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).
