San Evaristo

The Honcho sailed from Isla San Francisco on Wednesday, May 11^th. We had planned to head directly for the village of San Evaristo on the coast of Baja, but at the last minute decided to detour to Isla Coyote, a tiny island that lies between Isla San Francisco and Isla San Jose, only about 2 miles away.  The wind was blowing out of the northwest about 15-18 knots and the only anchorage at Isla Coyote is an open  roadstead and completely exposed to the prevailing wind and seas.  With unfavorable conditions at Isla Coyote, we bypassed it and proceeded on to Bahia Amortajada, on the southern tip of Isla San Jose, only three or four miles further. Sailing in company with two other boats, Blue Rodeo & Swift Current, we came to anchor on the south side of the sand spit that makes the bay in about 15 feet of water.  We had heard about an interesting lagoon here and quickly jumped into Blue Rodeo’s dinghy and found the entrance to the lagoon, which was only about a foot deep so we lifted the engine and walked the boat through the pass and entered the lagoon.  Once inside the lagoon we motored up the estuary, which was teeming with fish and birds of many varieties.  After an hour or so, we returned to our boats and prepared to cross the Canal de San Jose to the village of San Evaristo.

Looking west from the lagoon on Isla San Jose across the channel toward the mainland of Baja and the Sierra de la Giganta mountains.

Wildlife in the lagoon, Isla San Jose

When we cleared the southern tip of Isla San Jose, the wind piped up to 20-22 knots with steep 4 foot seas. Punching into this, the Honcho could just make about 4 knots, with spray flying.  It was only about 7 miles to San Evaristo so we soldiered on, a bit dampish but enjoying the view of the white flecked sea.   Around 1600 we came to anchor in a snug cove just off the village of San Evaristo, well in the lee of some steep hills.

San Evaristo is typical of many fishing villages that dot the Baja coast, with a small tienda, beer ‘Collectivo’ (where you can buy beer), small water desalinization plant, and a small elementary school. All of which serve the twenty or so families living here as well as the salt farmers and rancheros who live in the surrounding area.  One day we walked over the hill behind the village and came to the salt ponds, a mile or so away. It was a sweaty walk on the dusty road under the blazing sun. On the way we shared the dirt road with wild burros and hardy Mexican cattle. Skittish at first, the burros eventually relaxed enough to pose for a couple of photos. Looking out over the salt pans, I saw a lone worker in the distance raking salt into piles. He looked miserable in the hot sun with his rake and vast piles of salt around him.

Salt ponds at San Evaristo

These burros darted into a thicket when we surprised them coming around a bend in the road. Once we passed by, they came back onto the road, watching us and following about 50 yards behind us.

We saw several of these critters browsing on the steep hillsides near where we anchored.

Cardon Cactus

It seems like cactus grows everywhere in Baja. The Cardon, one of the most noticeable, is a remarkable plant...or tree. It is thought to be the tallest cactus species in the world, reaching more that 60 feet high. Natives of the area use the fruit of the Cardon as a food source. It also is known to contain alkaloids, and is reputed to have psychotropic properties. We didnt try any, as food or drug. These cacti can apparently grow on bare rock because their roots provide a haven for certain bacteria and fungi that can extract nitrogen from the air and chemically break down rock to extract nutrients. Pretty cool stuff.

We spent a couple of days in tranquil San Evaristo, then headed north toward the green waters of a place called Agua Verde (Green Water). Well see.

A calm day in the Sea of Cortez, northwest of Isla San Jose.

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. 

Isla San Francisco

The Isthmus on Isla San Francisco. The island in the background is Isla San Jose, about 5 miles away.

Isla San Francisco is like a jewel in the sea. Only about two miles long and less than a mile wide, it encompasses a beautiful cove on the south side and, across a small isthmus, another picturesque bay on its eastern shore. The isthmus, which is only a couple hundred yards wide, divides the high northern end of the island from the craggy cliffs to the south. It lies at 24 degrees, 50 minutes north and 110 degrees, 34.50 minutes west. If you Google it, you’ll enjoy the aerial views of this place.

Boats anchored in the "Hook".

