2021-12-12
We are back in La Paz after a week long tour and flotilla with Dave and Kelli and Nautilus Sailing. We took a Nautilus Sailing class in 2019 in Mallorca, Spain to get us back in the sailing mindset and hone our sailing and cruising skills. In June, 2020, Shelby did an alumni trip to deliver a sailboat from the Bahamas to Florida and met Dave and Kelli, who are also Nautilus alumni. They hit it off and Dave and Kelli flew into La Paz to join us on the 10th anniversary flotilla. Hint to family and friends, we welcome visitors any time! Come for an explore around the area where we are or if you are adventurous, join us for a passage across the sea. Dave and Kelli know this part of the Sea of Cortez well and showed us some of their favorite places and hikes.
Over the course of a week we visited Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, Isla San Francisco (twice), San Evaristo on the Baja Peninsula, Isla San Jose, and Playa Bonanza. We capped off the week with a spirited sail through the tail end of a "norther" which is a weather pattern common this time of year where winds work their way from the four corners region of the US down the Sea of Cortez. The winds can be strong, up into the 30 knot range, but the more significant thing about them is the relentless waves they create. Not that big waves, but they have steep fronts and come one after the other and make for uncomfortable sailing and anchoring.
This was Calla Lily's first time out cruising and she did very well. Another shake down for her, this time with lots of sailing and anchoring. Speaking of anchoring, we solved the problem with our windlass before we left. Our windlass was really struggling to pull up our anchor. Maintenance was not a priority of Calla Lily's prior owners, so we removed the windlass to inspect it and found that the gearbox was dry! We filled it up with gear oil and luckily it was not so damaged and it worked flawlessly. Anchors are very important parts of this life.
We'll add some more photos and the rest of the flotilla story soon.
