Dear F&F,
We left Ensenada in very nice warm weather. It quickly cooled outside the bay and we were sailing under reefed main and staysail to actually slow our pace as we wished to arrive at Isla Santa Maria at first light 115 miles to the south. Well, so go the best laid plans….
As we approached, a big Santa Ana started to blow from the beach and we felt it imprudent to continue to Isla Santa Maria as the anchorage there would not have been favorable. So, at 12:45 AM, we took in a second reef and headed for Islas San Benito. These are a very small group of islands 1/2 way down the Baja Peninsula. If you look at a world map, they are just NW of Cedros Island about 20 miles. Anyway, the wind has now come out of the southeast at about 6 knots and we\’re drifting along.
I\’m not firing up the engines as Cindy is asleep and didn\’t get much of it last night. The swell is from the NW 6-10 feet, and virtually no wind. We can see the big cruise ships enroute to Cabo & Puerto Vallarta passing us on the radar and AIS (automatic identification terminal) to seaward. All is well, crew a bit tired, but other than than. We hope to be at Islas San Benito tomorrow at first light. (WX PERMITTING)…..:)