The Honcho anchored a couple hundred yards off the beach in the southern cove, known as the Hook, in crystal clear water. As soon as we secured the boat, we jumped in for a refreshing swim before joining friends on another boat for cocktails. The following day a group of eight or ten of us climbed to the ridge on the southern edge of the island and were rewarded with splendid views of the boats at anchor below and the dramatically striped cliffs across the channel on the mainland to the west and on Isla San Jose to the north.

Ridge trail on the south side of the island. Isla San Jose in the background.

After a couple of days of sun, swimming and relaxing, we’re now ready to get underway tomorrow morning, bound for the village of San Evaristo, on the coast of mainland Baja. There we’ll pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables, if any are available, then leave the following morning for points north. 

And thus begins the Season Three

I AM ZINEA, PTERODACTYLUS, has officially splashed for its third season.

Sail onwards, friends, for there is not a minute to be lost!  Stay tuned, intrepid reader.

Three Weeks in La Paz

Finisterra took a berth in Marina Palmira on April 24th where I had planned to do some routine engine maintenance, the most important of which was to service the fuel injectors. Rob from Cross Marine did the injector work and gave the engine a complete inspection while I replaced filters, tightened belts and generally puttered around the engine. In the course of his inspection Rob discovered a slight leak in the raw water pump. Fortunately I had a rebuild kit in my spare parts cache and within a day or two that job was done.

La Paz  with Marina Palmira in the foreground. Its a nice hike up a rocky trail from the marina to the top of the hill where these pictures were taken. 

La Paz is the only city on the gulf coast of Baja California. It boasts a population of around 250,000 including nearby suburbs. Mulege, Loreto, and Santa Rosalia are also located on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja Peninsula, but I categorize them as towns or villages with populations of  4,000, 15,000 and 12,000 respectively.

Because of its location La Paz is the place where cruisers gather before heading up the Sea. Of course there is a fairly large contingent of cruisers who have become more or less permanent residents of this area, some of whom anchor out in the channel between the city and the El Mogote Peninsula, which lies between La Paz and the Sea. Hurricane Odile ravaged the Baja Peninsula last year, passing just to the west of the city and wreaking havoc ashore and among the boats in the anchorage. As we sailed down the channel on our approach to Marina Palmira, we could see evidence of Odiles fury in damaged buildings and torn up docks in the marina. Odile did almost one and a quarter billion dollars worth of damage in Mexico and took over a dozen lives.

The pilings in the upper left are all thats left of the docks at the entrance to Marina Palmira. Notice the boats in the storage yard.

One day I helped deliver a boat out to the Tramper, a heavy lift ship that was anchored in the bay. The Tramper was on a voyage delivering yachts from one place to another. After its stop in La Paz, it was headed to Ensenada, then British Columbia.

As far as I know, the Tramper picked up three boats in La Paz

This 40 racer/cruiser was picked up before our boat.

The boat comes alongside the ship, a couple of handlers descend the jacobs ladder and the slings are lowered aft of the boat. Then a pair of divers, which you can see holding the slings in this shot, align them under the boat, making sure they arent touching the shaft, prop or rudder. 

Before the boat is hoisted aboard the ship, they do a test lift to make sure it hangs in the slings the way they want it. If all is good, the boss gives the order to load the boat.

Our little boat was up next. It has spent many years cruising in Mexico and is headed home to Canada for a rest and refit. It got shoe-horned between the dark hulled C&C and the white boat with the black stripe.

With the job done, we climbed aboard a panga and headed back to shore.

La Paz is usually a hot place this time of year, with average daytime temperatures of 92 degrees under a usually blazing sun. But over the last couple of weeks weve enjoyed temps in the low eighties with cool Coromuel winds blowing almost every night. Its made hiking and exploring the city quite bearable and weve enjoyed the place more than ever. Of course, friends are what really make a place enjoyable and weve spent a good deal of time socializing with great people.

With Finisterra well provisioned, fueled and ready to go, were heading out tomorrow for the islands to the north of us. The rough plan is to spend a day or two in Puerto Balandra, then a few days in the coves of Islas Espiritu Santo and Partida before heading further north to Isla San Francisco and beyond.

