2009 BAJA HA HA LOG (10/19/09-11/14/09
VIRAGO CREW:
Paul Goss, Captain (Retired Business Consultant)
Bill Eddy, Retired HR Exec
Roger Elliott, Retired HS Physics Teacher
Bob Engelhart, Retired Navy Captain
DAY BY DAY COMMENTS AND DATA:
Monday, 10/19/09
Departed Oakland YC at 7:57 am aboard the SV Virago, Catalina 470 #163 for our adventure. Destination the Baha Ha Ha Rally and on to La Cruz Mexico. Sendoff crew included Rosie and Bill Everingham, Nora Eddy, Mona Elliott, Susan Engelhart, Diana and Roger Frizzelle and assorted Oakland YC members. As we departed, a light rain started as forecast with an 18 k breeze out of the south.
We went under the Golden Gate Bridge at 9:30 am and cleared the sea buoy #8 Red for left turn down the California coast. Wind was on our nose all the way with intermittent rain and wind speeds between 15-32 k. Seas were choppy and confused ongoing. We ran the motor at 2500 rpm and made speeds of 7.5 to 8.2k all day. We ate our first meal of microwaved chicken pies at around 7:00pm on deck. The day went well.
We had intermittent rain and winds in the high teens and low 20’s overnight. We didn’t get out from under the storm until after midnight and the crew was in full foul weather gear and wet. There was no moon so it was pitch black as we motored and bounced along. No sea life sightings. Watchmates Paul and Bob took the 8-12 watch, Bill and Roger took the 12-4, and Paul and Bob came back on the 4-8 watch. This 4X4 watch schedule would be our standard for the trip, with the 8am-8pm watch shared by all. At 11:00pm we apparently picked up some seaweed in the prop and got a bad motor vibration. We contemplated returning to Monterey (3 hours) from the Pt Sur area. Instead we stopped the boat, put it in reverse and unwound the seaweed or whatever was in the prop. It worked and we continued down the coast at a reduced RPM of 2200 and ran at 6-7 k vs. the 7-8 we were making over ground with the current and all. Had some of my grand daughters chocolate chop cookies to sustain us on watch. Motored the entire first 24 hours. During the 4-8 watch it cleared to brilliant stars in the sky.
Tuesday, 10/20/09
By to 8:00 am watch there was a change to a beautiful sunny day with lumpy seas and swells and no wind to sail. At that point in time, we were off San Simeon and could see Hearst Castle and Cambria on shore. At 9:45am we were off Morro Bay heading for Pt Buchon, Pt Arguello and Pt Conception. Looks like the Conception passage will be in the late afternoon or early evening. We are excited for that passage. Passed Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant on shore. Lots of new support buildings added to the site since last passage there. Late morning we passed 2 Humpback whales and a pod of at least 5 Killer whales and easily 75 Dolphins feeding and putting on a show for us. First major sealife show of the trip.
By noon, we were off Port San Luis. Picked up 12-14k breeze out of the NW so we could finally start to sail on the main and jib. YAH!!!!! Sailed all afternoon around Pt Sal, then Arguello. Wind built to 18-30k with 10-12 foot swells. YAH!!!. The rig got a little overloaded so reefed the main and continued on to Pt. Conception and past oil platform Irene. At Arguello waypoint, we turned slightly SE and were able to ride the direction of the swells and wind comfortably under full sail.
At sunset we were directly off Conception and having dinner in the cockpit. Chef Captain Paul prepared green salad with blue cheese crumbles, Craisins and oil vinagerette and we had a meal of “Aunt Ruth’s Chicken” from Nora. All enjoyed and we followed it up with cookies.
Through the night, we sailed south and east to the 2 mile wide pass between Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Island chain. At Midnight we transited the Santa Cruz channel and into open water near the west side of Santa Barbara and Catalina Islands. Never seen this side of the islands before so it was a treat. Winds continued through this area at 20’s and 30’s with large swells. All quite exciting.
Wednesday, 10/21/09
On the 4-8 watch, Roger and I observed a brilliant sunrise over the Los Angeles area. Heard lots of shipping traffic checking into LA and Long Beach harbors. At 8:00am we were 2 hours from being along west side Santa Barbara Island. Bad news, the winds have dropped off and we are motor sailing at 6.5k. ETA to San Diego is 1:00am on Thursday at this rate. This afternoon we will pass on the west side of Catalina Island then vector more SE to Pt. Loma and San Diego. We must stay 10 miles south of San Clemente Island as the Navy has announced on the radio a million times that they are staging “live fire” exercises there this afternoon. We could see Navy ship in the area and we will obey.
Side Note: Our meal planning scheme is we eat whatever comes out of the top of the freezer first, in the reverse order of how they were brought to the boat and stacked in there.
At 9:00 pm, (because we ate lunch late) between San Clemente Island and Pt. Loma, we had meatloaf, from Nora Eddy along with cous cous and green beans from the ships stores. We were still under power so the dinner venue in the cockpit was smooth and level. We arrived at Pt Loma around midnight for turn into the San Diego channel and bay.
Thursday, 10/22/09
We tied up at the Shelter Island fuel dock thus officially ending our first leg of the journey at 1:40 am. Voyage was 450 km and took 67 hours. We used the fuel dock because we needed it and had to wait for light to find our slip in the Cabrillo Isle Marina. It was nice to turn in and get some rest on a bed that was not moving.
Note: This was the first time all 4 of us slept at one time. Paul was in his aft owner suite (later known as the debris field), Roger and Bob shared the center cabin double with a big lee board between them, and I had the forward Pullman berth with no board yet. I shared it with my girlfriend the blue haired deck brush. The berth was too small for Roger and two sharing it would have been too cozy.
