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Page 1
Log of
S/V High Drama: San Diego to Puerto Vallarta
1. We almost make it
away.
Sunday, November 7, 1999
Sheraton Hotel &
Marina,
San Diego, California
Handing the keys
from my beloved 1994 Honda Accord to her new owner would be the
last painful act before cutting the dock lines, or so I thought.
It worked out well because our dock neighbors at the Sheraton Marina,
Garold and Diane Tisue aboard a Hans Christian 38, developed a fondness
for the car. I felt it was going to a good home. Cutting the docklines
as one leaves to go cruising calls for the final ritual. Indeed,
another celebration was mandatory.
Although the rock
band failed to show up, we had our pictures taken, drank toasts,
popped balloons, and talked about how grand it would be when we
sailed south. As we got underway our dock neighbors hooted and hollered.
Most indicated that they would soon see us "out there."
Since High Drama spent the previous two months in the boatyard,
we were extremely anxious to get away. We had learned that for compulsive
people, lists beget lists, jobs beget jobs. Our list of things to
do and buy had grown exponentially as we got closer to leaving.
We ultimately determined that some boat jobs, such as another coat
of varnish on the teak brightwork (teak trim around the exterior
of the boat) would just have to wait. And so we set sail for the
fuel dock, only a hundred yards away, for our first stop.
Before the group
of vicarious cruisers and well wishers had even dispersed, and before
we had covered 200 feet, we heard a piercing sound; a strange and
never before heard alarm. (Actually, since it was high pitched,
I didn’t hear it.) The voltage Bank Manager (a misnomer because
it doesn’t manage anything as far as I can tell) reported spiking
voltages in our house batteries, which were being charged from engine
power. Well, 16 volts doesn’t seem that much higher than 12, but
apparently for low voltage systems it spells disaster to batteries
if it continues. Since we had just installed new aviation style
maintenance free (sure) absorbed glass mat batteries, this seemed
like a concern. We did an abrupt about face, snuck back to the dock
as quietly as we could, and attempted to renegotiate permission
to return to "our" slip, which had been rented to a fellow
who wanted to move in right away. After two trips to the chandlery,
West Marine, Mike with very little help from me, replaced our voltage
regulator. Not a very strong start to this new cruising life.
2. We get away.
Monday, November 8,
1999
Sheraton Marina, San
Diego, California
This morning
without fanfare we left town. We motored quietly to the fuel dock.
While the crew filled the diesel tanks and 6 spare 5 gallon Gerry
jugs with fuel, I made one last trip to West Marine. I figured that
if a voltage regulator could fail within two hundred feet of the
dock, we had better have a spare if we were going all the way to
Mexico, a distance of almost 12 miles.
Our first effort
at departure prompted much introspection. We realized that we angered
Neptune by paying so much effort, time, and especially money to
land based facilities for boat preparation and not any effort, time,
or money to the spiritual side life at sea. These sea gods were
just plain jealous of the boatyard and the Boat Unit tributes we
had paid ashore. (For the uninitiated, a boat unit is $1,000. Since
the number of units seems much lower, it is less depressing.) To
make amends, to seek dispensation, and request safe passage from
Neptune, as we left we threw money directly into the bay without
first circulating it through the San Diego economy.
It sure felt
great to see San Diego in our rearview mirror.
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3.
We are away!
November
9
We are at
sea and about thirty miles south of San Diego. We are headed for
Guadeloupe Island, about 200 miles straight south of San Diego.
It is about 150 miles offshore. We hope that we have the electrical
gremlins at bay for awhile. The new voltage regulator seems to
be working well.
We sailed
in 20-knot winds and 8-13 foot seas for about thirty hours when
the wind but not the waves subsided. Apparently the waves were
remnants from a storm in the Gulf of Alaska.
November
10
We sailed
to Guadeloupe Island, but it was dark. Decided that we did not
want to make an instrument landing as our first on this trip,
so we sailed on toward Santa Maria on Magdalena Bay on Baja California
Sur. The crew wanted some offshore overnight sailing experience.
This single
side band marine radio e-mail really cracks me up! When I send
e-mail by radio, a slow process, the aberrant radio waves sound
the propane gas leaking alarm and shut off the gas stove, and
then the radio directs the autopilot to alter course and turn
the boat hard to starboard into a circle. I chart it all up to
gremlins. On the other hand, maybe we didn’t pay enough tribute
some where along the line.
November
12
We have now
(Friday at 7:00AM) logged 575 miles at sea in about four days,
when we were 100 miles offshore. We are 80 miles from Magdalena
Bay about 200 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. We will probably
stop in Magdalena Bay even though it is too early too see whales
and their babies. We will stop in Cabo San Lucas for sure.
Caught
a 20 pound tuna (albacore) the second day and despite an inartful
cleaning job, it has/will provide 3 main meals. Even had some
sashimi right away. Not really bad. Of course, if we keep eating
it raw some will think we have crossed over to the other side,
and maybe we have.
We left
wearing everything we had including multiple layers of fleece
and waterproof shells to keep the considerable dew from soaking
us each night. This morning I removed all outer layers except
a T-shirt. The rest of the crewmembers are lizards. They are still
cold and clamoring for warmer weather.
Had
radar practice with the Mexican Navy last night and avoided a
collision. They were very polite at a distance of several hundred
yards. Talked to a French guy about our radar contact with him.
He deliberately gave us misleading information about his course,
speed, and destination. Before we figured out that he was not
being candid, we altered course to cross comfortably behind him.
Low and behold, because of his misinformation, we turned toward
him on a collision course. We continued to muse about his communication
and concluded that he was doing something with drugs, either taking
them or smuggling them.
We stand
4-hour watches by couple. Now we are in a routine, but naps are
relished when off watches. We set the watches up so that we alternate
watch schedules so one night you get 8-12pm and 4-8am and the
next night only 12-4am.
Have
seen dolphins and pilot whales, but no grays or humpbacks yet.
The dolphins race along the bow and surf in High Drama’s bow wave.
Mike whistled at some and they actually jumped like the dolphins
at Sea World. Never knew they did it for free.
So far
this trip has been a blast.
More
after I swab the deck.
J&A and
M&S
November
13
23 38 .188
111 08 .073
Nov 13 23:55
Zulu. (I think we have a time change coming)
We celebrated
passing into the tropics when we crossed about where I think the
Tropic of Cancer should be. No map clearly shows it. We had an
appropriate ceremony and advised our crew that this ancient ritual
traditionally involved the sacrifice of a virgin. There were none
aboard, and since human sacrifice seemed a bit much, we tried
to convince Stacy that since she was the youngest, she should
swim around the boat to demonstrate to the local sea gods that
we came in peace. She would have no part of it. But she did join
in the celebration on deck
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We went past
Magdalena Bay because it was dark and again we did not want to
land on instruments. We continued on to Cabo San Lucas on the
southern tip of the Baja Peninsula.
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