Seasons Greetings!

To all our friends, family, and blog readers (both regular and occasional), we wish you the best of the season and for the new year, wherever you may be.

2015: A very busy season for hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific and Mexico

According to NOAA, the 2015 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season was a record-setting season:

The eastern Pacific saw 18 named storms, including 13 hurricanes, nine of which became major.  This is the first year since reliable record keeping began in 1971 that the eastern Pacific saw nine major hurricanes. Hurricane Patricia was the strongest hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere in terms of maximum wind speed at 200 miles per hour and lowest air pressure at 879 millibars. Hurricane Sandra, which formed at the tail end of the season, was the strongest hurricane in the eastern Pacific so late in the year, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 145 miles per hour.

The central Pacific shattered its records too, with 14 named storms, including eight hurricanes, five of which became major hurricanes, the most active season since reliable record-keeping began in 1971. Three major hurricanes (Ignacio, Kilo and Jimena) churned at the same time east of the International Dateline, the first time that was ever recorded.

2015 Tropical Storms/Hurricanes

Source: NOAA


Hurricanes approaching Baja California as early as early June (H. Blanca) and as late as late November (H. Sandra).

Something to think about when planning sailing to/from Baja California!

Cruising Desolation Sound in September

Entering Desolation Sound (Mt. Denman in centre)

Coming home from Mexico, we were hankering to get back up to Desolation Sound. Beautiful protected anchorages, warm swimming (ocean and lakes), wilderness areas and unpopulated islands. Nearby, also, are the "Discovery Islands" (Quadra & Cortes Islands). The problem, however, is that in July and August, Desolation Sound and nearby areas are teaming with boats (most from the USA) and anchorages are very crowded. In August 2012, we counted at least 80 boats anchored in Tenedos Bay.

Returning to Desolation this year, we decided to give September a try -- hopefully most boats will have gone home.

We had sailing friends from our days in the Sea of Cortez join us on this trip. Lance and Jennifer from SV Kylahi (currently in La Paz) drove from Edmonton to Okeover Inlet to join us on Pelagia for 7 days. Bob and Dee Dee sailed SV Sunshine -- which was shipped home on the MV Tiberborg together with Pelagia -- from Pender Island to join us in Desolation.

Our trip up the coast, started just before Labour Day, was a calm motor; no sailing but happily no northwest winds to bash against. It was immediately obvious that there was a constant parade of boats heading South. This was a good sign. Of course, part of the reason for their heading South was the cool, cloudy (and rainy) weather.

Dark clouds over Sechelt

Our first anchorage in Desolation Sound was back to Tenedos Bay. Much to our pleasure, there were only a couple boats anchored when we arrived. After initial failed attempts to anchor without stern tying, we ended up stern-tied with perhaps 6 boats. A far cry from 80 boats!

Leaving the Tenedos Bay NW anchorage: so few boats in September!

However, the water ocean temperature was only about 17 degrees C, a far cry from 21-23 degrees in August. No swimming here this time.

We then moved over to Isabel Bay, a tiny protected anchorage off of Lancelot Inlet. The 1-2 boat small northern nook is one of our favourite anchorages -- in July/August we have often turned away as it is occupied. This September, we were the only boat.

Pelagia in Isabel Bay

Isabel Bay

After Isabel Bay, we picked up Lance and Jennifer at the dock at Okeover Landing, then motored over to the outer part of Grace harbour, behind Jean island, where we rafted-up with Bob and Dee Dee on SV Sunshine. A great reunion of La Paz cruisers ensued.

La Paz Cruisers' party time on Pelagia (in Desolation Sound)

A highlight for us was an over-1-hour show by a rambunctious family of  five orcas, off of Mink Island in Desolation Sound:

Lance and Jennifer watching Orca show

We shut down the motor and drifted as the orcas swam past us close by

 
Subsequent anchorages in the Desolation Sound area where we overnighted:

Laura Cove: Perhaps 6 boats anchored. Good oysters and clams outside of cove in Homfray Channel.

Roscoe Bay: On our 2nd night here, there were only 3 boats. Black Lake was still warm for swimming -- all six of us went for a swim. Roscoe Bay itself was 19 degrees C -- David went for a swim (changing a shaft zinc). Four of us hiked up Mt. Llanover, requiring about 1.5 hours to reach the top (as usual).

At the top of Mt Llanover

The view from Mt. Llanover (looking southeast over Desolation Sound (Black Lake below)

Squirrel Cove: The most "crowded" anchorage (perhaps 20 boats). Some were swimming -- we found it too cold.

Small Islets (Lancelot/Theodosia Inlets): A new anchorage to us. Lots of odd current.

Grace Harbour (inner harbour): Headed here after dropping off Lance and Jennifer back at Okeover Landing. Usually far too crowded, but not in September!

Cortes Bay: Some love this bay; other hate it. We generally like it due to its position (a good place to arrive from/leave to the south) and to the hiking nearby. However, to our disappointment, the best anchoring area (south of the public dock) is now taken up by a permanently moored dock (with 2 boats) and other moorings. We anchored in the north end -- alone -- which worked out well as there were no winds and only a couple transient boats anchored.

We headed back south from Cortes Bay -- unfortunately getting caught in a southeasterly resulted in about 2 hours of bashing in Malaspina Strait (not too bad, could of been worse). A last night anchored off of Camp Artaban in Howe Sound -- an old favourite of ours -- before returning home to the Vancouver Rowing Club.

