Month: March 2025

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Check-in March 24 2025; 18:38 (Local)

Current Position: 22 53.385’N 109 53.877’W (Cabo San Lucas); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: Variable; TWD: N/A; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: I took the dinghy into Cabo today to do some shopping and offload trash. I have been studying the wind around Cabo and it looks like the best time to leave for San Benedicto is in the evening, especially if I want to sail out of here. I am tentatively planning to depart tomorrow at 4. If I wait until Wednesday, weather forecasts suggests the waves will result in excessive rolling.
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Tour of Aegir-Ran

Today I am getting ready for a passage to the Marquesas via San Benedicto Island. It’ll be my last day with Starlink/fast Internet. So, I thought I would upload some videos. Here is the cabin:

Here is the engine room:

Here is the cockpit:

The foredeck:

And the instrumentation:

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Check-in March 23 2025; 17:25 (Local)

Current Position: 22 53.385’N 109 53.877’W (Cabo San Lucas); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: 6.1 kt; TWD: 95; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: I intended to prepare the boat today for the passage to San Benedicto, planning to leave in the morning. I wanted to make some water, but was concerned with the lingering effects of the red tide from yesterday. Since I cannot do what I planned (make water, change the prop pitch, clean the hull, etc.), I weighed anchor at 8:30 and made my way to Cabo San Lucas, about 45 nm away with 6 kt winds from the NNE. I motor sailed until about 11, when the wind picked up to 12-13 kt. I was averaging about 3 kt running. It was partly cloudy so the solar efficiency was not great, but enough that I could make water. I was in the middle of a gib, resetting the preventer, when I got a strike on the fishing pole. It took most of the line out before I could get to the pole. When I set the drag, whatever was on there flipped itself off. As predicted, as I approached Peurto Los Cabos, about 19 miles from Cabo San Lucas, the wind disappeared. I stowed the sails and motored in the rest of the way. About 4 nm from Cabo, I saw a pod of whales. They looked like they might criss my path, so I slowed down, but they were swimming parallel to the boat. I arrived in Cabo San Lucas about 17:00, after dodging several dozen jet skis.
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Check-in March 22 2025; 18:21 (Local)

Current Position: 23 22.843’N 109 25.203’W (Los Frailes ); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: light and variable; TWD: N/A; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: I was awaken at daybreak by two large sea lions who came to visit. After doing my chores (changing the ATF, and washing the deck, etc.), I went on a 3h hike, climbing the hill that overlooks the anchorage. It was a brutal hike that involved bushwhacking through manzanita. I was looking forward to taking a dip in the water when so returned, but to my surprise, red tide had rolled in while I was away. This put a damper on my plans to make water and dive tomorrow (to clean the hull and change the pitch of the prop.
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Check-in March 21, 2025; 18:21 (Local)

Current Position: 23 22.843’N 109 25.203’W (Los Frailes ); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: 6.2 kn; TWD: 306 degree; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: My first full day at anchor at Los Frailes was spent doing chores. I woke up to put some eye splices into some general-purpose lines (sheets for the asymm, rear control line for the whisker pole, etc.). I went in to change the fuel filter and clean the bowl of the Racor fuel/water separator. Some water and gunk got sucked up from the main tank when I pulled the second filter a few days ago. I put fluids on the new Yamaha F6 outboard. Finally, I made three gallons of water and prepared a some meals for my upcoming passage. I notice there is some water leaking from the watermaker pump. It needs to be serviced, but I won’t do that until I reach the South Pacific.
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My Boat Sings to Me

When I was at anchor at Ensenada de Los Muertos, I would sometimes hear an interesting “flute” melody. It was not a single tone, but a true melody. I thought it was coming from encampments on the shore. I enjoyed the music. It was enchanting. Today I am at a anchored at Los Frailes and to my surprise the music started again. It’s my boat. Under certain conditions it plays music, which emanates somewhere in the rigging. I am doubly-pleased. First, I am not going insane. Second, I know I can continue to enjoy the music.