Five Weeks in La Cruz

Weve been enjoying our stay in La Cruz for the last five weeks, spending most of this time hanging out with friends and getting Finisterra reprovisioned and ready to head further south.  The boat is ready to go and the weather looks good for a Thursday afternoon departure so around noon well slip out of the marina and set a course for Cabo Corrientes. After rounding the cape Finisterra will head for Tenacatita where well spend a day or two before moving on to Barra de Navidad.

Scenes from La Cruz:

Philos Bar used to be the local hangout for the cruising crowd but as more and more people from colder climes, especially Canadians, call La Cruz home in the winter, the music has evolved to accommodate their taste.  The place is open during the daytime, but is usually pretty empty until around six in the evening, so there plenty of room for Philo to park his motorcycle.

Philos is basically a big palapa with a thatched roof. This is the view looking straight up from "our" table. 

Cruisers still inscribe boat names on the wall at Philos

On another note, the cruising community is always in a state of flux with boats arriving and departing every day. Some stay on the hook in the anchorage, others stay in the marina, some spent a few days or weeks in both places.  Finisterra stayed in the marina because I had several projects I wanted to finish. A new arrival, the Swan 60, "Thor" also elected to stay in the marina.

Brand new Swan 60. There is a 2011 Swan 60 listed on Yachtworld for $3.1 million. My guess is that this one came off the showroom floor for something more than that.

Designed by German Frers, the 60 is a good example of Nautors evolution from heavier to lighter boats, with perhaps some Italian influence since the firm was acquired by Leonardo Ferragamo in 1998. Drawing courtesy of Swan Yachts.

Over the last couple of weeks while I was busy varnishing the caprails on Finisterra, Thor was a few slips away with a crew of four or five guys getting her ready to sail. It was always interesting to wander over around sunset and have a look at their daily progress.

This boat has only four winches. All sail controls, including the vang and cunningham are managed by pushbutton.

Carbon fiber standing rigging. Each shroud is made up of multiple thin pultruded carbon/epoxy rods encased in a synthetic jacket such as Spectra fiber. Shroud terminations are usually machined titanium fittings. Here they are connected to under-deck chainplates.

I love it when excellent design crosses paths with superb craftsmanship.

Three Days in Puerto Balandra

Puerto Balandra sunset.

With a big Manson anchor and 100 of chain set, we were ready for a windy first night in Puerto Balandra, and the Coromuel did not disappoint. The gusty southwest wind blew 20-26 knots all night and the next morning, but all was safe and secure aboard the Honcho. The Coromuel blew each of the three nights we were in Balandra. Every morning we lazed around the boat waiting for conditions to ease enough to take the dink and go exploring and snorkeling, which was usually around 1100. We spent afternoons in the water and evenings  aboard the Honcho or on other boats in the bay. Puerto Balandra is nearly perfect, with crystal clear water, warm sun, brisk breezes and fabulous sunsets.

 Crystal clear water and blue sky in Balandra.

The famous El Hongo rock, located on the north shore of the bay.  Carved into this shape by the sea, this rock stood for  thousands of years. Then a few years ago, it fell over, a victim of time, weather and overeager tourists. But the locals got together and put it back together again.

The Honcho was boarded by this Mexican Navy patrol. These guys were all wearing flak jackets and carrying M-16s, except for the guy in black, who carried only a pistol. Always polite and courteous, their job is to keep tabs on the boats in their jurisdiction. Weve been approached by Mexican Navy patrols several times, and boarded twice.

We spent three wonderful days in Puerto Balandra but were running low on supplies,so on Sunday, April 24th we weighed anchor and motored about seven miles to Marina Palmira, just outside of downtown La Paz. Well spend a week or so here, exploring the city and provisioning for a month of sailing in the more remote parts of the Sea of Cortez.

Southern Sea of Cortez

Sunset
Isla San Francisco

We didnt spend as much time up the Sea as we would have liked, but we savored every minute of it. Our travels took us from La Paz to Puerto Balandra, Isla Partida, San Evaristo, Isla San Francisco, Bahia Ballena and then back to La Paz by way of Puerto Balandra again.

Puerto Balandra.
The southwest cove offers good protection from Coromuels and has the best rocks and reef for snorkeling.

