these guys from this year are really feeling exhausted right now. I'm not feeling exhausted, not physically or mentally. I feel fine but just not sure it is all doable or worth it going forward. 

Or maybe I am just down at the moment after this regatta. We’ll see how I feel in a few weeks. 

Click here https://wingssail-images.blogspot.com/2025/03/banderas-bay-regatta-2025.html for more photos

Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico

Feb 20, 2025-Cruise to Tenacatita

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

It’s 1:30 in the morning and pitch black outside. Instruments tell the story

We’ve jibed over are heading east towards Tenacatita It’s rough and instruments are glaring out the story: we are still seeing over 27 knots of wind out of the north and 7.6 knots of boat speed. We are sailing with just a reefed main and no headsail and the windvane is steering, as it has been all night. Renee has been on deck as I worked on the broken bilge pumps but I finally finished , went on deck, and took over the watch. Renee is getting some rest. It’s about time. Frankly, we’ve overstood and that’s on me. We should have jibed two hours ago. 

Why is it that it aways seems to be stormy and problems happen when we start out on a passage? I can’t tell you how many times on the first night out of port I’ve been head down in the engine compartment trying to get something fixed or something sorted out while outside the wind is howling. Right now it is as dark as the inside of a cow and Wings is sailing fast through the black night. It is pretty scary for the crews I’d guess, they are often new to sailing, especially sailing at night, but they have always turn out to be tough. Renee is. 

We don’t plan it that way. Usually we leave port during the day, often by lunch time, but even then things happen. 

This time when it got rough we found water in the bilge and the pumps decided not to work. In the end the boat was not found to be leaking, it was just left over water I missed, and after I got the pumps all running we were fine. 

We made it to Tenacatia at sunrise. 

Tenacatia Bay is beautiful. We had a day of rest and then while Renee did her workout routine and went for a swim I went about lining up some crew for the race. 

I keyed the mic on my VHF, “Hi, this is Fred on Wings, may I speak to Dave?” 

 “Speaking” 

“You interested in racing?” 

“Yeah, I think so, I’ll let you know.” 

Bingo! I got the best guy in the bay. Others good sailors soon followed. By race day I had a full crew and a great one at that. Renee was navigator and everyone else just sort of fell into place. We practiced; it went well. We were ready. 

Speeding across the bay in the dingy on race day with the flags for the Race Committee Renee and I must have been a spectacle. Anyhow the pre-race excitement around the fleet was tangible as crews were being ferried to the race boats and those already aboard were busy rigging. 

Here come the race flags

021

In this race trash talk is encouraged and the teen and pre-teen girls were already into it. 

“Hey you guys over there with Jim, look out, we are going to leave you in our wake” 

“You just think so, beware we have secret weapons.” Then the water ballons broke out. 

But we had none of that, we were serious (in a fun sort of way) and it paid off. While the kids played around with the radio and threw water ballons we sailed with intensity . Renee called the start perfectly, Dave called trim (he was the star) and we all worked as a team. We knew the weather leg in this bay, with its persistent right shift, was similar to the pattern we knew well from Banderas Bay, and it was the key to this race. We played it exactly the same as going to Punta Mita, rounded the top mark first and led the rest of the way around. A great day for Wings. 

< Fred Steers Ready to Tack

Wings finishes first

Next stop Barra. We weren’t so lucky. The race there, the Flamingo Cup, is a very well attended charity event and we were keen for a repeat but we missed the entry deadline and were not allowed to race. Dang! 

But Renee and I were invited to sail on John and Donna’s Carmanah, a great custom C&C race boat from the late 70’s with an excellent record. John wanted to work the foredeck so he turned the helm over to me. We sailed hard and finished second, missing a possible first when the spinnaker tack line failed on the final leg. Congratulations to Baja Fog. 

Renee fights with the mark

After the race we volunteered to pick up some of the inflatable marks. Renee had to fight to get them fully deflated for the ride back to the marina.