All-in-all, a great trip! We were away about 2 weeks, and had six nights of socializing, with 6 of us for dinners on Pelagia. Anchorages this September were either empty or uncrowded. Weather in Desolation Sound this September was variable, including clouds, a little rain, and several sunny days. Every night was dead calm (no wind and no waves -- such a change from the Sea of Cortez). Unfortunately, ocean temperatures were mostly too cold for swimming.

Desolation Sound's hot days and warm ocean temperatures in July/August can make for a great time. However, the huge crowds of the Summer are too much for us. Desolation Sound in September works better for the crew of Pelagia.

Pelagia in Desolation Sound, September 2015

A new (ski) season begins...

2015 opening day at Whistler: November 19th!

How November has changed for us!

Last year at this time, we were in Mazatlan, preparing to sail Pelagia across the Sea of Cortez back up to La Paz.  Two years ago (November, 2013), we were sailing Pelagia down the west coast of the Baja California peninsula.

This year, we are home living in Whistler, excited to spend this Winter skiing (with a sail or two or three in between). 

Ski season began early today.  We joined many other exuberant "opening day" skiers/riders and had a nice day skiing under sunny blue skies. 

Meanwhile, down in the valley not all bears were hibernating....

Nov 20: bear chowing down on Whistler Golf Course

A few weeks in Greece...

 Day 1: A very rainy day at the Acropolis

It's the in-between time at home in Whistler,  as we wait for snow.  And the weather is also less conducive for sailing (though we do plan to sail some this Winter).

So, we have taken off to Greece for a few weeks,  with plans to visit places in the Peloponnese as well as Crete.

We'll be posting photos to a "Greece 2015" album on our FLICKR account:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/sv-pelagia/99xjPv



UPDATE November 13, 2015: We're back home in Whistler. Trip to Greece was great (despite all the smokers and smoking).

Super Hurricane Patricia comes ashore near Manzanillo

A huge hurricane,  Patricia packed winds of at least 150 knots.  Coming ashore near Manzanillo,  Patricia is the strongest  hurricane ever to hit the Americas (and possibly anywhere).

Our thoughts go out to friends with boats in the area, and especially to the Mexicans living and working in the area.



AFTER THE HURRICANE UPDATE:
Cruising boats in Barra de Navidad fared pretty well; locals not so well. Friends Betty Anne and David on SV Confidence have a full description of the experience of Hurricane Patricia on their blog: http://cruiseoftheconfidence.blogspot.gr/2015/10/hurricane-patricia-2015-part-three.html

Heading down the Pacific coast of Baja California? Create GPS-accurate electronic "charts" using SAT2CHART and SASPLANET satellite images

UPDATE: Better image chart etc (from ArcGIS) for Abreojos BCS, plus link to download for Abreojos waypoint (gpx) and image (kap) files. Scroll to bottom. 

UPDATE:  I find it easier to make these charts using the combination of SASPlanet, ArcGIS ESRI, and SAT2CHART. MBTILES is the better format.

UPDATE: The "chartlocker" has free, pre-made, mbtiles of satellite charts for Baja (and elsewhere): https://chartlocker.brucebalan.com/ 

UPDATE: Google Earth images are reasonably good, but other sources provide even better (higher resolution/clearer images). I find Bing much better than Google Earth; sometimes better are the images from ArcGIS ESRI. Use free SASPlanet software to make charts from ESRI. "How to" explained here.



On previous posts, we discussed various charts, official Mexico nautical charts, cruising guides, weather sources, and  communications. In the current post, we discuss using GPS-accurate electronic "charts" derived from Google-Earth images to supplement navigation resources when cruising the Pacific coast of Baja California.

March 2016: see also post concerning CM93 electronic charts.

THE PROBLEM: When we left Ensenada in November 2013 to sail down the Pacific coast of Baja California, we had our first encounters with navigating a coast where charts were often out-of-date, inaccurate, and lacking detail.

We had two guidebooks, both new (2013) editions (Charlie's Charts; and  Rain's Mexico Boating Guide). We also had paper charts in a Yachtsman's Chartbook, and CM93 electronic charts -- both of which we could see, before leaving, were lacking sufficient detail and accuracy. Importantly, in addition to these, we had an up-to-date C-MAP chart card for our Furuno chartplotter (also usable in our computer). In some places, the C-MAP card showed much better detail than the CM93 or Yachtsman's charts; in many other places the C-MAP chart were also lacking sufficient detail. In contrast with the excellent accuracy of the C-MAP charts in the USA and Canada, we had no idea as to the GPS accuracy of these charts in Baja California.

Two nights and two days after leaving Ensenada, wanting some sleep, we considered anchoring on the east side of Cedros Island at an anchorage called "La Palmita", indicated by both guide books. However, without any information on a chart or guidebook chartlet, zero detail on the C-MAP chart, and a depth sounding far off of what we were recording, we chickened out and continued on to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) -- losing about 1 hour of valuable daylight.

No detail and inaccurate chart for Isla Cedros' La Palmita anchorage: well within the "10 foot" depth contour, we still had >150' showing; it didn't help that the anchorage waypoint was showing on land. So we gave up and headed for Turtle Bay. (Interestingly, only a couple nautical miles south, the chart became very detailed (i.e., C-MAP included the new Mexican/SEMAR chart for Cedros town, produced in 2012.)

