Exit Plan

It will take me a few days to get from La Paz to the open ocean.  I'll be reversing the path that Arnold and I took more than 18 months ago.

I plan to motor out of the Marina de La Paz in two days, on Thursday 27 October sometime between noon and 1 PM.  I'll motor down the La Paz Channel, around Pichilingue, and drop anchor in a small bay named Caleta Lobos (24N17.8, 110W20.0) ten miles from La Paz.  There I will organize the boat and gather my wits.

The next (second) day I'll set off on the 46 mile trip through the Canal de San Lorenzo, down the Cerralvo channel, to Ensenada de Los Muertos at (23N50, 109W50).  I expect favorable northerly winds, but I am determined to drop anchor in daylight, even if it means motoring.  Although I have very fond memories of the excellent restaurant and internet facilities at Muertos I will not bother to lanch the Zodiac and will stay on board.

On the next (third) day I'll set off for Bahia Los Frailes, another 46 miles away at (23N22.9, 109W25.3).  There I will probably spend a full day resting up for the final lunge to the open sea, which could take many hours.

I'll leave Frailes just after dawn on the fifth day with the objective of passing by Cabo San Lucas, 45 miles away, in the late afternoon.  My plan is to bypass Cabo San Lucas and get out at least 30 miles away from land - 50 if possible - before retiring for sleep either hove to or sailing under wind steering.

I've learned that Cabo San Lucas is a difficult and fairly open anchorage and I see less hassle in bypassing it rather than dealing with the risks of dropping anchor near an arroyo between two sets of hotel complexes where the water shallows up reasonably well for an anchor.  (It was anchored here where Moitessier lost his boat in 1985 when a sudden storm came up. (http://poiesis37.com/Site/Moitessier.html))

I'll need to get well west of the shipping lanes, which I have been told are 8 miles off shore, even if I have to sail all night.  This will represent the most difficult day of my breakout to the open sea, but once I am past that I expect to settle into a safe and comfortable routine of sailing due south in the trade winds.