We were all within cell phone range to call home but it was too late in the evening and morning to reach out to our wives to report in. At 7:00 am, we got fuel and motored to our berth at Cabrillo Isle Marina. A very nice but not full marina due to pricing and the economic climate of the area. We spent the day doing small projects, washing the boat and bullshitting with dockmates. On our slip finger, we had no less than 14 Bay Area yachts who were going to be in the Ha Ha with us later. You could spot them as they all flew the yellow Ha Ha burgee. More would come in as the days went on. In the late afternoon, the Ha Ha folks had a potluck snack and wine social on the dock in front of our boat. It was well attended and we got to meet a bunch of folks who were going to Mexico with us. It was fun and we met a fellow Catalina 34 owner, Steve, wife Tracy and son who had been harbor hoping down from their home in Vancouver BC aboard Black Dragon. He took me over to his boat so I could see all the cruising improvements he made to the boat to make the long passages. Pretty crowded and full of stuff.
In the evening, we met Paul’s lovely daughter Sarah and her husband Joe. I went out to a Mexican dinner with them and we returned to the boat for a sound sleep. Sarah left her car for us to use and went home with Joe. It was fun meeting and talking with them and we certainly were fortunate to have a car as we needed to get a lot of items for the boat and to restock our food and drink supply.
Friday, 10/23/09
Up at 8:00am for breakfast at the marina deli, called Papanani’s. Neat place with a wide selection of hot and cold food, drinks and sundries. Quite complete with reasonable prices and lots of customers from the Ha Ha crowd. We did tasks all day, including waxing our 10’ sailing dinghy Toyot on deck. Looked good. We made two trips to West Marine and one to Downwind Marine for stuff. Paid $15 for 3-M Cleaner Wax. What a rip off. Also got acorn nuts, line, hose, and a bow running light on order from Downwind. Great store. Back on the boat after those trips, we did more tasks, then made a fuel run to Piersons Marine. Got propane fills, dinghy gas and filled 2 jerry jugs with diesel. This is the same Piersons that Jim Kennemore and I limped into without power when we sailed to SD 10 years ago. Small world. We also visited the newly opened Farallone Yacht Sales office next to Piersons. In the evening we put away the fuel and propane and drank beer. All ready for Mexico?
Note: Bob had to fly back to Oakland to be home in San Leandro as he had guests visiting. He got off in the morning for his Southwest flight home. He will rejoin us Sunday for the trip start Monday.
I called son Dave at 4:00 pm and left him a happy 40th birthday message. He was in Reno celebrating. Then called my love of life Nora. So happy to have a phone that works with minutes to burn.
We had an invitation to go to a rib dinner with Paul’s friends Larry and crew, but due to a late lunch we passed and hit the sack at 8:30 pm. What party animals!! Probably a good thing as we needed more stored energy in our tanks for the trip south. Today, 2-3 more boats from the Bay Area showed up bringing our finger total to 16.
Saturday, 10/24/09
Up at 7:00 am for breakfast at the deli. Good ham and cheese omlettes and toast. Then off in Sarah’s car to Vons, CVS, Ace hardware and a key shop for big stock up before the trip. In the process of driving around on our shopping spree with Pauls credit card, we got a great tour of the beautiful city of San Diego. Very nautical and very Navy. We were done storing the purchases by 11:30 am and had our first beer at noon. In the afternoon, we did minor cleaning and maintenance tasks. This included oil fill, raw water filter cleaning, coolant checks and interior scrub. After that, we talked to dock folks, took some pictures of the marina and struggled to see the Oregon football game on the boats TV. Lost cause as the station carrying the game was apparently just out of range of the yacht harbor. Saw enough to know that Oregon won by 41-19 over Washington. We had cocktails/wine at 5:30 pm.
We went to dinner at the Brigantine along the waterfront. Delicious prime rib and steaks and such for a reasonable price. We saw a lot of Ha Ha folks there including Richard Spindler and his entourage from Latitude 38 and the Ha Ha Corp, and Diane Murray our mutual friend from Alameda. Back to the boat by 9:30 pm for sleep.
Sunday, 10/25/09
Up at 7:00 am for coffee at the deli and a nice shower in the marina facilities. Tried to do laundry but the line for the many machines was too long. Will try later. Paul has a skippers meeting at 11:00 am and we all have the Ha Ha costume party at West Marine’s parking lot from 1-5 pm. No real tasks today so it’s a goof off.
At 1:00 pm, Paul, Roger and I went to the party on Rosecrans Blvd. About 1500 people, beer and a Mexican food buffet for $10 each. Sarah joined us at the party and Bob came in too from Oakland to join us. Many fun costumes including a guy in a jellyfish costume made of a clear plastic umbrella with streamers hanging down all around him. He walked around opening and closing the umbrella to give the jellyfish movement effect. There was a DJ there for music and they had prizes for the best costumes in several categories, along with product drawings. We bailed out early as we needed to use Sarah’s car to get back to the marina before she needed to take it home. Got back to the boat and relaxed in the quiet. Did a load of laundry while the rest of the folks were at the end of the party. Had dinner of chili provided by Joe. I extinguished the five alarm blaze from the chili with leftover Aunt Ruth’s chicken. The chili was world class, but not for the faint of heart or stomach. (like me) Then to bed at a record setting 8:45 pm.
Monday, 10/26/09
Up at 6:00 am for breakfast and last minute water tank fills and gear storage. Turned in the dock keys and left the berth at 9:03 am for the 190 boat parade around the San Diego Bay. The floatilla went past a big fishing boat filled with dignitaries from the City, Coast Guard, Navy, Mexican Counsel and media photographers/reporters. Rather fun, as we headed out to Pt Loma for the start of the Ha Ha at 11:00 am. Called Nora to say goodbye after the start and we were in the open ocean, but she was not home.
We sailed with the asymetrical and main up until 6:00 pm. Good sailing for about 40km, but had to motor for awhile as the wind died off. Had dinner at 7:00pm of Lassagne and green salad followed by chocolate chip cookies by Amanda and Erin. Paul and Bob took 8-12 watch and Roger and I did the 12-4 in calm seas and about a ½ moon lighting the way. Many Ha Ha boats showing their running lights around us. Uneventful night and early morning.
