October 27, 2026
I was up before sunrise, eager to watch the morning light from the top of the boat. I climbed up, and less than a minute later, retreated right back inside. Jejenes (biting midges) and gnats were out in massive abundance. Fuck. Oh well—they usually bugger off by mid-morning. Once Jack was up, he suggested getting underway for Bahía de Los…
October 26, 2026
More to come on the boat work… For now, I’m picking up with our departure from Penasco. We caught a good weather window for mellow conditions on the passage down to Refugio. After an early dinner at Pedro’s, it was straight to bed ahead of our midnight departure. I heard Jack rumbling around before my alarm went off. It was…
May 16, 2026
High seas drama, I mean it is cruising so that goes with the territory… The day began with a hike. I’ve explored the area behind the beach before, but only about a mile inland. This time, my goal was to cross to a beach on the west side of the island (I’m anchored on the north side). The hike was…
May 11, 2026
The morning felt perfect for fishing. I’ve always had good luck here, but with brand-new, untested lures, it was anyone’s guess. I motored to my favorite spot and began trolling, back and forth, adjusting depths, swapping lures, waiting for a strike. Finally, I got a hit and landed a cabrilla. Relief washed over me. A few more passes brought in…
May 8, 2026
I made the mistake years ago of attempting a night passage to San Francisquito. Almost every evening, a strong west wind funnels out of Bahía San Carlos, and that crossing turned into a miserable passage. These days, I wait for a calm daytime weather window, and this time, I got exactly that. If I’m being particular, there was some uncomfortable…
May 4, 2026
The wind patterns had been steady all week, so I aimed to secure a slip in Santa Rosalia before 10 a.m., if one was available. From Punta Chivato, the 35‑mile run would be tough, so I chose Isla San Marcos instead, leaving a shorter 21‑mile leg for tomorrow. The passage north was manageable, though the first half was a slog…
May 3, 2026
As the sun rose and the morning offshore breeze picked up, I thought, “Hot damn, let’s sail!” So off to Punta Chivato I went. The wind was light, but with only ten miles ahead, I was content with anything over two knots. For about an hour I was making 4.1 knots and feeling good…until the wind died and I had…
May 1, 2026
Up early to beat the heat, I set out on the hike to the hills overlooking the area. I’d done this trail on past visits, but it had been long enough that I’d forgotten how strenuous it was—basically straight up a wash. Much of the climb was over rocks, giving my ankles a workout. I pushed on, stopping only for…
April 29, 2026
The north wind had been blowing hard every day, leaving only calm, quiet nights. The forecast looked a little better, though not great, for a sixty‑mile run. To stack the odds, I set off at 12:30am, just after midnight. With a nearly full moon, it was easy to slip out of the anchorage and make the left turn. For a…
April 28, 2026
After a nice trip north I settled in for a few days in San Juanico knowing that I had a big project to cross off the list – installing the refrigerator door frame. I enjoyed my first sunrise before spending six hours knocking out the bulk of that project. In the afternoon, to get out of the wind noise and…
April 23, 2026
I have the hikes I like to do at each anchorage and the hill overlooking the entrance to Agua Verde is a short but fun one. The rock climb up to the top at the end is skipped by most due to the risk of falling but not by this guy. Truth be told, it was sketcher than I remembered…
April 21, 2026
A pre-sunrise hike to the top of the hill overlooking Strikhedonia was a perfect start to the day. The colors popped and I relaxed taking in the views of Los Gatos for the last time this season. Then it was back aboard and moving north just a short three miles to Punta San Telmo. I had not stopped here before…