Puerto Balandra is our favorite place in the Sea. Its only a few miles from downtown La Paz but we have anchored there many times in tranquil isolation and enjoyed spectacular sunsets, great swimming and snorkeling, and fun exploring its beautiful beaches and mangroves. We anchored in the southwest corner of the bay on May 11th and spent a couple of days by ourselves swimming, snorkeling and exploring. Later we were joined by friends aboard Telitha and AliiKai, so the evenings were spent aboard one boat or another for sundowners and socializing. After a couple of days the other boats headed out toward Ensenada Grande while we stayed behind and had another day of solitude before heading north ourselves.

We had a beautiful sail from Balandra to Ensenada Grande, with 10 knots of breeze on a close reach and a flat sea. By early afternoon the wind had veered to the northwest, so we sailed into the bay on port tack and anchored not far from our friends aboard Telitha and AliiKai. The next day the beautiful Schumacher 52, Cinnabar joined our group in the north lobe of the bay. That evening the party was aboard Finisterra. In the late afternoon the wind backed around to the southwest, a sure sign of a Coromuel, so by 2130 our friends reboarded their own boats and we secured for what could be an interesting night. We had anchored on the north side of the bay because the forecast was for northerly winds. But the north side offers no protection from the southwest, which is the direction that Coromuels blow from. By midnight the wind was blowing about 20 knots out of the southwest accompanied by short, steep southwest swells. I stood a midnight to 0300 watch in the cockpit, ready to get the anchor up and relocate to a more protected spot further inside the bay if the situation worsened. But by 0300 the wind was down to about 12 knots and the only discomfort came from the lumpy southwest waves that lasted until dawn.

Ensenada Grande is on the west side of Isla Partida. We anchored in the northern cove for a couple of days, then moved to a spot just outside the small cove in the southeast part of the bay. You can see that the wind in this photo is blowing out of the north, which is the usual condition for springtime in this region.

Telitha at anchor in Puerto Balandra. 

The next morning we moved the boat further into the bay where we had some protection from the Coromuel winds. Later that day Cinnabar joined us and Tom, co-skipper of the boat dove into the water with his spear gun and shot a snapper and a goatfish, both of which Sylvia, the other co-skipper, served blackened that afternoon. I pulled my last bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio out of our wine locker for the occasion.  After four days in Ensenada Grande we got the anchor up and sailed for San Evaristo, about 28 miles away on the Baja mainland.

Dinner aboard Cinnabar.

Around midday Cinnabar, which had started half an hour after Finisterra rolled past us and anchored with our other friends in the main part of the bay. There was room for us to anchor near Cinnabar when we arrived half an hour later, but instead we chose a spot where weve anchored before in the northeast corner of the bay next to Punta San Evaristo. This is a snug little cove with steep hills coming down to the waters edge. The snorkeling here and around the point is excellent and the surrounding hills offer good protection from all but south and southeast winds.

Cin rolls Fin on the way to Evaristo

Bahia San Evaristo
The white area is actually salt pans. In southerly winds its safe to anchor off the gravel beach north of the pans.

We stayed in Evaristo a few days then it was time for us to part company with our friends. Telitha and AliiKai were headed north to San Carlos for the summer. Cinnabar planned to spend some more time in the central Sea and we were headed south to beautiful Isla San Francisco. We usually shy away from buddy boating, but hanging out with Joe & Kitty (Telitha), David & Toni (AliiKai), and Tom & Sylvia was really a lot of fun so we were a bit sad to part ways with them.

Isla San Francisco is only about nine miles from Evaristo and, with hardly a breath of wind out of the north, we motored to another of our favorite anchorages, the Hook on the south side of the island.

Isla San Francisco
We anchored in the south part of the bay about 100 yards NE from the tip of the hook.

Finisterra shares the anchorage with the 163 foot M/V Calex. It was interesting to watch the crew back this mega yacht into the shallow water and anchor bow and stern about 100 yards from the beach. 

The beautiful 82 foot R/V Martin Sheen spent a night at Isla San Francisco.
This vessel is operated by the Sea Shepherd organization and is in the Sea of Cortez on a mission to help save the endangered Vaquita dolphin.

We stayed three days at Isla San Francisco hiking, snorkeling and exploring. There were a couple of other boats in the anchorage when we arrived but they left and we thought wed have the place to ourselves. But before long the Calex and Martin Sheen joined us. A rather incongruous assembly of conservationism, conspicuous consumption and cruising sailors.

