Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Going out of the way for beauty



Boats keep on passing by El Triple at the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Baja California, Mexico.
At a frequency of about one boat a week.
Which is extremely high because during former stays at El Triple no boats were seen for months and months.

About a week ago Canadian friend Mike came by in his battered Chevrolet Blazer.
Therefore the perfect car for the Baja roads and especially to reach El Triple.
Mike lives in La Paz for 15 years and knows a lot about the different aspects of life in this part of Mexico.
He has also been hired by yacht and sailing boat owners to bring their boats from the south of Baja California, La Paz or Cabo San Lucas, back to San Diego in the USA.
Cruising along the Baja west coast on the Pacific Ocean.

Mike knew that this time of year boats do pass by El Triple for insurance reasons.
Recently, officially the hurricane season has started and the American insurance companies do not cover the boats anymore as of that date in the area where hurricanes come.
So, the boats leave southern Baja, that is a hurricane area, and return to the USA.

Mike explained also that El Triple is in fact the most eastern point of a very large bay.
Because boats go in a straight line they are about 50 miles west from El Triple when they pass by.
Too far away to be seen.
But this time of year there is a strong wind from the northwest.
That combines with a strong southern ocean swell.
What happens is that boats leave Cabo San Lucas and soon start rocking badly.
Pushed by the wind from the northwest and tossed by the swell from the south.
Unexperienced sailors get seasick badly.
And the construction and quality of the boat get an ultimate test.

Soon the captain decides that it is all too much.
For boat and crew.
And the course is changed.
The relative calmer waters near the coast are headed for.
Where the waves are not that high, strong and violent.

While Mike was explaining this a yacht came towards El Triple.
Having changed its course from due north directly to San Diego to a course to the east to find shelter near the coast.
Extending the length and time of the trip but making the sailing more calm and less dangerous.
Through binoculars the yacht could be seen clearly and even close to the coast it was still rocking, rolling and heaving like it was participating in an attraction in an amusement park.
"They're having a bad time", Mike said.

The blue line shows the usual course of boats sailing along the Baja California coast.
The black line shows the detour they make passing close by El Triple.

That was last week.
Yesterday again a boat was seen.
Some kind of large multimillionaire motorboat.
And most peculiar, it had exactly the same course as the boat of one week before.
Heading east towards El Triple and coming real close.

So now it is suspected that it is a well-known route for boats returning to the USA.
To leave La Paz or Cabo San Lucas to the north and to later change course to the east to make a detour to get a glimpse of the beautiful Queen of Dreams.




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