Mike on his way ...

[Sven]

I guess Mike is on his way.

I wonder what kind of boat he's crewing on ?

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/around-town/events/Baja-Ha-Ha-105729318.html





-Sven

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Well here's the roster that lists the boats and probably just the owner's. I don't see a crew listing.

http://www.baja-haha.com/Alumni/2010Roster.html

 

[Sven]

Thanks Jeff.

Found these Ericsons on the list:

• Rambler Ericson 32 Tom Bradley & Linda Hackett Corona del Mar
• Touchrain Ericson 38 Michael & Jan Wilson Olympia, WA
• Peregrine Spirit Ericson 380 Tony & Kathleen Van Houweling San Diego

-Sven

 

[Mikebat]

I crewed on the Oday 28 "Althea", skipper Shawn Passeri. What a great experience!

Navionics track on Google Maps

Weird weather followed us all the way. Baja California has also suffered a cold cloudy summer. Water at Turtle Bay was only 64 F. Bahia Santa Maria, 67. On the first leg, we had about 24 hours of Point Conception conditions: 12-15 ft long-period swell from the NE, winds 25 kts+ directly from the north, creating 5-7 ft steep and short-period quartering waves mixed in. On the second leg, we had about 36 more hours of the same washing machine conditions. It began making me angry. I wanted to punch something! Fortunately Turtle Bay harbor gave us a break, and it was mostly calm and warm and sunny while we were there. But the marine layer moved in the night before we left. The locals were like "WTF?" Then the anchorage at Bahia Santa Maria was doing its best impression of Hurricane Gulch starting about 2pm each afternoon we were there. I think the most common phrase heard in either Spanish or English during the trip was "I've never seen it like this here."

But the old man had one more trick up his sleeve. As we rounded Cabo Falso for the home stretch, we were assaulted by an out of season easterly at 30 kts+ right on the nose, and short choppy seas and a contrary current. Several smaller boats wound up anchoring behind Cabo Falso for a day or two because they were unable to make headway towards Land's End. We had to motorsail and tack upwind, as the engine alone wasn't enough to move the boat forward against that mess. Of course, this meant that the anchorage off Medano Beach was now a lee shore, instead of a windward one. And the marina filled up fast. The next nearest refuge was 30 miles upwind. What a circus! Everybody who had to anchor put out lots and lots of chain, and I only heard of one boat dragging anchor, but some nearby Ha-Ha people got aboard and saved it.

Shawn's boat held up really well. He has been sailing all his life in the Delta, SF Bay and off the California coast. We only had minor mechanical problems that were easily repaired or worked around. But what meant the most to me was that when things got squirrely, I knew just what to do and I wanted to do it it about the same time Shawn did. So I feel very much more confident in my sailing abilities considering Shawn's much longer experience with sailing in marginal weather.

And my boat will seem like a real luxury yacht compared to that Oday 28, let me tell you.... Whew!

 

[Sven]

Welcome back !

Sounds like a somewhat harrowing trip ?

Bet Starbuck was happy to see you back too.



-Sven

 

[Mikebat]

Harrowing?! I had the time of my life!

 

[Mikebat]

Yep, the forecast below is about what we faced. Heading downwind and down swell at 5-6 knots, I saw the anemometer register 31 knots relative gusts all the time. The GPS registered a 13.8 knot peak surf speed on one of my watches, too. I didn't feel in danger at all, just really uncomfortable and cranky after hours of boat motion in these conditions.

Of course, the forecast below is certainly conservative and I would expect probably a lot worse conditions actually exist in the Channel Islands right now than what we went through down south. For one, it was a lot warmer and easier to sit out in the cockpit on watch and endure the occasional splash or spray in the waters off Baja than those off Point Conception. So I am not going to go run out there to sail in it on purpose, thanks very much.

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
827 PM PST MON NOV 8 2010

POINT PIEDRAS BLANCAS TO SAN MATEO POINT CA OUT 60NM INCLUDING THE
CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

PZZ670-091100-
WATERS FROM PT. PIEDRAS BLANCAS TO PT. ARGUELLO AND WESTWARD 60 NM-
827 PM PST MON NOV 8 2010

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...NW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 35 KT
BECOMING N 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 9 TO 12 FT
DOMINANT PERIOD 12 SECONDS.
.TUE...NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 35 KT. COMBINED
SEAS 9 TO 11 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 12 SECONDS.
.TUE NIGHT...NW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT
AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 8 TO 10 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 12
SECONDS.
.WED...NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS 7 TO 9 FT.
.WED NIGHT...N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT INCREASING TO 25 TO 30 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 10 TO 12 FT.
.THU...N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO AROUND 15 KT. COMBINED
SEAS 9 TO 11 FT.
.FRI...N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 5 TO 7 FT.
.SAT...N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 7 TO 9 FT.

And there it is again, in the same place. I think the puntas in Baja can be as nasty as Point Conception.

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Good for you Mike! I haven't been it weather like that since I used to sail the Channel Islands 9 years ago. I look forward to hearing more now that you are in a slip just across the way from me.

Congratulations on a safe passage. Where are Shawn and his boat now? 13.8 knots, Wow!

 

[Mikebat]

Shawn is heading to La Paz for a couple of weeks, and then down the Mexico coast and on to Costa Rica and Panama. Then he wants to look for a boat down there to cross the Pacific to French Polynesia, and then back to Hawaii and San Francisco.

 

[Sven]

Shawn is heading to La Paz for a couple of weeks, and then down the Mexico coast and on to Costa Rica and Panama. Then he wants to look for a boat down there to cross the Pacific to French Polynesia, and then back to Hawaii and San Francisco.

Great plan. The route is one we have been considering, maybe further north first before SF.



-Sven