Baja Bash Wrap-Up

We have completed the dreaded Baja Bash! I have been agonizing over this trip for weeks and it turns out that by going at the right time of year and with good weather windows, it doesn't really have to be much of a bash at all. We actually had a rather good time except for the fact that it was quite chilly at night (anything below 70 feels like the dead of winter now) and we had to motor the entire time.

We left Turtle Bay three days ago in the evening with a very short weather window to go to Ensenada. The next opportunity to make the trip north was at least a week away and we were not about to get pooped on for another week - it seems that Turtle Bay's bird population greatly outnumbers its human population and they are all looking for a place to s(h)it.

According to stormsurf the wind would not start to pick up for a couple of days. And even then nothing over 11 knots. We especially needed very light winds for the first part of the passage as we would be passing several capes and a couple of channels, one of which is nicknamed the "washing machine".

Punta Eugenia and Canal de Dewey slowed our speed to nearly 3 knots due to a falling tide. We made it across the washing machine (Canal de Keller) with just a gentle corkscrew motion and when we reached the dreaded Punta Norte we had mirror calm seas. The last hurdle was Bahia Vizcaino of which the author of The Baja Bash has this to say: "Maybe you'll get lucky on your crossing and find calm conditions but its never happened to me." Mind you this is not a small bay and reading this made me nervous. We had calm seas for the entire 100 miles!

On our last full day at sea the wind picked up in the afternoon and blew around 10-12 knots on the bow most of the night. Couple that with a 6 foot falling tide (which pushed us south) and we were only making 3.5 knots. Now it's 6am, we're making an easy 5 knots on calm seas and are less than 20 miles from Ensenada where we will check out of Mexico and wait for another weather window to make the short hop to San Diego. There we will look for jobs and try to sell Camille.

Not that we're experts now but our advice for anyone yet to make the Bash: wait until July, pick good weather windows and get the book* - it has great advice on timing and lots of anchorage options in case the weather report was a little off. Leaving right after a hurricane was a bit scary but it gave us following seas for the first half of our journey.

* we were in no way compensated for this post. We merely think that our trip would not have gone as smoothly without the book or the weather-website.

Checking for tangled seaweed in Turtle Bay

Getting fuel in Turtle Bay

Have I mentioned that it has gotten progressively colder?!! 

The bustling metropolis of Turtle Bay

The reason we didn't want to stay longer 

Turtle Bay fuel and dinghy dock

"Bashing" up the Baja

What kind of sea turtle? We saw lots of these. Much smaller than the ones further south.

Fin Whale? Blue Whale? Much bigger than humpies or greys

Our escort into Ensenada

The sun came out for our arrival. We had cloudy skies the entire Bash so it was a welcome sight.

More Than Half Way!

Baja Bash Days Three to Six 

We made it to Turtle Bay this morning! It felt great to turn off the engine after three days of constant noise. We left Mag Bay late in the evening to have an early morning transit of Cape San Lazaro in calm seas - it was so calm we didn't even notice we were rounding a cape.

So far we have been very lucky with the weather. Nothing but big long swells and less than 5 knots of wind. We haven't sailed a single mile but we're not complaining - considering the alternative would probably be bashing into wind and waves. Now it's back to checking the weather and waiting for the next window to head to Ensenada - 270 miles to the north. From there it's just a quick day sail to San Diego.

So far the wind forecasts have been very accurate - we hope it wasn't a fluke. According to The Baja Bash the next leg of this journey is supposed to be the most challenging as it has several capes (on the Baja peninsula and islands just off the coast) and one very windy channel we have to transit. Right now it looks like we might be here for a few days.

Please note that Camille is/will be for sale when we get to San Diego!

Coming into Mag Bay

Abandoned Whaling Station in Mag Bay

Whale Bones in Man-of-War Cove (Mag Bay)

Diesel delivery in Mag Bay

Calm seas

Yellowfin Tuna for dinner!

Oh, the water color (un-edited/un-enhanced photo)

We passed at least a hundred of these (anchored in depths of 300-400 feet)

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Bahia de Tortuga (Turtle Bay) early morning fog

Bahia de Tortuga (Turtle Bay)

Radar Love

Baja Bash :: Days One to Three

We are currently anchored in Magdalena Bay. About one quarter of the way to Ensenada (about 800 miles in total). We are here to get some diesel (being delivered right now*) and to wait for another weather window.

We departed Cabo at 5am to catch the morning calm to round Cabo Falso. As the sun came up we watched a 20 foot swell (a gift from hurricane Cosme) pound the cape.

Once we rounded the corner we had huge following seas and a nice tailwind (thanks Cosme!) for most of the morning. Leaving after the hurricane was perfect timing as the normal weather pattern brings headwinds, and seas and current on the bow. The rest of the day and throughout the night we had virtually no wind until we got close to Mag Bay yesterday afternoon.

What we did have was lots and lots of fog. Boy are we grateful to have a radar! We love it almost as much as we love our autopilot!

While we were happily motoring along I saw what looked like a shark fin moving through the water. As it came closer we started seeing white spots and realized it was a whale shark!! All year we had been hoping to see a whale shark in the Sea of Cortez and we finally got our wish out in the Pacific.

There have been a lot of questions of why we would wait until hurricane season to make our way up the coast. While we don't feel relaxed about being out here during hurricane season we waited until now because summertime brings much more settled weather (aside from hurricanes of course). Early in the season most hurricanes head west and after we reach Turtle Bay (another 200 miles) we're pretty much in the clear anyway.  This time of year we have a much better chance of getting light winds and calm seas.

If you're planning on bashing up the Baja peninsula be sure to check out the book The Baja Bash.

* To get fuel delivered in Mag Bay simply anchor in front of the little town in Man-of-War Cove and wait for a panga to approach. They will take your empty fuel cans and bring them back full. And then they will ask for a little bakshish - like T-shirts or flashlights.


Please note that Camille is/will be for sale when we get to San Diego!

Sand Storm in Turtle Bay

The day we had planned on leaving Turtle Bay (on a good weather forecast) a wicked sand storm blew in from the east. It lasted for two days and sand got into every nook and cranny on board.

One of our neighbors, who also didn't know what was coming, had secured his dinghy by simply hanging it from a halyard - something a lot of people do. Take a look at how his dinghy beats into this boat. Luckily, he was able to wrestle the dinghy aboard and secure it on deck before any damage occurred.

The video is a bit jumpy since our boat was moving around pretty good in the chop but it gives you a good idea on why not to do this.

Turtle Bay

After a two day, three night sail we arrived in Turtle Bay at first light. It's only about 200 miles south of Ensenada but when you are moving at 4-5 knots things tend to take a little longer.

Turtle Bay seen from our anchorage

The dinghy and fuel dock

The abandoned fish factory

The lone sailboat in the distance is Camille