With a 4:30pm departure we left in calm conditions and other than large fishing boats returning and rolling us around it was a mellow ease into the passage. The chicken we picked up was devoured and shortly thereafter Vicki and Jack headed down to rest. I enjoyed the nice conditions (the reason we are doing a night passage is to increase the odds of an easy move north) and watched a beautiful moon rise directly in front of us. Soon enough Jack came and took over. About an hour into his shift we turned north into the Sea and then the rollercoaster began. It was an odd one, not bashing but two smaller rolls front to back followed by a huge drop of the box that felts just like a roller coaster. My best guess is that it was not wind or swell related but due to the converging currents. This lasted for about an hour before we were back to mellow motoring towards Bahia Frailes. Around 1:00am Vicki woke me up and we ghosted into the anchorage dropping the anchor just about where we dropped six years ago. Off to bed we all went, tired from the long day and night.
I woke up and watched the sunrise – something I always look forward to on the Baja. I tried to get back to sleep but it wasn’t happening. After giving up I launched the kayak and headed for shore. Not much of a plan other than to walk the beach soon turned into climbing the hills overlooking the bay. Not many had hiked it yet this year and that resulted in a hard to follow trail that took some effort and a number of retracing my steps but eventually I made it to the top for a gorgeous view and a cooler breeze – it is hot here! The trip down was easier with still a few deviations and a big mistake brushing against some sort of stinging nettle plant. Oops. Back to the water to wash away the stinging and cool off.
A long nap followed, and oh did I wake up feeling refreshed. Just what I needed some hard exercise (the hike made me accept that I’m out of shape) and deep sleep. Time for a snorkel, we piled into the dinghy and headed to a mark diving area. With the dinghy in tow, we hugged the shore and enjoyed a nice view with a big range of fish plus a nurse shark that Jack was able to spot. Super cool surprise. A team effort on dinner with a glutenous brats, sauerkraut, beets, salad, and drumroll please…tater tots! The air fryer is such a great addition along with the double induction cooktop.
Day two, was a sunrise hike up the hill. Vicki had planned to make it with me but she crashed hard last night so I let her sleep. It was so much easier than yesterday with my additional cairns I placed and a bit more tracked down trail. The highlight – other that the sunrise and spotting a small deer – was my time at the top. I sat and watched the wildlife around me for nearly an hour recording all that I saw. Such a great way to connect with nature. Back to the beach I helped a woman and her mother find the trail, she was using All Trails and it was directing her to the wrong place that would not have worked out well.
Back aboard it was time for breakfast, it was a full American breakfast with bacon, potatoes, an egg, and toast. Just what I needed. Jack and Vicki left for some exploring and I took a short nap and worked on finishing my book – I’m so close! With a night passage ahead I tried my best to rest up and skipped the afternoon snorkel but I did ferry Jack and Vicki around the corner and then picked them up forty-five minutes later. With that our time in Bahia Frailes was winding down, following showers we took to prepping for the passage. The temperature has been in the low nineties, so we held off on taking down the sun shades and bug screens until just before we depart.
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