The hiking on Isla San Francisco is spectacular.

Lisa poses before conquering the summit.

Dramatic cloud formation at sunrise.

We departed Isla San Francisco on May 22nd, bound for Bahia Ballena. Its a pretty set of three small coves on the west side of Isla Espiritu Santo about 20 miles away. There was no wind so we motored over a flat sea and anchored in the shelter of the bluffs on the northern side of the bay. No sooner did we get the hook down than we were swarmed by flies and bees. I quickly fitted bug screens over the hatches, but it was obvious that we would find no refuge from the insects at least until sunset, so we raised the anchor and proceeded another 12 miles south to bee-free Puerto Balandra.

At Puerto Balandra we relaxed and swam and enjoyed the afternoon and evening in solitude. Around 0400 the next morning, KABOOM!, we were awakened by a massive thunderclap.  And for the rest of the morning we watched as a thunderstorm rolled over us close enough to make us put phones and I-pads in the microwave. One bolt of lightning struck close enough that it stunned our wireless wind instruments, but later I was able to restart them, so no damage was done. By noon the rain had stopped and the lightning had moved off the the east and we got the anchor up and sailed the last few miles to Marina Palmira, where weve been slowly planning and provisioning for the long trip up the Baja coast to California.

Friendship Tour 2012!

OOOOOOOHHH *SNAP* it is high time for another exciting update to your favorite Goat Island Skiff blog!  This time its another four day cruise in northern Maine including Blue Hill Bay, the Eggemoggin Reach, and the Deer Isle Thoroughfare.

Yours truly and IAZ,P launched solo and sailed for two days and then met with the illustrious and dashing Capn Jon for another two days of salty adventurous fun.  I love sailing in company, and Capn Jon and his plucky Pheonix III TWO HEARTED is one of the best to sail with.  (You may remember TWO HEARTED from this introductory post earlier in the summer and the shenanigans at Small Reach 2012).

DAY 1

IAZ,P and myself started at the Brooklin ramp, much like I did for BILTrek2012 with Count Gregoire de Frontenac.  I obviously missed the tide I wanted by about 3 hours and found the water at full low, which means I had to roll the boat all the way down the sand to the water.  I guestimated to where the water would be when I was done packing, and when the boat was rigged and fully rigged, I realized I had guestimated wrong.

Ready to go, and still 6 feet of water needed.  

With a setting sun, I muscled her back into the water screeching and moaning over the rocks the whole way.

I didnt really have a plan.  Originally I thought Id go south to the Deer Isle Thoroughfare and cherrypick a campsite down south.  Unfortunately with wind and tide heaving northbound and after many minutes making marginal way I decided to go with the flow and head elsewhere.

I ended up skimming between two islands in water so shallow my throat seized with almost-panic but the shoal draftiness of the Goat Island Skiff saw me through.  At one point I stepped out on a giant boulder and stood in 2" of water several hundred yards from any shore.  I made good time on a nice reach and with a gentle tide.  A few island circumnavigations later I landed, with the sun setting, on an isolated empty beach.... except for two kayaks!  What in Poseidon!?  Midweek? Remote northern Maine island!?

DAY 2

The next morning I arose with my two campmates who were totally awesome and paddling from Lubec to South Portland on a sort of VisionQuest (sound familiar!?).  We had a rousing good time making conversation, eating, quenching thirsts, imagining the future.  This is what the Maine Island Trail is about-- water, awesomeness, visionquesting, and friend making.

Typical water-borne camping style mandates chaos

Foggy calmness

Breakfast with a view 

VisionQuesting

  After a good breakfast and repacking the boat I shoved off in light airs and headed north.

Rarin to go!

The low scud parted, the sun came out and the temperatures went up.  Perfect for lazing around and exploring long beaches and marshy tundra-like landscapes.

Three years of camp cruising and still looking good.

Cricket laden, heat baked, taiga type landscape

Long romantic beaches

 When the wind started to pick up a hightailed it back to Brooklin, and explored a little around the islands off the boat ramp.  Capn Jon would be coming later that evening, and I needed to find a good campsite for the evening.  One option was Hog Island, not on the MIT, but a good camping option and conserved by a group dedicated to the cause.  There is a fantastic well protected albeit rocky harbor, and a giant glacial erratic that is split down the middle.

