SD To Ensenada

We finally made it to Mexico. Yep, we are in Ensenada. We experienced absolutely no problems whatsoever. The engine ran like a Swiss watch, along with all other systems. Oh we still have some electrical issues that can wait until we are situated in the Sea of Cortez.

We left the A-9 Anchorage in SD at nine thirty, went to the Harbor Police dock to refurbish our water supply and do laundry. At around twelve thirty we headed out for Mexico. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive considering our luck, or lack thereof, in the past. Then again, what might seem to be bad luck, in the end turns out to be, not only good, but great luck. If one considers the possible consequences of a major break down along the Baja west coast, where there is no access to parts or supplies, we were very lucky to have discovered these maladies and made the necessary repairs prior to making the passage.

The moon was bright, the sky clear and the sea calm with no wind. Oh well. You can’t have everything, besides it was a good time to check out my repairs on the engine. On the way over from the anchorage I had discovered a hose clamp that needed tightening, ops. This certainly doesn’t instill confidence in one’s ability, thus the apprehension I was feeling. Since we were beginning our journey at night, I opted to go outside the Coronado Islands, rather than between them as the locals do. Better to be on the safe side. After hours that seemed like days to navigate around these little islands, I began to have second thoughts. About half way around, Judy’s clock had wound down and she went below to catch some shut eye.

By this time the no wind situation had changed to a light breeze. Just enough wind to accentuate the night’s chill from tolerable to downright frosty, to say the least. The rest of the night was cold and uneventful as I stood watch. Judy arose to see our first beautiful sunrise in Mexico. She got busy making/spilling coffee on counters, stove etc. She is taking to cooking at sea with gusto. Well, with expletives anyway. Her language during her coffee making was quite colorful. At the very least, matching the sunrise. She appeared in the companionway holding two half filled cups in one hand and with the other in a death grip on the overhead rail. I relieved her of the two half full coffees as she navigated through the companion entrance. At this point I don’t believe she had quite ascertained the proper use of one’s legs at sea, commonly known as “sea legs.” The rest of the morning was uneventful, until we entered Bahia Todos Santos. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by thirty to forty Dolphins racing around the boat and jumping in the air to Judy’s delighted squeals.

As in all things concerning life, nothing is perfect. We were instructed to call Baja Naval upon our approach to the harbor on VHF-77. I hailed them on both of our radios to no avail. We finally called them on the phone and were instructed where to dock. I went to the office and made arrangements to meet in the morning, to have them peruse our papers, to ascertain if everything is in order. We will then submit them to the authorities for visas etc. If we wish, we can have a person rom Baja Naval go with us to help, for a fee, of course.

When I returned to e boat Judy had many questions I couldn’t answer. Simple questions such as; where is the bathroom, showers etc. All I can say in my defense is that after three days of an average of two hours sleep a night and no sleep the previous night, I was a little bit tired and not quite up to par. We then went to get something to eat and find a bank. I was starved, as I had not eaten since the previous day. I must stop doing that. We walked down the bay front and were, according to Judy, accosted by Hawkers selling everything from food to clothing in their tiny shops and off their karts. I have to admit that they were rather pushy, following us down the street. It is sad that they seem to be forced to do this, as the competition is extreme, with so few customers around. This seemed more stressful for Judy than me. I have spent more time here and am used to it in tour areas. She will like the small towns more, I am sure. After a couple of hours and many dead ends, we located a bank. When we located the teller machine inside,we realized there was a problem. Everything was in Spanish, duh! Judy got in line and asked for assistance. One of the tellers spoke English and graciously volunteered to help. She showed us how to work the machine in the bank and explained the exchange rates. She was a very nice young lady and very helpful.

Judy had said she wanted to stop back at a restaurant she saw lobster advertised at. When we were stopped at the entrance to it, we were sighted by the hawkers who started yelling in Spanish at us to buy their products. Judy became rather distraught, saying it didn’t “look like a restaurant” and didn’t want to go in. We ended up walking back through the gauntlet of hawkers to the boat for a sandwich and some sleep.

I am writing this at three thirty in the morning on our second day. I could not lie down any longer, due to my back. When Judy wakes, maybe we can get a good breakfast burrito, and then get our visas and find out why they couldn’t receive us on our radios. It will then be time to catch a window for our next passage. Via Con Dios!