We were gone 76 days, spent 60 days in Mexico, 57 of those on the water. We moored in marinas 12 days, spent another 7 days tied up for free at Mulege and Loreto, and anchored out a total of 38 nights. We never dragged once while at anchor. The sand bottoms there provided excellent holding, usually in less than 12 feet. Our trailered boat traveled 4,077 land miles, and we cruised 777 nautical miles on the Sea of Cortez. We averaged about 20 nautical miles on travel days. We burned an estimated 125 gallons of gas, for an overall trip average of 6.2 mpg. This figure includes miles traveled under power, sailing, and motor sailing. We used approximately 80 gallons of fresh water, not including water used for flushing the porta-potti and in the solar shower. That works out to about 10 gallons per week for the 2 of us, while out on the water. Daily high temperatures were typically in the mid 80's to low 90's, peaking at 96 while we were in La Paz. Night time temperatures were in a comfortable range, probably the high 60's, on most nights. Water temperatures were in the mid 60's during the early part of the cruise, and reached the low 70's in most places during the last couple of weeks.
Problems on this trip were minimal, from start to finish. Breakage was limited to the lost boat trailer fender and rock chip on the truck's windshield, during the drive south. There were no equipment failures associated with the boat. Outboard engine issues were limited to a clogged cooling water line, once, and a couple of mysterious slow starts toward the end of the trip on the 50 hp, and a stuck carberator float on the kicker motor. I had to drain seawater from the Wallas stove exhaust tube a couple of times, as a result of heeling under sail or motoring through sloppy seas. I also had to reconnect wires which had come loose. That was about it. Enjoyment of this trip was greatly enhanced by things working as they are supposed to.
We did lose a couple of items overboard, most notably a telescoping fish gaff, which got flipped out of its storage tube, clamped onto a stanchion, when I raised the mainsail one time. I also lost a couple small stainless hardware items overboard, but had spares in my tool kits.
We were significantly overstocked with food provisions, and will do a detailed "end of trip" inventory for comparison with our starting inventory. Hopefully, this will enable us to guage our food stocks a little more realistically, and reduce the number of food tubs we stow in the king berth. We anticipated our paper goods needs well, and had the right amount of paper plates, bowls, towel, and toilet paper rolls. I brought 3 gallons of mix oil, and used about 1 1/2 , so that worked out right. We only used a couple gallons of 100% mineral spirits stove fuel, and could have done without the 2 extra gallons we had along. Similarly, I seriously overestimated the number of propane cylinders. I thought we'd use one per week on the barbque and camp stove/oven, but in practise, we only drained 2 cylinders of propane on the entire trip. A few extras are needed in case the Wallas stove were to fail, but I had way too many along.
Improvements made in preparation for this trip more than proved their worth. The extra water capacity provided by the Plastimo water tank was critical in extending our range. The solar panel and Engel refrigerator worked beautifully, and allowed us to keep chilled staples, beverages, and condiments throughout the trip. The preventer lines I rigged for downwind sailing were used a number of times, and did their job of preventing an uncontrolled gybe on a couple of occasions. The sunshade tarp really helped cool the cockpit on hot afternoons, and we appreciated the ventilation provided by the Nicrovents I installed in the head and forward hatch cover. The new steering cable worked perfectly, and providing smooth steering and a good feel for the water. The single side band radio receiver was critical in providing us with accurate weather forecasts. We were well served by our charts and cruising guides.
Our advanced trip planning and preparation also served us well. We are indebted to members of the Tuscon Sailing Club who helped in answering our many questions. The effort I put into plotting waypoints and entering them into the GPS last winter greatly simplified route planning and navigation while we were out on the water.
Lack of Spanish language skills presented fewer problems than expected. A surprising number of people we interacted with had a working knowledge of English. Even when this wasn't the case, we managed to get by, thanks in large part to the patience of the people we were trying to communicate with. I do intend on improving my Spanish before we go back down, though. I really would like to be able to engage in more small talk with these warm, friendly people.
Prior to this trip, the Sea of Cortez was full of mystery and uncertainties. We have now become somewhat familiar with her waters and springtime moods, and with some of the people who call her shores home. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise on the Sea of Cortez, with every sight and experience being one of discovery for us. We hope we'll be able to return and renew our relationship with this remarkable place in the not too distant future.