May 16, 2026
The interior fan on my fridge had been making a surging noise for a few weeks. Spin fast, then almost stop, repeat endlessly at about a two second cycle. I could find nothing online, so I carefully probed around to figure out how to disassemble the interior mechanics. Turns out it is super simple… After cleaning, my fan was running…
May 11, 2026
The only metal penetrating the hulls on an 1160 are the saildrives, the rudders, and the thru hulls. Points of concern: 1. The thru hulls immediately transition to a plastic hose, so I am not very concerned about the thru hulls 2. The rudders are of slight concern as there is metal on the rudder stock which is exposed to…
May 8, 2026
I made the mistake years ago of attempting a night passage to San Francisquito. Almost every evening, a strong west wind funnels out of Bahía San Carlos, and that crossing turned into a miserable passage. These days, I wait for a calm daytime weather window, and this time, I got exactly that. If I’m being particular, there was some uncomfortable…
May 6, 2026
The plan was to stay three or four nights, but it turned into a quick two‑night stop with a 6:45 a.m. departure on the second morning. I wanted to be on the dock before the wind picked up, so at 4:25 a.m. I pulled anchor and was tied up by 8:20 a.m. Calm conditions on my arrival made getting on the dock a…
May 4, 2026
The wind patterns had been steady all week, so I aimed to secure a slip in Santa Rosalia before 10 a.m., if one was available. From Punta Chivato, the 35‑mile run would be tough, so I chose Isla San Marcos instead, leaving a shorter 21‑mile leg for tomorrow. The passage north was manageable, though the first half was a slog…
May 3, 2026
As the sun rose and the morning offshore breeze picked up, I thought, “Hot damn, let’s sail!” So off to Punta Chivato I went. The wind was light, but with only ten miles ahead, I was content with anything over two knots. For about an hour I was making 4.1 knots and feeling good…until the wind died and I had…
May 2, 2026
Back in El Burro, I’d heard that the beachside restaurant in Mulegé, the one that always looks like it could be blown down in the next storm but still serves excellent food, had been taken over by a new family. Checking into it, I lucked out, tonight they were hosting live music. With calm overnight winds forecast, it would be…
May 1, 2026
Up early to beat the heat, I set out on the hike to the hills overlooking the area. I’d done this trail on past visits, but it had been long enough that I’d forgotten how strenuous it was—basically straight up a wash. Much of the climb was over rocks, giving my ankles a workout. I pushed on, stopping only for…
April 29, 2026
The north wind had been blowing hard every day, leaving only calm, quiet nights. The forecast looked a little better, though not great, for a sixty‑mile run. To stack the odds, I set off at 12:30am—just after midnight. With a nearly full moon, it was easy to slip out of the anchorage and make the left turn. For a few…
April 28, 2026
After a nice trip north I settled in for a few days in San Juanico knowing that I had a big project to cross off the list – installing the refrigerator door frame. I enjoyed my first sunrise before spending six hours knocking out the bulk of that project. In the afternoon, to get out of the wind noise and…
April 26, 2026
It was disappointing to see the bottom of the door frame with rust in the corner. Thinking it was just a small bit of damage that I could fix before it got worse was wishful thinking. Digging in I found the frame was totally rusted out. I had stainless replacement parts built and installed them. This was a much bigger…
April 25, 2026
It being a Saturday and the crowds that brings, this was just a one night stopover. But I needed to get the volcano hike in, so just after sunrise I was in the dinghy to shore. I made quick work out of the hike hustling up. Reaching the top I took a few minutes for a rest and a snack…