The launch went as planned and without any issues (which is always a good thing) and we motored out of Puerto Penasco into a good breeze from the right direction so up went the sails and we were off on season two of our little adventure. Our first stop was Bahia Willard about a hundred miles out. We were able to sail almost all through the night, motoring only the last couple of hours. It was our best overnight sail yet, bright moon and tons of stars, steady breeze and calm seas allowed us to make a very comfortable 6-7 knots.
From there it was off to Puerto Refugio for a couple of days then on to Bahia las Rocas a neat little spot where we had our choice of 4 separate beaches, we were the only ones there. From there it was on to Puerto Don Juan where the plan was to spend another couple of days. The winds had other plans for us.
Puerto Don Juan is a nearly enclosed bay with good shelter from the winds. It is commonly referred to as a hurricane hole. Which essentially means you could, if you had to, ride out a hurricane at anchor in the bay. We have no plans to test this theory! About 8 miles across the bay is the small village of Bahia Los Angeles. We decided to stop there prior to heading into Don Juan just to have lunch and catch up with the world via wifi. They have a cute little museum we checked out as well. Interestingly they had the descriptions in both Spanish and English, so we knew what we were looking at. We stayed in town about an hour too long though. The winds started to pick up and it was a very wet dinghy ride from the beach back to the boat. It was, however, a brisk sail over to Don Juan in 25-28 knots of wind.
Just to remind us that all plans must remain flexible, the winds, as forecast picked up. We were hunkered down in Don Juan for 6 days waiting on the winds to subside for a long enough period that we could move on to another anchorage. We kayaked, read, played cards, watched movies, checked weather, happy hours with Maraki and a couple boat projects kept us busy.
Finally, we caught a break from the winds. It has occurred to me that we sailors are a lot like Goldilocks when it comes to wind. It must be from the right direction, it has to be within a certain speed range and finally you get some that is just right.
We moved from Don Juan to Bahia San Francisquito. We left there a 3 am in order to make the 80 mile trek to Santa Rosalia as, yup you guessed it, the winds were forecast to pick up again. We made it in before the strong winds came but we have been here a week now. We have seen 30 knot winds and 2 foot waves with white caps inside the marina for a few days.
While in Santa Rosalia this time, we were able to witness both Halloween and Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). While, on first glance, they appear to be similar they are in fact almost opposites. Halloween being all about trick or treating, ghosts, goblins and scary stuff. Dia de Muertos is more about recognizing and honoring those that have passed.
Dia de Muertos is a multi day celebration that takes place October 31st to November 2nd. Mexican culture believes that death is part of the natural cycle and Dia de Muertos is a way to remember and celebrate love ones lost. It is believed that their spirts come back and celebrate as well. Alters or shrines to the deceased are made. Favorite foods and drinks of the deceased will be consumed and or left at the alter as an offering.
The traditional face painting is loosely based on a famous painting of “La Calavera Catrina” an upper-class skull or skeleton in fine clothing.
Here’s a Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead if you want to know more.
Looks like the weather is going to be good for the next few days so we are on the move again in the morning, headed for Bahia Concepcion. Next update when we get internet again 🙂
Love your blog. The adventures and history are always great to follow.
Thank you!