SV Alley Cat
Log Book
- Departure time: 8:00 am on March 5, 2013
- Arrival time: 6:00 pm on March 5, 2013
- Total travel time: 10 hours
- Nautical miles traveled: 31.1 nm
- Engine hours start – end – logged: 998.5 – 1000 – 1.5
- Weather: The forecast predicted 10-14 knots of wind from the N/NW with a NW swell of 1-3 feet.
When we left San Evaristo we had 12-13 knots of wind from the NW, which was enough to keep us moving along at a healthy clip and keep us cool beneath an already hot sun (forget spring, summer is here!). We were passed early in the morning by SV Alley Cat, and snapped a couple photographs of her under sail. Jeff then hailed them on the radio to chit chat and grab their email address so we could send pictures at the next hotspot. It’s hard to get pictures of your own boat under sail and we’re hoping that someday someone will snap one of Serenity (I don’t think we have any!). Throughout the day we were passed by at least 3, if not 4, other boats who were all motoring in a straight line as we snaked up the San Jose channel.
The teeny tiny and very remote fishing villages at Nopolo. 
Visited by whales.
The wind gradually tapered off through the late morning and afternoon, to the point where we felt lucky to be making 2 knots. Over the course of the day it shifted more to the north, which was beneficial to our travel angle. Truth be told, it was a perfect day to go slow. We saw at least 5 whales moving through the San Jose channel throughout the day, blowing mist 10 meters high. Their smooth backs agleam in the mid-day sun.
The shoreline was also incredibly dramatic, with oddly shaped, jagged formations abutting smooth mesas. I love the landscape here. Never a dull moment.
The wind completely died down when we were within an hour or two of Puerto Los Gatos so we decided to motor the rest of the way to get in before sunset. There were already four other sailboats at the anchorage (mostly likely the ones that passed us) and we found a spot somewhere in the middle that was sufficiently far enough from our neighbors, though maybe a little close to the reef. When the four boats hauled anchor and headed out the next day, we moved farther from the reef to the Northwest corner.
Lots of whales!
Jeff narrating the landscape. 
The Baja coast line at sunset. 
The route on our Navionics chart.