Prepping to leave on Friday morning, most Do-Along-The-Way projects have been checked off, except for a little more painting, replacing the starboard side’s registration numbers, organizing the cabin some more—little things like that. 

     My tactic to get to that magical moment known as Cutting the Dock Lines was to reorganize those never-ending pre-departure To-Do lists into two main categories; What Is Holding Me Back and What Can I Do Underway. Obviously, I completed the first list with a caveat: That column was further broken down to What’s Good Enough vs. Must Be Done. Things like being able to dog down hatches fell into the former (they only need to stay shut if the boat rolls, they don’t need to be secured and armored to prevent thieves from gaining access (also, less damage to fix later)) while the latter was non-negotiable (stern anchor, a means to tow the dinghy, getting the tiller pilot  installed, et cetera).

     Currently, I am charting a course that will take about 24 to 30 hours to sail from Ensenada to Isla San Martin (for which I assume a 3 to 4-knot average speed, and it’s about 100 miles). The weather looks nice, but the wind might be on the nose a little, and a little light (under 10 knots) which simply means tacking instead of a downwind run. There will be a nasty storm on my heels, so I might depart Thursday. Either way, I will be hunkering down in Bahia San Quintin until it blows through.

     Departing Friday at 0900 hours, I should get to the island somewhere between 0900 and 1500 hours on Saturday. A waxing crescent (11%) moon will rise at 0300, so I hope to catch some of the Leonids Meteor Shower even though it peaked on 17 NOV. Once the anchor is down, and I’ve cleaned up the deck and myself, I should be able to enjoy a sundowner overlooking an extinct volcano! I will have to sail over to Bahia San Quintin Sunday morning and find a good spot to anchor as a 30-knot blow is currently predicted to come through late Sunday afternoon. It will be a quick front, but I am currently too far north and if I don’t skedaddle out Ensenada I might get locked in with winter storms from up north.

Today’s To-Do List:

• Laundry
  • I found a little laundromat where I can do my laundry. I am actually there right now, kicking back in their, actually nice, lounge. No wifi, and I should have brought a Spanish-English dictionary or the Spanish for Cruisers notebook. It would have helped. A lot! DONE! it took about an hour and cost MX77, or about $3.97.
• Make my final decisions on grocery items.
  • I’ve been sampling a lot of canned foods (with Spanish labels) and fresh veggies to see what I might like and I think I’ve come up with a 14-day menu. Keep in mind that I have a 30-day supply of freeze-dried lunches and dinners, too, for emergencies (or the deep desire for beef stroganoff!). Today, after laundry, I will make a small pot of chili for lunch and dinner.
    • I am only trying small items as I can only make what I will consume in one or two sittings. I prefer things like thick stews and chilis, things that I can cook and store in the wide-mouth, 64-ounce Nissan Thermos. Again, all breakfasts have already been taken  care of.
• Rain and some good winds are expected here soon so I have battened down the canvas tent I lounge under at dock. While anchored out, I plan to fold it in half and throw it over the boom for some protection over an open companionway and maybe even a little over the cockpit, too. My version of a poor man’s bimini. While sailing, I have one of those giant, straw lifeguard hats, or I go into sun ninja mode
  between 0900 and 1500 hours. I’ve also folded up the dinghy and put it out of the way. I didn’t want to find that it sank at the dock if the predicted rains are heavier than expected.