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.
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).
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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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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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.
Sent from my iPhone
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.
Sent from my iPhone
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.
Sent from my iPhone
Check-in March 17, 2025; 18:26 (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: 28.0 kn; TWD: 305 degree; TWA: N/A; Distance to waypoint: N/A;
Comments: The wind backed to the south today and brought warm air. I did some domestic chores (made water, did the laundry, washed the boat and myself) and I did some projects on the boat (installed a small 300W inverter on the starter battery bank for charging my laptop and in case of emergencies if my house bank goes down, made a plan to replumb my day tank to fix the problem with air in the line, deflated all my fenders for storage, and broke out my Kindle for the first time to load a bunch of books). I also made a grand punch list of things I need to do at anchor in the next couple of days. Lots to keep me busy.
Sent from my iPhone
Comments: The wind backed to the south today and brought warm air. I did some domestic chores (made water, did the laundry, washed the boat and myself) and I did some projects on the boat (installed a small 300W inverter on the starter battery bank for charging my laptop and in case of emergencies if my house bank goes down, made a plan to replumb my day tank to fix the problem with air in the line, deflated all my fenders for storage, and broke out my Kindle for the first time to load a bunch of books). I also made a grand punch list of things I need to do at anchor in the next couple of days. Lots to keep me busy.
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Sounds Inside Your Space Capsule
When you live and work full time on a relatively small boat, you become acutely aware of all the sounds. If something is not right, you’re awakened from a dead sleep. There has been a scratching noise that has been driving me nuts. It’s the scraping of metal on metal of the fasteners that secure the boat’s ensign to its pole on the stern of the boat (you are required to fly the flag of the country in which your boat is registered). Despite exhaustion from the sail yesterday, it woke me up an hour after I went to sleep. I got up and took the flag down and in the morning I fixed it by replacing the metal fittings with Dyneema cord. Small victories. Footnote: there is a large fish next to the boat that has jumped out of the water a dozen times as I wrote this … trying to break my concentration.
Watermaker is Working
I had no way of testing the watermaker I installed a few months ago (a Katadyn 40e PowerSaver) as I have either been on the hard (no salt water) or in the marina (too dirty). I did take a quick sail in November, but I was reluctant to test it then because it would have been necessary to pickle the system for a four month storage. Yesterday I tested the system for the first time and it works! The TDS was 450 ppm (high, but drinkable) and the water tasted fine. While it is my plan for now to use it mainly to produce water to rinse dishes, wash clothes, bathe, and clean the windows of the hard dodger, I celebrated this morning my making myself a bath of chai tea.
The watermaker is just about the smallest one on the market (does not take up much space in the engine room). But, it has the advantage of being a single unit without hoses to leak, has the fewest moving parts and seals to fail, and it consumes an amazing little power. It produces 1 1/2 gallons/hour and only consumes 4 Ah (2.66 Ah/gallon). I could produce 150 gallons of water and not even use 10% of my house battery bank. In practice, I can run it for an hour in the middle of the day (when the solar panels are producing most effectively) and not even notice the power consumption. The advantage of running it every day is I don’t have to worry about pickling it for storage. But, I have plumbed it to take fresh water to flush it out (which is fine if you’re not going to use it for a week or two. However, it is important to use fresh water that has been produced by the watermaker. If you use other sources (e.g., tap water), you run the risk of introducing chlorine, which would destroy the osmotic filter.
The watermaker is just about the smallest one on the market (does not take up much space in the engine room). But, it has the advantage of being a single unit without hoses to leak, has the fewest moving parts and seals to fail, and it consumes an amazing little power. It produces 1 1/2 gallons/hour and only consumes 4 Ah (2.66 Ah/gallon). I could produce 150 gallons of water and not even use 10% of my house battery bank. In practice, I can run it for an hour in the middle of the day (when the solar panels are producing most effectively) and not even notice the power consumption. The advantage of running it every day is I don’t have to worry about pickling it for storage. But, I have plumbed it to take fresh water to flush it out (which is fine if you’re not going to use it for a week or two. However, it is important to use fresh water that has been produced by the watermaker. If you use other sources (e.g., tap water), you run the risk of introducing chlorine, which would destroy the osmotic filter.
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Check-in March 16, 2025; 17:20 (Local)
Current Position: 24 3.582’N 109 47.467’W; Course: 133 degrees; SOG: 7.0 kn; BSPD: 8.0 kn; TWS: 28.0 kn; TWD: 305 degree; TWA: 180 degrees; Distance to waypoint (Los de Los Meurtos): 123 nm
Comments: I slept 11 hours and woke at anchor to 25 kn winds from the NW. The stern of the mega yacht Northern Star was dangerously close to me, apparently because it had dragged anchor overnight. I tried to hail on 16 but got no answer. I finally flagged down one of the crew and signaled he need to move the boat forward to give me room to maneuver from a tight spot, pinned between him and a breakwater. They did move the boat and I was able to weigh anchor and turn my boat around. It was 65 nm to the next anchorage, and I got a late start. Once at sea, I found 30 kn winds and steep seas. I deployed half of my Yankee jib, which propelled me downwind at 6 kn. After I had cleared Isla San Francisco/Canal de Dan Jose, the wind backed to the N. See conditions were confused with wind-driven waves from the NW and surge from the N, causing the boat to corkscrew badly. More significantly, the angle was bad to clear Isla la Partida to get into the Cerralvo Channel. I decided to take it on the chin and head SE to get a better angle on the Channel. This meant taking 6’ waves to the port stern quarter. I fired up the engine to minimize the time to the Channel (and my pain). The boat rolled badly 30 degrees. At one point the engine stopped because the sloshing of fuel in the day tank was foaming the fuel and letting air in the line. I kept the engine off long enough to pump more fuel in the tank, then the engine ran fine. During the ordeal, I learned how quickly the scuppers in the cockpit empty the cockpit of water. As I approached the Channel, the seas settled down a bit. No longer confused, I just needed to deal with 6’ waves to the quarter, some breaking due to the wind. The Channel was uneventful, but as I expected, the big waves were back after I turned Punta Arena de la Ventana. Fortunately, it was a short distance to where I am now, Punta Perico, and when I turn it, I will be protected from the waves and wind. Ensenada de Los Muertos will be only two nm away. I should reach it just as it gets dark.
