Author Archives: Michael

Today is Wednesday, 24 June, 2020 and we’re all good here. In fact, really good. After enjoying Pt. Nopolo since the 11th we pried our anchor off the bottom yesterday morning and made our crossing to the mainland. The crossing was the usual assortment of conditions and, except for about 5 hours of confused, lumpy seas early on in the trip, it was all pretty comfortable. With the lumpy seas came a usable sailing wind of 10-15kts but that failed as the seas moderated and we were left with light and variable the rest of the passage. We anchored briefly in Bahia Algadones to move the dinghy to the foredeck and get out and set the fenders and dock lines preparatory to stuffing Milagro into an unfamiliar slip. For the last 6 years (?) we’ve left Milagro at nearby Marina San Carlos for storm season but this year we are trying the competition. At 0935MDT we were secured in slip 25 on dock 13 at Marina Real. That’s at 27 56′.751N, 111 05′.546W. The OAT is 91F with 63% humidity (at 0900 local time!). The next several days will see us configuring Milagro to be on her own for several months and packing up all of the stuff that we just have to take with us. As soon as Saturday, but maybe Sunday, we will be driving north to Phoenix to begin our summer break. For now though, we have air conditioning! YAY! I almost always vow to keep posting about our land based travels but I never seem to. Maybe this year I will. What? It could happen. In the meantime, thank you for following us.

Today is Saturday, 6/13/20, and all is good here. As advertised, we made a sortie to Loreto this morning for provisions. Because of the lockdown restrictions there, several local people have come up with ways to earn some dinero while reducing everyone’s exposure. These enterprising folks offer a couple of different dockside solutions. One puts together “cornucopia” baskets every Friday. For a set price you get an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables including some sourced from local farmers. Local honey, goat cheese and other such local items are usually available as well but add additional cost. This gets good reviews but the downside is that you get whatever the buyer chose to put in the basket that week. We went with one of the other offerings instead; a personal shopper. You meet your shopper on the dock at the appointed date and time and give them your list and some shopping bags. When they are done, they notify you and you then dinghy back in for your goodies. For this you pay actual receipt totals plus 20%. Maybe a bit more expensive than the other way but you get to choose what you want. No risk of getting, say, broccoli when no one in your family will eat it. Our girl will stop at many places other than grocery stores. She even picked up a gluten free pizza for Judy from Pan Que Pan. SWEET! So with provisioning done, we returned to Point Nopolo and parked right next to where we were just this morning. At 1307MDT our hook was set in 12′ over sand at 25 55′.468N, 111 20′.845W. The OAT is 92F (Yikes!) and the wind is from the S at 8 to 10kts causing some small wind waves. The BCS Government has announced the relaxation of some restrictions starting Monday, 6/15, to include dining rooms open to 30% of capacity (with distance requirements), beaches open but limited to 30% occupancy (?) and no large groups or gatherings. While this seems good, many of the locals are quite concerned about the risks so, we will see. For now, we reckon to hang here for a few days. We’ll let you know when moving day comes around again. Hasta entonces.

It is Thursday, the 11th of June, 2020 and all is well here. We moved this morning to one of our favorite places to hang out here in the Loreto area – Point Nopolo. It is no good for winds from the East or, especially, the NE as the fetch is long and big waves build quickly plus, we’d be on a lee shore as well. But, conditions are good for now so here we are. COVID concerns are strong here and Loreto is pretty well locked down. Only one person is allowed to go ashore for necessary provisions with the approval of the Port Captain. Masks must be worn and no aclohol sales of any kind are allowed. They make no secret that they want you to get your stuff and get out. Just 10 miles South, at Pto Escondido, they see it differently. It sits on Federal land so they must not feel obliged to comply with the restrictions of Loreto Municipality. There, masks are recommended but at least 1/2 are not bothering, liquor is available and even limited beer. Just 2 brands though, 1 in bottles the other in cans and neither of them anything you would drink unless desperate. Interesting, eh?
There are several enterprising souls in Loreto who are offering shopping so as to keep cruisers from coming in to town and we have made arrangement with one for provisioning on Saturday. We’ll be sure to tell you how that goes. For now, we are at Point Nopolo at 25 55′.480N, 111 20′.853W in 15′ over sand. I’m sure the Farkwar map shows a forest of little red balloons here as we’ve been here so many times before. The OAT is 86F, it is 79F in the pool and a SE breeze is running at 6kts. The sea is mostly flat and the sky is clear. The hotel Loreto Bay here at Nopolo is closed but are still broadcasting their WiFi so we are already taking advantage of that. Also, the LTE cell signal here is good. More on Saturday, hasta entonces.

Today is Sunday, the 7th of June, 2020 and all is good here. After 3 very peaceful days and nights at Rattlesnake Beach we made a change of venue this morning in anticipation of some southerly winds over the next several days. Only 2 miles away as the seagull would fly however, to keep the boat in the water, we were obliged to sail out around Point Coyote on our way to Bahia Chuenque making it a little over 5nm for us water creatures. At 0942MDT our anchor was set just off the village of Juncalito at 25 50′.063N, 111 19′.693W in 25′ over hard sand. The OAT is 83F, it’s 78F in the pool and there is an 8kt breeze from the E. The sea is flat and sky clear. It is likely that we will stay here for several days as this spot is good for the forecast wx, there is a bit of 3G cell service (not great but possibly better than nothing) and 2 other boats are here that are friends of ours. We would not be shocked if “social distancing” protocols got a little compromised. Of course we will let you know when there is anything new to report. Hasta pronto, y’all.

