La Paz and Bandalera

3/25/11
Short stay in La Paz, didn’t do it justice, but we have had more than our share of city life of this trip.

Sunday we headed out to find the Crossroads church friends had told us about. It is especially difficult because most streets have no signs, a common theme of Mexican cities, and it is a very small church tucked behind a store, so unless you see the sign up high on the building, you will miss it. Entrance is a walkway between two buildings. A small church, but Marcus and I liked it very much. Met “Two Can Play” and they were very nice, as we have found cruisers to be.

Walked to the former CCC to provision for our trip North, as there will be few stores, and of course the prices will be much higher. We were surprised that the food here in La Paz costs more than in Mazatlan, but I have been told it is because it needs to be imported. Both at the grocery store and the Mercado, we found the produce left a lot to be desired.

We really liked the feel of La Paz, it feels welcoming and inviting, and there are fewer bars on the doors and windows. Less crime here.

Headed to Bandalera, where we spent a rocky night. Just cannot seem to get away from those corumels. A corumel is a brisk wind that comes up from the south, southwest during the night, most of the time unexpectedly, and can be anywhere from 10-20 knots. Because of this, you need to be very careful when anchoring, projecting where the boat might swing with tides and wind changes.

Didn’t head out too early, hoping to take advantage of early afternoon winds, but early enough for the tides to be in our favor. We put up both the mail and the jib and sailed North/west, we wanted to go North, but it seems, wherever you are headed, that is where the wind comes from. Sailed NW for 1 ½ hours out and 1 hour NE and made all of 1 mile towards our destination. Welcome to our world of sailing. Just a few miles from Caleta Partida, our next stop, we decide to motorsail a more direct route. Coming up behind us, we see Talion, a boat we have been seeing along the way. The were anchored at Balandra with us, and left after we did. Once again, they cruise past us and we long for a bigger engine.
We have had to resign ourselves to the fact that we tend to be slower than other boats. We have been trying to figure out if there is something we can do, as this boat is designed to be pretty quick, more of a racer cruiser. It seems most boats here have bigger engines, and can cut right through chop and waves. We can point very high is this boat, which means we can sail almost into the wind. Our sails are old and tired, and we would do better with a new mail sail, possibly next year we can find a nice used main that will suit our needs. Seems here in the Sea of Cortez there is either too much wind or not enough.