While it is great to be here in Topolobampo, it is time to think about getting ready to move on. We are paid up here through Saturday, and plan to head to Mazatlan then. Although since that is but two days away, we may not get ready in time. But it really doesn't matter - the cruising life is pretty flexible. You have to be, since the weather is really in control, rather than you. I am looking forward to the passage - it is just over 200 miles and we think it will take about 2 days, depending on the wind, the waves, the currents, and a few other things that can crop up. The engine has been perfect since we got it fixed by Omar in San Carlos - and I am hoping against hope that it stays fixed. In the past, I have had experience with cars getting fixed when the fixes only lasted for awhile. But Mike is optimistic and so am I. It is such a comfort to know your engine will start when you want it to and will not start smoking or run away at bad times.
Some of you may wonder why I make such a fuss about the engine when we have a sail boat rather than a powerboat. There are some people who sail all over the world without an engine. I admire them and salute them, but that is not for me. There are times when an engine is necessary. One of them is entering harbors, especially ones with tricky entrances. It is also much easier to get into slips with an engine. The engine charges the batteries quicker and more efficiently than our generator. And when we were getting pushed sideways towards shore by a strong current, we were able to use our engine to correct that. If we hadn't had the engine then, things could have gotten very difficult. Additionally, if there is no wind and you really need (or just really want) to move faster, you can do that. The engine uses its fuel very well - we use about one half a gallon per hour. Since we have a 70 gallon tank and more diesel stored in jerrycans on deck, we could motor for quite a long time if we had to. But we do prefer to sail whenever we can. We are willing to drift along quite slowly under normal circumstances. There are cruisers who adhere to the "Four Knot" rule, which means they use the engine every time they drop below four knots per hour. I am usually well satisfied with three knots anytime, and even one if we are not in a hurry to get somewhere. In fact, we try to limit our scheduling, as you are more likely to get in trouble if you feel like you absolutely must be somewhere by a certain date or time.
Right now Mike is helping Sundancer work on their wind generator, and I am about to go over and say hello to another boat that just came in. We have been crossing paths with this other boat all summer, and got to know them while in San Carlos. They have a big, really fancy boat they had custom made. Quite impressive. They also rescued an aquaintence's boat when the aquaintence was unable to sail where he needed to go due to currents and his engine had failed. They towed him about 15 miles to San Carlos. We passed him, but our engine was not working well at that time and would not be strong enough to tow him anyway, as his boat is bigger than ours. I still don't completely understand why he was having so much trouble sailing, although we did have to sail sort of into the wind, and his boat doesn't do that as well as ours does. Our boat does really well with that - we can sail at a lot closer angles than other boats can. Speaking of sailing techniques, I have been reading this guy's account of his single handed sail around the southern ocean, and he talked about sailing with only his genoa (A big jib or foresail and we have one) when the wind is astern because the mainsail blocks the wind and causes the genoa to fill and then collapse. We have been frustrated by this very problem, but did not realize what was causing it or what to do. It is so simple I am amazed we did not figure it out ourselves. We have often sailed with just the genoa or just the main when the winds were high, but did not think of using the genoa only when the wind is from the back. Even if it doesn't increase the speed, it makes for a more comfortable sail without having the sails slatting all over the place. I am looking forward to trying it out.
We have learned so much this summer that I feel like a different person than I did when we left Mazatlan in June (or was it July?). When we leave Mazatlan in December to head south, we will be sailing in Pacific Ocean waters, and I am curious to see how they willl differ from Sea of Cortez waters. There will be more room to build up waves in the Pacific, but uinlike the sea, you might be able to change course and avoid some problems. There is no place to escape to in the Sea, because it is long and narrow. But I suppose really big waves can build in the Pacific. We did sail the Pacific from San Diego to Mazatlan, but we didn't know what we were doing compared to now.
By the way, Mike's scampi was awesome. I ate a ton of shrimp and we have more that we can cook up later as we bought two kilos, which is about four pounds. I wish the US used the same measurements as the rest of the world - I think I am too old and slow to learn the new ones. But at least I got that one straight. I think a knot is just over a mile, and knot is short for nautical mile. A meter is about a yard. But I still have no understanding of centigrade temperature as it relates to farenheit, other than to know that 100 degrees is boiling, and 0 degrees is freezing. It seems to make more sense.
Anyway, I am starting to babble. I am having a great time and a great day, and I wish everyone the same.
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