The dinghy wheels were picked up on Tuesday and installed Wednesday morning. Hal and Kathy on Airborne were just as excited as us to try them out, so we made plans to go to shore on Wednesday afternoon and then get together for dinner. Dinner worked out, but the plan to go to shore was scuttled because of high surf. We gathered on Damiana for dinner, sharing a wonderful potluck -- a very nice way to spend our last evening in Santiago.
We weighed anchor on Thursday at 6:45 a.m. and headed north. Weather forecasts for getting all the way around Cabo Corientes looked good so we decided to give it a try. There were a few places along the way where we could stop if conditions worsened: Tenacatita, Chamela and Ipala. After 11 hours at sea we neared Chamela in relatively calm seas and wind so we continued on. Several boats had the same idea, some came all the way from Santiago and a few more joined the fleet in Chamela. About an hour north (really west) the seas acted up. The swell wasn't too bad, but the period between them was more like 4 seconds rather than the usual 10-14 seconds, making for a choppy ride for about 4 hours. The wind remained calm, however, never getting above 12 kts, and that only a few times. By early morning we were in Banderas Bay and back at the La Cruz marina by noon. Our rounding of Cabo Corientes was one of our most successful ones --- ever.
Horacio and his crew are cleaning the bottom and the decks today. The weather here is gorgeous, sunny with a thin marine layer breaking up as I write this, and so far and 78 in the salon at 10 a.m. Plans for tonight include "Tacos in the Street" with a few other cruisers.
~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~
skype: sfwoman
