San Carlos and the Big Move

I made it safely and without incident across the Sea of Cortez from Santa Raosalia to San Carlos.  Once I had arrived, I had to be totally focused on preparing Circadian for transport by truck to Ensenada.  While San Carlos was a spectacular setting, it was extremely hot, so I tried to get the hardest work done in the morning.  It was essential that I meet the pre-arranged schedule so that Circadian would arrive on time at Baja Naval in Ensenada for off-loading and a slip.  It was a challenging job.  As much as possible had to be removed from on deck and stowed below.  Sails, boom and spinnaker poles had to be removed and stowed securely. The electrical wires to the mast had to be cut, labeled and stowed for transport on the mast.  All while I was sleeping aboard.  After all that was done and Circadian was on her way, I had to get myself to Ensenada.  That would entail spending a day in a bus terminal and all night on a bus.  Not much fun, but I made it and coincidentally caught up with Circadian a couple of hours from Ensenada.  In Ensenada, I'll have just as much work putting it all back.  Ahh, the glamour of yachting!

When approaching San Carlos, Mt. Tecalai, popularly

known as Tetas de Cabre, is visible from several 

miles out.

A large sportfisher in the red circle shows the scale.

To enter San Carlos Bay, you go around this point.

This rock formation marks the right side of the bay entrance.

I anchored in El Tomate Cove, finding a spot

amidst all the moorings.

The surrounding landscape was quite spectacular, 

despite the extensive development on the marina

side of the bay.

Three trimarans rafted up

Pretty brave heron!

I arranged for a slip in the marina so I could

do the extensive preparation needed for

putting the boat on a truck to Ensenada.

Mt.Tecalai overlooks the marina.

Circadian in her slip in Marina San Carlos

Unfortunately, the fuel dock spoiled the view.

I don't think this heron cared much for
 the Pemex sign either.

Sunset from the dock

Sunrise from the dock

Mt. Tecalai at sunset

It's easy to see why the Yaquis considered the mountain

to be sacred.

While I was working too hard to have much fun, I did

enjoy leisurely lunches at my favorite restaurant in the

heat of the afternoons.  Air conditioning and two beers

for 30 pesos (about $1.50), how can you pass it up?

Food was good, too.

I always enjoy Mexican humor.  

This is part of the large mural

above the urinals in the restaurant.

In order to remove the mast, all the wiring to the mast

had to be cut.  That meant dropping ceiling panels to

get access.  Of course I labeled all the wires so I could

reconnect them later.  Still, a lot of work and a big mess.

After about six days of work, I moved the boat to the boat

ramp to be hauled out and brought to Marina Seca

to remove the mast and finish prepping for the truck.

A large tractor from Marina Seca pulled the boat out on

an hydraulic trailer and took it to Marina Seca, about a

mile down the highway.

The boat was positioned under a crane to

remove the mast.

Standing rigging disconnected and the mast

lifted off

Mast put on stands and Circadian moved to a short-term

parking spot and put on stands.

While the yard crew removed the standing 

rigging, I continued stripping things off

the deck and stowing them below. 

Quite a mess!

The next day, the transport truck arrives and Circadian

is transferred onto the hydraulic transport trailer.

Circadian is moved next to the stripped-down mast for

loading onto the trailer.

Mast and dinghy are loaded and secured on the trailer.

After a final check, the truck leaves early the next morning.

Speeded-up video of the first part of the process

The rest of the process

Once Circadian is gone, I go for an early breakfast and

take a cab to the bus terminal in Guaymas 

to buy a ticket to Ensenada for that evening.

I opted for an overnight trip so that I would arrive in 

Ensenada at a reasonable hour.  That meant spending

most of the day in the air conditioned bus terminal.

So, I set up in a corner and worked on blog posts

and videos.

The part of Guaymas that I saw was pretty modern,

surrounded by a spectacular landscape.

Eventually, it was time to get on the bus for the 15-hour

ride to Ensenada.

Spending that much time overnight on a bus is bad enough,

but it was made worse by being required to wake up, 

get off and allow the army to inspect bags and 

luggage every two or three hours.

Amazingly, after about 12 hours on the road, the

bus caught up to Circadian at one of the army

checkpoints early the next morning.  

Quite a coincidence that we would

meet during that brief stop.  Another

couple of hours and we would both arrive

at Ensenada.