Hog Island.  If you dont stove out the bottom youre good.

Holy Giant Erratic!  Notice IAZ,P in distance.

 After picking up some trash on Hog Island and eating some lunch on the hook we continued to sail up the Eggemoggin Reach, and went to the HOLY of HOLIES, WoodenBoat.  I sailed around the anchorage, took in the sights, almost ran aground in the deceptively shallow dinghy mooring ground, and then I did something which Im pretty sure is a Goat Island Skiff first-- tied up at the WoodenBoat dock!

I present, history!

Goat Island Skiff IAZ,P tied up at WoodenBoat. OH! The Awesomeness!

Another, just because maybe you want vertical format!

Afterwards, it was back to the Brooklin ramp to wait for Capn Jon.

We waited.  

And waited.  Thats all.  Road was foggy, etc.  You know how it goes.

By the time he arrived we nixed Hog Island and went with nearby Sellers instead.  It was a good choice.

DAY 3

After a truly epic/spooky night sail to Sellers Island off the ramp (bioluminescence like you cant BELIEVE!  Epic Epic Epic!) we set up camp and caught up, then promptly passed out.  In the morning, we realized that I had forgotten my compass (WTF?) and Capn Jon had forgotten his BattleStick tiller extension which is essential to any adventuring boat.  

So, BACK to the cars and ramp, and time for pictures.  Capn Jon will now be contributing to the photos as well!

Tides up in Brooklin and ready to go.

Im ready to rock.  Note new drysuit!  (Capn Jon)

After gathering our wayward items we blasted off into the wind.  Forecast was calling for 10-15kts gusting to 20kts.  Remember this, it is important.  10-15, G20.

IAZ,P sailing south out of Brooklin. (Capn Jon)

We sailed around Sellers Island and worked our way south, towards destiny and a hopefully a beverage at Stonington (the goal of the day).  As we proceeded out of the Egg Reach, the wind started to slack.  Hmmm, 10-15ktsG20, right?  Oh well, shake out that reef.  

And the wind continued to slack.

slackity slack slack

.

.

.

.

.

and time to ROW.

This is what 10-15kts, G20 looks like.

Heres Capn Jon

IAZ,P and me with Acadia in the background. (Capn Jon)

Capn Jon plunging into the darkness beyond.  Remember, 10-15G20.

So with all this business of rowing, we got hungry.

So we stopped at a familiar island.

Rowing in

So fed up with rowing, Capn Jon tests his new drysuit.

After a snack we decided to keep forging south towards Stonington still somewhat hopeful that we would arrive with plenty of time for beverage AND a sail back to some island for some good camping. Of course, the wind was 10-15kts, G20...

...Which meant we werent going anywhere.  Capn Jon rowed out and then with a hint of a hint of a breeze, we raised sail and just chilled the screw out.

Capn Jon ghosting along

The front slowly pushing eastbound with TWO HEARTED in the distance.  Note rudder up for super light-air downwind performance.  One reason out of many on why I loooooove the vertical Australian rudder cassette design.

Slowly, and I mean slowly, the wind started to gently pick up.  We did some island reconnaissance and did some miscellaneous sailing around.  I ended up hitting a mysterious underwater obstruction since I tend to find these things, and Capn Jon and I took pictures of each other.

We ended up sailing to check out another island, and then the wind decided to pick up to its promised 20kts, and it came on suddenly and with little warning.  I had a monster plane (I was "moving with purpose" in the words of Capn Jon) in the wrong direction, and then it was a monster fight back to our chosen island of camping.  But whats a day of sailing without something frustrating.   Remember, if youre sailing and you dont have a moment of frustration at some point during the day, youre doing it wrong.  We made it to our beach, rolled the boats up, and spent quite some time fiddling with how we were going to keep the stationary when the tide came up that night.  We had a howling wind, rocks, and tide to deal with.

Triumphant engineering pose after solving the close proximity anchoring situation.  

Catspaw

The sun plunged into the west, the wind rose to a howl from the northwest, and we hunkered down on a meadow facing south to get out of the wind and had a very nice quiet dinner.  Then, it was time to visit the boats before hitting the hay.

