With only a couple of jerrycans of water left from Agua Verde, we needed to fill up our water tank and fuel tank in order to enjoy our last week at sea before hauling the boat out. We pulled into Marina Puerto Escondido for about an hour to fill up with water and fuel, give Sierra Wind a quick wash down, and pick up a couple food items. Then, we departed for Honeymoon Cove on Isla Danzante, about 30 minutes away. The best anchoring spot was already taken by a day charter so we opted for a neighboring area with a steeper drop-off. This doesn’t make for great anchoring conditions in the wind since you are either quickly being blown into land or blown to deeper waters.
After hearing so much about Honeymoon Cove and neighboring Divorce Cove, we were quite excited to see the area, but were a bit disappointed after our arrival. Having come from a series of stunning anchorages, these new coves seemed small and somewhat bland, with little to do except swim in the frigid water. Luckily, there was some natural entertainment as we watched a large pod of dolphins patrolling the anchorage for some time.
Another sailboat came into the bay and checked out each of the coves before turning around and leaving. Eitan called them on the radio to see what they were doing and they said they were checking for a place with good cell service where they could wait out a few days of wind. We were unaware of the change in forecast, so Eitan pulled up the latest weather model. The forecast was calling for 20-30 knots of wind from the west, eventually turning to the north. Unfortunately, there were no nearby bays that could offer protection under these conditions.
With the new weather forecast, our options for our last week at sea were between trying to find the best anchorage we could and wait out the wind inside the boat (because 20 knots of wind is pretty freaking windy to do anything in) while constantly checking the anchor alarm to see if we were dragging, or, get an overpriced mooring ball in Puerto Escondido. Neither being very good, we went for the safer option of getting a mooring ball. At least this way we could get a head start on prepping the boat for the haul out and get some sleep at night!
We spent the week removing everything we could from the deck and storing it inside including the sails and sheets. We also reconnected with SV Nivasi, whom we had met in the Nada Ha-Ha. They had rented a car for two days and invited us to join them in Loreto to run errands. Puerto Escondido is the primary port for Loreto. Loreto is one of the larger cities in Baja and has an international airport from which we could fly back to the States. We tried some of the chocolate clams, a famous local variety of large delicious clams, and walked some of the historic streets next to the mission. We also enjoyed reconnecting with SV Dolce Vita and SV Adventura, whom we met in Agua Verde.
Friday rolled around and it was finally haul out day. Eitan and I woke up early to dump the holding tank and flush it with fresh water. Our plan was to pull into the fuel dock by 9 am to top off the diesel tank before hauling out at 10 am. As we pulled into the marina, we saw there was someone already at the fuel dock and decided to do a couple circles around the mooring field. The wind was already picking up to 16 knots so we would motor to one end then let the wind push us back. After 30 minutes, we called the fuel dock to see what the holdup was. There was a fuel truck delivering fuel and everything at the dock was on hold until the fueling operation was over. We motored around in a circle for over an hour until we were finally able to pull up to the dock and fill the tank.
Already an hour behind schedule, the haul out staff were anxious to get SV Sierra Wind into the travel lift area. With windy conditions now building in the 15 to 20 knot range, maneuvering the boat, with a single propeller and no bow thruster, into the small travel lift slip became increasingly difficult. One of the dock workers hopped onboard to help handle the lines as Eitan maneuvered us toward the lift. As we entered the concrete walled slip, I threw the bow line to one of the other dock workers and Eitan put the engine in reverse to slow us down. Even in neutral, we were drifting at almost 3 knots straight towards the lift. As we slowed, the torque of the propeller moved our stern slightly towards the port side of the slip, and right at that moment, the wind caught our stern and started pushing us quickly towards the sharp concrete corner. As I was running back to get our stern lines, Eitan yelled to release all lines and that we were aborting. He put the boat in full reverse and quickly pulled away from the seawall that the wind was pushing us into. Thankfully, we managed to back away without hitting anything.
We circled around and lined up for a second attempt, this time smoothly entering the slip and getting all four dock lines to the staff at the corners of the travel lift to secure the corners of the boat. Next, the operator maneuvered the lift straps into position forward and aft of the keel. This also took two attempts to get suitable strap positions, making it safe to lift Sierra Wind from the water. It took another 30 minutes of raising and lowering in the lift before we were able to get off the boat. The operator then lifted the boat from the water until the keel cleared the ground, then slowly drove the lift to the storage location.
About an hour later, SV Sierra Wind was supported by a number of stands as she sat on the hard in the boat storage area. Our life aboard became increasingly uncomfortable as we baked in the afternoon sun on the concrete pavement of the boatyard. The deck became too hot to walk on without shoes and our neighbors airhorn even exploded from the heat. We spent the next two days doing the final boat preparations, cleaning, packing, and consuming any perishable food onboard. Having spent a few of the previous days in the mooring field, we were able to splurge a little and spend our third and final night at a hotel in Loreto before taking off to Miami!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a full 6 months since I stepped onboard SV Sierra Wind in San Diego last November. While we were disappointed that COVID 19 derailed our plans to cross the Pacific Ocean this year, our sailing adventure along Baja, the Sea of Cortez and the west coast of mainland Mexico did not disappoint! The Pacific crossing will have to wait until next year when, hopefully, our South Pacific destinations open back up to cruisers and we have the right conditions for the crossing.
For now, it’s on to the next chapter of this adventure which begins with a flight from Loreto, Mexico to Miami, Florida. Back to the land of unlimited data and, hopefully, better cell connections!