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Where the Sea of Cortez Meets the Pacific Ocean

I arrived at Los Frailes yesterday evening just before dusk after a wonderful sail from Ensenada de Los Muertos. I averaged 6.2 kt with just the Yankee jib flying in 25-30 kt winds from the north. The following seas were big, driven by the fetch of the entire Sea of Cortez. There was something different about the sea conditions. The waves were steep and the intervals short, as is often found in the SOC, but I could see the water transforming as I approached Los Frailes … becoming more Pacific-like.

I rode the last of the wind into Frailies. The wind will be very light, variable for the next few days. That will help calm the seas down a bit. It looks like my weather window for sailing to San Beneticto is Monday, although it may be necessary to motor for half a day to get out of the shadow of the Cape. San Benedicto is about 300 miles south, about the same distance I have sailed the past week from San Carlos to here. The main issue is the traffic as I must sail across a major shipping lane, so I welcome the opportunity to rest the next couple of days. The break will also give me a chance to service the engine, clean the hull (while testing my new Hookah diving system), and go ashore to do some hiking (and test my new outboard engine).

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Check-in March 20, 2025; 15:55 (Local)

Current Position: 23 28.810’N 109 24.407’W ‘; Course: 152; SOG: N/A; BSPD: 4.2; TWS: 12.6 kn; TWD: 335 degree; TWA: 177; Distance to waypoint (Los Frailes): 5.8 nm;
Comments: I replumbed the fuel system four times in the last 24h. The original objective was to eliminate the fuel foaming problem in the day tank and introduce the ability to switch between the day tank and the main tank. Bottom line is the engine fuel pump was not powerful enough to draw from the main tank through the fuel polishing system and apparently not powerful enough to draw fuel from the top of the day tank through the siphon tube, probably because the day tank is higher than the fuel pump I ended up removing the large secondary from the fuel polishing system. I learned the filter was fouled (even though the pressure gauge suggested fuel was flowing freely. I also moved the fuel intake line back to the bottom of the day tank. Finally, about 9:30, I was able to weigh anchor and head for Los Frailes. Seas offshore were confused, probably because of the island. Wind was from the NW at 25 kt. There were wind-driven waves from the NW, but the main swells came from the N at 6’. I did 6-7 kt SOG with just the Yankee jib. Once offshore, I switch from the Tillerpilot to the wind vane. I so much prefer the relative quiet of the wind vane. I am just rounding Cabo Pulmo. Winds and seas have died down. Witt winds of 22-30 kn today, I average 6.2 kn running with just the Yankee flying. Looks like I will have very light winds here for the next week. Will have to decide if I am motoring out of here or drifting slowly.
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Check-in March 19, 2025; 16:29 (Local)

Current Position: 24 3.582’N 109 47.467’W (Ensenada de Los Muertos); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: 24.0 kn; TWD: 350 degree; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: I reorganized the boat today. There was too much weight in the bow and on the starboard side. Most of the weight on the V-berth was lowered below the waterline and centered. I also reorganized the food stores to make them more accessible. The reorganization now gives me easy access to all of the sails in the V-berth. There were too many items that were not properly secured. I installed seven new pad eyes and straps to tie everything down. Tomorrow will be the last day for northerlies, so I will head 46 nm south to Los Frailes where I will wait for a weather window to head to the Pacific.
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Check-in March 18, 2025; 17:09 (Local)

Current Position: 24 3.582’N 109 47.467’W (Ensenada de Los Muertos); Course: At anchor; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: 12.0 kn; TWD: 355 degree; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: The bay I am anchored in is teeming with life. There is a huge school of fish around the boat, jellyfish are floating everywhere, there is some sort of battle taking place a 100 yards away, and I just saw a half dozen rays fly. It has been a busy day. Woke up and got my morning exercise putting and eye splice in the line I use as a preventer (to prevent accidental gibes). Replumbed the fuel system to deal with the foaming/air problem in sporty seas (and added the ability to switch between the main and day tank with a couple of valves, reinforced a couple of stanchions that support the dive platform on the port side, and cleaned up after the bird party last night. The winds have been warm and southerly, but as PredictWind predicted, they shifted to the north about 16:00, and the wind picked up. The boat pivoted on the anchor 180 degrees in about 10 minutes.
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