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Comments: I slept 11 hours and woke at anchor to 25 kn winds from the NW. The stern of the mega yacht Northern Star was dangerously close to me, apparently because it had dragged anchor overnight. I tried to hail on 16 but got no answer. I finally flagged down one of the crew and signaled he need to move the boat forward to give me room to maneuver from a tight spot, pinned between him and a breakwater. They did move the boat and I was able to weigh anchor and turn my boat around. It was 65 nm to the next anchorage, and I got a late start. Once at sea, I found 30 kn winds and steep seas. I deployed half of my Yankee jib, which propelled me downwind at 6 kn. After I had cleared Isla San Francisco/Canal de Dan Jose, the wind backed to the N. See conditions were confused with wind-driven waves from the NW and surge from the N, causing the boat to corkscrew badly. More significantly, the angle was bad to clear Isla la Partida to get into the Cerralvo Channel. I decided to take it on the chin and head SE to get a better angle on the Channel. This meant taking 6’ waves to the port stern quarter. I fired up the engine to minimize the time to the Channel (and my pain). The boat rolled badly 30 degrees. At one point the engine stopped because the sloshing of fuel in the day tank was foaming the fuel and letting air in the line. I kept the engine off long enough to pump more fuel in the tank, then the engine ran fine. During the ordeal, I learned how quickly the scuppers in the cockpit empty the cockpit of water. As I approached the Channel, the seas settled down a bit. No longer confused, I just needed to deal with 6’ waves to the quarter, some breaking due to the wind. The Channel was uneventful, but as I expected, the big waves were back after I turned Punta Arena de la Ventana. Fortunately, it was a short distance to where I am now, Punta Perico, and when I turn it, I will be protected from the waves and wind. Ensenada de Los Muertos will be only two nm away. I should reach it just as it gets dark.
Sent from my iPhone
Check-in March 15, 2025; 15:58 (Local)
Current Position: 24 49.057’N 110 34.128’W; Course: At anchor on the north side of Isla San Francisco; SOG: N/A; BSPD: N/A; TWS: 8.9 kn; TWD: 48 degree; TWA: N/A;
Comments: Strange combination of wind and waves last night made it difficult to use the wind vane. And, even the tiller pilot had difficulties … the off-course alarm went off all night. Eventually, I found it most effective to oppose the jib and main and just run. I set one hour alarms, went to bed at dusk, and did not get up until 4:30 to find winds light and the sea unusually calm. I took advantage by driving from the middle of the sea towards shore, thinking that would by hard later in the morning when the wind/waves pick up … and I would need to gib later to get around Isla Cerralvo. With 9 kn winds from the NW, I was only doing 3 kn with 75 to go. By dawn there was almost no wind. Furthermore, the forecast looks like no wind until Wednesday. I bailed and when to Isla San Francisco (25 miles away) where I arrived about 11:30. The north bay was packed with super yachts. With relatively clean seawater available, I tested the watermaker for the first time, producing three gallons of water with 420 ppm DSM, acceptable for drinking. I celebrated by taking a fresh water shower and rinsing the dishes I had previously washed in salt water. The “propane leak” that set off my detector was actually some solvent. I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and setting up an iPad with some apps in case I drop my iPhone overboard. I had to do that while I still had Starlink. In contrast to today, the wind will be screaming tomorrow. I will probably take advantage of it to drop down to Ensenada de Los Muertos, the place last year where my engine seized up, and a better jumping off point for the Pacific. There will be zero wind Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday/Thursday looks good for San Benedicto.
Comments: Strange combination of wind and waves last night made it difficult to use the wind vane. And, even the tiller pilot had difficulties … the off-course alarm went off all night. Eventually, I found it most effective to oppose the jib and main and just run. I set one hour alarms, went to bed at dusk, and did not get up until 4:30 to find winds light and the sea unusually calm. I took advantage by driving from the middle of the sea towards shore, thinking that would by hard later in the morning when the wind/waves pick up … and I would need to gib later to get around Isla Cerralvo. With 9 kn winds from the NW, I was only doing 3 kn with 75 to go. By dawn there was almost no wind. Furthermore, the forecast looks like no wind until Wednesday. I bailed and when to Isla San Francisco (25 miles away) where I arrived about 11:30. The north bay was packed with super yachts. With relatively clean seawater available, I tested the watermaker for the first time, producing three gallons of water with 420 ppm DSM, acceptable for drinking. I celebrated by taking a fresh water shower and rinsing the dishes I had previously washed in salt water. The “propane leak” that set off my detector was actually some solvent. I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and setting up an iPad with some apps in case I drop my iPhone overboard. I had to do that while I still had Starlink. In contrast to today, the wind will be screaming tomorrow. I will probably take advantage of it to drop down to Ensenada de Los Muertos, the place last year where my engine seized up, and a better jumping off point for the Pacific. There will be zero wind Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday/Thursday looks good for San Benedicto.