Making Miles

It's always hard for us to leave an anchorage at night. There's something I dread about leaving our cozy nest to pull the hook up and set out into the cold, dark, windy, night. For us it's much easier to leave on the dawn of a crystal clear, beautiful blue bird day. But leaving Bahia Santa Maria, we started our journey around a cape and here on the outside of the Baja the winds and seas generally die down at night. So at midnight we were off.

We have heard from more than one seasoned captain the golden hours for travel along this coast are from 2300 to 1100 hours. So far we have found this advise to be true. It's 0345 as I write this and it's blowing 9-11 knots. We can't sail exactly on our course but we are making 4.5-5.5 knots even with a counter current running against us. A fishing boat just passed us. The air smells like squid eggs, pungent, sweet, and briny. Dark clouds cloak the sky and fly swiftly towards the southwest. They have revealed the glowing moon to me only once with a swift swipe of the clouds. She hung rounded side down, just over the horizon of rolling seas. She is getting bigger.

Today the winds have been kind to us. Although it is now the sunset hour and the seas and winds are kicking up, slowing our good progress. We pitch up and down but the boat is strong and we are cozy and dry.

The water is getting colder. Long whips of sea kelp float aimlessly in this stretch of ocean. Some kind of gull rides the troughs of the swell. A thick band of high cumulus clouds bows above us.

Today has been a good day. We have 134 miles to go to Turtle Bay. Here's to hoping the winds lay down with the sun's departure.