Author Archives: Michael

Today is Wednesday, 25 April,’18, and things are good here on the Milagro. Last evening a bit of red tide moved into the anchorage at Los Gatos which settled the “should we stay or should we go” question for us. It wasn’t a full scale event and it’s not like it smells or that we planned to go swimming but it IS unsightly and that was excuse enough for us. Winds in this area are still light and variable and the seas flat as a fritter but I suppose that beats wild and wooly by any measure so we are fine with that. We ended up gliding right past Agua Verde and landed instead at Bahia de Los Candeleros. This is the bay at the south end of the greater Loreto Bay area and also the location of the very swanky Villa del Palmar resort. Assuming conditions remain benign we will hang here for a couple of days, probably going ashore tomorrow to enjoy the pools and other amenities of the resort. VDP is a time share property and we happen to be owners, or is it members? Whatever, that sometimes gains us a little extra respect, other times, not so much. We’ll soon see how things are this time. In any case, we have cell coverage again so can do normal email as well as voice calls again. The OAT now is 83F, the pool is 72F and the wind continues to howl out of the North at 2 to 3 knts. We’ll have an update for you when next we fold our tent and move along. Hasta luego for now.

It is Tuesday, 24 April, 2018, and all is well here on Milagro. This morning we departed San Evaristo under a wildly colorful sunrise and motored our way North to Pto. Los Gatos. The sea was millpond flat and what breeze there was hovered around 3kts – first from the S then the N then finally the NE. At 1117MDT we set the anchor at Los Gatos at 25 18.128’N 110 56.760’W in 14′ over sand. The water remains flat calm and has warmed to 74F. OAT is 79F and we still have that NE breeze screaming through the anchorage at 3 to 4 knots. On the beach here there is an adventure group camped with their colorful tents and kayaks. These groups are not uncommon in this general area, many are traveling via ocean kayak and some, like we suspect of this group, travel from beach to beach by panga (not enough kayaks on the beach for them all to be traveling that way). Both types have support via pangas carrying food, supplies and some of the camping gear. In fact, we saw a group of ocean kayakers pause briefly at San Evaristo yesterday afternoon on their way to some destination south of there. Yes, the sand beaches here, like beaches amost everywhere, harbor plenty of sand fleas and other biting creatures. It might be fun if your idea of fun is to paddle all day then sleep in the sand at night before doing it all over again the next day. I think we’ll pass. Not sure if we will hang here for a couple of days or move on again tomorrow but we’ll let you know if we relocate.

It is Monday, 23 April 2018 and all is fine here. The weekend at Caleta Partida was indeed fun. At one point we counted 29 boats in the anchorage and many of them joined us on the beach Saturday night. There was a great potluck spread, lots of visiting and, of course, the bonfire. We enjoyed connecting with old friends as well as making a few new ones. Most cleared out during Sunday and by this morning we left only 7 boats in the anchorage. Today we were sent off on our passage by several sea turtles in Caleta Partida (they are almost constantly visible there), along the way observed 2 or 3 whales moving on an opposite course about a quarter mile off our port side and then, on our approach into San Evaristo, we were welcomed by a pod of dophins. It’s nice to see so much sea life. Now we are settled in San Evaristo at 24 54.595’N, 110 42.366’W in 15′ over sand. Water vis is just good enough to see the anchor land on the bottom of the pool which is 73F. Warmer than it has been but not quite warm enough for us to swim voluntarily just yet. OAT is 79F and there is a NW wind running 10 kts. We have cruising friends who have adopted this little fishing village and recently have decided to sell their boat and move ashore here. They’ve arranged for a local family to fix a dinner for the cruisers here tonight – there are 4 boats now. San Evaristo has no formal restaurant – it is a tiny place at the end of 75 miles of bad dirt road from La Paz but Charlotte and Steve (SV Willful Simplicity) have some pull with the locals. It’s nice to have friends in high places, eh? Manana we continue moving north up the San Jose channel.

It is Thursday, 19 April 2018 and all is well here. Today we moved north about 15nm into the anchorage called Caleta Partida on Isla Espiritu Santo. Light SW winds accompanied by 2′, closely spaced, SW seas made broad reach sailing slow and uncomfortable so the passage became a motorboat ride. We are anchored now at 24 31.995’N 110 22.690’W in 20′ over sand. The pool is 70F with about 15′ visibility. OAT is 80F and 44% humid. Wind SW @6kts. The moment we finished anchoring we were greeted by a sea turtle who surfaced right alongside us to check us out. We usually see turtles here but it’s nice to be welcomed in that way. There is a group cruise out coming here tomorrow from La Paz so we will soon be joined by a small fleet. Group activities planned for the weekend include beach bocce ball, pot luck dinner and a bonfire. We might even see a card game break out. We know most of these folks so it’s no accident that we are here for the fun. On Sunday or Monday we aim to continue north to the small fishing village of San Evaristo.

