Viking II: Leaving La Paz

No luck in getting crew to head north up the east coast of the Baja. Desert Wind had decided to go to San Carlos and haul out for New Mexico there; I decided to go with them. We left in the morning and set a course dead into the wind for Isla San Francisco. I told Stan that I would follow them .... this became harder and harder to do ... I was at idle and still passing them. Stan called to say he had transmission trouble. A little testing and it was a blown forward gear. Desert Wind raised a sail and turned back to La Paz; I shadowed them with a tow rope handy. As we made the nine miles back, they jibed up the channel in order to miss the La Paz sand bar and the beach; I kept to
the middle of the channel and watched. Once they anchored just off the Malecon, I said goodbye and went to fuel up.

Anxious to get started I took care coming away from the fuel dock to avoid the sand. Near the last buoy, Viking II suddenly started to shudder and came to a screeching, engine revving halt; it was then I noticed I had short cut the second to last buoy. The depth sounder read 5.6 feet. I could not back off. Frantic waves to the passing Universidad powerboat provided not help. Fortunately, the wind and waves turned me and I rocked off the sand at 5.8 feet. After gaining open water, a quick test of the steering and I was off to Isla Espritu Santo.

Due to the late start, arrival at Partida Cove would be after dark ..... undesirable for someone who had already run aground once today. Lowrance (the GPS) told me the moon would rise a half hour before sunset and provide enough light to find my way and not hit the other boats in the anchorage. It was a great spot.

Erik, Viking II