Tuesday, 10/27/09
Up at 8:00 am to relieve Paul and Bob. Swells were heavy and the wind had built to 18k. Supposed to build more today up to 17’. We’ll see if the forecast is correct. We have been sailing since just after 4:00 am on main and jib en route to a waypoint near San Benito Island for Cedros Island and Turtle Bay. Gale warnings have been posted for Pt. Conception and Channel Islands to Guadalupe Island (which we had already passed at 6:30 pm,) from a Northwest storm. The Ha Ha Rally leaders have warned the fleet by radio all day that they may want to take refuge in one of several small protected anchorages on the coast. The biggest and safest being Bahia San Quintine. A lot of the boats have short or aged crew, and a lot have families with small children. Better that they be in an anchorage overnight than out in the blow. We believe we are far enough ahead of the fleet, experienced enough and well equipped enough to deal with the conditions. Kind of like San Francisco entrance area on a windy summer day.
At 7:00 pm we are racing SE in 12-14’ seas and 25-30k wind on a track to the west edge of Cedros Island where we will bear off more SE for about 60 miles to Turtle Bay. At this time it looks like a 6:30 am arrival at that turning point if we can maintain our great speed. We have been 30-60 miles off shore and all alone, making speeds of 8-10 k. Most boats turned inland earlier for the anchorages and we see no deck or mast lights around us as before. It has been mostly overcast and we are running on reefed main and jib. Feels good!!!
Around 7:30 pm we had a leftover dinner of chicken, lasagna and apple pie. Captain and Chef Paul gets the award for being able to prepare and serve the food while being tossed around in the galley. Tasted great in the cold, but was hard to keep on the cockpit table to eat due to the movement of the boat in the large swells. Roger and I will take the 8-12 and 4-8 watches tonight after dinner. Very bumpy here but exciting. The moon shows through every so often. Sleeping between watches not so good.
Wednesday, 10/28/09
Up for 4-8 watch. At daylight we discovered that the 12-4 watch (Paul and Bob) got hit by a big side swell and took on water over the starboard and stern rails. Must have been very big, as it deposited 3 baby squid on the decks. Nobody felt like Calamari for breakfast so we pitched them overboard. We were later to discover that the inflow of water went down into Captain Paul’s quarters as his upper escape hatches were open a little for air. He got water on his stuff to be dealt with later. Reached Isla San Benito around 9:00 am and made the slight SE turn toward Isla Natividad which is just past Cedros Island. The finish line is a vector off Isla Natividad. Will be there soon, then 20 or more miles to Turtle Bay entrance channel. Cedros fully in view off the port bow. We are now winged out in going 8-11k. in moderate swells.
While flying along, Capt. Paul served up fresh coffee and english muffins and jam on the deck. While eating we had a huge pod of dolphins playing around the boat, and they were with a large group of young sea lions on their way to breakfast from Cedros. Quite a nice site in the sunshine and now warming weather. After breakfast, got out of foulies, and got cleaned up. Life is good and warm weather ahead we think.
We crossed the finish line at 11:43 am under sail. 27degrees, 54 minutes N X 115degrees, 22 minutes W. We now have to sail an additional 20+ miles to Turtle Bay entrance. We took the sails down close to the Turtle Bay entrance at approx. 3:00 pm and motored for the harbor.
Arrived at Turtle Bay at 4:30 pm after 346 nm and 53 hours of tough riding. Found only 12 other Ha Ha boats there. That means that approx. 177 boats were behind us or still holed up in San Quintine Bay waiting for a weather break. We’ll see. Even the Grand Poobah was not in yet in his big Cat Profligate.
After anchoring and squaring away the rig we had a few CDA (Cheated Death Again) beers to celebrate our safe arrival and a fun leg of sailing. We decided not to go ashore this evening as the wind was still blowing hard even in the protected anchorage of TB. The village here looks much bigger than it did when I was here last during the 2001 Ha Ha, with more buildings and lights. Dinner tonight was beef stew prepared by Chef Paul. Thanks Marg. Nice to eat on a level table standing still for a change.
Note: Disappointed that my phone would not pick up service in TB when I tried to call Nora. Will try again tomorrow in town to see if we have coverage. Message on phone screen was “seeking SVC” Used Rogers phone (AT&T) to message through Mona Elliott to tell Nora that we arrived safely here.
To bed at (NEW RECORD) 8:10 pm. Look forward to going into town tomorrow, and seeing how many of the remaining 177 boats show up this evening.
Thursday, 10/29/09
Up at 7:00 am. Slept for 11 hours-fantastic. Wind still blowing in gusts to 20k through parts of the anchorage. Clear weather and calm in the protected parts of the harbor close to the fuel dock and town. Only 58 boats in the bay out of 190. The morning radio check-in was dysfunctional but we tried. Even single sideband had no relay people and the Grand Poobah was nowhere to be seen.
We had pancakes and hot coffee for breakfast while we sat around and bs’d until 10:00 am. We then did a collective project to dry out Captain Paul’s salt water drenched stuff up on the deck in the sunshine. Around 1:00 pm we hailed a panga on channel 16 “Enrique” for a transit to town. We walked to the Vera Cruz Hotel across from the Pemex gas station, shooting some good pictures along the way. We sat on the deck of the hotel with some other Ha Ha folks and had a few beers. We could see the bay and Virago at anchor there from the deck. I gave the guys a quick tour of the Vera Cruz disco and hotel. Nothing has changed since 2001. We next walked to the beach and another restaurant for beers and dinner. Not very good and the service was slow but ok for the situation. They were overwhelmed with customers due to the Ha Ha arrival. Inside the restaurant window, we say Enrique himself with several handheld VHF radios dispatching pangas and giving orders to the restaurant staff. He apparently has taken over for Ernesto who ran everything the same way back in 2001. After dinner we took the panga back to Virago, read some magazines Bob brought and turned in at 8:00pm. (Yet an other new record).