 

I may have cut it a bit fine at the start however and we may have been a second early. I didn’t think so and we were not called by the RC but anyhow a competitor notified the race committee after the race. He was sure we were that we were over early, and he complained, “They should be thrown out.” 

The RC asked me, “Fred, were you guys over early?.” 

“Could be, it was close” 

“Did you go back” 

“No, we didn’t hear any radio hail or see any recall flag., so we figured we were good” 

That was true, but how could we have heard? The radio was filled with a shouting race announcer and the trash talk was in full force, and there were no flags. We heard nothing so we went on, and I acknowledged that. 

It was a deciding moment. We could have been disqualified. But the complaining skipper allowed us to exonerate ourselves by buying him a drink at the bar, Whew! 

So that was Tenacatita and Barra this year. All that was left was the sail home to La Cruz. 

Cruising main, reefed, and a small jib.

Charging with the small jib

Renee and I had a good sail then, all night again, with the wind on the nose (wouldn’t you know it?) and a bit more breeze than we wanted but not too bad, and the rounding of Cabo Corrientes in the morning with flat water and a nice brisk cool wind, was glorious. 

We're home

There is a lot more to this story, the photos at wingssail-images tell the rest of it (or most).

Click here to go to wingsails-images and see the photos. 

 Fredrick Roswold, sv wings, Mexico

Dec 24.2024-Racing success and Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. The big spinnaker pulling towards home, 12.7 knots We just finished the Banderas Bay Blast and we had a Blast! We won! The crew was excellent, the boat hung together, and the third day we hit a speed record, best since 1987, 12.7 knots on a wild beam reach in 20+ knots of breeze and we didn't break anything in the few round ups we had, the pot of coffee didn't even spill off the stove. Day one and two weren't bad either. Second Place on Day 1 After the race we had some bubbly to celebrate our Victory.

Since the Blast we did a Wednesday night Beer Can race, got second place (it was chaos at times) and now the crew have departed and we’re taking a break for the holidays. Fred with Renee and Rhonda, Great crew and great helpers This post is all about photos. Click here to see the whole story including some fun videos;

Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mexico

December 2, 2024-Work and Play in The Final Days of Summer,

wingssail images-renee oake First Beer Can Race

Summer in Mexico is a time of boat work; winter is our sailing season. 

But as the end of summer rolls around and racing dates are looming if the boat work is not finished I begin to scramble and this year was no exception. 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Hit the deck running

 I did have a long list including a new bow pulpit (after a disastrous port starboard collision when we were on starboard and a boat to leeward decided to cross us on port. He didn't make it and I couldn't' avoid him, big OUCH) and propellor shaft and flange replacement. There was other work to be done on the topsides where the Imron paint needed attention and new epoxy deck paint with non-skid was also needed. There were new toe rails fore and aft to be crafted and winch revisions to be completed. The hydraulics needed attention and instrument upgrades were in the works. A lot of other projects were checked off including many interior upgrades (some of them major) such as important maintenance including keel backing plate replacements as well as a significant enlargement of the aft cabin berth. 

Actually, the list this year was really long but I almost got through it. 

 Almost. 

My trip to Oregon earlier for a short break was really fun but hadn’t helped me keep on schedule. 

So here I was in in November about to start the 39th racing season with a to-do list which was still a little bit intimidating. 

I needed some help 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold 

Renee and Rhonda

wingssail images-renee oake

Fred and Rhonda Sew

Fortunately my friend Rhonda came down to Mexico to pitch in. A day later a new friend Renee joined us. We got right to work and the progress with two willing hands was excellent. One of my regulars, Mark, spent a day too and I think the list was finally completed. 

This year getting my crew in shape is also going to be a challenge. Some of my most loyal crew are aging out and replacements are hard to find. Neither Rhonda or Renee will be able to sail much this winter either, if at all. I recruited new people aggressively and fortunately I found some great new talent but bringing them to a high level will take time. We went sailing a couple of times for training.

  wingssail images-fredrick roswold 

Setting sail for the first time, Tressa and Al

But it is not all work. In Mexico we like to play too; there was music to be enjoyed and time at the beach to swim in the ocean and soak up the sun. 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Sunset at the beach

Finally it all came together and we had our first race. 

