Sunset at Bahia Agua Verde.
Log Book
- Depart: 7:45 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
- Arrive: 10:00 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
- Time: 2.25 hours
- Miles: 7.0 nm (we went SLOW!!!)
- Engine hours: 994.5 – 997 – 2.5
- Forecast: The forecast predicted wind from the NNW at 9-14 knots (ha!) and swell from the NW at 1-3 feet with a long period. A short and uneventful trip, which was okay by us. The wind is apparently coming tomorrow (if you trust the automated weather service), though the forecast hasn’t been right for a couple of days. There was little to no wind today (less than 5 knots) and it was wheezing from the NE (which is a generous depiction).
We were hoping to sail at least a portion of the 8 miles from Puerto Ballena to Bahia Agua Verde, so we were pretty excited to see (what we decided was) a prominent wind line in front of us. Small white caps were taunting us from afar surrounded by ominous blue water. We had been so wind deprived on our last few passages that we were actually looking forward to white caps? Suffice it to say we have a short collective memory. We both eagerly prepared, stowing anything that might fly around if we started bucking. We hoisted the main in anticipation and readied the jib. Come on wind!
It turns out it wasn’t a wind line at all, just a pretty ripping current flowing through the channel. We motored on with no wind, going much slower than expected, until less than half a mile from the anchorage the wind started blowing steadily from the Southwest. The wind was blowing everywhere but from the N/NW, apparently.
The anchorage is small and there were four boats already here. We wanted to situate ourselves well for the N/NW blow that is predicted, but were having a hard time finding just the right spot. We dropped an anchor but both of us were wary of how close we were to shore, a reef and to the adjacent boat. Some neighbors from SV Indigo stopped by to say hello (they had been cruising with the whales the day prior as well). They pointed out a good spot in the anchorage (a bit further south) and let us know that they were taking off for Puerto Escondido. When they hauled anchor we tucked into their spot (25 feet, sand). Turns out we maybe should have stayed in the first spot…