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Sailing in Santa Anas

"We left San Diego on October 21 for points south and La Paz," writes David Addleman and Heather Corsaro, who are doublehanding their Monterey-based Cal 36 Eupsychia. "Santa Ana winds had been forecast, but once past the Coronado Islands, we got hit by what must have been a chubasco. There was smoke, dust, and a steep offshore chop. With the wind gusting to 35 knots, the old girl got rumbling at 9 to 11 knots."

"It was calm off Ensenada the next morning, but our boat was absolutely covered in dust and mud. It looked as though it had rusted overnight! Humbled, we stayed 15-20 miles offshore. The mild conditions continued until Monday near Cabo San Quintin. During the day we could see the walls of dust being blown offshore, so we headed further out. Despite there being so little fetch from shore, formidable waves developed. Thanks to the wind, we were visited by land birds and bats 30 miles offshore. Bugs and flies, too. We were also visited by a sad-eyed green and yellow warbler, who feasted on hundreds of the bugs. Unfortunately, David stepped on the bird’s head while going forward to hoist the spinnaker. Poor guy. Heather says that the rest of the flies are for David."

"Today, Tuesday, it’s beautiful! We’re about 80 miles northwest of Cedros, the skies are clear, the air is 73 degrees, and the blue water is 60 degrees. Heather, after a 20-minute battle, caught a beautiful yellowfin tuna. There’s not as much wind as we’d like, but no big deal, as we’re not in a hurry. We’ve got the music blasting and are having the most fantastic time of our lives."

Not to pick nits, but you’re a little confused about the concept of a chubasco, and understandably so, because the term is so frequently used incorrectly. A chubasco is a violent squall with thunder and lightning, often of relatively short duration, during the rainy season. They are most common in the Sea of Cortez. You folks were hit by the forecast Santa Ana winds. The telltales are the dust, bugs and birds being blown offshore, and the fact that the wind died at night. We’re sure it had been very dry, too.

Hope to see you down the line.

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Yes, it seems that hell has frozen over, because the State of Hawaii, after all these decades, is actually taking a baby step to improve things in one part of the woefully rundown 747-berth Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu.
Every year about this time, we get a letter or two from people in Mexico, almost always in La Paz, with some ominious-sounding news for cruisers about to head down.