Van Dieman dispatch 2
Jan. 11, 2006 We conquered one of our lingering fears yesterday. We made our first true crossing. Granted, it wasn’t much compared to the three-week massive run across the Pacific that comes in March, but it was still a giant step toward building our confidence. Our trek took three days to cross from Cabo San Lucas on Baja across to our chosen port on Mainland Mexico. The Sea of Cortez may not be renowned for its ravaging storms or the number of ships she has taken as her own, but it was exactly the test that we needed. One of our trusted crew members had flown home to be with family over the holidays, and we had a true rookie on board to fill his space. I was just a bit concerned about the idea of putting my life in the hands of a girl I hardly know, but she turned out to be as reliable as any other sailor on board. So, after getting the best weather forecast that we could find, we set off under a beautiful red sky as the sun set over the infamous Cabo arches. I have always heard the expression, “Red skies at night, sailor’s delight,” but never really had to put it to the test. Fortunately, it proved 100% accurate. We had the most amazing sail for the next 60 hours. Now when I say sail, I truly mean sail. Due to poor planning on my part, we were unable to fill our fuel tanks before leaving Cabo and therefore were unable to run our engine for more than the absolute minimum hours. During some earlier parts of our journey, this would have been horrific, but on this segment, the winds were absolutely perfect. Most of the trip, we were hauling along at our top speed with our most prized sail, the gennaker, flying in all her glory, the red cloth reflecting off the deep blue ocean surface. When we reached what I estimated to be the halfway point, we dropped all sails and dove over the side for a quick swim in the two-mile-deep sea. The water temp was noticeably warmer than it had been just two days earlier, and this encouraged everyone to keep moving. We sailed in at sunrise, exactly as planned, into a large bay, with waves as far as the eye could see. The anchor was set, and within 30 minutes of arriving, we were riding an overhead right-hander. The couple of other visiting surfers in the water told us that this was a brand new swell, and that we had timed our arrival perfectly. Quite a feat considering that every plan we have made thus far has gone completely to pot along the way. I think we all feel as if we have reached a new level in our sailing knowledge and skill because of our success. Of course, scoring some fun waves pretty much by ourselves didn’t hurt the morale any. The plan now is to stick around throughout this swell and see what other waves are on offer. Supposedly the area is home to 20-some point breaks, both lefts and rights. Sounds promising! — Gregg Drude (stay tuned for more Drude adventure dispatches!) |
