We've made it to La Paz. We had a near gale today and ran aground before passing the second buoy of the La Paz entrance channel. Lame! I think it may have been a case of plain old excitement trumping caution. Its a notoriously shoal area and we probably should have been going much slower and more cautiously... but we weren't. So we're hauling along doing six knots, motorsailing with a half jib out, and suddenly, softly, the speed is down to 0.0, and the depth sounder reads 0.2. I can't repeat my exclamation. But the good news is that everything worked out fine. We just unfurled the whole jib and literally sailed off the sandbar back into the channel. Sula is a tank. I was very glad to have a fully encapsulated lead keel at that point. Bella thought is was great fun, but I couldnt' agree with her.
We spent last night at anchor in Isla Espiritu Santo, a very beautiful place, but a cold front has just swept through and its a bit too cold for snorkeling and nice to be in this sailor friendly city. Dan is leaving tomorrow so we're having a bit of a sendoff for him tonight. Then hopefully in the next few days things will warm up and Bella and I can spend a few days on the famous turquoise bays of Espiritu Santo and Partida, before I fly up to the flood zone (seattle) for a break.
Its good to be afloat! And in this easy corner of the Golfo de California.
here's a video from a nice downwind day sailing toward cabo.
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