After years of planning and preparing, and reading countless accounts of other cruising boats sailing into this sleepy bay on their way south, I finally get to see Turtle Bay for myself. Admittedly, it's a rather uninspiring place but the feeling of accomplishment overshadows all else.
We were happy to drop the hook at around 7 AM yesterday after a 3-day passage from Ensenada and immediatley went down for a nap. We had some nice sailing at times and motored when the wind died off. At sunset on Sunday we were still about 30 miles out so we decided to slow down and wait for a daylight entry into the bay. I'm glad we did as we had to dodge lobster traps motor-sailing with 15 knots of wind on the nose. We anchored near the village among a half-dozen other boats, some of which we recognized from San Diego.
After getting a little sleep and a much-needed shower we hopped in a water-taxi with Peter and Jim from Mwelu, whom we met in SD and sailed down the coast with. The four of us (with Colin) walked down the beach to Enrique's for margaritas and fish tacos. It was an important day. Not only had we sailed half-way down Baja, but it was Millie's birthday. Feliz cumpleaños mi amor! We sat on a patio overlooking the bay and celebrated with the friendly owner and her familia. Colin made a big impression as usual. It was a nice ending to a special day.
We plan to spend another day here before setting sail for Magdalena Bay, a 2-day sail down the coast. All is well aboard Jean Marie. The engine is dropping oil but running fine, which is forcing us to rely more on the sails when the wind drops off. This is a good thing as it helps us develop our sailing skills and, more importantly, our patience.
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