S/V Dawn Patrol

S/V Dawn Patrol Join Mark and Laney as they share their adventures on their sailboat Dawn Patrol

My last post we were in Ensañada Mx, clearing in for the second time. We have gone 1825 NM since leaving San Diego on N...
29/01/2025

My last post we were in Ensañada Mx, clearing in for the second time. We have gone 1825 NM since leaving San Diego on November 19th! We sailed straight to Cabo, non stop where we arrived in time to spend Christmas! We then sailed straight across to Tenecatita where we met friends on the beach! After that, on to Barra de Navidad, again for New Years Eve, having dinner with our friend Jelle and watching the fireworks! After 10 days it was on to Zihuatanejo, another place that we adore! We enjoyed the wonderful restaurants while we awaited wind to sail down to Huatulco! We arrived here in Playa La India. We have been here 10 days already. People might wonder why! Well, we are waiting for the winds that go through the dull of Tehuantepec to simmer down! They can gust at over 50+ knots, which is like a small hurricane, and that is against waves that get really large, could be half the size tall as out boat is long. No way Jose! 🥺. We stayed in the bay with Playa La India. It’s a remote bay with no road traffic, so in the evenings and night, no one else is around. During the day, however, tourist boats come over from the main town and people snorkel, swim, and sit under umbrellas. It’s hot. The temperature has been in the high 80s to low 90s during the day, but we stay comfortable on the boat with a light breeze going through. We had company for a couple days, a boat names ‘It’s the truth’! They invited us over for sundowners one night. It was nice to chat with them about their plans and adventures! The last time we saw them was anchored next to us in Cabo when we were headed north last year! They went out into the ocean and all the way north to Alaska, while we sat in San Diego! 😚 The night before last we moved closer to town, rowed into the beach the next morning, hopped in a cab and went to town to do laundry and grocery shopping. Successfully back onboard we opted to return to La India for it’s quite and peaceful vibe as opposed to the awful rolling back and forth that we experienced the night before. th. We leave today to cross the Tehuantepec and Chiapas where we will clear out of Mexico! Onward!

Checking into mexico and in and out of Ensenada is a really easy experience with the staff of Ensenada Cruise Port Marin...
18/12/2024

Checking into mexico and in and out of Ensenada is a really easy experience with the staff of Ensenada Cruise Port Marina! Octavio and Oswald will take good care of you, taking you to the port offices and walking you through all the paperwork free of charge! This is our third time to this marina and we highly recommend it! If you come during the Christmas season there is a light show at the cultural center across the street!

Day 21 of out Baja Bash! Ugh! Is it ever going to end? 🤪. Today we sailed from Turtle bay to Isla Cedros. We chose to a...
22/05/2024

Day 21 of out Baja Bash! Ugh! Is it ever going to end? 🤪. Today we sailed from Turtle bay to Isla Cedros. We chose to anchor inside the break wall to avoid the 25 kt’s winds reported further north. We had to check in with the port captain since we were staying there so once we anchored, our buddy boat Alexsea with Jelle as captain launched his dingy and picked us up for the trip to the port captain. I must say, in all the towns we have been to in Mexico, this has to be the most welcoming! Immediately we were welcomed to town, offered a ride up the hill by not one but 2 people and just overall friendly vibe! The port captains office was also friendly and accommodating, along with the other customer, a ships agent that explained the islands principal industry is the exportation of salt, shipping over 7 million metric tons of salt that is farmed across the way on the mainland. He also described the towns two restaurants, and we chose to go to La Pacenita. A small but lovely, clean restaurant with super nice owners and staff. The food was fresh and delicious, large portions and very reasonable.
Tomorrow we leave early and make our way to Ensenada, as there is a two day window before the winds return! Wish us luck!

Day 16 of the Baja Bash! We spent 5 nights on anchor in Magdalena Bay with our other 4 buddy boats! Unfortunately the r...
16/05/2024

Day 16 of the Baja Bash! We spent 5 nights on anchor in Magdalena Bay with our other 4 buddy boats! Unfortunately the restaurant is closed as they are only open for the whale season but we enjoyed long walks on the beach and happy hour on sister ship Shamaal! We were able to leave on Monday the 13th and head over to Bahia Santa Maria, but the wind, waves and weather was so nice we kept on going! The following evening we arrived at Punta Abreojos and anchored in darkness at 11:00 pm. The last 20 miles were spicy with winds 20-24 kt’s! Punta Abreojos is at the base of Laguna San Ignacio which is where 5000-6000 grey whales go each December to May where they have their babies. Most of the whales have left to head north already!
The next day, yesterday, the winds came up again! This time to 30 kt’s in the anchorage and this weather pattern is set to continue every day in the foreseeable future. We decided to wait for the winds to settle down and head north to Bahia Asuncion! And at 9:15 we left the bay. Winds were between 8 and 15 kt’s and there was not a boat to be seen. Currently we are 3 hours away and I was delighted by one of the best sunrises I’ve seen so far!

