Author: Neil Scheuerlein

Published 04/23/2025
Up at 6:30 or so, breakfast and bible reading, checked the weather, and did not do much. Finally after lunch we pulled the anchor up and moved to a spot between the two islands with really good protection from the swells and a north wind, less protection for a west wind or south wind. Only really down side to this anchorage spot is how it is shallow, much less water than we normally like (about 15 feet, where we normally like 30 feet), and closer to land. In any case it was very calm.

Published 04/23/2025
Up at 6:30 or so, breakfast, and bible reading. Neither of us slept very well, as the anchorage was very rolly, with swells from the north. We did not do much, so a very quiet day.

Published 04/23/2025
It was very calm overnight, no wind and no swells, so we slept very well. Up at 5 am, and underway by 5:45, we planned to head down to Puerto Don Juan, it is about 40 miles, and should take about 8 hours. Well, we found a fishing boat anchored right on our track from where we had come in the last time we came from the south, not really a big deal, just an interesting fact. We went around them and then out in the passage between the little island and the bigger one. We followed our track that we had come in on before. Only difference is this time it was low tide, not high(er) tide levels. We were just about out the other side of the passage, and wind was coming up, we had about 3-5 knots where we were anchored, and in the passage (usually higher because the wind gets funneled) about 10 knots, still nothing big. We found a rock, not on the chart plotter, but it was on Navionics the map program we use on the iPhone and iPad. It was about 5 feet under the surface while at low tide, right on the track we had used to come in on. Very unhappy! We backed off and double checked the charts and found a way around it. Then we continued our way out. Wind speed was supposed to be 12-14 knots out in the channel. Well, we stuck our nose out and it was closer to 30 knots! We turned around and went back to where we had been anchored.
We spent the rest of the day doing nothing but double checking the weather.

Published 04/23/2025
We continued our journey to Refugio on Isla Angel de La Guarda and anchored and headed to bed. We left at 4:50 pm from the dock, we anchored at 13:50. 21 hours. We woke up about 6 pm, and will check the weather again for our next move.
We did not do very much the rest of the day. Finally off to bed.

Published 04/23/2025
Up at 6:30 or so. Breakfast, bible reading.
Then I filled the water tank, and took the shore power cable off, when I started the water pump for the water maker, a breaker tripped, so I ran the generator at the dock while running the water maker. By noon, we were ready to checkout. We drove the truck up the yard to put it in storage, then walked back to the port captain to finish our paperwork. High tide was at 2:17 pm, and since it was a 17.6 foot tide swing today, we wanted to exit the harbor near high tide so there would be minimal current pushing us around. Well, the port captain had other ideas, the port was closed until 5 pm, so we did our part of the paperwork, but could not leave and had to return at 5 to get our permit.
Back to the boat, a nap and then Michael came over to join us for happy hour. At 4:30 we got the paperwork and by 4:50 we were off the dock and headed out.
The first part of our trip was pretty uneventful, the winds were not horrible, nor were the waves. The sun went down at about 6 and the moon came up about an hour later (almost full). Overnight the winds and waves came up where we had a forecast for a peak wind speed of 18 knots, we actually saw sustained 28 knots at one point. An important fact about wind force related to wind speed, the force is a square function, meaning if the wind speed doubles, then the force goes up by a factor of 4. We are about 8 miles away. Highest wind 28 knots and probably 6 ft waves. Very uncomfortable . Wind is under 20 now, waves no longer breaking on deck.This is the text I sent about noon the next day: “We are about 8 miles away. Highest wind 28 knots and probably 6 ft waves. Very uncomfortable. Wind is under 20 now, waves no longer breaking on deck.”
What I didn’t say, was the grapefruit I had as a midnight snack, didn’t stay down (bad news) but the waves breaking on the boat washed it off.

No pictures today