We won. 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold 

Time for my helpers to fly back to the cold North

Click here for more photos and videos 

Fredrick Roswold, SV Wings

In late March I was planning to set sail for a cruise to the Sea of Cortez. 

I had my crew, Rene, lined up and the departure set for March 28.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold Fred & Rena

But it was a bit of a struggle to get out of here by then, we had only 5 days after the last race, the boat was still a race boat, race sails, no dodger, no dingy, no life raft, no solar panels, no wind vane, and no provisions

Plus we had major damage which resulted from the collision in the Banderas Bay Regatta. Wing’s bow was mangled and the pulpit lased together with ropes and duct tape.

But I don’t give up easily and my race crew and Rene all pitched in and somehow we got it done and sailed out of La Cruz on March 28.
wingssail images-rene canhamBrainwaves

From day one, when we hooked up with Jim and Deb on Brainwaves sailing to Pta Mita, this cruise has been a success (even though Brainwaves simply sailed away from us).

Over these three months we had a bit too much motoring but plenty of good sailing as well as tough, very tough, sailing. We’ve had breakdowns, repairs, but plenty of gorgeous days in those three months. 

And crew. It took several weeks to recruit the crew I needed for this cruise. I didn’t want to sail Wings single handedly, the boat is not set-up for it, and I have never done it so I worked hard for find suitable and willing candidates.

Rene, Sarah, Jennie, Liz

But find them I did. First Rene, then Sarah, then Jennie, then finally Liz. Each of these amazing women help me sail Wings and made it their temporary home. At times they even sort of took over and made Wings their own. I loved it and mainly due to them the Cruise to the Sea of Cortez was a total success.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold La Paz

wingssail images-fredrick roswold Anchored in Los Gatos

wingssail images-liz miller

Agua Verde

wingssail images-fredrick roswold Balandra Sand Dune

We sailed over 1560 nautical miles but didn’t that far away. Most of our sailing was done going around the beautiful southern Sea of Cortez, back and forth between La Paz and Loretto, visiting all of my favorite anchorages and ports and just chilling.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold And can we dance!

Now I am back in La Cruz and resuming life in port during the summer heat. I have the air conditioner running. I have the awnings up and rain collecting systems rigged. I am back at the gym and also enjoying the local music scene. And most of all I am engaged in a major boat work project. That work list is long and challenging. My friend Rhonda came and helped me on some of the harder tasks (and also went to gym and the local music bars where we danced, even in the summer heat).

So, all is well in Wings’ world. 

I’ll try to keep you updated 

Click here for lots more photos

Fred Roswold, sv Wings, Mexico

April 16, 2024-Hiking to the Caves

This story is mostly photos, click HERE to go directly to all the photos. 

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Agua Verde West

Sarah and I started our hike to the Painted Caves at Aqua Verde's west anchorage. We had our destination tucked into Google Maps, our cameras, and some water. We walked but the batch of tourists on the beach just got back from a mule ride but they did not go to the caves, not possible on a mule. 

Now this hike is not the same as Monkey Mountain, it's pretty flat with just a few steep hills, but it's just as ardous. Walking on soft or drfting sand for several kilometers, then scrambling but a very steep hillside which is all gravel and loose rocks is plenty of work. 

After several kilometers of walking we sighted the cave on a steep hillside above and scrambled up to the entrances.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
The Cave

There are supposed to be cave paintings inside but we didn't find any. 

  But we did find some bats. 

  wingssail images-sarah luce
Bats in the cave

Then came the long walk back, and when we got to our beach and then out to the boat we were ready for a swim and a beer. 

 Click here for lots more images. 

 Fredrick Roswold, SV Wings