May 1, 2018
Leaving Bahia Ballandra, we motored a whopping eight miles to Isla Coronados, a volcanic cone rising from the sea floor. The cone trails a spit of sand that wraps around, forming a secure anchorage. Unfortunately, while beautiful, this island did not contain much in the way of diversion for us. It is part of a series of protected areas and mascotas (pets) cannot go ashore so we were unable to attempt the nearly 1000 climb.
From Isla Coronados we made a big move to Punta Pulpita, serving only as a halfway point on our route to Bahia Concepcion. We suffered a wicked combination of opposing wind and swell and our sailing homes were tossed about like toy boats all afternoon and half the night. We were happy to leave this anchorage behind and move on. We set out early, having coffee underway. Despite the nights swell, our journey began as a benign motoring trip. Soon enough, a bit of wind built and SeaGlubs sails were up. Not to be outdone, we too raised sails, promptly bringing an end to the wind.
We both doused sails and continued to motor a bit more. Finally it seemed the wind was building for good and we raised sails again. This time, SeaGlub flew her asymmetrical spinnaker with its characteristic sea turtle. Not wanting to dig out a sail for the short distance that remained to Bahia Concepcion, Adam opted to sail Volare wing on wing, a configuration in which the headsail is out to one side of the boat while the main is out to the other. This turned out to give us a great point of sail and we cut into the bay ahead of SeaGlub despite her greater sail area. To effectively sail wing on wing, the best method is to use a large pole to hold out the headsail. Once again, we didnt want to rig the pole for only a short distance, so the headsail flapped a bit as we turned toward the bay. Not wanting to lose ground to SeaGlub, Adam used the boat pole to keep the sheet out away from the boat and keep the sail full. It worked!
We saw seven knots rounding the headland with this poor mans whisker pole. The wind was really building inside the bay and we decided to reef as we saw 20 and then 22 knots on a beam reach. Jess was starting to get nervous that the wind would blow harder and harder but need not have feared. Just as soon as the reefs were in, the headland blocked the wind and Volare could no longer make headway under sail. In the end, SeaGlubs tactics won out. She had sailed deeper over to the far side of the bay which put her behind Volare but kept her in the wind and she continued to sail for some time more. This trip defined for us the Cruisers Trifecta: we were sailing at a comfortable wind angle, we were sailing where we wanted to go, and we were sailing fast! Those of you who sail know that just about NEVER happens.
The highly mobile Adam Whisker Pole
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