BAHIA TORTUGA, Baja, Mexico –
The adventure has begun.
There are many ways to travel, each with their own quirks and problems. I have traveled by plane, train, bus, car and ferry. Sailing a small boat with your friends across the Mexican border is a feeling all its own.
Decisions must be made constantly to ensure our safe travel and the safety of our boat, the Emma Bell. It is hard and strenuous, but when you anchor in a foreign town and have a cold beer after sleepless nights, you find yourself in a state of accomplished bliss.
We had our first scare outside of Ensenada, Mexico. After sailing for hours into 15- to 25-knot winds and against the current to avoid the reefs outside Island Cedros, we could finally start our run south.
Nightfall came, and we thought we would have a nice, easy night of cruising to warmer waters. While at the helm steering, I heard metal grinding noises to my right. I could make out dark shapes, and it seemed like we were passing unlit metal buoys in the pitch-dark night. Out of nowhere I felt a thud, and the boat came to a dead stop.
The feeling of things going wrong on a boat is scary, and the feeling of things going wrong in the middle of nowhere at night is sheer terror.
I looked to my right and saw a rope in the water wrapped around our rudder. This can be no big deal – or a strong gust of wind could come along and the rudder could be ripped off the boat, taking away steering and leaving a big hole in the boat’s hull.
Quickly, I woke everyone, took the sails down and changed into a swimsuit and harness ready to do some nighttime dive work. Luckily, a large wave came and knocked us loose.
We spent the next hour maneuvering through fishing nets, putting sails up and down and getting stuck on two more lines. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and we were able to watch as the last remnants of civilization we would see for a while slowly drifted away.
We stopped in San Quintan Bay, where we spent our days spearfishing. Then we moved on to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay), where we practiced our Spanish and ate from the sea.
We met a small group of local surfers who have been taking us surfing with them. One day, we packed nine people and surfboards into our friend Adri’s small pickup truck. We managed to rip through treacherous dirt roads with four people in the bed holding a giant speaker blasting Mexican reggae music.
Antonio, who doesn’t surf much, spends the time at the beach foraging for clams, mussels, sea snails and lobster. At night, we have great feasts. The beer isn’t free, but I haven’t paid for a meal since I got here.
The people here live well. When I told someone I went to the beach, they asked, “To surf or to eat?”
My answer: “Both.”
Kevin Schank graduated from Durango High School in 2004 and Fort Lewis College in 2010. Follow Schank and the crew of the Emma Bell at www.MoreHandsOnDeck.com.