With daylight fading, we just made it through the "Canal de Dewey" (narrow channel between Punta Eugenia & Isla Natividad) before dark -- with so many lobster traps, so much kelp, and reefs, combined with currents, we would never do Dewey in the dark.


In contrast to most anchorages down Baja's Pacific coast, the C-MAP chart for Turtle Bay had quite a bit of detail. However, as we sailed towards Turtle Bay in the dark, we did not yet know whether or not there was a 1-2 nm offset (error) to the charts. Our radar proved to very useful that night. Nevertheless, it was not until the morning, when we were safely anchored and could clearly see all of Turtle Bay that we concluded the C-MAP Turtle Bay chart is indeed pretty accurate.  (Radar and charts, however, could not show the many lobster buoys at the entrance to Turtle Bay. We were lucky we made it through these in the dark!)

We did not have Navionics charts back in 2013. However, reviewing Navionics charts now (2015), we see similar accuracy between Navionics and C-Map charting for the Pacific coast of Baja. (In the Sea of Cortez, we have found that Navionics charts are not as up-to-date as C-Map; for example: Altata, Loreto, and, south of the Sea, San Blas.

The guidebooks provide many useful waypoints for anchorages. Although the location of these waypoints are indicated on the guides' chartlets, these chartlets are not usually very detailed (Charlie's Charts' chartlets appear to be handdrawn). So, one cannot be sure of the accuracy or location of these waypoints.

A PARTIAL SOLUTION: Reading other cruisers' blogs (see, for example: SV Totem; SV Ocelot; SV Valhalla; SV Soggy Paws), we came to a (partial) solution to the above chart inaccuracies and uncertainty about waypoints: creating GPS-accurate electronic "charts" from Google Earth (GE). Specifically, we used three excellent programs, all freely available: GE2KAP (now "SAT2CHART") and Google Earth to create the GE-based electronic raster charts (each with .kap extensions), and the OpenCPN charting program to display the charts as well as the guides' waypoints. Although the GE-based raster "charts" do not provide depth sounding and other underwater data, one can clearly see land-based features (buildings, beaches, wharves, etc) and their relationship to the ocean, and usually, one can clearly see shallows, underwater spits, breaking waves, and often reefs. Moreover, entering the guides' waypoints allows one to see exactly where the waypoints are relative to the shore features.  Any offset in other electronic charts can also be determined. As with other electronic charts, one can use OpenCPN with a GPS to plot your vessel's position on the GE-based chart.

Unfortunately, we did not figure the above out until after we rounded Cabo San Lucas and reached the Sea of Cortez. Although we found the GE-based charts sometimes helpful in the Sea, they are not needed as much as there are excellent harbour/anchorage charts for the Sea of Cortez available from Shawn and Heather's Blue Latitude Press cruising guides, electronic waypoints, and electronic charts (also available for mainland Mexico, but not for the Pacific coast of Baja).

AN EXAMPLE: Abreojos, located between Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria on Baja's Pacific coast, provides an excellent example of the utility of the GE-based "charts". The paper and electronic charts for Abreojos lack both detail and accuracy. The images below show what we had available as well as what we could have had if we had been using GE-based charts.

[After leaving Turtle Bay, we headed for Abreojos, with the intent of anchoring for a night. However, when as close as 10 nm away from Abreojos (we could see its main lighthouse), we found ourselves bashing into 10-20 kn SE winds. We figured these winds would blow directly into the exposed anchorage and, given the sketchy charts and numerous surrounding reefs, we changed course and headed directly to Bahia Santa Maria, another night and day away.]

The Yachtman's paper chart for Abreojos

Abreojos chartlet from Rain's "Mexico Boating Guide" Anchorage waypoints were given in the text.

Abreojos chartlet from Charlie's Charts: only the entry waypoint (for avoiding reefs) given.

CM93-2007 electronic chart at maximum resolution. Waypoints from both guidebooks are shown, as well as the location of the lighthouse (from the Mexican "List of Lights")

The CM93 chart shows little detail and, assuming the waypoints are accurate, the electronic chart is clearly inaccurate (the main lighthouse is missing, the light on the hill is no longer in use, and the El Campo anchor waypoint is on land...).

C-MAP electronic chart showing Abreojos (at maximum resolution). Waypoints from both guidebooks are shown, as well as the location of the lighthouse (from the Mexican "List of Lights")

Navionics (2015): provides same (lack of) detail and inaccuracy as C-MAP (2015)

The C-MAP electronic chart provides a little more detail (although with very few depth soundings). Waypoints seem reasonably located. Again, the main lighthouse is missing or inaccurately located. (The lighthouse shown high up on the hill behind the town has long been out of use.)

The Navionics chart is much the same as the C-MAP.



Google-Earth "Charts":

Smaller-scale Google Earth "chart" (created using GE2KAP) overlaid on CM93 chart.

Google Earth "chart" (created using GE2KAP), zoomed in on the "Town" anchorage. Location of Rains' anchor waypoint now accurately shown relative to beach. Shallows and some reefs are also visible,

The town buildings and beach are clearly visible, as is the anchorage waypoint position relative to the beach, breakers, and the lighthouse.

Google Earth "chart" (created using GE2KAP), zoomed in on the "El Campo" anchorage (Rains). Location of anchor waypoint now accurately shown relative to beach. Shallows and some reefs are also visible.

