We’ve just completed the 285 nm passage from Ensenada to Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay). That took us two nights, two & a half days to complete. It was a very good passage with fair weather, fresh wind and a couple of enchanting night sails. Night sailing happens to be one of the delicious side benefits of extended cruising. The sliver of a crescent moon rose both nights in the east, coming out of the ocean like a ruby goblet raised to a star filled sky. The second night’s moon rise was even more pronounced as the further south we travel along the Baja, with fewer land lights, the night time sky much darker making the stars much more pronounced.
And of course there are the sunrises and sunsets. They probably could go with out even mentioning them as they happen every day all over the world but they seem to be consistently special out on the water. The most noticeable thing is their size, they are enormous. The one pictured below took up the whole sky, all 360 degrees of it that surround the boat was some shade of pink, yellow or red. Spectacular sunsets and rises also seem to happen much more frequently at sea than they do on land and the opportunity to view them is greatly enhanced by the 24/7 nature of watch-on-watch sailing that couples usually do where someone if not both crew are awake at the beginning and end of each day. For the receptive sailor, the raw unfiltered beauty of nature, god’s infinite brush strokes, is one of the most rewarding aspects of cruising.
Besides amazing light shows each day there were other bright spots that enlivened out days. We spotted the first large pods of dolphins. The first one look like it contained about 100 members. The first few pods weren’t interested in visiting Malo but put on a tremendous show of athleticism by leaping high into the sky as they blasted by.
We also saw our first flying fish of the voyage so far. A sure sign that we are approaching tropical waters.
During the day, the coast of the Baja provided much enjoyment when we were close enough to see it. It’s stark beauty is remarkable in itself and then there is that whole mind blowing incredulity of the juxtaposition of a vast ocean right next to a vast dessert. Crazy!
I’m learning that Malo, not unlike many fair women comes with some heart palpating drama and she did’t hold out on this passage. Just north of our destination the wind dropped and we tried staring the engine…it was dead, not even a little click from the starting solenoid. My mind was fried from two nights of short and interrupted sleep. I checked all of the connections I could readily see in the starter circuit plus the associated fuzzes but no joy. Our friends Lyn & Curt aboard Slow Motion were expecting us in Turtle Bay so we contacted them via inReach satellite messenger. They asked us to stay in touch and they would organize assistance if needed. It’s a large bay and if the wind came back we were going to go in and anchor under sail. Pajo of Cinderella who does that all the time cheered us on with a “welcome to my world”. We still had 20nm to go so we decided to fly our code 1, gennaker as it’s a powerful light wind sail. We got that up and it set nicely. We were making good speed again which was important because we wanted to make harbor before the sun set. We then had to alter course coming us to gybe the gennaker. In the process of that we got it twisted around our head sail rot-row and had to take it down. In the process of raising it again I managed to get a small tear in it’s foot. So we took it down until we can repair it. I tried the engine again for shits-and-giggles and magically it started right up. We contacted Slow Motion and advised them to call off any stand by rescue efforts. 
The above photo of Bev was taken on the approach to Bahia Tortugas after the engine started. Note the big smile. Bev did great with that bit of drama. Bev is new to cruising. In the begging our engine set backs were harder on her. It’s not an easy life that is filled with sudden and unexpected setbacks, interspersed within many incredible moments of extreme beauty.
One of wonderful things about sailing is that it can expand a person’s horizons immensely, while at the same time it making one feel smaller by comparison. Smaller in a good way; less self-important, more aware of our own venerability, the inherent venerability of all life and thusly, how precious all life truly is. On the third morning of our passage I found a small squid on our foredeck. It must have gotten scooped out of a wave that was pierced by Malo’s bow. In the water, squid are incredibly beautiful creatures; translucent, constantly vibrating, they appear to pulse with light as they seemly hover in the ocean. But not now, not this poor little one that was plastered upon Malo’s deck, dried out and grey, one small black eye facing up to the sky. My heart ached it’s passing, plucked out of it’s fluid natural environment to die upon a desert of hard fiberglass. The sea is a beautiful place but it’s also a place that can and does take ones life with out any remorse.
We cruised by our friends boats one by one shouting out exuberant greetings as we went by and then set our anchors as the sun set rewarding us with another spectacular light show. This one is special as it occurred in our new back yard. I’m looking forward to reuniting with our friends already anchored in the bay, exploring the small town and making new friends too but after a long passage what I seek most is sleep, glorious and delicious sleep. Simple pleasures…
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