Town was slightly bigger in terms of houses and some businesses, but the dirt level and run down look seemed worse than in 2001. Still, the best looking structures were the Pemex station and the Big Catholic church with its new tile roof. Broken down or wrecked cars still permeated the landscape. However, the people were warm and friendly and worked hard to understand English as we struggled to speak Spanish.
Friday, 10/30/09
Up at 7:00 am for coffee and fresh made blueberry muffins followed by Paul’s Mexican hot chocolate. This morning we counted 129 boats out of the 190 originally signed up. Some folks who stopped for shelter must still be out there. The wind and seas outside Turtle Bay have abated so their ride may be smoother. The bay is flat now with only occasional wind gusts.
AT 9:00 am we had the radio check-in with the Grand Poobah on channel 69. Lots of reports of breakage and some medical requirements but amazingly taken care of on the net by fellow boaters volunteering parts and service to their fellow Ha Ha folks. On the broadcast it was announced that only 8 boats had sailed all the way from San Diego to Turtle Bay. They all reported that they used the outside route around Cedros as we did. However, we did motor at the front end of the leg.
Today’s plan is to go to shore for a giant potluck beach party. We will take a panga since we have not deployed our dinghy as yet. At 11:00 am, we did some clean up of the boat. I cleaned the two heads and floors as we tracked sand in last night returning from town. Before the beach party I will use Paul’s phone to call Nora.
The beach party was very nice. Most of the crews showed up and brought food to share. The local Mexicans set up a beer bar and sold tons of beer for $2 each. There were games and lots of socializing in the warm sun. In 2001, the local ladies league not only sold beer but they prepared and sold delicious lobster dinners to the masses. Not this year for reasons unknown.
According to the net broadcast, there is a plan to have an informal disco/party at the Vera Cruz Hotel. We may not make that. Also the broadcast said that due to so many late arrivals in Turtle Bay that our Leg 2 start would be delayed from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm. May put us in Bahia Santa Maria (BSM) in the dark.
To bed at 8:00 pm.
Saturday, 10/31/09 Happy Halloween!
Up at 6:45 am for coffee and bagels with cream cheese and ham. We then filled the forward head flush water tank with salt water. Apparently we had run the tank dry. Not good. Today is a warmer day with 10-18k NE breeze in the Bay. After on board showers we feel ready for the approx. 250 mile reach to BSM.
At radio check in, the Grand Poobah announced that a J120, owned by J World sailing school and skippered by Eugenie Russell of Alameda had hit a large whale. The crew had seen several whales in a pod before the contact. The boat was coming down the face of a large swell and there was the whale dead on the bow. They essentially ran over it, up and over the keel, then it hit a few times on the shaft and prop. They opine that the prop cut the whale and it reacted by flipping its flipper and tearing off the rudder and some of the transom. In came sea water and the boat sank in minutes. The crew acted perfectly, grabbed a well stocked ditch bag that they had, deployed their inflatable life raft, activated the EPIRB and left the boat before it sank. Four hours later the US Coast Guard picked them up and took the crew to San Diego. All are fine and the skipper will come to our final awards party in Cabo to tell her story to the group.
Today, we leave on Leg 2 to BSM. Left harbor at 11:00 am for a 12:30 pm start outside the Turtle Bay entrance. Initial departure was in 10-12k breeze, sunny and warm. We used the asymmetrical all afternoon until dinner time. Uneventful trip for almost 40 miles of the 250. Before dinner we doused the asym and went to wing on wing with pole.
We had dinner at sunset/moonrise around 6:00 pm. Dinner was Nora’s delicious pork loins with twice baked potatos, gravy and apple sauce. This was supplemented with Paul’s great green salad with feta cheese crumbles. After dinner the wind died off and we only sailed at 3-6k with wind less than 10k.
We depoled on the 8-12 watch and broad reached in very light 4-6k breeze. Made very few miles progress, but our goal was to sail a full leg at least once so we stuck it out. Paul and Bob come on for the 12-4 and hung in there.
Sunday, 11/1/09
Up at 4:00 am for the 4-8 watch with Roger, and stayed up all day. We saw a beautiful sunrise at 6:30 am. Air is very warm, seas flat calm and making little progress. Since we were all up anyway, the crew did a few repair/fixup jobs, including trying to lube the steering cable system so it would not make noise all the time. We also took out the Raymarine E-120 panel and tightened the binicle holding bar center cockpit, then relaxed.
At 11:30 am, we had no wind love (5-7k), no speed and our destination of BSM was 33 hours away at our current speed. At least one more night. Most of the fleet motored around us. At 3:00 pm we crossed a major pod of feeding dolphins. Hundreds of them all around the boat. What made this sighting different from the rest is that they were jumping out of the water as high as 6’ and splashing back down. At this time our boat speed was 4k in 7-10k breeze. Instruments show 21 hours to finish line 78 miles away. Still sailing. After dinner of chicken pies, we poled out the jib to starboard, main to port and ran into the late shifts at 3-5k speed. Roger and I did the 12-4 watch
BIG EVENT: Around 3:30 am we saw the southbound Sapphire Princess cruise ship go by at 17k, heading for PV. (Nora and I have been on that ship for various cruises in the past) This was one of several cruise ships we saw on the AIS then visually through the night and morning, including the Carnival Spirit, heading for San Diego. They look like big cities going by, lit up throughout.
Monday, 11/2/09
Up at 8:00 am for relief of Paul and Bob and breakfast of blueberry muffins and coffee. We set the asym up on starboard and jib on the pole port. Worth a try as we cruised toward the Leg 2 finish line at 3.5-4.5k in breeze of 4-7k. Around 10:00 am we started seeing lots of mega yacht fishing charters out of Magdalena Bay. We sailed through a giant school of some large fish fleeing from a larger predator below. We think they were Tuna or Mahi.
