San Diego to Ensenada

We were in San Diego for six days, mostly socializing with friends, provisioning and doing a few minor projects on the boat. We were graciously hosted by our friends at Southwestern Yacht Club for four days, then we moved over to San Diego YC. On Sunday, January 12th, we departed SDYC at 0645 with our good friends Tom and Mary Ellen aboard for what turned out to be a quick ride to Ensenada. 

The fog was thick as we motored slowly down the channel toward open water. By 1000 it was beginning to lift a bit and a very light breeze sprang up out of the northwest. A bit before noon we crossed the border into Mexico and hoisted the Mexican flag. Shortly after that we were approached by a Mexican patrol boat and ordered to heave to. With all of the controversy over foreign boats in Mexican waters, we didnt know quite what to expect as we drew alongside the dangerous looking patrol boat, which was manned by ten or twelve well armed sailors and immigration officers. They ordered us to present our papers and after a quick review of them, they handed them back and wished us a good voyage as we pulled away from their boat. It is my policy to be friendly and cooperative with the Mexican authorities and it turned out to be a very friendly encounter on all sides. 

It stayed fairly cold all day. The wind began to build in the afternoon and by 1400 it was around 20 knots and coming straight over the transom as we passed the big LNG terminal on the northwest corner of Todos Santos Bay. We had unrolled the jib earlier to help steady the boat in the light air and lumpy swells, and with the knotmeter hitting 10s we sailed dead downwind the last few miles under the jib alone toward the harbor mouth, which we entered a few minutes after 1500.  Finisterra was secured to her berth in Cruiseport Marina a short while later and by 1600 we were enjoying a cold beverage in the cabin. 

That evening Toms friend, Juan Hussong drove us to his restaurant, Sanos, which overlooks the bay near the Coral Hotel and Marina. There we had a splendid steak dinner and enjoyed Juans stories of his life as a fisherman, boatbuilder and restauranteur. 

The next morning we went to the Port Captains office and officially entered the beautiful country of Mexico. By coincidence, one of the officers who had been on the patrol boat the day before came into the office and greeted us with a friendly smile. Once all the paperwork was done, passports stamped, fishing licenses and import permit secured, it was lunchtime and we walked a few blocks to the Mahi Mahi restaurant for tacos and beer. After lunch we said goodbye to Tom and Mary Ellen, who had to catch a bus back to San Diego, and walked back to the boat, stopping along the way at the Telcel store to set up our Mexican phones and internet access. 

It turned out to be a beautiful, balmy afternoon. We washed down the boat, took long luxurious showers and, with sundowners in hand, walked the docks in the marina checking out the boats. Many were unfamiliar, but some we knew from the last time we were here. One interesting boat was Nereida, the boat that Jeanne Socrates recently sailed nonstop around the world. 

Tomorrow were headed inland to do some wine tasting in the Guadalupe Valley. 

Casco Bay ME

Today, I went sailing off of Portland on Casco Bay in Maine.  Joining me was Clint Chase, Boatbuilder who builds Goat Island Skiffs and cuts GIS kits for the homebuilder, amongst many other fabulous pleasure craft.  We had a delightful sail in light to an increasingly steadier sea breeze.  The pictures dont do the place justice, the water was cerulean, the sky deep blue, the clouds white... Casco Bay is amazing.  In the 60s era videos, Clint Chase Boatbuilder (yes, another shameless plug, this dude is the real deal) is skippering "I am Zinea, Pterodactylus" solo, while I took pictures from terra firma. 

Leaving Ensenada

Notice the retractable bowsprit on this classic woodie.

Yesterday we traveled to the wine country in the Guadalupe Valley. I wont go into the details of each winery we visited but one that stood out was Adobe Guadalupe. The architecture of the buildings is distinctive as are their wines, and the tour was informative and entertaining. Another unique winery was JC Bravo. This is a small place, still under construction, but they are producing a red and a white that were quite good. At Bravo, wine is made the old fashioned way, with dry farmed grapes and old style equipment. Needless to say, we returned to the boat loaded down with a variety of interesting wines.

We decided to stay in Ensenada one more day so I had time to wander around the marina and look at some boats. This time of year is a slow season for the marina. Most of the boats that migrate south from the US and Canada to cruise in Mexico have come and gone, and its not yet the season for northbound boats to arrive. So most of the boats here are more or less permanent. Or they are like Finisterra, getting a late start on the cruising season in Mexico. As I wandered the docks I noticed that cruising boats seem to be acquiring more and more gear: Solar panels, wind generators, various antennas, dinghy davits and racks, etc.  Below are some photos to illustrate what I mean.

This pretty little cruiser is overloaded with steel-work and stuff. I would not like to be caught out in a blow on this boat, which is an otherwise seaworthy vessel. Notice that shes down by the stern and has a pronounced list to port.

Nereida, Jeanne Socrates boat was on our gangway and looks pretty good for a boat that has recently been around the world non-stop.

At the far end of the marina I spotted a MacGregor 65. It had been heavily modified for cruising, but I question whether it would ever be a good cruising  boat regardless of what equipment is added to it. M65s are very quick boats downwind but they are not well suited for cruising because they dont have the load carrying capability or structural strength for the work of a 65 foot cruising yacht. Of course M65s have been cruised successfully but Id wager that their owners kept the heavy cruising toys to a minimum.

Too much stuff on this M65? Notice that its down by the stern and listing to starboard.

I paid careful attention to the weight and location of all the equipment, supplies and provisions we put aboard Finisterra. Still, fully loaded she is down by the stern about an inch and lists to starboard about half a degree. But her decks are relatively uncluttered and shes easy to move around on, and her sailing qualities havent been compromised too much by a lot of steel-work and extra weight above the deck.

We have a nice weather window opening up so were leaving Ensenada tomorrow, headed for Turtle Bay. If sailing conditions  remain good well continue on to Bahia Santa Maria, or Los Cabos.

On the beach waiting out the fog

Long Beach to San Diego

Sunset in Dana Point.

The day finally arrived when we gave up our much coveted berth in Alamitos Bay and began our journey south to warmer climes and new adventures. January 3rd, the day of our departure, dawned cold, damp and foggy and we felt our way out of the harbor using GPS and Radar because visibility was down to about 150 feet. By 1100 it began to burn off as we motored down the coast to Newport Beach in zero wind. By the time we tied up at the guest dock at American Legion YC, it was sunny and beginning to warm up nicely. We spent a couple of days there, finishing up a few little projects on the boat but mostly socializing with friends. On the 5th, we departed from Newport Beach under balmy skies and, yet again, no wind. In about three hours we had the hook down in the west basin at Dana Point Harbor.

Gray whale headed south off Point Loma.

Off Camp Pendleton the Ospreys were at work

Sunrise off San Clemente. 

We departed Dana Point at 0530 on January 6th and after a pleasant sail in very light air, arrived at Southwestern YC in San Diego harbor at 1500.  On the way we spotted some Humpback whales about a quarter mile off the starboard bow, and a few minutes later a couple of Grays forty yards off the port beam.
Well stay here in San Diego a few days to socialize with friends and make final preparations for Mexico