1/1/2009 10pm PST
I'm about half-way across Bahia Vizcaino, and although the swells are bigger than I'd hoped, at least I'm hitting them at a diagonal rather than going right at them or having them hit me square on the beam. And because I've also slowed down significantly (I'm only doing about 5 knots), the jarring landings after leaping off the back of a swell are only coming once every minute or so. The wind direction, however, couldn't be worse, so I'm continuing to motor-sail almost directly into it. I could tack 40 degrees to either side, true, and that's what a true sailor would do if he weren't in a hurry, but I am in a hurry. This is a relocation, after all, and I *really* need to get to San Diego (or L.A.?) and get on with the thing where I work 40-60 hours a week and get comfortable and settled again.I considered stopping in Las Islas San Benito, which is a set of three islands about fifteen miles west of Isla Cedros, but in the end I passed them by after studying the weather again and deciding that I'd prefer tonight's 10-15 knot winds on my nose rather than the 15-20 knot winds predicted for tomorrow night and the night after. I still can't check out of Ensenada until Monday the 5th, but I can slow down once I've made this final major crossing of open water. From tomorrow morning on, it's all just coastal. It may still be ugly depending on what sorts of systems come down from the north over the next few days (nothing bad predicted), but at least it will all be coastal, and probably just motoring into the baby teeth of a light northwesterly.It's with only a slight bit of sadness that I'm having my last overnight passage for a long time. I'll miss the exhilarating feeling of having accomplished a 24-hour run on my own, or having crossed a 10,000 foot deep chasm with no land in sight, or hurtling through the darkness relying on radar, AIS and my own eyes to keep me safe. I'll miss this offshore connection with Chemistry, feeling her turn a bit or come slightly more upright and knowing without looking exactly what the wind has done to effect that change in her attitude. So yes, there are "adventure" things I'll miss, but my favorite part of cruising is always going to be sitting at anchor: snorkeling or diving, spearfishing for dinner, relaxing in the sun and then having a cocktail at sunset. And although there's a lot to be said for this time alone - a lot of contemplation, a lot of learning about myself and my capabilities, a lot of healing... in the end I'm not one of those people who would chose solitude over the chance to be out here with someone else - not a stranger or signed-on crew, but someone I'm close to, anyway. And then there's the prospect of someday making this sort of passage with my boys. They've said they want to sail with me, but they don't yet really know what it means to "sail," and an overnight passage like this is many years off for them. Funny, though, how much plans have changed. I remember my initial float plan, where I planned on transiting the Panama Canal two Thanksgivings ago, and I was going to be in Belize shortly after that and maybe the boys were going to meet me for a couple nights in Belize at the beginning of their Christmas Break. That float plan would have my boat in Florida right now, and I'd be closer to the boys on a day-to-day basis, but I would have missed so many great experiences; so many beautiful places and beautiful people. A lot of things didn't play out as they were supposed to - particularly on the business front - but in the end, after just short of a full year in Mexico, I have to say I'm very glad I didn't just rush through.The excitement is building, though, to be with Chemistry back in the States. I've heard the San Diego Coast Guard on the radio several times today. I'm still 300 miles away, but they've got some mega-transmitters. And every time I hear them on the radio looking out for the local boaters I think about how protected we are up there - how looked after, how coddled. And right now a little coddling doesn't sound so bad.TT
