Whooohooo!  I’m in Mexico!  Okay, I just crossed the border, on Willow, but I’m in Mexico!!!!

Monday evening, I got everything as stowed as I could.  This boat’s bustin’ at the seams, full of crap I swore I wouldn’t get.  But, there I am.  Anyhow, I went down for a nap at 2000, trying to doze until midnight.  I got up, and was out of my slip at 0100. Navigating by radar at 0.25nm range, paper charts and GPS plotter, I moved VERY SLOWLY through San Diego Bay.  Visibility was down to less than 100 yards.  At 0330, I was out of the bay, away from buoys and the range, and heading toward my first waypoint off Coronado del Sur.  I just crossed that waypoint off my list, and am now headed 40 nm down the coast to Punta San Miguel.  I hope to pull in to Ensenada by 1400.  Give or take.  I don’t know if that’s too late in the day to try and check in.  I’d like to get that out of the way.  I’d also like to get a Telcel/Banda Ancha gizmo for internet access there.  That may have to wait until Wednesday morning.  If all goes well, I may head out Wednesday afternoon;  if not, it’ll be Thursday morning.  I’m hoping the fog clears by then.

Navigating by radar only tests your skills a little, especially in a crowded bay, at night, with other boats moving around (read: right on my ass), and with you not knowing if others are paying attention to their navigating.  You can see no lights on land, and the lit buoys go by seen less than 25 yards away.  I guess, imagine driving your car with a towel over your head, using only the GPS deeliebob that is in most newer cars these days.  You get no outside reference points.  You just gotta keep your heart in your chest, use your whistle/horn every 2 minutes, keep a close eye on your radar, your speed down, and your fingers crossed!  Luck was with me, I took my time, and am now heading toward Ensenada.

Willow’s in good shape, though low in the water.  As I get more dialed in, I hope to purge some more stuff.  I did get an inflatable SUP, and look forward to putting it to good use down in Bahia Santa Maria.  The Baja Haha took off Monday morning with 150 boats.  I can hear them clearly on VHF.  It’ll be fun to talk with my friends, John, Cyn, and Dave aboard the Alcyone.  They’re playing in the Haha, and it’ll be good to see where they’re at.  I spoke with them yesterday afternoon and they were sailing pleasantly downwind under spinnaker.  Good on ’em.

It’s 0517 right now, and my position is N32 26.504/ W117 11.483.  I hope you all are well and not working too hard.  Please take care.  If you would like to write me back, please do not hit the “reply” button.  Just start a new email with WDC6722@sailmail.com in the “To” box.  When you hit the reply button, you not only send your reply, you send me my letter also, and this clogs up the radio waves.  Then I get nasty notes from the sailmail police.  Thanks!