We returned to Marina de la Paz Wednesday night about an hour after sunset. Having battled strong winds with gale force gusts for two days, everyone on NS was extremely happy to be back safe on dry land and to dine again at the estimable Caffe Milano. We had anchored through a norther in Caleta Partida and then enjoyed a beautiful day at Los Islotes and a peaceful evening in Ensenada el Cardonal. I assumed there would be at least a few days lull between northers. How was I to know?
Cruisers in the Sea of Cortez depend for weather forecasts on a hand-full of amateur weather men. Their forecasts are based on information supplied by the large computer models run by governments and universities, but the final products are volunteer efforts. Unfortunately, the volunteers I had chosen to depend on had decided to take the days around New Year's as vacation. They are volunteers, so that is certainly their prerogative, but the norther took only one day for its holiday. I also attempted to get some of the other forecasts that are available over hf radio, but the reception in Ensenada el Cardonal was poor and I could not decipher them through the static. In spite of a lack of good forecasts, I decided to sail to Isla San Francisco (24 degrees 49.3 minutes north, 110 degrees 34.3 minutes west), a distance of 20 nautical miles. This turned out to be a big mistake.
It was a beat to windward all the way, against 25 knots of wind in the most confused and choppy seas I have ever experienced. At first I thought it was going to be like a summer day in Lake Superior or a summer afternoon in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. But this turned out to be a lot worse. The waves were vicious. We arrived at "the hook" of Isla San Francisco just before dusk and anchored about a hundred yards off the beach in 20 feet of water. I put out a lot of chain (five to one scope) and once again our Rocna 25 (kilogram) anchor did not budge, although the gusts during the night were fearsome.
The next morning, I finally got a weather report and it showed just the opposite of what we wanted to hear. The strong northerlies were to persist for days. I said that if we were able to move the boat against the wind the day before, we could certainly make good progress in the other direction and that the trip would be fast and much easier. There were dissenters in the crew and how could I blame them? After all, I had painted a rosy picture the day before. The idea that we might be able to make it all the way back to La Paz with its warm showers and great restaurants finally swayed opinion in favor of departure.
It was quite a ride. Early on, we were pulled along by the staysail alone. Later the wind abated a bit and shifted forward, so we raised the main and cruised along on a beam reach. Almost to the La Paz channel, the wind died so much that we could no longer make six knots, so we turned on the engine. We threaded the channel and found Marina de la Paz with out much difficulty. Thank you Norwegian Steam.
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