Nov 3, 2012, Saturday, Turtle Bay, Baja California

One by one, all the boats are coming to life, weighing anchor and heading out of the bay.  It is so beautiful to see 130 sail boats raise sails and sail off.  There is very little wind and everyone drifts around trying to find a good course.  Quite a few decided to keep the engine on but we turn ours off.  We are determined to stay with the fleet today and not get way out to sea all by ourselves.  Unfortunately as usual, the wind does not blow directly to where we want to sail so we are back to balancing.  Steer one way and the sails flap and go crashing to the other side, jibe.  Steer the other way and we race along, fast but off course.  Alan cannot get the wind vane set so it is what they call hand sailing all the way.  Alan is actually having a wonderful time with all of this wind.  Actually, I am enjoying it too.  I am finally getting a chance to sail, to learn the boat and how the wind and sails work together.  My muscles are less sore than I expected.  I am making a point of pulling with my stomach muscles, not my back and twisting and stretching whenever possible.

I have not been seasick up until now.  I put on one of the patches the first night and I have been fine.  But it is really rough today and I am starting to feel sort of woozy so I dig through the medicine cabinet for another patch.  On it goes and I am fine.  These things are amazing.  It is another day and night like the others; taking turns sailing and sleeping, eating at some kind of regular intervals, listening to the chatter on the radio.  Watch schedule is supposed to be me from 1-5am, Alan from 5-9am, me from 9-1pm,
Alan from 1-5pm, me from 5-9 pm and Alan from 9-1am.  We are not following it exactly but it gives us something to go by.

 Alan decided in San Diego that there was no point in buying ice for the icebox, so any fish we catch must be eaten right away.  Lots of other boats are catching fish today, including someone who caught a 7’ shark but I don’t really feel like fish tonight.  Think we will have mac and cheese. There is nothing much in the icebox except drinks and cheese.  We bought a lot of cheese on the theory that it would keep.  One by one, each package has been put into tupperware and tossed into the ice box.  Most of them are doing fairly well but there is a huge hunk of brie that Alan bought at Costco that is getting very ripe.  The smell is adding to my problems.  Glad when it is my turn to sleep.