We are so grateful to have found two friends (of friends) to help crew on Solitude for the trip north with Jim to bring the boat back to Los Angeles. Due to the likely chances of severe and possibly prolonged seasickness, we agreed Lorin will forego this part of the trip. The “Baja Bash”, a well-known route amongst cruisers, is typically 1-2+ weeks of bashing against wind, waves and currents between the area of Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S, Mexico and San Diego, CA heading north. We are treating this more as a boat delivery to reposition Solitude back to our homeport and less of a pleasure cruise.
It took a bit of effort to pull a crew together for this trip. We were looking for at least one, ideally two, experienced sailors who were up for the adventure and had the time available within a specific window. Long story short and with a change in crew member in between due to a broken wrist, we found two passionate sailors with very strong experience, which combined, included racing around the world, a captain’s license, sailing instructor, and an extensive list of other accolades. Plans were finalized, flights were booked and Jim, Tasha and Ralf met up in La Paz on May 17. Solitude pulled out of her slip at Marina Costabaja the very next day and the trip back to LA began!
Day 1 and Day 2
Jim and crew left La Paz for an overnighter to San Jose del Cabo and made great time, arriving at 7am the following morning to refuel. The winds were looking favorable and all were in agreement to keep going to start heading north. They left the fuel dock and were rounding Los Arcos at Cabo San Lucas by 10am. They sailed all day on a course for Bahia Santa Maria, just north of Magdalena Bay, with plans to arrive late the next afternoon. They had light 10-15 knot winds for their first day on the Pacific side of Baja and an average boat speed of 5.8 knots. They are making great miles and already the weather is much cooler.
Day 3
Jim was able to catch up on sleep with a full 7 hours after a short, split watch shift the night before. They have been out two nights and are on course for Bahia Santa Maria later today. Tasha has a YouTube channel and brought her filming equipment on the trip. She is using a phone, a GoPro, two other cameras, and microphones to document this adventure; what a fun surprise! The Starlink has been set up most of the trip so far and pins being sent to Lorin on their position. Solitude was passing the opening to Magdalena Bay around 1pm on day 3 since leaving La Paz. The wind picked up to 20 knots on the nose by midday and boat speed slowed down to 4.5 knots, and slower when bigger waves rolled in. A sea lion was following Solitude for quite some time, bounding out of the water just astern. The weather is chilly and the crew is bundled in wool hats and down jackets. Just after 6pm they pulled into Bahia Santa Maria, Solitude is at anchor for the first time since leaving La Paz three days ago. The crew is looking forward to a hot meal, hot showers, a peaceful night sleep, and no engine noise. They will refuel here using jerry cans they have on board and leave for Asuncion in the morning.
SV Solitude 