We arrived at Cabo San Lucas on May 1st after leaving La Paz and sailing overnight! Here we stage for th Baha Bash! They...
09/05/2024

We arrived at Cabo San Lucas on May 1st after leaving La Paz and sailing overnight! Here we stage for th Baha Bash! They call it a bash cause your primarily going north into the wind and waves, creating a boat bashing the wave phenomenon! Something that is not usually fun or easy. We saw a weather window on May 6 th so quickly prepped the boat for the sail north. Knowing that it can take 10 days to a month or longer to get to San Diego I made a Costco run and to the local grocery store for provisions. I also prepped some meals and put the in the freezer to have handy. On May 6 th, 1:00 in the afternoon we left Cabo and rounded the cape. We had great company as there were 4 other boats going, all people that we had met this past year! We started a WhatsApp group to communicate with along the way which was great fun and helpful! The wind was anywhere from 6 knots up to 20, but for the most part was 10-13 kt’s. And then there was the waves and sea chop. This was pretty awful, short steep waves coming at multiple directions with 2-3 larger waves that would come out of nowhere and just bash the boat! It seemed as though going slow helped but also took longer, much longer. Overall we went 188 nautical miles over 42 hours, yes, that’s a speed of only 4.5 kt’s per hour. With only 2 two hour sleep breaks in 48 hour time frame it was a tiring run. I’m not sure if I am happy or sad to say that there is no weather window anytime soon to leave her! Stay tuned! Picture of sunset on night 2!

After hearing so many sailors talk about how great Santa Rosalia is, we had to see for ourselves. Marina Fonatur Santa ...
12/04/2024

After hearing so many sailors talk about how great Santa Rosalia is, we had to see for ourselves. Marina Fonatur Santa Rosalia holds approximately 20 boats, and the complex resembles all the other Fonatur marinas in Mexico. On this occasion the Pool and whirlpool bath were both drained. The marina is having issues with water and was out the day we arrived but had a truck deliver water the following day. Being within easy walking distance of town is a plus as we ventured in every day. The town has a French influence as it was founded by a French company in 1884 when copper was discovered and a large mining operation was established. The remnant of the copper mill can be seen all over town along with locomotives used for transport. We toured Museo el Boleo where artifacts and pictures are displayed that gave a glimpse into the workings of the mine. We also visited Las Minitas del Boleo, underground mine with pictures of people who worked at the time. The townspeople requested a church to be built so the director of the mine located a metal church that’s said to be built by Mr Eiffel ( of Eiffel Tower) so he shipped it to Santa Rosalia in 1897 where it is still standing today and is actively used for the catholic denomination. We also visited the famous bakery, El Boleo, for some delicious bread and pastries! The highlight was meeting Jose Caballero and his family who run the brewery located just inside the marina gates called Padre Santo Brewing! If your in the mood for a dark beer, their Cacoa Stout can’t be beat. They, along with Mulege Brewing, were sponsoring the Spring Festival that weekend as a benefit for the Santa Rosalia nursing home. Live bands, great beer, wonderful venue amongst the ruins by the waterfront what more could a person want! Unfortunately it was a very cold, blustery day so participation was limited but those who did brave the weather were treated to a sky show in the evening, a Space X (Starlink satellites) rocket launch over the city!

It’s been awhile since I posted our whereabouts! Since leaving paradise Village this spring, we sailed all the way south...
05/04/2024

It’s been awhile since I posted our whereabouts! Since leaving paradise Village this spring, we sailed all the way south to Zihuatanejo before turning around and heading north again. After spending a month in one of our favorite towns, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle we headed back to Mazatlan. We really love cruising around the old town and this trip I got to see one of my co workers who just retired there! Living the dream! 😍. Onward! Our goal was to get as north as possible and to visit places we missed last year so after doing a couple over nighters and we landed in Bahia Conception. We anchored in Playa Santipac knowing that in a couple days there was a strong northerly coming down. We took advantage of the time we had and travelled to the town of Mulegé. This is a quaint little town that is on a river that flows into the sea. Out taxi driver, Ignacio, said he has lived his entire life in Mulege and ‘loves his beautiful little town’. The town is completely walkable so we headed up to the prison that Is famous for letting the prisoners out during the day to work or visit their families but every night they were called back with a conch shell (so the story goes). Across town was the mission. Originally founded in the early 1700’s down in the valley, but was relocated in 1788 up on the hillside overlooking the town and the lush green valley. Mark was more excited to see the water system and to walk across the dam that held back water from flooding the town. We don’t know why it was so short cause it often floods the town, in fact videos I saw this summer looked like the Grand Canyon was flowing through. Playa Santipac is a lovely beach that had a carnival there complete with Ferris wheel and tons of people camping on the beach for Easter Sunday weekend. It was also here in the anchorage that we saw the Starlink satellite launch from Vandenberg base!

