Isla San Francisco take 2

April 21, 2018
Chris and Monica aboard SeaGlub ( www.seaglub.com ) are right: this is it! This current cruise north into the Sea of Cortez is the culmination of all the years of preparing, working on the boat, and dreaming. Due to unforeseen circumstances that seemed to come in avalanche form, we were tied up in a slip for several months in La Paz. We renewed our lease month after month, each time vowing that this renewal was the last one. We did a bit of sailing and anchoring out during this time, some of it significant, but this is really it. We have sailed away from La Paz with no plans to return.
It hasnt started as sunshine and roses. We got pretty beat up in our first anchorage at Bonanza Beach by 20 knot winds and swell. The forecast showed this anchorage would be protected but winds out of the south rather than west made it uncomfortable, although not unsafe. The wind promptly switched out of the north for our sail here to Isla San Francisco, giving us bashing conditions all day yesterday. Our bow drove into steep, short period swells and covered Volare with more salt water than weve ever seen come over her high freeboard and coach roof. Waves, actual waves, not just spray, slapped the dodger on more than one occasion. For those of you whove been aboard Volare, you know shes a dry boat. It takes a lot to soak her the way we did yesterday.
But we made it. A beautiful sunset faded into a calm but breezy anchorage and we enjoyed some savory Costco steaks and fresh Greek salad. Its funny how the cruising life makes you think about things that never cross the minds of most of your friends back home. We provisioned very carefully for this trip so we can have delicious steaks and fresh salad. Hell, we even bought the biggest freezer we could fit! All the planning and stowing and preserving are now being put to the test. From our journey in December we know where the tiendas are, which ones have freezers and which have only shelf stable items. We know we can restock in Loreto at the Ley Supermarket. North of that its all unknown. It is a careful balancing act of eating food before it spoils but stretching out the fresh stuff as long as we can.
The cruising life also presents other questions people with roots dont have to consider. Where will we spend tomorrow night? What will we do with this trash we are accumulating? Can we manage our power and water so we dont run low of either?
Its amazing visiting beautiful, isolated places but it brings up its own set of challenges. We provisioned and preserved as thoroughly as we could for this journey. All of our produce is wrapped in green bags to slow ripening. What could fit is in the fridge or the cooler. However this still leaves a lot at room temp. In this moment I am so grateful for the wisdom passed down by cruisers who went before, particularly Carolyn Shearlock in The Boat Galley ( www.theboatgalley.com ). Thanks to avidly reading sailing magazines, blogs, and regular deliveries of The Boat Galley emails, we are fairly comfortable out here where there are no magazines, blogs, or email. We will eat what ripens first, hide the trash in the bilge, and watch the weather to decide the next destination.
We will face the unusual challenges because the payoff is huge! The payoff is hiking a ridgeline with a white sand crescent anchorage on one side and a shear drop into the Sea on the other. Out here we cant get lost in the electronic world. We can only enjoy the real one. We can hike, swim, nap, cook, and play to our hearts content. Foxy can wander and explore and we can devote time to new hobbies. This is why we have come!

Thanks for reading! Make sure to check out the rest of our website and follow along with our travels at CruisingVolare.