The Captain Goes For A Swim
Monday, April 6th – The Southern Crossing has been completed. and now we will sail along the Baja coast. Our next stop on the way to La Paz is Playa La Bonanza, which is well over 50nm away on the east side of Isla Espiritu Santo. At 0755, The Captain goes forward to raise the anchor.
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As we motor out of the anchorage and round the headland of Los Muertos, we marvel at the size of a house under construction on the point. Thus far, it is the biggest house we have seen in Mexico, from Cabo San Lucas all the way down to Manzanillo. We wonder what it must take to import materials and labor to build such a complex house out in the middle of nowhere. However, one cannot question the view!
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We raise sails in the lee of the headland. Winds are often very light at this hour but not this morning. They are already up to 18 knots. The Captain puts in the first reef. The fishing line is put out next. We sail around the point and encounter winds running between 15 – 22 knots with choppy seas at 3 – 5 feet. As usual, the wind is from the direction we need to go. A wide channel between the Baja Peninsula and an island lies ahead of us. The winds are barreling down this channel which has a reputation as a place where winds, waves, tides and currents can all work havoc. We are in for a ride! The First Mate has become quite used to these scenarios by now.
The First Mate suggests that maybe this would not be a good time to have a fish on the line, and just as The Captain steps up to reel in the line … Zing! A fish has bit the lure. The usual practice when under sail and a fish is on the line is to turn close to the wind, luffing the sails to slow down the boat. This puts less drag on line and fish which makes it somewhat easier for the one reeling in the line. Once closer to the wind, the jib is furled to keep it from flapping madly, and the motor is turned on to help the one at the helm hold the boat close to the wind. This time with the high winds and rough and bouncing seas, The First Mate finds that she cannot maintain an angle as close to the wind as she would like, because when she does, the heavy seas cause the boom to swing wildly back and forth. That’s not a good thing if it can at all be helped. There is also no way she can do anything about furling the jib because her hands are full with managing the helm. There is just too much wind and too much wave action to enable her to slow the boat down to the 1 knot or less of forward speed that The Captain would like when he’s reeling in a fish. She does manage to slow the speed somewhat, but there is still a lot of drag and a lot of work for The Captain out on the line. The fish is strong, and it’s a fighter. The Captain has his hands full reeling in the fish. When it’s close to the boat, he climbs down to the narrow rear platform and gaffs it in the bouncy seas and hauls it aboard. It appears to be a Mexican bonito, the same type of fish that we caught when leaving Isla Isabella, but about twice as big. It takes 50 minutes to reel that fish in, rough clean it and wash down the aft end of the boat, and all the while, we are sailing slowly. We are still bouncing around and have not gone far from the channel entrance where the worst winds and seas are. The First Mate is beginning to rethink her enthusiasm for this fishing activity, especially when The Captain hands her fresh-cut fillets of very red meat. Our prior experience with fish meat this red has not been good.
With the wind on our nose, we continue to tack up this channel. At noon, we are only half way up the channel. Winds have begun to drop a little and are down to 14 – 18 knots. By 1500, we still have 18nm to go to get to our anchorage. Winds have really declined, and our boat speed is now only 3 – 4 knots. The Captain decides to put on the engine and motorsail or we will never get there in daylight. Twenty minutes later, there is so little wind that we take down the mainsail and just motor. The fishing line is out again. The First Mate thinks that somehow she has managed to create a monster! The Captain is determined to fish. Dorado and Tuna are on his dream list.
1645 – Zing! Another bite. The Captain jumps for the rod. The First Mate scrambles to the helm. This time all she has to do is put the engine in neutral and then maintain just enough forward motion so the fishing line doesn’t get sideways to the boat. The seas, however, are still rough from the earlier wind. So even though the forward motion is slow, the up and down and sideways wave activity is chaotic. Gradually, while keeping an eye on the direction of the fish on the line, The First Mate turns the boat into the waves doing her best to ensure that all we’re doing is going up and down and not rocking sideways too. It’s an impossible job, as the seas are very confused. This fish is a big one and when it jumps out of the water, The Captain lets out a cheer of delight. It is a beautiful bull Dorado with brilliant blue, green and yellow colors flashing. After he finally gets it up to the boat, he slides the rod into the holder, grabs the line and steps down on the wet sugar scoop (the narrow step on the aft end of the boat) to gaff the fish and heave it onto the boat. The First Mate is concentrating on her task of handling the bouncing boat when suddenly there is a splash and commotion behind her that sounds like more than fish. Looking behind, there is no Captain. Looking down, The Captain is in the water. One hand has the gaff and the other is grasping wildly for the edge of the boat. The narrow step he had been standing on dropped out from under him, as the boat lurched when we were hit by a wave. For a brief surprised second, he was suspended in air before gravity had its way dropping him unceremoniously into the ocean. With no forward speed, The First Mate quickly realizes that he is not about to be left in our wake and that she does not have to start any kind of drastic man-over-board activities. She reaches down to help him climb back on the boat, but he yells up to lower the ladder instead. Ladder down, the dripping Captain climbs aboard and, to his amazed delight, finds that the fish is still on the line! He grabs the rod and starts to ease the fish toward the boat again, but with one last jump and twist, the fish breaks free. What a disappointment! What a beauty got away!
Out goes the line again, zing, another Dorado. This one also manages to spit the lure as we get it close to the boat. Oh, what defeat! We must have encountered a large group, because a third Dorado bites almost as soon as we let the line out again. The Captain brings this fish in more slowly, trying to really tire it out prior to gaffing it and lifting it onto the boat. When he reaches out with the gaff, The First Mate grabs the back of his shirt. The Captain tells her to let go so he can move easier. This she will not do. One man overboard for the day is enough!
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The Captain brings the fish aboard and, finally, he has a bull Dorado. Not as big as that first one, but still a good one for two dinners. We continue on. Playa Bonanza is within sight.
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By 1900, we are anchored in a gorgeous bay with a 2-mile sweep of white beach. We are the only ones at anchor. It is all ours to savor. The peace and beauty help us forget how hard fought the day was against wind, waves and fish. Our tiredness eases as we sit outside on deck enjoying the evening and our very fresh Dorado dinner.
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The biggest bonus, as far as The Firsts Mate is concerned, is that we are a day ahead of schedule. Tomorrow will be a Savor Day here in this lovely bay. Ah, the cruiser’s life!