I had everything squared away for the passage and was waiting for Kevin to paddle out for a quick tour. Around quarter to eight I pinged him on WhatsApp, good thing I did, because he was actually waiting on me. We spent some time aboard Strikhedonia, doing some show‑and‑tell and letting him reminisce about his old 1160. But with the infamous whale channel ahead, there wasn’t much time to linger. By about 8:30, I was headed north.
The start was mellow, and I was hoping it would stay that way. But rounding the entrance to Bahía LA, I spotted whitecaps and wind building ahead. I shifted toward the western side of the channel to tuck behind the islands and get some protection from the west wind. It topped out around 18 knots, and once I cleared the bay it eased off, turning into a relaxed motorsail north. I made plenty of water, knowing a deep clean was coming, and dropped the sails just before the pinnacle rock where the turn leads into the anchorage.
Threading through the gap between Isla Mejía and Isla Ángel, I came around the corner and found four other yachts already settled in. With wind on the way, I chose the eastern side of the anchorage to avoid the venturi effect from the low spot in the island. Strikhedonia needed a serious scrub, so I jumped straight into it under the hot afternoon sun. Not exactly fun, but finishing with a clean deck felt worth it.
No Comments