Hurricane season will soon end, which means that Cruising-To-Mexico season will soon begin out here on the Pacific side of the continent. There are many sites and blogs that discuss how to properly outfit a boat and otherwise prepare for the long coastal trip from Point A (wherever you are in Canada or the US) to Point B (anywhere in Mexico you decide to stop). (Actually, if you've been planning to sail down here from the PacNW or Canada, you've probably already left – but you'll likely go ashore in Southern California for some final provisioning.) (Anyway, where was I?) (Oh. Right.) I shall now add my bit to all the other cruising information that’s flying around in cyberspace. I’m even repeating some of my earlier unsolicited advice.
Experience counts, but apparently you can still cruise Mexico without much of it. Unlike most of our encounters in the PacNW, down here in Baja we have crossed paths with a number of people who for whatever reason appear – to us - under-prepared for boat travel: we avoided a 2:00 a.m. collision off Vizcaino Bay with a smaller sailboat that was under power, on auto-pilot, and with the VHF turned off so that its crew of three could sleep without being disturbed. We helped a single-hander get his sailboat into a Sea of Cortez anchorage at sunset – he had no charts or guide books to tell him where he was, no GPS, no radar, no weather information, a malfunctioning engine, nonexistent rigging, and only a close-range hand-held VHF with almost-dead batteries. A few months later we learned he’d finally reached his end-destination, hauled-out the boat for repairs…and then abandoned it. We have seen other people who either have very little anchoring experience, or inadequate ground tackle (example: a 15-pound anchor attached to rope instead of chain, for a 34-foot multihull). In the long term I’m sure folks like these will learn better practices, but right now in our eyes they’re hazards to themselves and the other boats they meet. I suppose they haven’t yet experienced how quickly the tides and the weather can turn against you, or how if you don’t practice good navigation you can make your boat crash into something hard – but if you’ve cruised the PacNW or elsewhere for a while, you already know the importance of good anchoring gear and technique, and know why navigation, the tides and the weather demand attention. For you, Baja travel will be a piece o‘ cake and you should get down here pronto.
However, Baja and the Sea of Cortez are unique, just like every place else, so in addition to a heavy primary anchor and at least 200 feet of chain and knowing how to use them in combination, you might want to bring one or more of the following items. Some might seem to be frivolous – bells and whistles; but they may eventually become essentials for you — and what becomes an essential might not be the item you expected. It all depends on how you travel and what you experience along the way.
Offered, then, for your consideration: a watermaker; bug screens for all hatches and portholes (it turns out many places in Baja have docile, non-stinging, but very thirsty bees who will swarm a boat to sip water from faucets, puddles left in sinks, etc.); wheels for your dinghy (the biggest, fattest-tired wheels you can buy, the better to haul the dinghy out of the surf and up a steep-to beach); a pressure cooker (saves propane and doesn’t heat up the boat’s cabin as much as a conventional stove/oven); and a Sun Shower (a very handy and inexpensive way to conserve fresh water and battery capacity while not denying oneself a healthful and refreshing hot shower).
You will want to bring field guides for all the birds, fish and seashells you will find. Or, if history or archaeology is more your hobby, plan your library accordingly – you’ll be glad you did. Even if you’re not a history fan, you may find T.R. Fehrenbach’s book, “Fire and Blood – a Bold and Definitive Modern Chronicle of Mexico” helps you better understand Mexican culture – especially if you re-read it as you travel and visit the places he describes.
Install a few 12-volt (DC) fans below decks and make or buy fabric wind scoops for the deck hatches, so that you’ll stay fairly comfortable even while cruising Baja in late spring and summer. A K.I.S.S. wind generator goes gangbusters when the wind blows above 10 knots, and is a quiet and efficient way to recharge boat batteries. Solar panels? They often work better than a wind generator, so bring as many as you can comfortably manage. We have two; we could use four if we could make space for them somewhere. And, they're among those items that are more expensive and hard to find down here south of the border so bring what you think you'll need for the length of time you plan to be traveling here.
Finally, if you plan to cruise long term, you'll eventually need to repair or replace a lot of boat canvas and such, so you may want to consider the pros and cons of buying a sewing machine for the boat – like my trusty Pfaff ClassicStyle 1525.
So much to think about, and so little time. Of course, a well-found and well-outfitted boat may not need any of this stuff to cruise down here – but these things enhance long term livability and comfort in The Land of the Hot Sun. Oh, there's even more cruising advice soon coming…
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