It is Thursday, 6/4/20 and all is well here. Yesterday we enjoyed kayaking, beach combing and even worked in some drone flight training in the morning then lazed around in the afternoon reading and napping. The water temp rose to 79F so used the pool to cool down several times. Underway at dawn this morning with zero wind and flat, glassy seas however, only about a mile out of the bay the wind showed up. From the West and right on the beam at 15-20G24kts stirring the seas up in the process. That only lasted a couple of hours though before it changed again, becoming NE at 15kts for a while before dying off to nothing. Interesting. So, it was once again, a mixed bag of conditions. Some we could sail in, others not so much but a nice enough day all in all. At 1236MDT our anchor was set in front of Rattlesnake Beach near Puerto Escondido at 25 48.185N, 110 18′.523Win 53′ over gravel. The OAT is 93F (YIKES!) and the pool is 77F – yes, we’ve already been in, and there is a NE breeze running at 5kts. We are not certain if we are going to hang here for a day or two or move again tomorrow but we’ll let you know. In the meantime, I think maybe we need to dig out our sun shades. BTW, we also have cell coverage here so are able to update WX forecasts and sort through our pile of email. Hasta pronto.

Here it is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020 and all is well with the Milagro and crew. This morning we left Isla San Francisco after a bit of a “rolly” night and, finding no usable wind, motored our way North up the San Jose Channel to Puerto Los Gatos. The wind gods have been good to us several days in a row but they chose not to favor us today. What breeze there was amounted to 5-7 knots from directly behind us leaving no room for any apparent wind for sailing. However, the seas were mostly flat and we enjoyed a nice motorboat ride to Los Gatos. At 1243MDT our anchor was set at 25 17′.950N, 110 56′.702W in 15′ over sand. Wind now is E at 6 knots, the OAT is 83F and it’s 74F in the pool. Forecast calls for strong offshore winds for the next few nights with mostly calm daytime breezes. Our current thinking is that we will remain here tomorrow before continuing North on Thursday. We will see how conditions play out and, as always, reserve the right to change our minds. Hasta pronto, y’all.

Today is Monday, the 1st day of June, 2020 and things here are good. No staged rioting anywhere let alone the senseless looting or destruction of innocent peoples property. And, as a bonus, we enjoyed another great day of sailing as we moved to the East side of Isla San Francisco this morning. With 10 to 12 knots of South breeze we scooted along nicely under main and jib the entire way. At 1137MDT our anchor was set in 20′ of water over sand at 24 49′.748N, 110 33′.976W. OAT is 75F, the pool is 72F and the breeze is from the S at 8kts. We aim to move a little further North again tomorrow – probably to Los Gatos but we will let you know. In the meantime, I guess we are really glad to be here because we could be there. Hasta luego, y’all.

It is Sunday, 5/31/20, and everything is good here on the Milagro. We left the Falsa anchorage this morning a little after 0900 and stepped right into a following breeze blowing in the mid-teens. We were able to sail virtually the entire way today making a steady 6kts under jib alone. The wind created following seas that became a wee bit uncomfortable from time to time but those moderated as we progressed and, all in all, we had a great sailing day. At 1330 our anchor was set in this narrow, V-shaped cove at the northern tip of Isla Partida called, either Ensenada El Embudo or El Embulo depending on which chart you’re looking at. We’re going with Embudo. You could probably squeeze 2 boats in here though it would be cozy. Fortunately, we are the only boat here today. If you have the time and interest, have a Google Earth look at this location, it’s pretty cool. We are at 24 34′.881N, 110 23′.977W in 27′ of green water over sand. The pool is a chilly 70F while the OAT is 84F. The S breeze that blew us up here continues managing 8 to 12kts inside the cove where we are. We will move again tomorrow and, based upon the wind projections we’re thinking the E side of Isla San Francisco will likely be our best bet. But we will have to see what tomorrow looks like when it gets here. Hasta manana, everyone.

Greeting Farkwarians, it is Saturday, May 30, 2020 and all is well here on Milagro. Especially so as we have actually cast off the lines and gotten ourselves underway. While today we only went a short distance outside of the La Paz channel, we are “out here” again – finally. Our plan is to continue our slow march north tomorrow, anchor hopping as we go. Tomorrow night should be Bahia Embuje on the NW point of Isla Partida then Monday either the north side of Isla San Francisco or Punta Muchado. Tuesday could be Los Gatos then Wednesday Agua Verde or we might make a longer day of it an leap all the way to Bahia Candeleros. We are aiming for a comfortable and pleasant, unrushed journey. Conditions during this time are forecast to be mostly light and mostly from the SW which may not produce many sailing opportunities but, at the same time, should not be rowdy. At 1248MDT our anchor was set in Bahia Falsa at 24 15′.528N, 110 19′.059W in 24′ over sand/gravel. The water temp is 74F, vis is about 10′ and it’s a bit green. OAT is 81F and the breeze is making 8kts from the SW. More tomorrow.

Greetings, Farkwar Friends. It is May 27, 2020 and all is well on the Milagro. We have finally returned to her and have spent the past few days in a slip at Marina De La Paz scraping several months of dirt from her and addressing a few projects. With only a few open issues to settle we reckon to get underway in the next few days. The COVID-19 thing has affected everyone in various ways and for us, our cruising patterns have been thrown out of whack. Our aim now is to resume our normal annual pattern: sail Mexico through the end of June, play stateside with the motorhome until sometime around the end of October then return to Milagro and cruise until June again. It’s been our routine for several years now. With that in mind, we should be able to enjoy about a month of normal cruising as we slowly gunkhole our way from La Paz to San Carlos. Most of that time will likely be in the greater Loreto area for all of the great anchorages and other benefits there. Mexico is still very much locked down but there is hope, and some expectation, the restrictions may begin easing in June. We hope so, for us but mostly for the poor folks here who rely on the informal economy for their very existence. Of course, we will resume our normal progress reports as soon as we’ve actually gotten ourselves underway so stay tuned. Hasta pronto, y’all.