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PUERTO LOS GATOS, Dec 9th

A cold wind is howling out of the north, a so-called "Screaming Blue Norther".  The wind generator is humming away, providing enough electricity for us to treat ourselves to more than one light per person.  Actually, enough to have as many lights on as we please.  We are rocking gently from the waves coming over the protecting reef.  But we are snug here, with our anchor well dug in to the sand bottom, and with lots of heavy chain holding us to it.

Puerto Los Gatos is a small but picturesque nook -- colorful rock, white sand beach, no houses or other human activity -- with the south facing cove offering protection from northerly winds.  We ducked in here yesterday to wait out this blow before heading further up into the Sea of Cortez.  The projecting reef that forms the seaward side of the cove breaks most of the wave energy, allowing only enough across to make the boat roll slightly.

That reef is also home for a surprising number and variety of fish.  Before the blow started yesterday, Robyn and I donned snorkeling gear and went over to look around.  Lots to look at, and plenty large enough to eat -- triggerfish, snappers, grunts, parrot fish, and others.  We hadn't brought our spears along, because it was a bit of a swim from the boat.  So, after showering and dressing back on Mintaka, we rowed the dinghy over for Robyn to try her luck with a pole.  Not two minutes later, she landed a nice triggerfish, a good base for ceviche.  As she was unhooking the unlucky flapper, a Mexican fisherman came by, hoping to trade lobster for some gasoline.  Unwilling to part with any of our small supply of outboard motor gas, we wound up with two lobster in exchange for six AA batteries and a can of beer.

The norther is expected to continue all day tomorrow, so we'll just hang out doing minor chores, maybe go for a walk on the beach.  If its not too rough in the afternoon, I'll probably go spear a couple of triggerfish for dinner.


BAHIA SAN MARTE, Dec 15th

     We came up here last Wednesday, the 11th.  San Marte is only thirteen miles north of Los Gatos, but with headwinds and contrary tidal currents, it took us four hours to sail only halfway.  With a somewhat late start considering the short days, we had to motor the second half to get in and anchor before sunset.  This little bay is very well protected from northerly winds, and that's a good thing because we've had consistent winds from that direction.  We're sitting out the second day of another "screaming blue norther" right now.  Yesterday, the gusts were into the gale-force range.
     This is as far north in the Sea of Cortez that we'll go this time.  The tidal cycles are such that the currents are from the north for most of the daylight hours for some days to come.  With such contrary currents, along with the consistent headwinds, sailing north is difficult.  The season is also beginning to press us.  Robyn needs to fly up to Duluth again in mid-January, and she'll need to do that from Puerto Vallarta.  That means we need to cross over to the mainland side of the Sea relatively soon.
     We did not plan to visit Mexico on this cruise, when we originally planned to sail straight from Washington to French Polynesia.  But changes in circumstances and then seasonal considerations led us back here before heading west next Spring.  And I am so glad it worked out this way; I had forgotten how much I love it here.  I am excited about continuing on to mainland Mexico, and then on across the Pacific again, but at the same time, I don't want to leave here.  It saddens me somewhat to think that I may never get back here.  This is where our cruising life began, where our lives changed to a completely new direction.  And this is one of the very best cruising areas in the world.  But we left here ten years ago because there was more to see in the world, and that's why we'll leave again.  It's still a little sad, though.
     All right!  All right!  Not much sympathy, huh?  So, tomorrow we sail back south towards La Paz.


ISLA SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 18th

     All sailboats have a magic wand which can change the wind direction.  Ours is called a tiller.  We didn't like the wind direction being consistently from ahead, so we waved our magic wand (i.e. turned the boat), and brought the wind around to the stern.  With that done, we sailed out of San Marte two days ago for a delightful ride back south, stopping for the night at a place called Gacetero bay.
     As we were approaching the Gacetero anchorage, where there were already two boats, we were hailed on the radio with, "Boat approaching Gacetero with tanbark sails, you are invited to a BBQ on the beach.  I'll have the coals going."   We had not planned on going ashore, intending instead to get ready for an early departure the next morning.  However, we quickly got the boat settled, the dinghy over the side, and something ready to grill (no small task, being twelve days out from a grocery store, with a defunct refrigerator).  The two couples from the other boats were quite congenial, one couple having sailed the South Pacific extensively in years past.  We don't normally like to leave things askew on deck overnight, but the weather was settled, so we put things right in the morning before heading off again.
     The wind was still fair, the sky was a beautiful blue, and the ride on further south was just magnificent.  It wasn't a long day sailing because we had a particular anchorage in mind, but it was a fine day.  Rounding the end of a several-miles-long spit, the day's sail concluded with an easy glide on flat water up to drop the hook in an unexpectedly beautiful spot just off the cobble beach.
     There is a vast, shallow mangrove lagoon between that spit and a big island.  Having entered that lagoon from a different side years ago, we knew it to hold innumerable clams.  The cruising guide indicated a second entrance, this one through the spit near where Mintaka was anchored, so off we went.  Surprise, surprise!  It was low tide, so the "opening" was a small cataract draining the lagoon into the sea, a couple of feet lower.  After a half-hearted attempt to get the dinghy up the cataract, we accepted defeat, leaving the clams in peace.
     A rocky spot along the spit looked like it might be a good spot for fish, so with no wind and a warm sun, we dinghied over this morning to have a look.  It turned out to hold more fish in one small area than we've seen in quite some time.  Numerous large schools -- one numbering literally in the thousands! -- completely engulfed us.  Some of the species were ones that we often hunt with our spears, which we of course did, each contributing one for the pan.
     There being almost no wind all day today, we motored after lunch the few miles to this anchorage, an old favorite of ours from years ago.


ISLA SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 21st

This was a good day.  We motored back here from another nearby anchorage this morning, then I did a few boat chores before lunch.  Some friends came in to the anchorage with us, and we all went for a hike after lunch to one of the two high points on the island.  After that, we all went snorkeling and spear fishing.  This is a good spot for that, with lots and lots of fish of all kinds, in an easy depth.  I managed to shoot four fish for dinner, and while I was doing that, had a fairly large tuna swim right by me!  Never had that happen before.  We finished the day with all of us on Mintaka for dinner.  Quality time with good friends.  A very good day, indeed.