AT 10:00 am we were 3 hours from the finish line 12.27 miles out. Once finished we plan to motor into BSM to anchor. Sounds good to the crew as going this slowly is like pulling out finger nails one at a time. Water temperature is in the 80’s and the air temp is in the high 70’s already. It is clear and we can see the BSM land mass from here. Steaks have been taken out for a BBQ this evening in BSM harbor.
We finished Leg 2 at 1:36 pm off a lone bluff north of BSM. We noticed on the bluff, a nice and large white home all by itself. No roads leading to it and no utilities visible. Totally out there in nowhere. Very unique since there is nothing around but the little fishing village in BSM harbor. We arrived at the BSM inner bay by the 3 fisherman houses at 3:45 pm. We sailed the entire leg 2 to the finish line then motored 2 hours into harbor. We were out there a total of 53.5 hours.
We had a little nip of Paul’s port wine as a CDA at 4:00pm after anchoring. The whole fleet was in as few if any sailed here from Turtle Bay. I talked to Nora on Paul’s phone (amazing reception). It was a good feeling to hear her voice. She is doing well and reported that Oregon beat USC 41-20.
Dinner tonight was baked potatoes, rib eye steaks, salad and red wine. Very nice and eaten in a beautiful isolated calm bay in warm weather and on a flat table. Full moon came up and we turned in at 8:00 pm.
Tuesday, 11/3/09
Up at 7:00 am for frittata, toast and coffee. Shot the breeze then did tasks. We listened to the morning net about all the plans for the fleet. There was a beach party at 1:00 pm with food served and a live band. There was another fish fry, surfing, volleyball, kids trick or treating by boat (postponed from Halloween) and warnings about dinghy rides to shore being a bit dicey. The Grand Poobah recommended that the folks use the local fishermen’s pangas to get to the party. Bob replaced a broken pin in the spinnaker pole sheave. We all pulled out the rubber dinghy, inflated it and put the motor on. There were a lot of steps to setting this thing up. Wow. Paul wanted to test it in the bay. While Paul was doing that, Bob and I went swimming off the end of Virago. Water was refreshing and warm at 78 degrees.
At 1:00 pm Bob and I went ashore in a panga for the party. Paul and Roger stayed on the boat and relaxed. On the way in, I gave my old foul weather boots to the old fisherman who drove the panga. He seemed to really appreciate it as his town was wiped out in the Hurricane Rick a couple of weeks ago, and they needed everything. In fact, the profits from the beer sales (substantial) were donated to help the town recovery. The party was a great people watching deal and Bob and I talked to several folks including our friend Dianne Murray. The food available looked awful so Bob and I passed on that. The band opened their first set with a Lynyrd Skynyrd song and played oldies but goodies into the afternoon, mostly in broken English. Since we did not eat, we left early with 8 beers for the crew. A lady named Lynn saw us carrying the 8 beers and gave us a canvas bag to carry them back to the boat in. We will return it in Cabo if we see her. Back to the boat around 3:00pm. We had a lasagna dinner by Marj and turned in early.
Note: Behind Virago in the bay, was a large 3 deck work ship called the Pacific Provider. It had a large fantail with docks all around it with very nice 20-30’ sport fishing boats moored to them. The back fantail also had what looked like fish processing equipment on it. The rest of the ship looked like a clean but simple small cruise ship. We think that this thing is a sport fishing club or business for charters. Will check out on the net when we get home.
Wednesday, 11/4/09
Up at 5:00 am for the 6:00 am start of Ha Ha Leg 3 from BSM to Cabo San Lucas (Cabo). Had coffee and english muffins. We raised the anchor and motored out of the bay, now for a 7:00 am “rolling start”. We motored our way to the mouth of Mag Bay. We didn’t care if we sailed or not as we had already done 100% of leg 2 under sail. At 1:00 pm we put up the sails and asym in wind of 5-8k apparent and speeds of 5-8k depending on the angle we sailed. We passed a lot of boats while eating ham and cheese wraps for lunch with iced tea.
Looking forward to a phone call home tomorrow from Cabo. At current speed and heading, it looks like we will be 20 hours to finish the 104 miles to go. Should reach Cabo by mid afternoon. It is warming up substantially. Shorts and T-shirts only on deck.
Highlight!!! Tonight we continue to run on asym at 6-8k in flat seas with apparent wind of 6-9k. These are perfect night sailing conditions under the moonlight.
For dinner we had Susan Engelhart’s beef enchiladas. Very good. We figured we better eat all the beef products we had on board before the Mexican Fish and Game Department in Cabo confiscates it due to their paranoia over Mad Cow disease. Roger and I did the 8-12 watch and had continued incredible conditions through the night. The radio crackled with the fleet all commenting on how perfect these conditions were. Paul and Bob did the 12-4 watch and enjoyed the same conditions.
Thursday 11/5/09
At sunrise, around 5:45 am, the wind died. With only 7 miles to go to finish we did not want to sit out there and bob around for 4-5 hours in the hopes of the wind building over the present 1-2k. Thus, we turned on the motor and powered toward the finish line. At 6:30 am, the AIS showed that the Coral Princess and the Sapphire Princess were in Cabo Bay. At the same time the Radiance of the Seas passed us, also heading into Cabo. What a treat!
We finished Leg 3 under power at 6:46 am with Radiance one mile off our port side. We pulled into Cabo harbor to slip N^ at 9:30 am today. On the way in we got a sewage pump out at the fuel dock that we needed all the way along due to the broken macerator pump impeller. More later on this. All 3 cruise ships were in the Bay now.
We spent the afternoon washing and cleaning Virago. Went to the port office for head/shower keys and to check in. Two of our keys did not work so Roger and I went back (1/4 mile walk in the heat) and got new keys. Due to the heat and distance, we had to stop for beers along the way. A bucket of 6 beers was $10 US, Some places advertised $8. Saw lots of Ha Ha folks on the docks including Pipe Dream, a beautiful J180 ahead of us in our shared luxury yacht slip. It had a professional captain named “Huggie”. He and his owner named Piper had circumnavigated 7 times.
