We knew the waves and wind would make for a fun passage from Isla San Francisco to Playa Bonanza, so there wasn’t much of surprise as we got out of the wind shadow and into the full force of the boisterous conditions. I’d call it 6-8 foot tightly packed seas but hey at least they were somewhat following. We were able to sail with just the jib, so that was a plus. Overall it was uneventful and once we rounded the point into the anchorage the waves subsided – the winds, not so much.
We dropped anchor in the good holding sand and watched the wind blow 22 knots, gusting to 28. With no waves it was comfortable sitting in the saloon where we enjoyed a bit of lunch and a beer. As the afternoon wore on we decided to kayak into shore for a walk on the beach. This plan was quickly gutted when I stepped outside and realized it would be brutally tough to paddle to shore, so down came the dinghy. Happy to have the ease of the outboard bringing us to the beach. We cruised down the beach enjoying the sand between our toes. Just like in the spring, we had this huge area all to ourselves. One miscalculation made was how hard it would be to walk back (since it was into the wind), with the darkness quickly approaching we took to jogging to make a little extra headway against the wind. Whew, it was exhausting but we persevered and finally reached the dinghy.
The next day was a prep day for our crossing that night. Top off the fuel tanks. Engine checks. Radar reflector hung. Check Nav lights. And all the rest. Boxes checked we made a picnic lunch and off we went to a small protected beach. It was nice to get a break from the wind and enjoy the warm sun. After lunch, I bushwacked up the hills while Jean took advantage of the flat beach for some yoga. It was a great chance for some exercise before heading back to the boat to rest up for our late night departure.
No Comments