Up at midnight and under way with only stars and GPS to guide me. This would be a solo 100nm passage down to Perula in Chamela bay. The passage was pretty easy with some wind early on and some continuous waves slap on the bridgedeck for the first half of the passage. I was running the radar to look for boats and possibly sleeping whales. There was only one instance where I made a course adjustment and thankfully no whales or long lines impeded the trip. By 3:00pm with a sigh of relief I was anchored down and Strikhedonia was all straighten up. Turning in to the bay Ralph on Moon Drifter had called me up. It was great to see our sister boat. After a quick shower it was into the kayak to paddle over and see Helen and Ralph.
We last crossed paths in Guaymas in late October so it was fun catching up. I filled them in on all the work and progress Mark and Isabell on Jolly Dogs were making on preparing for their Pacific crossing and before I knew it Helen was inviting me to stay for dinner. That as such a kind offer as after a night of little sleep the prospect of cooking was low on my priority list. We had a fabulous fajita taco dinner that Ralph grilled up. With my eyelids drooping I said goodnight.
The next day was low key, still recovering. Completed some computer work and a couple small projects. By the afternoon I was feeling lazy so I paddled into shore. Getting past the restaurants I did a half mile jog on the beach before walking a bit further to the crocodile pond. Wanting to pick up a few provisions I diverted off the beach and to the main street. Last year the center square was under construction and it was nice to see the improvements including their own “Punta Perula” city sign. I took some time to sit under the shade of tree and watch city life before hitting the store. Backpack loaded with goodies I finished my walk to the kayak along the beach.
My plan had been to leave the following day but an afternoon random meet up with Ralph and Helen at their favorite restaurant convinced me there was no reason to leave fun to look for more fun. They ordered another mineral water and joined me for my linner of camarones mojo el ajo (spicy garlic sauce). With my belly full I felt the need for a long walk so Helen and Ralph headed home while I took on the beach. And take on the beach I did, to the tune of over 6 miles of walking. I feet were not is shape for the gritting sand and not even my Chacos could keep me from sore heels and hotspots. But on the plus side I did get to explore the two fancy (relatively) hotels way down on the beach. That said it was a big relief getting back to Strikhedonia to recover.
My last day in Perula I decided a good long kayak was needed. A large swell started up in the morning but undeterred I paddled off towards shore where I followed the shoreline around the pinnacle rocks and tiny bird islands. Making it out around the point I noticed what looked like shade and calm water behind a talk pinnacle. Tucked in there I watched the swell rolls past and crash a few hundred meters away on shore sending up a 10 meter high spray. Impressive. Also impressive was a large swell that wrapped around my pinnacle rock lifting my kayak high up in the air, as I was caught off guard and paddling furiously to get pointed in a safe direction. Whew, disaster averted I realized this was not as safe as I thought so out into more open space a headed.
The paddle back was without excitement and I tucked into a small beach where I took some time to relax, reflect, and do a bit of beach combing. There were a lot of small coral pieces but not much else to be found. However, I did come across two small sea urchins and a couple pieces of sea glass. Past lunch time I finished my paddle and heated up some leftovers. Checking my email I received an invite from Ralph for dinner. They take such amazing care of me! Nicest couple you will ever meet.
Not wanting to give solo sailors a bad reputation I showered and shaved and made myself look presentable – for the most part. We had a wonderful meal with a smoked salmon, cheese, cucumber, cracker appetizer followed by a shrimp salad. Mmmm so so good. During our dinner there had been a rash of fishing pangas heading out to sea so just before it was completely dark I made my goodbye to paddle home. It was so great to slow down, relax, and spend time with good friends.
Sailing south to Tenacatita
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