Went to dinner at Greenberg’s Cantina on the waterfront. This next to the headquarters for a giant Tuna Derby sponsored by Bisbee’s. Thousands of fishermen and support characters, along with vendors from the fishing equipment and charter business. On the results board was the biggest Tuna caught so far, 383 lbs. The next largest was 122 lbs. After dinner we walked the waterfront and Bob and I went to Squid Roe for a look at the Ha Ha party. It was packed to the rafters with sailors dancing and having fun. Very loud. There we met and talked with C-34 skipper Tom Madden of Queen Mary 2 and his crew Don Taylor from Dana Point. Bought us beers. and invited us over to his boat tomorrow to see his additions and improvements. Bob and I returned to the Plaza Las Glorias for one more beer and returned to Virago for a sound sleep at 9:30 pm.
Friday, 11/6/09
Up at 6:00 am to Roger and the sound of pile drivers. Breakfast at Baha Cantina the Ha Ha headquarters right at the end of our dock gate. Their “Captain’s Special” was a standard American style breakfast for $690 pesos. Our group had it several times. From the deck we watched 100’s of sport fishing boats leaving the marina for the Tuna tournament.
Walked around the town, clear-in office and bank, returning to Virago for the 9:00 am roll call by the Grand Poobah. We are officially checked into Mexico for the duration of our trip. Paul did the smart thing and hired ($40US) a ships agent to do the immigration paper shuffle, vs. wasting ½ a day like we did in 2001 walking all over town in the heat to check in. We took our laundry up to a service ($80 pesos) vs. doing it ourselves in the heat and spending $6 US per load to wash and dry. Smart play for $6.15 US total. It came back folded neatly in a bag by 2:00 pm. Meanwhile, Captain Paul was walking all over Cabo looking for macerator pump parts. The impeller in the forward pump was fried from being run dry too long during emptying processes. When Paul returned with the parts, Bob and I (mostly Bob) worked under my berth to install piping and wiring for a new pump. Put in a Jabsco, to replace the Shurflo model.
After the pump install, Bob and I went for a major walk about town to see the real non-tourist areas, shopping areas and life in general. Lots of pharmacies, shoe and clothes stores and tiny cafes literally on every corner. The people were friendly and you could tell that they were making a real effort to keep their stores and houses such as they were clean. Bob got a haircut in a little shop up the hill from town. We spotted the restaurant Bob Borba and I ate at in 2001. Not the type of place the 2009 crew would probably gravitate to if they had a choice. It looked just the same as it did in 2001 and the prices were essentially the same as posted on the wall then. After our walk, we relaxed with cervesas on the boat and I called Nora. She told me that even though the phone showed “roaming” on the screen, we are not paying roaming charges with our plan. Thus I can call all I want and use up the allotted 350 minutes on the one month Mexico deal.
At 6:00 pm we went to the Baja Cantina for dinner. Very good ribs. Paul and Roger returned to Virago and Bob and I went to a bar to watch the second half of the Boise State- LSU football game. If Boise lost that would have helped my Oregon team in the national rankings and bowl selections. It was a close game all the way to the end but Boise won. We returned to the boat at 9:30 pm for sleep.
Saturday, 11/7/09
Up at 6:45 am to the sound of pile drivers working on a new hotel/condo development on the corner between Hotel Las Glorias and the ship tender terminal. They started driving at 4:23 am, just after the loud music stopped from shore bars at 4:00 am. Off to breakfast for the Captain’s Special at the Baja Cantina. After breakfast, we shopped at the Super Mercado next to the hotel, Las Margaritas where Borba and I stayed for $30 US per night in 2001. Upon return to boat, Paul put the supplies away and the rest of us spent an hour or so transferring the spare fuel from the 8 jerry jugs to the main tanks. Took awhile as the little transfer pump had an air leak. When complete Paul stored the jugs in the depth of the stern lazzerettes. After that we all relaxed around the boat, organizing our “stuff”. At 4:30 pm, I talked to Nora and got the word that Oregon got beaten by Stanford at Palo Alto. Bad news for national ranking, but still Rose Bowl eligible with final 2 wins.
At 6:45 pm we went to the final Ha Ha Awards Party. 600 plus people there and it was MC’d by the Grand Poobah. Each boat got recognized by name and skipper, and several gag awards were given out. (e.g. worst injury, oldest and youngest crew, naked sailing) When they introduced the skippers, they presented the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards. In our Kilo division, we got a special 3+ because we sailed the entire Leg 2 of the Ha Ha. The party was sponsored by the Cabo Marina with tons of finger food, free beer and a live band. All very festive. Paul’s award was a ceramic fish with a ribbon attached and a button with Ha Ha Veteran on it. We all got a small Ha Ha participant certificate for home. The party was over by 9:30 pm. We went back to the Baja Cantina for dinner. We turned in at 10:30 pm after a busy and fun day.
Sunday, 11/8/09
Up at 6:45 am. Topped off all the water tanks and went to breakfast for our 4th Captain’s Special at the Baja Cantina. We disconnected from the dock, topped off the fuel tanks departed on the final leg of our journey to La Cruz, Mexico at 9:00 am, Wind is dead so will motor for now.
At 2:30 pm Wind still dead, no sailing. We are 55 miles SE of Cabo motoring a straight line across the mouth of the Sea of Cortez. Swells at 2-3 feet, temp in low 80’s and the sun is intense. Two seabirds landed on our spreaders about 1:30 pm and have been there ever since. Simultaneously a small whale swam by about 10’ to port. Had its side flipper out of the water so it was on its side to look at us. Swam behind us and away, blowing now and then.