Boat Starry Night.
Note the rock ledge in the distance.  Remember that.

DAY 4

We awoke to a howling NW wind.

Brrrr.  

A tent shaking, bone rattling, head scratching "how we going to get out of here", cold, toothy wind.  Barreling straight into our makeshift harbor.  Oh man...

But first, nature calls, stomach calls and campsite cleanup calls!

Poop bucket.  With a view.  In the warm sun.  Where you at at 7am? This cant be beat. (Capn Jon)

Then, some breakfast!  Yes, those are my home grown eggs that I am soft-boiling (a mystery cooking method in the USA, I am finding) on day 4!  Hmm Hmmm hot tea.

Boat check? Boats are still there!  PHEW (Capn Jon) 

Time to clean up camp.  A little more order than usual this morning, it seems.

 For what happens next there is no photodocumentation.  We loaded the boats and set off.  Capn Jon (Mr. Smart) went first, rowing like a madman straight into the teeth of the wind.  When he was out of the harbor, it was my turn.  I attempted to sail out, and I failed, miserably.  I should have stopped when I was raising the sail and the downhaul was caught around the anchor.  There was a certain level of disorganization in the boat that was not acceptable and it should have merited a do-over.  Instead I cleared the fouled line, raised the sail, and jumped in.  I sheeted in the main, and then slipped when inserting the daggerboard and we went skidding sideways into toothy jagged rocks.  Too late, I missed my narrow exit, now it was time to minimize the damage.  I careened over several boulders, hit some others, and came to rest on a leeward rock shelf (see Starry Night picture above).  The main did not dump, as the mainsheet wrapped around an oar.  Chaos.  I jumped over and kept her from capsizing but she was getting absolutely pounded on the rocks.  I couldnt reach the halyard from where I was.  Struggle ensued.  Finally, with the sail down, I walked her around the rock shelf, reboarded, and let her drift to the lee, now away from the island sailing on bare poles. From the comfort of having all the sea-room I could ask for I raised the main and went to meet Capn Jon who was waiting for me.  From there it was an all out screaming plane downwind.  Some of the fastest speeds I have attained in the boat were in this stretch, and this is loaded with camping gear!

The sail to Brooklin was half downwind, and then upwind as we worked our way back to the Eggemoggin Reach.  It was here were TWO HEARTED really shone.  Except for rowing, the GIS is usually slightly faster than the Pheonix III, except in certain situations.  With very lumpy seas coming out of the Egg Reach, close hauled, she shouldered in and literally just left me behind.  Now, IAZ,P did quite well in the lumpiness for a flat-bottomed boat, but close hauled with confused large lumpy rolling seas have always been her low point.  The flat-bottom-healed-over to make a "V" doesnt work as well since the waves are of a chaotic motion and there is a fixed percentage rate of waves that slap the hull in some flat area, knocking her about.  Mr. Parker of "The Sharpie Book" fame distinctly talks about this phenomenon in a recent WoodenBoat article.  The rounded lapstrake bilge of TWO HEARTED really stood out in these conditions.  Capn Jon waited on me for the rest of the day, which pleased him to no end.

We ended up sailing back to Brooklin and making a quick pit stop before sailing back to the HOLY of HOLIES, WoodenBoat.  It was Capn Jons turn to sail through the anchorage with TWO HEARTED and make some Pheonix III history of his own.

WoodenBoat anchorage (Capn Jon)

Me and IAZ,P leaving the WoodenBoat beach where stopped to do some backslapping.  2nd reef. (Capn Jon)

Then, it was an easy downwind cruise back to the ramp.  The wind was actually becoming more reasonable, and I could have shaken out some reefs, but to be honest, after 4 days of muscling boats around I was absolutely shot.  I just sat in the bottom of IAZ,P and cruised back to the car.

IAZ,P rolling downwind to the cars. 

On the beach at Brooklin.  I love screaming over that bar with 2" of water.  IAZ,P floats on moisture.

Narcissus returns to boat ramp. This is what a hero looks like- awesome.
Note how heroes let others do the dirty work.

And so ended another 4 days of high seas adventure with my trusty Goat Island Skiff and Capn Jons Pheonix III.

What other adventures await this Dynamic Duo of Destiny?!