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Going North
by Capt. John E. Rains
Smart tactics keep a northbound voyage from being a pain
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In Mexico, boaters have an axiom: Whatever goes south must eventually come north.
Returning to the United States from Mexico need not be a dangerous or dreadful event -- as long as your vessel is seaworthy. However, planning your itinerary requires a bit of weather wisdom and some savvy tactics tailored for the specific weather and sea conditions found in the two major northbound passages.
Timing Is Everything
I’m often asked, “When is the best time to return north?”
That depends on when you went south and how long you can stay.
The very best time to return north is during November, because the normal northwesterly winds are at their lightest along the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula, which is rightfully thought of as the most difficult part.
November is known as the time of year when huge flocks of cruising boaters head south, after the “all clear” is given at the end of hurricane season in the Pacific. It’s also the best time to return north.
Therefore, the ideal time schedule is to head south in November, continuing as far south in Mexico as you intend to go, so you can enjoy tropical warmth throughout the winter. Then, “summer over” in one of Mexico’s relatively safe hurricane holes. Finally, return north past Baja California the following November. This gives you a full year in Mexico.
It’s not uncommon for long-range cruising yachts or retired adventurers to explore Mexico for several consecutive years, marked from November to November.
The second-best time is the roughly five-week period from late March through most of April.
Why then? Winter storms are likely to have ceased rolling down from the Gulf of Alaska and the northern Pacific, and the summer pattern of strong northwesterlies may not yet have entrenched itself along the coasts of California and Baja California.
This time schedule allows boaters only about five months worth of paradise, though – not enough time for lollygagging and gunkholing through every region, but adequate if you pick your stops and passages. Hundreds of sportfishers plan one such cruise every year or two.
Radio Waves
No matter which time of year you start north, you must pay attention to the immediate weather -- and wait to leave until you have a favorable weather report.
To do this, I recommend monitoring the Chubasco Net daily. This ham radio network has the best weather reporting for northbound vessels in Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta Passage
For the thousands of boaters who visit the mainland south of the Sea of Cortez – anywhere from Punta Mita down to the Bahias de Huatulco – the rather fast southbound trek is aided by wind and current.
Don’t worry if you zoom right by whole handfuls of tiny anchorages. After you’ve reached the apogee of your cruise or the farthest point south, then the northbound return voyage is when you’ll want to poke into each little crevice, linger for days and savor the ambiance.
The first northbound “hump” will be the long offshore passage required to cross from Puerto Vallarta on the mainland to Los Frailes, the easternmost tip of the East Cape region of Baja California.
The variables of boat, skipper, weather and comfort level are infinite, but during winter cruising season, the wind and seas are often from the northwest. Northers roll right down the bowling alley of the Sea of Cortez. If there is a “Screaming Blue Norther” in the upper Sea of Cortez, it’s likely to still be “hooting” out in the middle portion of the gulf.
The “Punta Mita Tactic” gives boaters a little leverage on this passage. Creep out to Punta Mita, the northern arm of Bahia Banderas outside Puerto Vallarta, where you’re as close to the open water passage as possible without actually being in it.
As a staging ground, Punta Mita offers a large sheltered anchorage in prevailing wind and sea conditions, and it’s not such a high promontory that it creates a blustery “cape effect” of its own. At Punta Mita, boaters can await their weather window of opportunity to cross.
When departing Punta Mita toward Baja California, you’ll have any north wind on your starboard quarter rather than on the beam. But stay 20 miles off the Tres Marias islands, due to the prison colony perimeter.
Winds are generally light at the beginning, so if you have the fuel capacity, run as fast as you can in good weather. Within the last 100 miles of East Cape, that old north wind usually kicks up, but it dies out in the last 10 miles as you come under Baja California’s lee.
Mazatlan Maneuvers
If light winds are forecast for your Puerto Vallarta-to-East Cape passage, there’s a double helping of good news: You can shorten up this offshore passage to about 160 miles by continuing up the mainland side from Punta Mita to Mazatlan before jumping off toward Los Frailes on East Cape. (This course brings any north wind more on your beam, so avoid it during true Northers.)
As a side benefit of the Mazatlan maneuvers, you can easily use Isla Isabela as a steppingstone to further shorten this passage. Isla Isabela is an interesting frigate preserve about 86 miles south/southwest of Mazatlan harbor, and both of Isabela’s anchorages offer shelter from north wind.
Cabo to Quintín
Everyone (well, almost everyone) eventually faces up to the northbound stretch from Cabo San Lucas to San Quintín. (For the exceptions, see below.)
Cabo Falso suffers greatly from “cape effect” – especially during the spring – so one smart tactic is to depart at 4 a.m., as winds are generally lightest in the predawn hours. By 20 miles up the pike, that effect is gone.
I’ve always found lighter winds and smaller seas by running no more than 5 miles off the beach, staying in the broad bight off Todos Santos, up to Punta Tosca at the south end of Bahia Magdalena.
From Cabo San Lazaro at the north end of Bahia Magdalena, cut due north to San Juanico anchorage, then continue 5 miles off shore to Bahia Tortugas, or Turtle Bay. Run up the lee side of Isla Cedros, jumping across Bahia Vizcaino to Fondeadero San Carlos – or make as much northing as wind and seas allow.
Don’t be overly intimidated by the blustery area off the north end of Cedros, because it is mostly “cape effect.” By the time you close with Punta Baja, winds generally die off.
The true hazards in this region between Punta Baja and San Quintín are Sacramento Reef and Ben’s Rock. North of San Quintín, your “humps” are all history.
Prepare to Punch
This isn’t like everyday cruising, so some wise boat preparations are in order – and, possibly, some behavior modification:
*Seal all deck hatches, especially forward. Consider new rubber gaskets, or temporarily apply silicone sealant and duct tape.
* Secure the anchor, so there’s no possibly of it running free.
* Plug the chain hawse with silly putty, plasticine clay or a tennis ball.
* Some boat designs have plywood or plexiglass storm windows, which should be bolted on over forward-facing portholes or windows.
* Secure the dinghy and all water toys with deck chocks, strap-downs and canvas covers. Don’t let water accumulate inside the dinghy.
* Fake the chain carefully in the locker, then prevent it from tumbling into a nasty ball by tightly filling the top of the locker with large fenders or an inflated beach ball. (After a rough passage, remove the fenders from the chain locker and make sure the chain will run free when needed.)
* Test and confirm the operation of all bilge pumps, float switches and high-water alarms. A red indicator light should glow brightly when each pump runs, clearly visible to the watch stander. Never ignore a running pump, because float switches tend to get stuck in the “up” or “on” position when the boat punches and bounces to weather.
* Plan to slow down in a strong head sea. To do otherwise is to invite damage. Learn how to ride the throttles, pulling back before you fall off the top of a big wave -- then regain speed in the trough. Alter course every few moments, to take big waves quartering off the bow, jogging back and forth.
* Don’t be in a hurry. If you absolutely have to arrive north on a specific day or time, you’re bound to force yourself into a bad weather situation when you should have stayed put a little while longer.
Making that northbound voyage need not be dangerous, if you practice good seamanship skills and use a few savvy tactics. The hardest part is leaving paradise in your wake.
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This article first appeared in the June 1, 2001 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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