At 3:30 pm. Painfully obvious that we are not going to sail for awhile. Now have 5 seabirds perched on the rigging. At 5:00 pm we had dinner of green salad and a pasta and Italian sausage casserole by Sue Engelhart. Followed it up with almond cookies. After dinner, around 6:30 pm, it was totally dark as moonrise was not expected until the 8-12 watch. The stars were beautiful in the blackout conditions and motoring into the blackness was exciting. The moon appeared around 10:00 pm and it was a ½ moon but angled like a bowl, something we do not ever see in the northern latitudes. By midnight, no wind as Roger and I came onto the 12-4 watch.
At the watch change, we had had it with the birds. What started out as an amusement became a bird crap fest all over the boat. They even crapped through a screened hatch onto Bob’s bed. And into the companionway. Paul and Bob cleaned that up and they decided to get rid of the birds, Bob went forward , banged on the shrouds and mast, swung the spinnaker halyard at them and yelled threatening things at them. 3 of the 5 moved temporarily but returned later in the watch. Bob and Paul went to bed. Later in the 12-4, all 3 returned and continued to decorate the boat. We motored through the night and early morning with no apparent or true wind to sail on.
Monday, 11/9/09
Up at 7:15 am to clean up and assume the 8-12 watch from Paul and Bob. We are 180 miles off the coast of Mainland Mexico and 170 miles SE of Cabo. Still motoring straight line course to La Cruz. Had a nice breakfast of a ham and cheese frittata, toast and coffee by Chef Paul. As we finished breakfast the first of the Tres Marias Islands (the prison island) came into view about 40 miles away. By 9:30 am, the last of our bird friends left Virago. We noticed that the two birds that were perched on the top of the mast had bent our Windex guide vanes on one side. Probably fixable but somebody will have to go up the mast to check out.
By 10:30 am, the second of 4 Tres Marias Islands in view. Only in Mexico would they call a 4 island grouping Tres (3) Marias. Go figure. At 11:00 am we showed 90 miles to go to a mark near Punta de Mita. We are 100 or more into the actual marina at La Cruz or 12 ½ hours to go at 7.0k SOG. We are 181.6 nm from Cabo. At 4:00 pm, we passed a large fishing boat (90-100’)with a helo pad on top and the helo flying in front of it. Probably a fish spotting helo, or a drug deal.
At 5:00 pm we had dinner of rice/peanuts/chicken casserole by Susan Engelhart. Thanks Susan. After dinner with no wind we decided to continue at full motor at 7.1 k then anchor off Punta Mita until daylight Tuesday, then enter the harbor in daylight. After we saw 2 large trees float by, the plan was altered to cut the engine speed to 5k for balance of the trip and enter the harbor directly in the morning. Ran at 1500 rpm and 5k all night and resumed watch schedules at 8:00 pm. No moon and flat calm motoring. Not so fun, but mild weather.
By 3:00 am, we entered Punta Mita approach between the Tres Marietas islands and Punta Mita, the narrowest area to transit of the trip down. Low and behold the Raymarine e-120 nav system started to shut itself off every 4 minutes we think due to electrical high voltage. Regardless, we moved to Plan B, put new batteries in Paul's little handheld Garmin 48 GPS and used it to get through the narrow pass. All personnel on deck during this excitement as the charts were about a mile off in accuracy. By near sunup we were in the clear water and heading down Punta Mita to the La Cruz area.
Tuesday, 11/10/09
At 6:30am we reached the fuel dock at the La Cruz Marina. Sunrise over PV and Banderas Bay was spectacular. End of a long but fun journey. The fuel dock attendant was a young Mexican model in mini skirt and high fashion laced boots. What a difference from Oakland. We fueled up then signed in at the guest dock then went to our assigned dock space right in front of the harbor office, showers and all class A facilities available. Very nice harbor in the middle of nowhere. It even had a fancy lounge called the La Cruz Yacht Club, but it was not really a YC. Once tied up, we went to look for breakfast in little La Cruz town. It is an authentic Mexican small town surviving in the midst of surrounding high rise resort construction around the edges of Banderas Bay. It is between Bucerrias and Punta Mita and appears untouched by progress.
We toured half the town before 8:00 am to find an acceptable and open (not much before 9:00 am) restaurant. We ended up at the local expatriate favorite Ana Bananas, where several washed up sailors from the US and Canada hang out. 13 of them were there around a table and they shared info on the area and lifestyle with us. We show interest in them and they open up and share with us. Local restaurants abound per Glenn. He owns a wooden schooner in the harbor and comes from the Bay Area. His list of good places included:
Anna Banana: Gringo breakfast hangout, live music Sundays
La Cava: Good Mexican food in an underground restaurant
Black Forrest: Good German food
Britannia: Good British food with music on certain nights
Philos: The local sailors bar with crappy pizza, but music from Tues to Sat.
Los Glorietas: Mexican and fresh fish
El Academia: Bar and whorehouse (Apparently legal or unpoliced in this state)
We returned to the boat at noon for projects. We decided to have the boat washed by the local Mexican boat guys for $450 pesos. Thus relaxed in the afternoon. They will do it tomorrow morning at 9:00am.
Paul and I took a second long walk in the afternoon to the south end of town. More developed than the main village with condos and rental villas. Some with pools and tennis courts. While out we went to an art gallery and I was able to find a little gift for Nora. Fun shopping at a local store.
Talked to Nora to get the scoop on her gambling trip with Pat and Karin. Good to hear her voice. Followed that with a long shower and fresh clothes. Per the locals, we operate in La Cruz on Puerto Vallarta time that is one hour later than La Cruz and 2 hours later than time at home. At 5:00pm we had cocktails on deck followed by “leftovers” dinner. After dinner, Paul and I went to see the live music at The Britannia Pub. Nice place full of locals in an outdoor music venue. Back to the boat by 11:00 pm for some sleep.