As above, the Abreojos "El Campo en Medio" anchorage east of town is shown clearly on this zoomed-in larger-scale GE-based chart. Shallows (or reefs) are shown fairly close inshore of the anchorage.

We wished we had had these Google-earth based "charts" setup for our sail down the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula. With the combination of the Rain's and Charlie's Charts guides, C-MAP charts, and the GE-based image charts, we would have felt far more confident navigating closer to shore. We highly recommend cruisers planning their trip down the Baja peninsula prepare GE-based image charts before heading south.

[See update below regarding ESRI ArcGIS satellite images.]


RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Before leaving Ensenada, try to obtain the new detailed large-scale Mexican charts from SEMAR (there is a chart sales office in Ensenada*). NOTE: These charts are now available online digitally from O-CHARTS (see this March 2022 blog post). The reasonably up-to-date smaller-scale SEMAR charts -- all corrected to WGS84 datum -- would also be useful. (This may be easier said than done; we didn't learn about SEMAR until after leaving Ensenada. Ability to speak Spanish likely a huge help. Our attempt to obtain these electronic charts in La Paz was not successful, though we did find detailed paper charts.) Charts are the same price for paper or electronic (raster) formats. If you are bypassing Ensenada, you might consider a land trip from San Diego to Ensenada (bus travel is very easy). (But it would be a shame to miss Ensenada as it is a great cruising stop: easiest check-in to Mexico, excellent marinas, excellent provisioning (Soriana, Costco, etc), the best fish/shrimp tacos in Mexico, and a great bar (Hussong's).) 
• If you are using C-MAP (or Navionics -- we've found they have similar issues; for example, see above, or this Latitude38 article on Navionics) chart cards, ensure they are up-to-date!
• Obtain up-to-date cruising guides for Baja California. Enter their relevant waypoints into electronic form so you can transfer these to your chartplotter and your navigation computer/tablet charting program (easily done using GPSUtility) . (Also, you might be able to obtain trustworthy waypoints from other cruisers experienced with Baja.)
• Using GE2KAP (now called SAT2CHART) and Google Earth (better, use BING or ESRI ArcGIS images), create GE-image charts for each Pacific-coast Baja anchorage you expect to stop at (and consider alternate anchorages). In many cases, you will want a small-scale zoomed-out image chart as well as a large-scale, zoomed-in/detailed image chart. (Alternatively, using the "tile" function in GE2KAP -- or the "Stitch" function in SASPlanet -- one can make one chart with very high zooms.)
• Load these into your navigation software, such as OpenCPN (these GE-image-charts will not likely be usable on your boat's dedicated chartplotter). UPDATE: Make image-charts from more-accurate ESRI satellite images.
• Use multiple sources of information while navigating down the Baja Peninsula; learn to use your radar.

*LOCATION OF CHART SALES IN ENSENADA: Estación de Investigación Oceanográfica de Ensenada, B.C.,  Boulevard Costero y Agustín Sangines (A & B), Ensenada, B.C. 22800 Tel. +52  (646) 172-5743   Email: oceanografia_eda@hotmail.com 


UPDATE:

Using ESRI ArcGIS satellite images, I am able to pinpoint position of the Rocas Ballena and La Rechinadora rocks, dangerous rocks just NW of Punta Abreojos. I have made waypoints for these rocks.

The ArcGIS images are more-detailed than the Google Earth images. In the pictures below, I have plotted the various waypoints on an ArcGIS image (a little blurry in this blog image), on a CM93-2012 chart (which has much better detail than the older CM93 above, BUT chart datum is clearly off), as well as a zoom-in on the anchorages.

If you are interested in obtaining a zip file containing: (i) a GPX waypoint filefor Abreojos, and (ii) and two image "charts" for Abreojos (one zoomed in and the other smaller scale/overview),Click here to download.   NOTE, the information in these files comes with no warranty and should not be used for real-time navigation. Use at your own risk!

Reunions with La Paz cruising friends (August/September, 2015)

At the end of August, friends Alena and Chris of SV Green Panther (who we last saw when they left La Paz in 2014, and who sailed across the Pacific to Australia) were visiting family in Portland, and drove up to Whistler for a 3-day backpack (Cheakamus Lake to Helm Creek to Taylor Meadows via Panorama Ridge to Rubble Creek).

On top of Panorama Ridge with Alena and Christian (Garibaldi Lake in background)

A couple weeks later, friends Lance and Jennifer of SV Kylahi (currently in La Paz) drove from Edmonton to join us in Desolation Sound for 6 nights on Pelagia. This was their first trip sailing trip (well, motoring) to the protected waters of the south coast of B.C. Joining us also were Dee Dee and Bob, also friends from Marina Palmira in La Paz, on their boat SV Sunshine (which was shipped home at the same time as Pelagia).

Dinner on Pelagia in Desolation Sound: Bob (why so serious Bob?), Dee Dee, Lance, Jennifer & Michelle

We had a great time on these trips especially because our friends from cruising the Sea of Cortez joined us.

We'll give a little more information on these trips in posts to come.  

Desolation Sound cruising...

We are off cruising on Pelagia for the first few weeks of September, heading north to Desolation Sound.

Last time we were there (August, 2012), it was way too crowded. Will be interesting to see how it is in September.

Will post a report on our return.

Boat Gear Part II: What we didn't find so "useful" in Mexico

Below are some items we purchased specifically for our trip to Mexico, but found they were not so useful (and in at least one case, useless).

