We finally got a weather window to leave San Evaristo after having been there a week. We headed north hot on the heels of s/v Borboleta, another Baja HaHa boat whom we had not met yet. As Borboleta pulled out of the cove, we called her captain Glen on the radio and asked for updates on the sea state and condition of the destination anchorage. The wind can stir up ferocious swell and wind driven waves and cause making headway to be miserable. Glen agreed and we took Foxy for a much needed shore hike around the corner from the village of San Evaristo. During the hike, we decided we would go ahead and head out, calculating what our drop dead time would be to make it to Los Gatos before dark. Prudent cruisers live by the rule that you should never enter a new anchorage in the dark and we hold to that by and large. Unfortunately in this case, we counted on making faster time than we were able.
The swell was indeed uncomfortable and we could only average five knots of speed when we had counted on six knots. After a few hours of rather uncomfortable pounding into swell, the sun was about to set and we made the choice to stop at Timbabiche, an anchorage three miles short of Los Gatos. We found s/v Borboleta had also stopped here and we spent a mildly rolly night. The plan the next day was to make it to Agua Verde. We left at first light, not making the same mistake we made the day before. The trip was immediately foreshortened, however, when our bow met the oncoming swell and heaved and pounded even worse than the previous day. After a very short turn at this, we all looked at each other and decided to call uncle. We anchored in Los Gatos after all, having only progressed three miles. In the end it turned out to be a great decision. Los Gatos is a beautiful and unique anchorage and Foxy and Jessica had the whole day to explore, climb the red limestone rocks, and paddle around. We let s/v Borboleta know of our decision as he had not yet left Timbabiche and found that Glen, too, found refuge in Los Gatos that night. Sadly, as we only took a paddle board to shore, we only have this photo of the stunning scenery. A return trip is definitely warranted.
Jess and Foxy in Los Gatos
Our day and night in Los Gatos gave the swell some time to die down and both Borboleta and Volare made easy passage to Agua Verde the next day, where we would finally get to meet Glen and have more than just radio conversation.
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