Wednesday 11/11/09
Up at 7:00 am for another breakfast at Ana Bananas with the characters. Walked town thoroughly while the boat boys cleaned Virago. We saw a giant 2 block long open air market today. Everything for sale from clothes to kitchen ware, tools, CD’s, and vegetables. It was extensive and the vendors did not approach us or try to hawk their wears. It was very low key with buying decisions at you leisure. When we got back to the boat the guys were finished cleaning. It looked really good. In the evening we went to La Cava for Mexican food. Huge dinner plus 2 drinks @ for $20US. It was quite good with good service. After dinner we went to Philos Restaurant and Bar. A great 2 person band was playing and the place was full. Dancing and music ran till 12:00 midnight. Back to the boat by 12:30 am for sound sleep.
Note to Rosie and Bill: During the afternoon, I used the stabilized binoculars and saw Mesa del Mar resort all the way across Banderas Bay. Could spot it as it is below tow high rise buildings on the hill behind it.
Thursday, 11/12/09
Up at 7:00 am for breakfast at the restaurant above our dock and the La Cruz YC. Lousy service and food was marginal. More expensive than Ana Bananas, but the scene was nice looking down on Virago at rest. Left for Paradise Village tour by local bus around 10:00 am. Passed the local school in town where the drum corp. was practicing. Bob helped direct the corp. for a few minutes. The kids seemed to like that attention. The bus was full of locals and kids. No chickens yet. Cost was 20 pesos. The bus lane paralleled the freeway and was full of speed bumps and 100’s of small stores and building materials stores. Looks beat up and definitely a victim of over development. From that mess to the beach stood some rather nice looking resorts behind gates.
The bus let us off on the side of the road and we took a cab the rest of the way to Paradise Village, a large and lush deluxe resort and marina. It had pools, spas, tennis courts, beach palapas and bars and even a little zoo with 5 Bengal tigers in it (all asleep at the time). Roger had friends Rob and Shannon there at the marina so we were able to name drop and get into the facilities for a visit. Great luck. We saw harbormaster Dick Markey and he gave us a key for the marina gate. We visited Rob and Shannon, who gave us a complete tour of their 55’ deluxe motor yacht. It was beautiful and spotless. They owned and were trying to sell their other 59’ yacht that was parked next to the new one. It was deluxe as well. Rob is a Vet from Vancouver Island BC where he started a practice. He goes home 6 months of the year to look after that and his partners do the medical stuff while he is gone. Pretty sweet deal. Rob gave us a complete tour of the boat including the walk in engine room. We will meet them tomorrow night for German food at the Black Forrest in La Cruz.
After the boat visit, we toured the resort, including a 2 story air conditioned shopping mall. We had lunch at McDonalds in the mall where a ¼ pound burger meal was $36 pesos. The mall also had a large market. After the tour we took the bus back to La Cruz. By 4:00pm. The bus route took us past 15-20 large and architecturally diverse high rise resorts. Fun to see them up close as they are visible from all around Banderas Bay. No chickens on the bus, but a guy did bring his dog aboard.
PM, we had a sandwich dinner at Philos and stayed there to listen to the music till midnight. The crowd was much smaller than last night. Thursday nights is the hot night at Philos. The band was made up of mostly local characters including the bar owner on lead vocal and several of the washed up sailors from the “breakfast club” at Ana Bananas. That included Leon from Springfield Oregon (an ex-Duck) who played the washboard. Another washup, played the spoons and others came and went all night long. Back to the boat at closing time.
Friday 11/13/09
Up at 7:00 am and to breakfast at Ana Bananas at 9:00 am. Did a few boat tasks. Note: Used FDR cleaner to rid rust and spots on the stern. Worked really well and had no impact on the finish. Must get some of that for my boat. We also cleaned the entire interior floor, the heads and galley. Very hot in the process but left it spotless for now. Had a few beers to rehydrate and called Nora. Only one day until I see her.
At 6:00 pm, we went to the Black Forrest for a great Snitzel dinner with Rob and Shannon. They brought along some potential buyers of their extra boat, Pat and Maryann from Arizona. Nice folks and seemingly enthusiastic about getting into the cruising world on the big motor yacht. After dinner, we all went to Philos to listen to the local music group again. Crowd was smaller and older than the previous nights. It may be that one of our crew who pole danced to the music and will remain nameless chased away some of the folks. It must be “a gift”. Seems like Thursday is the hot night there at Philos, with Tuesday the hot night at Britannia Pub. We returned to the boat at 11:00 pm for some sleep in a little cooler temperatures.
Saturday, 11/14/09
Up at 8:00 am to put the boat back in bed and breakfast cruise mode. This in anticipation of Paul’s daughter Sarah coming in this afternoon for a visit. We lost the fraternity house look and Virago looked brand new inside. We went for one final breakfast at Ana Bananas and said farewell to the
Breakfast clubbers. They were a fun bunch to meet and talk with. At 11:30 am, we took a cab ride to the PV airport for our flight home. Paul came with us so he could be there and escort Sarah back to Virago for her holiday. Marg was going to be coming in a week later.
We said farewell to our Captain who was going into town for some boat parts then come back to receive Sarah. Bob and Roger and I then went to the Wings restaurant for lunch and killed time in the airport people watching until our flight at 4:30 pm. End of a great adventure!!!! Thanks Paul!!!
How dull was it? Well the big excitement was a small flock of birds that took up residence on our rigging for nearly twenty four hours. At first we took this as a just another wildlife sighting similar to spotting seals or dolphins. (Nobody thought it was on the scale of a whale sighting.) There seemed to be a pecking order as some birds sat at the mast head and others on the spreaders. Some were actually chased away by birds that had already secured their own perch. All very entertaining. As time went on and we saw the guano coating the deck, we took a more negative view of the bird siting. We tried several attempts to dislodge the birds to no avail. Finally, for no reason known to us they all left. 
Well, speak of the devil. On the trip to La Cruz we saw that the aft 
Once around the arches, we see 