Honda Generator EU2000i:

We only used the generator twice in our two seasons in Mexico (and never on the San Francisco-San Diego legs). Our solar panels gave us the charging we needed.

The first time we used the Honda generator was in Turtle Bay, on the way down the Pacific Coast of Baja when we had sailed most of the way from Ensenada (3 days/2 nights): it was cloudy, and we used the autopilot too much (rather than Hydrovane). Then it rained all day in Turtle Bay. The Honda Generator helped bring the batteries up without us having to run the engine. (As it turned out, we stayed 4 nights in Turtle Bay, and the sun came out for the final 2.5 days, allowing the solar panels to fully charge our batteries.)

The second time we used the Honda generator was much later in Puerto Escondido. We decided to have a little luxury and have hot showers onboard (the marina was a long dinghy ride away; and besides, its showers were not working). So actually no real need to use the generator.

Perhaps if we had had a watermaker and had anchored out more often, we might have needed to use the generator. Nevertheless, even after anchored out for several days and before moving to a new anchorage, we didn't need the generator. (Note: another reason the generator wasn't needed is that one has to motor a lot in Mexico -- so lots of charging and hot water.)




Yachtsman Mexico to Panama Chart Book (7th  Ed):

Almost useless for us, this "updated" chartbook, based on old DMA charts, contained very out-dated charts, with no updates from Mexican charts created over the past 20 years. [This book's charts don't even show the marina basin for Cabo San Lucas (first dredged in 1974-1975), nor the dredged Sabalo estuary and its many marinas (e.g., El Cid Marina and Marina Mazatlan) just north of Mazatlan's Zona Dorada (Gold Zone).] The charts were never better than C-MAP (or Navionics), and usually much worse.

Note: these charts are not "official" charts, thus they have the same legal status (though not utility) as C-MAP or Navionics.

At US$90, this chart book was, for us, a waste of money. We do not recommend you buy it.






Blue Performance Wind Catcher (wind scoop): 

We like wind scoops, just not this one. It has a bug screen on it, which effectively cuts air circulation to perhaps one-third (I suppose one could cut out the bug screen -- would be nice if screen could be removable). On the positive side, the Blue Performance Wind Catcher is multidirectional (i.e., does not need to be moved when the wind direction changes while at a dock). 

We had better airflow using simpler wind scoops such as the Davis wind scoop (or even a tarp placed at an angle).

Wind scoops are problematic, however, when there are bugs outside (not uncommon in the Sea of Cortez) -- hence we purchased the B-P Wind Catcher with its screens. Too bad this significantly cut down the air circulation.






 

Collapsible/Folding Hand Cart:
We only used our "Magna Cart" once in two years (to get propane in Ensenada). Not very strong and problematic on the rough sidewalks/roads of Mexico.










Charlie's Charts & Rain's Mexico Boating Guide cruising guides to Mexico:

Inclusion of these cruising guides on this "less useful" list is a little problematic, as we definitely used (and needed) these two guides for the Pacific coast of Baja (there were no other reasonably up-to-date guides available that cover this coast). These guides provide waypoints and anchorage coordinates, as well as chartlets. Each to their own, but in our opinion their chartlets did not give us confidence when navigating near the coast. 





Once we rounded Cabo San Lucas, and started using the Blue Latitude Press cruising guides by Shawn and Heather, we rarely found Charlie's Charts or Rain's Mexico Boating Guide helpful. Eventually, we stopped using them. So, we found these latter guides "less useful" specifically for the Sea of Cortez and the mainland coast of Mexico. 





Baja California Cruising Map 

Available online and from some marine stores in California, at first glance we thought this map and its GPS waypoints would be useful for us. It wasn't/they weren't. Although it provides GPS waypoints for anchorages, the scale of the map is much too small (i.e., no fine detail) to indicate where in an anchorage the waypoint is located, even in an approximate way (no features are visible). Given that many areas are already poorly charted, having a waypoint with no additional information does not inspire confidence. (The lat/long coordinates for each waypoint are listen in large table on the map. It would have been nice for the authors to provide a way to purchase and download an electronic version of these waypoints.)

We only used this map to give an idea of where a location was in the overall picture of the Baja California peninsula. And only occasionally. Nice as a picture on the wall but not so helpful navigating.

The above is not a comment on the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the waypoints -- we just didn't use them. The map does provide passage waypoints which might be helpful for those considering the Baja Bash (i.e., going north).

Boat gear Part I: What worked for us in Mexico.

Solar panels!

Part I: New additions that we found to be essential

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
As boaters prepare their boats to cruise to/in Mexico, we felt we should highlight a few additions we made to Pelagia that we found particularly helpful and, indeed, essential. (This list does not consider gear already/normally on Pelagia, such as the sails, engine, autopilot, chartplotter, radar, etc.)

Readers might also be interested in our other blog posts concerning Mexican charts, weather and communications:

http://sailing-pelagia.blogspot.ca/2014/07/information-for-cruising-mexico-charts.html

http://sailing-pelagia.blogspot.ca/2015/05/mexico-nautical-charts-c-map-and.html

Listed below are some items we feel were "essential" to our successful, safe, and (mostly) comfortable cruising to/in Mexico. The list is not complete (see also future blog posts considering "Less useful" and "nice to have but not essential" items). These lists reflect our personal views -- others might not agree.



"Detailed" notes can be found at the bottom of this post.