It is 1430MDT on Wednesday, 18April2018. By now this has become a familiar routine. Go some place, like La Paz, stay a long time, finally get going and immediately wonder why you couldn’t have done it sooner. Today, after 4 months and 3 days we finally achieved terminal velocity and escaped the strong gravitational pull of La Paz. Of course, we enjoyed our entire time there and even managed to complete many projects including some pretty big ones. The sailing gods celebrated our escape by providing 12-14 kts of North wind which meant we could sail in the La Paz channel on a beam reach. Within moments of clearing the marina we were making 6.5kts under main and reefed jib on flat water. Sweet. Now, this channel changes courses and our destination was due North once out of the channel so the glory didn’t last quite an hour. Still, it was a very nice way to transition from floating condo back into a sailboat. We are now settled for the night at Caleta Lobos at 24 18.023’N 110 20.130’W in 15′ over sand. The wind remains from the N at 10-14kts while the OAT is 76F. The pool is still a bit chilly at 71F. There is good protection here from the North so the water is flat andour conditions are very comfortable. We aim to move a little further North tomorrow to one of the anchorages on Isla Espiritu Santo then, on Friday, move into Caleta Partida on that same island. Welcome back everyone.

It is Wednesday, 12/13/17 and all is well here. The marina informed us yesterday that our slip would become available to us today so we’ve made the move. At 1315MST we were secured into slip 218 at Marina De La Paz at 24 09.305’N, 110 19.576’W. OAT is 80F and it’s 73F in the pool, humidity is 57% and we are under a 100% overcast. We intend to remain here through the Holidays and for some time after the first of the year. Although a specific date for departure has not yet been set I reckon it will fall somewhere between Mar 1 and April 15. Of course, we’ll figure that out when we get closer. In the meantime, the projects list has grown quite long so working through that will keep at least one of us off of the streets and out of the bars. Well, off of the streets anyway. As for Judy, you can imagine her playing cards almost every day with dominoes and ‘lady’s luncheons’ thrown in for variety. I know, it’s a tough deal but she claims someone has to do it. While here in LP we have really good internet and reliable phone service which makes it easy to stay in touch and connected with everyone. Since we aren’t out and about cruising, the Farkwar updates will cease until we’re back out there but, you know how reach us. Thanks for cruising along with us.

It is Monday, 12/11/17, and all is good here on Milagro. We’ve spent the last week at Caleta Partida while a bunch of North wind blew thru the area. Many boats in other, nearby, anchorages reported winds as strong as 45kts during those days and we even heard a report of 68kts a little further North at Puerto Escondido but the strongest we saw was 37kts. Most of that time it was more like 15kts gusting to 25 but our location had good protection from the North so the seas remained pretty flat for us. We did quite a bit of reading and Judy watched an insane number of Hallmark Christmas and Holiday themed movies. Over the last 2 days the winds have moderated considerably and today we enjoyed a very nice sail down to Bahia Falsa which is very near to La Paz. At 1150MST our anchor was set in 31′ over sand at 24 15.418’N, 110 19.158’W. OAT is 78F and the pool is 75F. There is a N wind running 9-12kts but, once again, we are well protected from that direction so the water is flat and all is really very comfortable. From here we will make Milagro ready for marina life (floating condo vs actual sailboat) and coordinate our arrival into Marina La Paz for sometime this week. I’ll let you know when we make that transition.

It is Sunday, 12/3/17, and everthing is good here. We moved today to an anchorage on Isla Espiritu Santo called Ensenada Grande. The water was as flat as a millpond all day but we had enough of a small breeze through most of the day for motorsailing. Not enough for pure sailing unless we wanted the passage to take several days but enough to get a little assistance from the main sail. We are settled for tonight at 24 33.571’N, 110 23.844’W in 23′ of clear water over a bottom of white shells. The OAT is 80F and it’s 80F in the pool. There is now an 8kt breeze from the NE but the water is flat as we are tucked up close in a cove on the SE part of this very large anchorage. We are connecting here with friends for whom we have brought things from the States and tomorrow we’ll move around the corner to the anchorage at Caleta Partida. We will join other friends there and sit out this next Norther.

Happy Birthday, Mr. S!

It is still Saturday, 2/12/17, and things remain good here. We completed today’s 50nm passage and are now peacefully anchored in Puerto Los Gatos. We’ve anchored here several times over the years and have yet to see any cats so we don’t know what they were thinking when naming this place but we still keep a sharp eye out. You know cats, they’ll let us see them when they’re darned good and ready. At 1527MST the anchor was set in 12′ over sand at 25 18.126’N, 110 56.747’W. The OAT is 82F, it’s 60% humid and it’s 79F in the pool. There’s a strong wind blowing from the NE at 2 to 3 kts. Right, hang on to your hats, eh? The sea is flat and the sky is 100% overcast by a layer of stratocirrus. It’s all very peaceful and comfortable. We’ll be underway again first thing tomorrow morning bound (probably) for one of the anchorages on Isla Espiritu Santo and it will be another long one – about 10nm longer than today. There a several anchorages on that island with good protection from northerly weather and we will decide when we get there which one we prefer. Hasta manana, y’all.

It is Saturday, 12/2/17, and all is well here on Milagro. Yesterday we moved from Pto. Ballandra to Loreto to get some laundry done and pick up a few provisions. This morning we left Loreto a little before 0700 for points south. A bit of a Norther is expected to move through these waters Tuesday through Thursday and we would rather wait it out at one of the anchorages nearer to La Paz than here in the Loreto area. It is ideal trawler conditions with flat, mostly glassy, seas and less than 5kts of breeze, when there is even THAT much. And, while we would much rather sail, 25-30kts of wind and the sea conditions that come with winds like that here, is just a little more “sporting” than we care for. Our destination today is Puerto Los Gatos where we will RON before continuing on south tomorrow. Currently at 25 33.977’N, 111 01.315’W making 6kts. It’s 82F under mostly cloudy skies and the sea is flat but for a small, wide spaced NW swell that has just come up in the last 30 minutes.