Barra de Navidad was a wonderful place to spend Christmas, reconnect with old friends and meet new friends who are headi...
09/01/2024

Barra de Navidad was a wonderful place to spend Christmas, reconnect with old friends and meet new friends who are heading in the same direction! The resort, while it’s looking a little warn is a pretty stunning piece of architecture! As a marina guest we were allowed to use all the amenities including resort pools! The town of Barra, across the water is a quaint town with cobblestone streets, plenty of restaurants and stores or booths to buy your typical tourist type item, although nobody was pushy or bothering you to do so! We especially liked one of the restaurants with live music and an owner who sailed into Barra and never left! Another plus is that a French baker is here, and they deliver treats to boats in the marina and anchorage! There may have been a couple chocolate croissants devoured during our stay! We left Barra on Sunday, saying good bye to our good friends on Que Vendra and sailing most of the way to Bahia Santiago where we anchored next to a couple from the Seattle area who we met in Paradise village. What a small community! The next morning we left and headed to Isla Ixtapa. This will be an overnight sail which we are doing along side 2 other boats, Ever After and Viva! We chat occasionally on the radio and watch each others tracks. It is a little more comforting knowing there are others out here as well! We are about half way there, the stars are out and the wind is constant 15-20 kt’s astern. What could be better!

La Paz! Mark and I visited La Paz a few years ago via land in anticipation of this journey. We were not disappointed up...
20/06/2023

La Paz!
Mark and I visited La Paz a few years ago via land in anticipation of this journey. We were not disappointed upon returning, not once, but twice this trip! Both times we were able to secure a spot in Marina de La Paz by emailing and asking about availability! It has been well know that marinas were full all season so it was quite a happy surprise! The marina is right in town, walking distance to all the fabulous restaurants, chandlery’s and grocery stores. We even broke out the bikes, the first time since San Diego and rode about town! We were able to meet up with a few friends who were their on boats and meet new friends! A wonderful bonus to the cruising lifestyle. Mark evenmet Karin and nugs from SV Delos, who he gushed over at a beach restaurant! 🤣. New restaurants we tried and recommend are Estrella Del Mar for live music, margaritas and coconut shrimp, El Mesquite Grill for chateaubriand for two and Claros Fish Jr. for tacos! 😍.

Back in Baja baby! 3/27 we left El Cid marina and crossed over to Baja! We left mid afternoon in antipasti on of a 30+ h...
22/04/2023

Back in Baja baby!
3/27 we left El Cid marina and crossed over to Baja! We left mid afternoon in antipasti on of a 30+ hour sail across and sail we did! we had great wind, 15-25 knots and decent seas, 1-2 meters the entire way and were able to sail all except the last hour where we had to go north anyway! We arrived in Bahia Los Frailles in time for a nightcap, shower and bed! ☺️. We were happy to see some other boating friends there who we would catch up to in the next bay. The next day we did boat chores which included making water and doing laundry. Out watermaker runs off of our generator, so we need to have other appliances going to burn plenty of power to keep the generator happy! Therefore we always do 2-3 loads of laundry! ’Load’ sounds like a lot, but our little machine can only take about 6 articles, tee shirts or shorts before it’s full! Coming down the coast from Seattle we didn’t use it at all as jeans, fleece and sweatshirts are too big! 🤪. Our watermaker takes water from the sea and pumps it through several different filters and membranes to take the salt and bugs out making seawater drinkable! It takes about 5 hours to make 200 gallons. The following day we left for Bahia de Los Mu***os, the bay of the dead! Here we spent several days waiting out strong northern winds that funnel down the sea of Cortez churning up the water into steep swells in very short intervals, which can make sailing directly into it very uncomfortable. Lucky for us we had friends also here, Gretchen and Tim from Felicita who we met for dinner on a couple occasions! A third boat, Phillip and Michelle from Sancerre who was our dock neighbor in Mazatlan also joined us on the last night! There are two restaurants in this bay, one to the west has a train set up upstairs that is no longer running and the one to the north has awesome tostadas! 😍

Mazatlán! (3/12-3/27) We spent way more time there than we initially thought we would, and really enjoyed the stay. We ...
22/04/2023

Mazatlán! (3/12-3/27) We spent way more time there than we initially thought we would, and really enjoyed the stay. We first anchored in the old harbor at a place which was called Club Náutico and although the business is no longer there, they still have a dingy dock and locked gates with security guards watching out for the abandoned structures. Can’t wait to see what the new owners turn it into! we spent our days walking around old town, up to the light house and provisioning. Old town is really charming, the people super friendly and welcoming, and food was fantastic! They have a Mercado which reminded me of pikes place market. The funnest part was riding around in little souped up golf carts that were fashioned from a car, called Pulmonías! (Apparently it was widely thought you would catch pneumonia riding around the open are vehicle thus their name!). After a few days Mark wanted to go to El Cid resort north of the main town. This area has a mall, Walmart, Sam’s club and thankfully Autozone which we visited on several occasions for parts! Mark took on a few projects while I kept my friend Kendra (R-Therapy) company at the pools! Here are some pictures from our days in Mazatlan!

19/03/2023

They like their bands on boats here! 🤣

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Mazatlán
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