4 solar panels over bimini

Solar panels/charge controller:

We added four 90W panels to the top of our bimini (and a Morningstar Pro-Star 30-amp PWN solar charge controller [1] installed in a cockpit locker) only a week or so before leaving. This addition changed our cruising life (while at anchor or sailing) -- effectively removing all worries about our battery charging while in Mexico [2].  With so much sun in Mexico, it was common for this system to provide 13-16 amps/hr charging in the midday, and 5-6 amps/hr on cloudier days [3]. We had little worry even with our air-cooled Nova-Kool refrigerator running 24 hrs/day.












Marine SSB/HAM radio with Pactor 4 modem, airmail software, and Sailmail membership:  

This system [4] was critical to us for obtaining marine weather information in Mexico, as well as the Neah Bay-to-San Francisco offshore section [5].  

We wrote about weather forecasting in a previous post. There is no official marine weather forecasting (that we could find) in Pacific Mexico; no forecasts are available the VHF radio [6].  The only forecasts available, all unofficial or experimental, must be obtained in one or more of the following ways: (i) downloaded from the internet, or (ii) audio (i.e., listened to) on Marine SSB/HAM radio [7].  

Audio forecasts are primarily: (i) Geary's excellent (but, nevertheless, amateur) daily forecast delivered on the SONRISA HAM SSB Net each morning, and (ii) Stan's computer-generated (no human input) forecasts read out on the AMIGO Marine SSB net each morning. (These forecasts, plus extra information, are easily downloaded from the internet or by using low-bandwidth email such as SSB/HAM-based or Satellite Phone-based airmail/sailmail and SailDocs.)  

Not to be underestimated, additional real-time on-the-spot weather information is obtained by listening to boaters when they check-in on the SONRISA and AMIGO nets; moreover, individuals may, and often do, request "weather fills" (additional details for specific areas) from Geary; this audio information is not available on the internet or by using a satellite phone.  

Forecasts on the Internet: in addition to Geary's and Stan's forecasts, experimental NOAA forecasts, and other forecasts are available as text files (most easily using Saildocs). GRIB files are also easily available to download (these files are computer-generated "forecasts" in graphic form which have no human input and thus do not take multiple factors into account such as local conditions, topography etc). While at sea or at anchor (and away from broadband or cell-phone based internet), these files can be downloaded using a satellite phone with a data plan or, as we did, using our Marine SSB, Pactor modem, and Airmail software (and Sailmail membership)[8].  Another great feature of  Marine and HAM SSB radios is the ability to talk to other boaters located up-and-down the coast (or on a passage), and to learn the locations of others, often friends, by listening to the SONRISA and AMIGO nets, or other nets such as the Pacific Seafarer's Net (difficult or not possible using a satellite phone).[9]

Shawn & Heather's (Blue Latitude Press) Guidebooks and Waypoints:  

As we noted in our earlier post, the Blue Latitude Press guidebooks are excellent and essential [Sea of Cortez: A Cruiser's Guidebook. 3rd Ed.; Pacific Mexico: A Cruiser's Guidebook]. 

Additionally, we downloaded digital/electronic versions of all their waypoints [10] so that they could be easily transferred to our Furuno chartplotter as well as to a computer-based charting program (OpenCPN) [11]. The guidebooks provide large-scale detailed chartlets [12], with the locations of these waypoints accurately indicated. (These chartlets are also available as electronic charts -- see Note #12.) Given the lack of  accurate and detailed marine charts for most areas of the Mexican coast, Shawn and Heather's accurate waypoints gave us confidence in navigating closer to shore and when anchoring. Download the waypoints, and don't leave San Diego without purchasing these excellent guidebooks [13].



(Bulk) Water Treatment System:  

Before coming to Mexico, have a method to treat water obtained from marina and fuel dock taps. We recommend obtaining a Filter/UV Sterilization system.

Most cruisers reading this heading will immediately think "watermaker", but this is not what we are referring
to. Due to pollution (especially the slightest bit of gas, diesel, or oil), watermakers are rarely useful in marinas, as well as in some crowded anchorages where there may be poor water circulation and/or pollution (e.g., Barra de Navidad lagoon).

We stayed in marinas a lot (especially Marina Palmira, La Paz). A watermaker, if we had one (we don't), would be useless here [14]. Many cruisers purchase water for their tanks; at about C$2.50-$3.00 per 19-litre garrafone arranged through a marina (a little less if you do not need to tip staff from the water company, or deal directly with agua purificada store), filling our tanks (~460 litres or 24 bottles) can really add up (C$60/fill!). Additionally, lugging these large heavy bottles to the boat and the subsequent pouring into the tank fills are a pain. Finally, in many places it can be difficult to find more than a few bottles at a time. We usually used dock water, filtering and chemically treating the water.

Rather than purchasing water in bottles, some cruisers treat the water at their dock taps using combinations of filters, UV sterilization, and/or chemical treatment.  Waterfixer makes Filter/UV sterilization systems (available directly from manufacturer, or through Downwind Marine in San Diego). Tom at La Paz Cruiser's Supply also sells a filter/UV Sterilization system. One hooks the water hose up to the filter/UV system, applies power (12v or 110v, depending on version purchased), run it a bit to clear filters, then take its output to the boat's water tank(s). The system is portable and can be temporarily hung on the lifelines while filling.

