Mazatlan Crossing to the Baja Pennisula: April 16 to April 17, 163 nautical miles

We finally left Mazatlán on April 16th - I use the word "finally" because we were a little tired of Mazatlán at that point. Don't get me wrong - Mazatlán was/is great - lots of nice people, great food, lots to do, but we were tired of being in a city. Our boat slip was next to a few nightclubs & locals party until 5:00 am many nights. To add to that, local boat owners/workers sometimes start blasting their music at 6:00 am. Needless to say, lack of good sleep was wearing on us.

Many Sounds of Mazatlan at Night:

One of the nightclubs in Marina Mazatlan - the "cooler" is actually the door into the club.

The biggest reason we were excited to leave Mazatlán was to finally be able to explore and boat in the Sea of Cortez. Boating in the SOC was THE reason we wanted to buy a boat in Mexico. But, since we bought our boat in December on the mainland, we quickly learned from other cruisers that going south along the coast was better boating and weather; winter in the SOC can be really cold and the high winds and resulting high sea state are not the best boating conditions.

We left early on Sunday morning for several reasons. One, the entrance/exit from the Mazatlán marinas into the Pacific is narrow and can have a fast current with breaking waves at the entrance; i.e., it is almost like a class 3+ rapid in a river - Class 3+ rapids are a blast in a raft but no bueno in a sailboat. Leaving the marina channel at high tide (i.e., slack water or no current) or between high and low tide where the current is going the same direction - is much less nerve-wracking. Also, leaving in the morning allowed us to arrive at our anchorage on the Cape (i.e., the Baja Peninsula) before nightfall the next day.

Marina Channel Exit to the Pacific

Leaving Marina Mazatlan

El Cid Marina

It took about 34 hours to go 163 nautical miles. We had a good wind during the afternoon and early evening - a little rough with waves breaking over the bow and onto the deck - but were able to sail on a beam reach much of the first night. Boating overnight is still a little scary to me - it's cool and peaceful in some ways but not being able to see fishing nets or other potential hazards is a little unsettling. Fortunately, fishing nets are closer to the coast and chances are slim that we'd encounter any big floating objects or hazards. We had a new moon so even though it was dark at night, the stars are incredible and provide more light than expected.

Another beautiful sunset

Near the Cape - Patrick's Boat Headed Back to Mazatlán

Lastly, something that I want to mention that is so sad and tragic. Less than 2 weeks before we left Mazatlán, a boat similar to ours left Mazatlán to basically do the same passage (i.e., Mazatlán to Cabo, but ultimately headed to San Diego). Reportedly, they had 30+ knot winds and 20' waves between Mazatlan and Cabo - pretty rough conditions. Their crew of 3 were experienced sailors and should have arrived in Cabo within 2 days but they never checked into the Cabo port. After almost 3 weeks of the Mexican Navy and US Coast Guard searching for them, the search was called off. Nobody knows what happened. The wind and waves were rough but their boat was a capable "bluewater" boat and reportedly should have been able to withstand those conditions. I can't imagine the pain their family is and has gone through, especially not knowing. It's awful and my heart goes out to the sailors and their families.

The key take away from this tragedy for me is that even though sailing is relatively safe, shit can happen anytime anywhere to anyone when sailing. Obviously I already knew this but this occurrence with a similar boat to ours in the same waters we're boating in is a somber reminder. Because Tom and I are relatively inexperienced sailors, being extra cautious and prepared are important to me. We are and will continue to be conservative when choosing weather windows and conditions to sail. We have new safety equipment, like personal EPIRBS and a Man over Board beacon for our PFDs. One of our new pieces of safety equipment is our Vesper Cortex AIS transceiver; most commercial boats have to have an AIS transceiver, and many private boaters have them too. With a transceiver, boats with an AIS receiver (which most boats have on their VHF radio) can "see" other boats position, speed, and direction. Now all boats with AIS receivers can see our location and other information, so I feel better sailing at night having it, especially in areas with large cargo ships that may not be able to see us otherwise.

AIS Display Showing Other Boats in Area

Even though we're "only" coastal cruising, I have a ditch bag ready to grab whenever we sail that has a handheld VHF with spare batteries, water, food, key medications, sunscreen, passports, cash, etc. We also have a life raft that I hope we never have to use. Besides getting a few new PFDs, I think we're pretty set on safety gear for coastal cruising.

More Mazatlán Photos