SV Solitude

Las Hadas (the fairies)

There are several anchorages south of Barra that are a quick day sail, as well as the port in Manzanillo. We headed for Carrizal, Santiago Bay and Manzanillo Bay; all approximately 20-25 nautical miles from Barra.

Blissful Barra

Barra de Navidad and the hotel property tiered above the marina, the Grand Isla Navidad Resort, is a special slice of paradise – for cruisers in particular. A slip at the marina includes use of the hotel pools complete with two water slides and lazy river, daily yoga classes on the beach, and folio numbers assigned for food and drinks around property. A French baker rings a bell as he comes thru the marina each morning on his panga to alert those who may be interested in a fresh bread or pastry delivery. We can tell you first hand the croissants are heavenly and we stowed away a baguette and mini loaf of cheddar jalapeño bread as we prepare to head back out. How can you say no to these divine provisions brought right to your swim step?

Solitude and Sail Fish meet in Tenacatita!

The anchorage at Tenacatita was full with about 50 boats. We planned to meet up with friends from Tahoe here and found them almost immediately, setting anchor nearby. Big hugs all around and a champagne celebration, we are stoked to be with Brian and Joanna who have been down here since November on their beautiful Beneteau, Sail Fish. We spent the afternoon on the beach and were given a few slices of unicorn cake and gelatina mosaico by a local family celebrating a young girl’s birthday. It was the sweetest offer, literally, proven by our blue teeth from the frosting. That night we joined the Friday night dinghy raft up in the anchorage with 15 other dinghies while the self-proclaimed “mayor” of Tenacatita lead us through a warm welcome and asked everyone to share a story. Being close to Valentine’s Day, the topic that night was how we met our significant other. Lots of laughs and good stories told here, also a great way to meet and remember other cruisers.

Costalegre

When we left La Cruz for Chamela Bay the weather looked perfect for going around Cabo Corrientes, the point on the south end of Banderas Bay where the cooler waters of Baja mix with the warmer waters of Costalegre. Cabo Corrientes means “cape currents” and appropriately so. Many sailors time this passage for when the conditions look to be friendliest and stay way offshore. We had good wind of 15-20 knots on our passage and were able to sail the entire way, although with good wind comes waves and the sea state around Cabo Corrientes was like a washing machine of currents. Solitude was being pitched in three different directions in high seas and fast chop, making for an uncomfortable ride. It was a rough passage for Lorin, who was sick the entire way and just barely able to help with night watches and gybing.

Bahia de Banderas

We are excited to be in Banderas Bay, the “hub” of Pacific Mexico sailing. We anchored off Punta de Mita behind a line up of surf breaks in an area referred to as El Anclote. We were hoping to walk the peninsula but Punta Mita is gated and private, a reservation at one of the hotels is required and you must enter by car. We enjoyed walking the small town of Corral del Risco instead. We caught another bonito on a dinghy ride outside the anchorage, these guys seem to bite every time.

A Salty Passage

Adios, Esperanza! The new autopilot has been installed, a full day project of equipment installation and wiring by Jim and the marine electrician. We are ready to head out for mainland Mexico. We did a final provision of fresh produce and said farewell to the driver we met when we first arrived in San Jose del Cabo. He gave us a contact in San Blas, our next stop, should we need anything. We will miss you, Edgar!

An Unwanted Guest Onboard

We put Solitude back in the water on January 4. The shadow from the old name and home port (Marie, San Diego) has been almost entirely removed from the wet sanding work – cheers to all the wonderful memories and adventures on Marie!

Where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez

We made it to Cabo! We had light winds on the last stretch of our trip down Baja from Bahia Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas, so we motor sailed most of the way. We saw tons of turtles and several sail fish and manta rays jumping out of the water. More awesome ocean life keeping us entertained from the cockpit.

Ensenada, Cedros, Bahia Tortuga, Bahia Asuncion, Bahia Santa Maria

We checked in at Ensenada, refueled, got our tourist visas and had our first fish tacos in Mexico – Baja style. We spent two days at the marina, walked into town and enjoyed showers and welcome cocktails at the marina hotel. We were impressed by the ease and efficiency of the check in service through the marina. Glad we stopped here!

Crossing into Mexican waters

Leaving LA we had heavy fog with little visibility. Once we were through the fog our first day out was easy breezy, with light westerly winds and clear skies. We set our watch schedule for nighttime and had dinner just after dark. We were able to average around 4 knots sailing all night in fairly light westerly winds. On the second day we had very little wind and mostly motor sailed as we passed San Diego and raised our Mexican courtesy flag!