In our case, we first filtered the dock water as we put it into our tanks, then chemically treated each tank (using a solution similar to Microdyn, but a much less expensive Soriana/City club store brand). This system worked well for us [15]. A better system, however, is a combination filter/UV sterilization system, such as noted above.




Fans to cool you off in hot weather:

It gets really hot on the boat in Mexico!  Short of an air conditioner (which we certainly did not have), the primary way of cooling off inside was by using fans (in addition to open hatches and windscoops). Before leaving Vancouver, we installed two fans in the V-berth, two fans in the main salon, and one fan in the galley. All of these fans were Caframo "Bora" 3-speed fans, which were fairly powerful (for their size), (relatively) quiet, and very easy on the batteries.

Be sure to bring multiple spares of your fans: when we returned to Mexico after leaving Pelagia in Mazatlan for the Summer, we found the 3-speed switches on two fans were stuck in one position (rather suspiciously, the two broken fans were next to windows that had been replaced over the Summer -- we believe their problems stemmed from damage occurring when the windows were removed and/or replaced). Fortunately, we had one spare Bora, plus a used spare Hella 2-speed "Turbo" fan to replace the damaged Boras. The Hella Turbo is noisier than the Caframo Bora, and has no protective grid at its back, making it awkward to adjust the fan when it is running. We prefer the Boras.



Bug screens for windows/hatches and companionway:

Whether it is the pesky little mosquitoes whose "bite" carries a real itchy punch (and, possibly, Dengue fever), nasty "jejenes" ("hey-hey-nes", no-seeums) which are tiny and give a rash of itchy sores, or bees searching for fresh water, you need a good bug screen setup for your boat.

Our new Lewmar portlights came with somewhat flimsy but effective bug screens; for the hatches and the companionway, we purchased "Sogeman Bugbuster" screens, which worked very well. These are available direct from Sogeman, as well from many online marine businesses in Canada and the USA.

A real downside to bug screens is that they really cut down on air flow -- a real problem when the temperatures heat up!



Other essential items (we already had on Pelagia)
(i.e, not installed specifically for Mexico)

• 25-kg ROCNA anchor and 300' all-chain rode, with Lewmar V2 windlass [16]
• Furuno 1724C Radar/Chartplotter (with annually-updated C-Map card)
• Wagner S50 Autopilot. Old technology (not computer compatible...), but a workhorse that always kept true 
• OpenCPN PC-based charting system with official USA and Canada RASTER charts, CM93 worldwide VECTOR charts, and GE2KAP/Google Earth software (for preparing GPS-accurate Google Earth "charts")
• Nova Kool LT201-RT6 air-cooled refrigerator in ice box with 3-inch insulation [17] Kept items cold; froze meats and kept them frozen; and made ice (using only the RT6 ice box as a freezer). As noted above, our solar charging system had no problem keeping up (and surpassing) the energy demands of this 2.2 amp/hr Nova Kool system.

Detailed notes:

Solar panels/charge controller:
[1] We had planned to obtain a MPPT controller. However, the solar power specialist from whom we purchased the panels and controller strongly recommended a PWN over the MPPT controllers. When we objected ("but online blogs and 'experts' say we must get a MPPT controller...!"), he went so far as to telephone a Morningstar representative, who also agreed with his advice: we would be paying extra money for a MPPT controller but receive no benefit due to the small size of our solar array. For those concerned with electrical noise from the PWN controller during SSB/HAM radio use, we found such noise was only an issue when the PWN controller went into Stage 3 charging; it was simple to turn off the controller when required.
[2] The only time we had concerns with charging and battery levels was on the 3rd day of our Ensenada-to-Turtle Bay passage; all three days (and 2 nights) were cloudy and the combination of sailing, lower panel output, and (too much) use of the autopilot resulted in lower battery levels. Our first day in Turtle Bay, it rained solid for most of the day. This was the one and only time we felt we needed to use our Honda generator.  
[3] Back home in British Columbia, we still seem to be getting 12-15 amps/hr charging late morning until early afternoon on sunny days, and 4-8 amps/hr at other times (and 4-8 amps/hr on days with high clouds).

