Baja Bash Continued

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Most slats on the bowsprit were destroyed from the rough seas

San Diego, CA

A lot of people think that sailing off into the sunset to warmer climes is nothing but romantic. A pleasure Cruise that is relaxing and luxurious! And, it is probably about 1/10 of the time!!!!! I have not been in many other situations in my life (except motherhood and teaching high school students for 32 years), that has tested me to the very core of my being! It is hard to describe to those who have not done it. Living in an environment that is always moving. The boat rocking and banging around so that everything in it falls onto the floor and rolls around. Having to use all your strength to hold onto the boat to keep from being knocked down while walking down below. Even going to the bathroom is a major challenge! Traveling through the night on the boat is especially difficult! We operate on 3 hour shifts, rotating with 3 of us. So that really means that 2 people are topside in the cockpit and one person is off for 3 hours, usually trying to get rest. So we’re pretty much on for 6 hours and off for 3, until we reach our next destination. We take turns driving the boat, only for one hour at a time. I get very tense at night when it is rough and I can’t see the big swells and waves coming at us. If the boat gets turned a bit too sideways to the waves I can get really freaked out! After 24 hours of this we get really exhausted and start seeing things that aren’t there! Like the time we anchored in San Quintin and Dennis and I thought we were looking at a parking lot! There was nothing but other boats anchored around us and bare hills beyond the shore, in reality! Dennis thought he saw buffalo at one point, and a freight train too! We’ll probably start seeing aliens soon, and will keep you posted on that one! Kevin has gone home to Palo Alto, so now there is just the two of us and Zelda. We can never express our appreciation to Kevin, for joining us on our difficult journey up the Baja Peninsula. We hope he enjoyed the trip. We are leaving Ensenada (which has been very nice), tomorrow morning early, for San Diego. We’ll get there tomorrow evening and plan to be there until Sunday, December 18th. It will be just Dennis and I. We are not planning any overnighters, and will tuck into marinas and travel when weather permits. We don’t know exactly how long it will take us to get home to Napa Valley Marina. I have had the adventure of a lifetime! It was difficult at times. It was wonderful too. Seeing all the creatures in the ocean; dolphins, sea turtles, whales, sea lions, many kinds of tuna, sea birds, etc. the stars at night, with no light pollution to dim them. The moon rising over the ocean. The most incredible sunsets and sunrises. The many colors the ocean can be, depending on the sky. Turquoise in the shallower bays. The deepest blue I have ever seen when the sky is clear and the water is deep. And when the sky is overcast, the ocean looks silver, like mercury! So we will now begin the last part of our journey home. It will be nice to get back and see family and friends. I am especially missing my granddaughter Michaela. But I will also miss traveling on the ocean and plan to do it again. Thanks to all of you who have been following our blog. We miss you and love you and will see some of you soon! Dennis will be writing more about the Baja Bash. And we will add to the blog as we travel up the coast of California, till we reach San Francisco Bay. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Vickie