Ensenada Astern-Cabo Colonet Ahead

3 January 2022 – After 12 days in port we got a handle on our engine temperature issue (I think it just needed the air bled out of the thermostat which I had neglected to do) and we put Ensenada astern bound south for Cabo Colonet. We cast off at 1230. The wind was up and we beat across the Bahia de Todos Santos, putting a reef in the mainsail almost immediately. Jimena drove us out between the Islas de Todos Santos and Punta Banda where we saw great groups of sealions swimming out to sea, perhaps 20-30. We also saw several dolphins, and we poured out Neptune’s due, a fair shot of the Glenlivet, though we did not drink with him. I hope we still got his blessing.

Ensenada Astern in the New Year

The ride down to Cabo Colonet was boisterous and fast. The winds were showing about 16-18 knots with following seas probably six feet. We furled the genoa and pulled out the stays’l before the sun sank then we turned downwind around 2000. Even with reduced sail we ran at an average of about 6 knots, sometimes showing 8. We were due to arrive at Cabo Colonet before sunrise, never a good thing going into an anchorage for the first time, so we furled the stays’l, and still we ran at 5 knots under the reefed main with large breaking waves in the dark behind us.

The Michin has gotten his sea legs. He came out to eat and did not get seasick at all during the rough passage from Ensenada. The First Slave, however, suffered the whole way down.

We came abeam the Cape around 0500, still early, so we tried to heave to, but I gooned it up by leaving the preventer fixed on the boom. Note to self… It all worked out okay in the end, that debacle just wasted the extra time til sunrise, then we beat back up to the Cape and drove in to anchor in 4 fathoms of water around 0800. Once secured, we cleaned up the boat and hit the rack, exhausted.

We got up later and Jimena made us a wonderful breakfast of boiled eggs on toast with avocado which we had in the cockpit. It is noticeably warmer here now, at least in the sun. At night, still perfect sleeping weather.