Marine SSB/HAM radio with Pactor 4 modem, airmail software, and Sailmail membership:
[4] Our Marine/Ham SSB radio is the ICOM M802. This radio can be set to receive/transmit on all Marine and Amateur Radio (HAM) frequencies in the "high frequency" range (i.e., up to 30 MHz), and works very well for us. (However, there are other HAM radios with fewer "bells and whistles" (which we also did not use) available at a lower price.) Rather than the more-complicated ground-plane installation, we used the "KISS Ground Plane" (actually, a counterpoise) -- a very easy installation that worked very well for us (as well as friends on other boats), despite the "kerfuffle" sometimes associated with it.
[5] At times we were over 100 nm off the coast of Washington/Oregon/California, making reception of NOAA weather forecasts on VHF radio sometimes difficult (though, surprisingly, we were often able to receive VHF forecasts this far off the coast). However, even when we could hear forecasts on VHF, we still relied on the text forecasts downloaded using our SSB radio/Pactor modem. NOAA VHF forecasts would usually cover a small area, so it was hard to "look ahead", and equally important, the huge number of forecast regions off the West coast was very confusing, and having these forecasts downloaded and saved in text format made it easier to interpret. (We had very "difficult" weather -- gales and "hazardous seas" -- off of the Oregon/Northern California and we should have been better at evaluating the many NOAA forecasts....) 
[6] In several locations popular with cruisers (La Paz, Puerto Escondido, Mazatlan, Banderas Bay, etc), there are "cruisers' nets most mornings on VHF radio, when weather forecasts are read aloud (usually either Geary's or Stan's). These forecasts on VHF nets are not obtainable when one is farther away or when land mass intervenes. Also, in some harbours (e.g., Puerto San Carlos in Bahia Magdalena), the Port Captain reads aloud (in Spanish) a daily weather forecast on VHF radio. 
[7] Weather forecasts on Marine SSB and HAM SSB may be listened to by anyone, even those without a Marine ROC or an Amateur Radio (HAM) certificate (provided their radio can tune to these frequencies). Technically, a marine ROC ("restricted operators certificate") and station license (outside of USA/Canada) are required to transmit on marine frequencies (VHF and high-frequency marine SSB). A HAM certificate is required to transmit on HAM frequencies. However, in the case of a true emergency, HAM and Marine NETS will take calls from anyone.   
[8] Email access to HAM stations is free to HAMs using Winlink2000. Access to Marine SSB Sailmail requires a US$250/yr membership (and a marine "station license"). In Mexico, we found connections to HAM stations to be difficult, slow and often unobtainable. Sailmail stations, on the other hand, were easy to connect to and much faster than the HAM stations. (This situation continues for us in British Columbia.) 
[9] In the case of an emergency, a broadcast on marine and HAM SSB frequencies and associated NETS will be heard by boats nearby and far -- as well as by land stations --  possibly enabling faster assistance. A satellite phone cannot do this.

Shawn & Heather's (Blue Latitude Press) Guidebooks and Waypoints:
[10] One could, as many do, enter each waypoint manually. However, errors can occur doing it this way, and it is a lot work. The ease of downloading and transferring waypoints accurately makes the low cost of downloading these waypoints (US$4.95 per guidebook) an excellent investment. 
[11] We use GPSUtility to modify and transfer waypoints to our chartplotter (and other GPS systems).
[12] The detailed chartlets in the Blue Latitude Press guides are now available as GPS-accurate electronic charts for PC, Android, IPad and Mac. The charts are the same price for all platforms; however, software required to view these charts is expensive for PC and Mac, but quite reasonably priced for Android ("PathAway" charting software) and IPad ("INavX" charting software) tablets. See Blue Latitude Press and Fugawi X-Traverse websites. We only recently learned about these electronic charts, thus we did not have this while in Mexico. If we were returning to Mexico, we would definitely have these on our Android.
[13] Unfortunately, Blue Latitude Press guides do not cover the Pacific Coast of the Baja peninsula. Most of these areas do not have official large-scale detailed charts (electronic charts such as C-Map and Navionics reflect this lack of detailed charting), and the existing cruising guides, in our mind, are lacking in accurate details (especially, no GPS-accurate chartlets). In a subsequent post, we will suggest using OpenCPN charting software and GPS-accurate "charts" (Google Earth photos) produced using GE2KAP software to provide additional information for sailing down the outside of Baja (and, indeed, for anchorages elsewhere in Mexico).

(Bulk) Water Treatment System: 
[14] We do not have a watermaker. Given Pelagia's large water tanks -- and we plan to install a third water tank, replacing a 30-gallon diesel tank we removed two years ago --  and how much we stayed in marinas, we did not need one while in Mexico. Decent watermakers (e.g., Spectra) are very expensive, both in initial purchase (US$5000-$15,000), installation, and in ongoing maintenance. They require substantial energy to produce water, and usually take up a lot of space. Moreover, watermakers are easily among the most common items to fail during cruising (along with autopilots and refrigerators). So, a watermaker is still not on our "wish" list for Pelagia (although, given current drought conditions in southern BC, especially on the islands, one has to wonder...).
[15] In two seasons of cruising in Mexico, we had food/water-borne sickness only once: Giardia. We have no way of knowing where we picked this up (it takes 8-10 days for symptoms to show up, and they are not that obvious); likely it was from eating out (cruiser friends in La Paz were also hit by Giardia, at a different time, even though they only used bottled water in their tanks). Happily, Giardia is pretty easy to treat using Tinidazole (Fasigyn in Mexico) -- and we are pretty familiar with it from our many trips to Nepal. As for tank treatment: one could use chlorine (i.e., bleach) to disinfect water after filtering (the filtering is required to remove sediments and cysts/parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium).  However, using chlorine to disinfect is not recommended for our aluminum water tanks.


Other items:
 [16] We never used more than 200' while in the Sea of Cortez (the remaining 100' is lower down in a 2nd chain locker below the V-berth. One never knows when one needs the extra chain (think Hurricanes...).  

[17] We purchased a new Nova Kool conversion system in 2013 -- similar to our existing and functioning  10-15-year-old Nova Kool system (that we had been told, in 2010, was on its last legs) -- stored it on Pelagia and carried it all the way to La Paz. This new system was supposed to be more efficient -- using only 2.2 amps/hour. We had Will at Techs Mex in La Paz install the new Nova Kool (the old Nova Kool was donated to a family in San Evaristo, where it was installed in conjunction with a large ice chest; with a charge of refrigerant, we are told it works great. So much for being on its "last legs".)   Other cruisers had more-expensive "fancier" systems. We were worried our comparatively simple (and less-expensive) air-cooled Nova Kool couldn't compete.  To the contrary, it worked great and gave us no problems.