Bahia Los Frailes

Left San Jose del Cabo yesterday for Bahia Los Frailes which is the east cape of the Baja Peninsula. Not much here but a small fishing village and one hotel. So I am told. The anchorage is dominated by a peak that is almost 800 feet tall and is begging to be climbed. There are reefs here teeming with fish also.
We left in sunny hot weather and motored for about 2 hours. While motoring I saw a gigantic splash about 500 yards ahead of the boat. Humpbacks whales breaching. I have seen footage of the damage these big bastards can do so we adjusted course a bit and continued on.
San Jose del Cabo and Los Frailes are about 17 miles apart. No wind was forecasted so we used this opportunity to make water and charge our batteries. This also meant that Jen didn't wear her seasick patch along with none of the dishes were done prior to our departure. I swear to all that is Holy, we will never leave port till all the through hulls are closed and all the damn dishes are done and the boat is ready for weather.
So as we approached the wind, Jen and I were trying to get things stowed. Meanwhile I forgot the through hulls. Our boat is kinda low slung and if heeling water can come up the drains and put an alarming amount of water into the cabin in short order. I have done this damn near every time I have sailed this boat. Amazing, eh? Almost every time. Ben usually reminds me to close them. Let me type that again. Ben reminds me to not sink the boat by closing the through hulls. He is 8. I am theoretically wiser and more experienced than him. I have signs posted by the engine off switch to remind me to close those damn thru hulls. No idea what it is going to take to get me to remember to close them.
Things get stowed and Max and I raised the main and roll out the jib. 15 knots of true wind from the north. Where are we heading? North. The waves are steep and short interval. Put the wind to our port side and threw in a reef in the main. Full jib. Cranked the backstay down hard and tightened the babystay up. Check stays trimmed and we cranked on the jib sheet. Soon we are making 7 knots crashing through the waves.
CRACKKKK!! This enormous sound of a HUGE sail that has exploded under the strain or a large body falling into the water startles Max and I. I expect the jib to start to flog but the sound is in back of us. I wheel my head around to see the remains of the splash crashing into water and then we see the whale. 30 feet away. Way to close. Nothing we can do about it though. We make some final trim adjustments and steady as she goes.
80 degree water flying over the deck. It is 98 degrees in the cabin. Max, Ben and I go forward and spend about 3 hours on the bow getting fire hosed by the water. We are loving it.
We tack once and make the layline for the anchorage. Shake out the reef as the wind has dropped to 10 knots or so. We get to the anchorage and set our hook in 45 feet of deep blue water. Visibility of 30 feet or so. We can see our bridle almost to the attachment point on the chain. It is 40' long. We load up the speargun and jump in the water.
Didn't shoot any fish but we are getting practice in.
Had dinner at a Sand Dollar (buddy boat) and then hit the rack.
Today, we are doing some school work, sail maintenance, swim and Max says he is getting us a fish or three for dinner. We might rent a panga and go to Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park which is one of the last coral reefs in the Sea of Cortez. Not sure.
Next stop is Bahia de Los Muertos which is 47 miles away.


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