A Zuiches Christmas

Well it was a windy Christmas in Baja!! Jim and Carol were troopers to come sailing with us in 30+knots of wind! They maintained a great attitude on the boat, although must have seriously wondered if we are crazy as water sprayed everywhere and we buried the rail with only a double-reefed main.

Hoping to take a hike in the desert on the first day of the Zuiches family Christmas trip, we sailed across the Bay of Conception to a protected anchorage. Unfortunately all we could do was sit on the boat and look up at the beautiful peaks and the deep cut arroyos with the rarely-visited cave paintings. No hiking would happen, as it was so windy we feared the dinghy would never make it to shore against the breeze.

We tried again on Christmas Eve and sailed to another anchorage to “hang on the hook” for the night. But it was so rough at anchor that it was difficult to enjoy the voice of Nat King Cole with the sound of wind shrieking through the rigging, and dinner rocking in the gimbaled oven. So we opted for a night sail back to the mooring before eating. Despite our comings and goings Santa still found the boat, and the merriment never stopped.

Christmas morning - fingers crossed - we shoved off early and sailed the 22 nm’s north to Punta Chivato, where Jim and Carol had a reservation at the gorgeous hotel Posada de las Flores, and D&D planned to stay on the boat anchored just in the lee of the hotel. After many hours of hard, soaking-wet, upwind sailing in 25-knots and steep seas, we came to within a few hundred yards of the hotel. So close to margaritas and tapas, but, sadly, engine problems meant that we couldn’t anchor safely. We ran back south putting up more and more sail area and making over 8 knots. Then we sailed onto our mooring sans engine (wishing we had practiced that particular maneuver when the engine was working!). Eleven hours and 45 nm’s of heavy weather sailing later we were back where we started. Not giving up though (!) we rowed ashore, hopped in the rental car and drove 1-1/2 hrs. down dark dusty unmarked roads to the hotel, and arrived just in time for Christmas dinner. Despite missing Joe, and putting up with the “Norte,” we all had a great time.

Happy New Year (Felize Ano Nuevo) from the Confetti!!