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Making good progress NW - mainly motoring in light wind...

Sunday

Heavy dew overnight - so wet, I was able to give windscreen a really good clean - can see through it nicely now.

A sure sign of not much wind is the ensign drooping, the mainsail not filled, and apparent wind, due to motoring, dead ahead.. and not much of it! A gentle WSW swell of 2-3 m at 6 seconds is actually quite pleasant.

Overnight chop from slightly stronger wind has died down, so we're now making around 5 knots instead of 4 knots.

We're on course for Bahia de Tortugas, just SE of Punta Falsa and Isla Cedros, expecting to arrive sometime Monday for fuel.

Bahia de Ballenas and San Ignacio are 35 miles to NNE now - a well-known area for being taken out in local pangas to get close up to whales in the right season.

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2pm: Better! Wind has backed so we're motor-sailing on port tack, with wind in mains'l and genoa! Still needing motor to make good speed in light wind. Without motor, only 2.4 knots; with some motor, 5.3 knots. (Later, we got up to 6 knots with less motor).

Hardly any cloud. Land out of sight. Downloading weather-faxes from Pt Reyes, considering routeing options (as always - constantly on my mind just now...) and trying to get up to date with emails - way behind with some of them...

Hoping tonight to see the Space Station passing overhead - it's supposed to be travelling over the Baja peninsula from Turtle Bay down to Cabo San Lucas - so I'll be looking for it.

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7pm Wind has dropped so basically motoring now - light winds forecast for several days...

A sailing catamaran astern, catching up - "Ko'ula", headed to Turtle Bay for fuel as well. Fast delivery trip to SD - perfect conditions for them, with the f'cast light winds.

0235 (Monday!) GMT/ 8.35pm (Sunday) LT :- Sun setting - looks very much as though a fog layer will develop soon - very hazy and misty-looking. Radar not working "No scanner" message when I just tried it.... Good thing approach to Turtle Bay will be in daylight... Sea-lion just swam by - nearest land is 15 miles away. Heavy dew settling everywhere - very damp toight

Watching out for Space Station .... 0300GMT/9pm LT - It just faded away into the misty SE horizon, dead astern of us, having passed overhead as a very bright object , despite light in W sky still and a bright moon quite high in E - no mistaking it!

Pleased to say radar scanner is working fine - sometimes get confusing messages .... seems OK. Always nice to have use of it in foggy conditions.

Written by : Guest