Well the big boat rally started10/25/2015. Everyone that could of the 137 boats with varying number of crews from 2 to 13 were to meet in the parking lot of West Marine in San Diego for the big kick off. Since Halloween was near we were supposed to dress in costume. Thanks to creative help from Jacque we managed to dress as Minions. This at least seemed to make the kids happy and kept us in their minds so they recognized us in Turtle Bay when they came around Trick or Treating.

The morning of 10/26 was the big boating extravaganza. At about 10 am all the boats with their crews pulled out into San Diego and milled around waiting for the official beginning at 11am. It was very impressive and crazy as over a hundred boats tacked and wiggled avoid in each other, waiting for the official start of 11AM. Bang went the start gun and we all were slowly off as the wind was barely there ( typical San Diego weather). Two fireboats were out spraying their water in honor of our event.

We all sailed up close to the Dolphin, the official San Diego send off boat complete with mayor, or so they said and tried to get our picture in the morning news. We wore our costumes again. Did anyone see us on TV ?

The first leg of the was 3 days (and two nights). It was Neil’s first experience on a big sailboat. He did okay and was great crew. We had not sailed with our spinnaker except for the one time with the sailmaker so having Neil aboard really helped.  We arrived in Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay). There was a small town there where we wondered around and a nice little restaurant fed us wonderful Mexican food. We also played a great game of baseball where everyone got a hit and there were very few outs!

We had tried to fish on the way down (Neil) but no success. He did manage to hook a really big tuna but it did not stay on the line long. While in Tortuga we were able to buy more lures. I will save you the anticipation, no we did not catch any fish. Lots of other boats did and we were very jealous.

The first day everyone was on their own and the second we had a big party on the beach. Lots of dancing and good food. We left on Halloween, so the night before all the boats with kids came around Trick or Treating in their dinghy’s. We dressed up in our costumes to greet them.

After two days rest we were on the move again. The wind was good and we sailed quite a bit. The seas were a little lumpy at times but we weathered it well. We arrived in Bahia Santa Maria after dark. It was quite exciting gliding into the anchorage in the pitch dark, avoiding the other boats. We anchored fairly far out so we would avoid the other boats already there. In the morning we awoke to find ourselves surrounded by boats as the those who arrived later than us were all around. 

Neil and I took the kayaks and went to shore. The waves were big but we managed to get ashore without tipping. My kayak though filled with water as a big wave broke over the top. After emptying out the water from our kayaks, we paddled into the lagoon. It was quiet water. We were able to go up the lagoon and where the natives lived. Not an easy life with no water or electricity. We went down one of the narrow mangrove openings, kind of eerie as we heard all sort of animals crashing around in the mangroves but could not see a thing. We wondered what they were.

The next day we again had a big party on the beach. Before that Neil and I headed in on the kayaks again to do some exploring. It is best to be careful when two Johnstones get together. We are into adventure. We decided to climb the mountain. It was barren desert. No trees, there were a few bushes but that was about it for plants. The ground was old volcanic. Very prickly rocks and most of them not well attached to each other. We tried to find a trail but couldn’t so we just went straight up. (That tells you a lot , no trails means it probably was not a good way to go. )We got to the top and then had to figure the way down. We found a gully and jumped and scrabbled down. It made the dancing and the beer all the better once we got to the party on the beach. Each party got more exciting as people relaxed and more and more danced and had fun. As things were winding down Neil and I left to go to an area where some people had told us they had good shells. We found a few and headed back out to the boat. We both got swamped. We lost the paddles and Neil’s glasses. Eventually, after much hunting we found the paddles but not the glasses. 🙁

The final leg was a one night and two day sail .

The wind was piping hot and the sea rolly so it made for an exciting time.

The official stopping point was Cabo San Lucas. They are still suffering from the after effects of Hurricane Odile last year and so slips were very limited. They kind of piled boats into spaces between pilings with no docks. We decided that did not sound great so went about 15 miles further up to San Jose Del Cabo and stayed at a beautiful marina. We rented a car and drove to Cabo on Friday and Saturday for the final two parties (couldn’t miss them).

Neil left to go back to the real world Saturday morning. We on the other hand continue to bask in the sun and enjoy the company of the many people we met on the Ha Ha. Lots of the boats from Cabo  San Lucas have moved up here to San Jose Del Cabo. There is a weather front moving in on Tuesday night so it is either leave now or wait here for a few days. No rush for us so we will wait with lots of our new friends for better weather and then head toward La Paz with a few stops along the way.