Day four...sailing at last

View from one of our cabin portholes

Our third night at anchor was another bumpy ride; I'm more confident in the anchoring ability of the captain as well as the equipment by now so I sleep better, awakening just a couple of times to check our position, then going back to sleep.  As far as I can tell the captain sleeps though the night.
This morning we both seem to drag our feet.  It's a beautiful day and we three sit on the deck, the captain and I sipping coffee and and Buddi munching on her millet and all of us enjoying the sunshine.  We know we have to return to the docks to do some more work on the boat and we're scheduled to attend a St. Patrick's Day dinner tomorrow evening, but it's hard to think of leaving this beautiful space.
Last evening a couple we knew from our marina arrived aboard Prairie Oyster and anchored near us.  We talked on the radio and invited them over for dinner, but they had prior plans with other friends anchored in the cove.  However D did call back and invite me to play Mexican dominoes the following day.  I regretfully declined as we had planned to leave early the next morning; I have become quite addicted Mexican dominoes, meeting weekly to play  in the marina with others so addicted. 
We were surprised when D's husband pulled up beside Milagro in his dinghy as we were having a second cup of coffee this morning.  He tied up and we just chatted for a while. This couple will take the next 5 weeks to cruise up to San Carlos on mainland Mexico where they will have their boat pulled out and put in dry dock for the summer.  They are Canadians, as are many of the non-local cruisers, and will spend the summer (the hurricane season) in their home in Saskatchewan.  I've really enjoyed D's company the last few months and am sorry to see them go; so is the life of cruisers.  "Everyone" says we'll all meet up again some time, some where.

We are soon ready to pull up anchor and head out the inlet.  Los Islotes is about an hour a way and, as there is still no wind to speak of, we motor.  It's still a pleasant ride although the seas are running 2-3 feet and we're doing a bit more rolling about.  I'm watching myself carefully and so far there are no signs of sea sickness.

Look carefully, there are sea lions on those "white" rocks

Soon we approach Los Islotes, two very small rocky islands joined by a spit of land which is sometimes under water.  I remark that they look like something out a Star Wars landscape and, as they appear to be snow white, maybe the white cliffs of Dover. Larry just laughs; that's not chalk he says, it's bird guano!  And as we get closer we see that nearly every surface is covered with bird poo.  O.K., we are not unaccustomed to the phenomenon as we own a small bird; but this is amazing and frankly as we near the islands we come to the realization that sea lions stink and there's no doubt that the rocks are indeed covered in bird poo..
Los Islotes is the home of a sea lion rookery and the destination of many small tour boats which bring tourists out to swim with the sea lions.  We've been told that these critters are friendly and that the pups enjoy playing with humans.  I look forward to that experience, but today we just circle the islands.  I try to take pictures but we are bouncing about and can't get in very close, but we can certainly hear them barking.  The sea lions are very quick so as soon as I see them on the surface they dive before I can get a shot.  I'm still glad we came as we now know what to expect and note that there is a great anchorage a little further north from which we can dinghy back here on our next visit.

We circle the islands and head south noticing that the wind has picked up a bit. The seas are more like 3 feet and because we have changed heading  Milagro is doing a bit more rocking and rolling, testing my seasick quotient. Also, running the engine (which is still not overheating) with the wind coming from behind is blowing some diesel exhaust in our direction. I feel a bit queasy but nothing I can't handle; I'm even able to go below and fix (and eat!) some lunch.

After lunch we see that the wind speed has increased and decide to put up the jib.  It fills with wind and, leaving the engine running, we are able to do nearly 5 knots.  It feels good and gets even better as the wind speed increases further and we turn off the engine and are truly under sail, doing as much as 6 knots with only the jib out. It feels as though we are skimming across the water when in reality it's the speed of a nice jog! I finally remember the wonderful wooshing sound of the water beneath us and the sails in the wind.  It's a soft, peaceful quiet and as I pan the movie camera 360 degrees I see birds, schools of fish and the occasional seal but not a boat or person as far as the eye  can see.
The captain has been studying the auto pilot manual and finally figured out the very complicated system installed by Milagro's previous owner.  With a remote control and a 50 foot cord he can sit in a chair on the forward deck and steer the boat.  He remarks  that it would even be possible to guide our course from the head, but why he would want to do that is a mystery to me and I'm not eager for him to test the theory.
We've seen much of the sea life we had hoped to see on this short trip, but I'm disappointed we haven't spied a whale.  All of sudden the captain shouts and points to the port side.  There, 100 feet away, I see an enormous whale tail disappearing into the blue water. No time for a camera and although we search the area for a long time we do not see the whale again. Still, we did see the tail of a whale!

The remainder of this trip is near perfect. As we near the channel to La Paz and Palmira the wind slowly dies. The sun is setting and the water is like glass. The captain winches the jib in and starts the engine and we motor down the channel and into the marina where some friends wait to catch the dock lines.
This has been a wonderful maiden voyage for us and has only whetted our appetites for future cruising.  Talking with other cruisers about their adventure in the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia and other exotic spots make us eager to complete the work on Milagro and to get on with our own adventure.