On October 31st we moved onto the boat and at 5:00 am the next morning we cast off the dock lines and set sail for Ensenada, Mexico. Unfortunately, instead of setting sail we just motored for 8 hours but it gave us the opportunity to start the safety briefings and discuss the ground rules and expectations. When we weren’t on deck, we were napping or eating. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful day and we arrived at Marina Coral in Ensenada by sunset. We enjoyed dinner and drinks on the boat followed by a hot tub session at the connecting resort. The following day was spent checking into Mexico, which turned into a ridiculously long experience. Since it was Day of the Dead, the immigration office was understaffed and the process took several hours. By the afternoon we had our passports stamped and were on our way out of the marina and into our overnight passage.
Leaving Ensenada started the first 48-hour passage. We finally raised the sails and started sailing downwind, turning the motor on every few hours to charge the batteries. At 5 pm we started the night watches of 3-hours-on and 3-hours-off with Eitan and me on, then Connor and Abbey. Eventually, we would work to 3-hours-on and 9-hours-off once everyone was capable of doing solo night watches. It was really incredible seeing the sunset for the first time from the boat but it was quickly followed by darkness and fog before the moon rose. Having not felt seasick yet, suddenly being on a rocking boat without seeing the horizon made me feel a little nauseous. Then, sleeping in only 3-hour increments also added to the stress and exhaustion my body was feeling from being in this new environment of constant motion. However, I did come to the realization that I could actually sleep given the motion of the boat and the noise of the motor, autopilot, and propeller.
Several hours later, the sunrise was equally amazing and peaceful and we all settled into what would be another day of sailing. Being November 3rd, the back of my mind was wondering about the election results but it was also nice to be so removed. I was soon distracted by the buzzing of a small airplane circling above. It turns out the previous owner of SV Sierra Wind came out to say hello and called us on the aircraft radio we had onboard. For the first few days of sailing everyone seems to be in the same routine of holding watch, eating, and sleeping. Night fell once again but the swell of the seas was much greater this time. Even with the engine off, sleeping in the back cabin was quite noisy with the propeller whizzing and autopilot churning. The night watch shifts were cold and windy and we all struggled to keep our eyes open. The following day arrived and we are all exhausted but could tell the initial motion sickness was starting to wear off. Upon the third nightfall, we pull into Bahia Tortugas and were greeted by dolphins off the bow under the moonlight. Pulling into the anchorage and being able to rest with only gentile rocking of the boat sent us all into a deep sleep.
We ended up spending two nights in Bahia Tortugas. After breakfast, Abbey and I paddle boarded to shore amongst seals and dolphins in the bay. The small waves knocked us off the boards as we approached the beach and we swam the rest of the way. The shore was bare and sandy with large shells scattered all over. Later that day, all the other cruisers for the Nada Haha rafted up with their dinghies in the bay and did boat introductions. I forgot to mention that the sailing route we were taking from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas was part of what is typically called the Baja Ha-ha, an annual cruisers rally attracting over 100 boats each year. Due to COVID, the rally was canceled but 30 boats were determined to still make the trip renamed to the Nada Ha-ha. With an average crew age of 24, we had by far the youngest boat and received a lot of comments from the other boats at the dingy raft up. At 19, Abbey felt particularly targeted and embarrassed, but we reminded her the others are just envious they hadn’t discovered the cruising life sooner and she was “doing it right”. It was really nice to be able to see the other boats sailing south and also see a couple of the other younger cruisers.
