Bahia de Tortugas to Bahia Magdalena
December 22-26, 2022
We spent a down day in Bahia de Tortugas (Turtle Bay) on the 21st where we relaxed on the boat, caught up on projects and got the boat ready for then next leg of the journey south. Enrique brought us diesel fuel in his panga and topped us off.
We departed Turtle Bay at 7am for a beautiful calm motor-sail south to the small town of Asuncion. Along the way we caught two Bonita and a Mahi which made the time pass quickly. Fish tacos for lunch were delicious. We arrived in Asuncion at 4pm, got the anchor down, and took the dinghy into town with the crew from SV Nani Ola who had arrived the day before. We walked around the very pleasant town and had delicious fish, shrimp and lobster with tortillas at the Sunset Restaurant overlooking the Pacific at sunset. We then headed back to the boats and were able to secure more diesel and fresh water from Lery, the go-to guy for anything in Bahia de Asuncion. That night, the lights from the boat attracted schools of fish and we could see and hear seals chasing them around the boat.
The next morning we were again on the move south. This time, a planned 30 hour trip south to Bahia Santa Maria. We were off at 7 am and began the day with beautiful calm seas and 10 kt winds from the beam making for fantastic sailing. The winds died in the late morning but picked up again in the afternoon so we were able to continue sailing. In the afternoon, we decided to finally commission the water maker. This piece of equipment allows us to make fresh water from ocean water. We had it installed when we bought Tasi but had never used it. Rookie mistake not testing it before we left. Initially everything seemed to be doing well but after about an hour, high pressure water began spraying everywhere. A section of tubing had ruptured. A few hours of trouble shooting and repairs with Rescue Tape got it under control. This should work for now but we will have to replace that run of hose when we can source some replacement. An easy trip to Home Depot is unfortunately not an option now.
At 4am, as we were changing shifts and making coffee, a wave hit us on the side and coffee went everywhere including into our dry storage necessitating several hours of cleanup. As the sun came up though, we decided to start fishing and our luck changed. We have been trolling a hand-line and two fishing rods lately. I set the hand-line and before I could get the other lines in the water got a hit on the hand-line. It was a pretty small bonita so we released it. A little while later we got a bite on one of the rods and while Shelly was bringing in the other lines she got a bite on her rod. We landed two nice sized yellowfin tunas. Delicious. Our fishing luck has finally improved and our freezer is now stocked with fish.
We finally arrived in Bahia Santa Maria at 3 pm on the 24th. We were exhausted and once getting the anchor set and the boat put away, we settled in to watch Elf but fell asleep long before the end. Unfortunately I awoke the next day feeling very bad with fevers, chills, and headache. I had somehow caught a virus. We had a COVID test onboard which was negative but I was pretty miserable the whole day and went to bed early. The next day however I felt all better and we moved 30 miles from Bahia Santa Maria to Bahia Magdalena. It was a splendid day and we saw several active whales along the way. There was a good 3 knot current against us coming into the bay but once in it was calm as a lake. We had finally made it far enough south to encounter shorts and T-shirt weather. We dropped anchor in front of a small fishing village in Man of War Cove. It is calm and beautiful here and we look forward to exploring the area’s sand dunes, mangroves and nearby town of San Carlos.
