A few days later those of us who would probably be going out together; Phil, the captain, Diane, his girlfriend, and Carlton Cordon, a surfer and retired engineer. I was retired too, so had the time to go sailing. Phil said he had another friend who also wanted to go. We talked about equipment and supplies. Carlton and I agreed to buy the food and water at the Price Club and Phil gave us the money. We all loved sailing and had lots of experience between us.

Now I had so much to do; clean my boat, pay bills, tell people I would be gone and, of course, pack. Carlton had some reservations about the trip and checked Phil out at the marina office. They said he always paid his bills on time and seemed O.K.

We were going to leave on a Friday but the weather was stormy so we postponed to Saturday. Carlton came by my boat and said he wondered if Diane was backing out as he hadn't seen her. We both knew she seemed afraid and hadn't sailed much. We hadn't seen Phil's friend who supposedly wanted to go, either. We both gathered our gear and walked over to Windmaker. Departure was still on for that day but minus Diane and Phil's friend with their excuses. We should have been leery of the trip as we were all strangers and it was a long sail on an old boat. Phil had owned the boat less than a year and neither Carlton nor I knew how well he sailed her. We decided to go anyway.

It took about an hour to motor out of San Diego Bay. The waves were still a little rough but manageable. Phil had us turn the boat into the wind while he put up the main and genoa. We were looking for an easy downwind sail to Cabo. About a hour out of San Diego the diesel engine quit. Phil and Carlton pulled the cover off the motor and tried to get it started but with no luck. They replaced the filters but nothing happened and they were just running down the batteries using the starter. Finally they gave up and we decided to continue with just the sails. Then I tried fixing stew-we had lots of fresh vegetables and were hungry. That made me the galley slave as no one else wanted the job or could do it. Carlton brought his GPS along, so ended up being helmsman and navigator. He did a good job. Phil spent most of his time changing sails, which was hard work without a roller furrier. It also meant Phil had to go forward when it was rough.

Phil and Carlton both thought it would be a good idea to have a 30-foot line with a float on it trailing astern in case one of us fell overboard.

We took turns at night doing two-hour watches. It worked out OK as we had four hours of sleep between watches. I was lucky and got the aft quarter berth which is the most stable. By nightfall, we were about 100 miles offshore and the wind had picked up. The following morning we picked up even more speed. We heard the Coast Guard on the radio asking us to change channel. Phil tried with no luck. So the USCG said they were coming aboard to check our equipment. They were all very friendly and courteous, and aboard 20 minutes later they said everything was OK and left.

Later in the day the wind increased. We were still adjusting to the trip and not eating much as we felt queasy. Carlton decided to try fishing and before long caught two good sized ones. They filleted them and I tossed them in our soup. After eating, we felt much better and were joking and saying how great things were. About sundown, Phil decided to lower the large jenny as he didn't want to leave the whisker pole up at night. Carlton turned into the wind while he wrestled with the genny. After a half hour, Phil still couldn't get another sail up. By now it was dark and he was very tired, so we decided to sail with just the main. Windmaker was out of balance, heeling sharply to port. The angle was so steep things started flying around below, so we pulled the sail amidship to keep the center of effort close to the middle of the boat. Phil slept hard and we didn't wake him, as he needed the rest.

On the third morning I enjoyed watching a beautiful sunrise. When the others awoke, they told me about the gas can falling overboard. It probably shook over during the night and only the cap was left. This was serious as we needed it for the generator to keep the self-steering, GPS and lights going. They studied the charts to find out how far we were from Turtle Bay, our only fuel stop along the coast. It looked about one day away and we changed course for it. As Phil tried to put the genny, we noticed it had some small rips so he found another sail. The boat was still shaking with the strong wind but we were making good speed. That was when Carlton said we must be a "ship of fools" for going on without the diesel. Phil told us about his terrible troubles with the dumb tenants in his apartment buildings. Then he mentioned he had a lawsuit going with the state. He also said his luck with women wasn't much better and, after about two years, they would find someone else who might abuse them. In spite of his problems, he was usually polite and said "thank you" when I fed him, handed him tools or whatever. By now, I was thinking that I had enough adventure and would be happy to get back to land. At sundown Phil would usually open a bottle of wine and we'd have cheese and crackers with it, which did help everyone's mood. We had another pretty sunset that night and the moon was almost full. Instead of getting warmer as we went south, it seemed colder that night, but on watch the stars were very bright and Venus was my guide.

The next morning we figured we were nearing Turtle Bay and began planning our entrance. We needed to be west of Cedros Island before changing course and, as we were under sail alone, needed to enter the bay at the middle opening and on the right heading. Hopefully, we would do this in daylight. Carlton began saying things like "It's not over till the fat lady sings". Then he told us about his great cruises to the South Pacific and how well planned and managed they were. In the meantime we did have lots of good food to eat and our appetites were improving. If only I could keep things from falling over in the galley. We didn't make Turtle Bay that day as we'd hoped, but luckily had an extra battery and lights for that night.

The next morning we spotted the lighthouses and Charlie's Charts confirmed that the terrain we saw was near Turtle Bay. Things went fine and before long we were anchored in the bay. A couple of small boats came out to greet us and see what we needed. Bahia Tortuga was a great place to stop and rest as everyone was helpful and friendly. Phil got all the gas he needed and found a lady who sewed up the genny. I thought about jumping off the boat until hearing the bus stop was over a hundred miles away. We found that our 30 foot life line was caught around the rudder and a Mexican named Jorge dove to untangle the line. After everything was fixed, we decided to go ashore for a good dinner. It was a great day's R&R- we really needed it.

About 1100 the next morning we pulled up anchor and headed out the bay. It was another beautiful day giving us high hopes for the rest of the trip. We planned to go southwest until we were 100 miles off the coast before changing course for the cape. The winds were favorable but strengthened in the afternoon re-tearing the genny. We were back to changing sails again. Next the self-steering became very noisy and quit. Luckly Phil had another self-steering motor and was able to hook it up. That night we sailed with a beautiful moon but the boat slammed around so much, Carlton had trouble staying in his bunk. 

In the morning we needed to gybe onto a new course. The wind was so strong that it jerked the main sail, ripping it along the seam a foot or so above the boom. We were dejected but said nothing as it happened so fast. Phil went below to look for another sail to jury rig a replacement. Later, while resting, I heard terrible shake, rattle and roll noises. All hell had broken loose. I struggled to the deck and asked Carlton what happened. He was trying to turn the wheel but it wasn't working- we'd lost steerage. Phil was up on the bow trying to get the whisker pole down before it tore something. Then he came aft and reached in the hatch to put a new clamp on the rudder shaft- Carlton could steer again. The incident alarmed me and I wondered what else could happen. Later on, Carlton said we were on "the voyage of the damned". That night the wind came up again and a big wave landed on top of Carlton. He rushed below and donned his foul weather gear. On night watches, we all wore extra clothes and a safety harness. It was still cold but a pretty starry night.

For a change our eighth day was uneventful and we altered course for Cabo San Lucas.

The next day we were pretty much becalmed, moving with the current at about two knots. Phil, of course, was still trying to adjust sails but it wasn't helping much. Carlton was in a good mood and said, "I believe in live and let live and hope to do a little more of it. The two of them also discussed how we would get the boat around the arch and into the bay without the engine. Phil talked about using the four HP dinghy motor to get us into the bay. Our original idea of sailing on to La Paz was now out of the question-the winds would be against us and besides Windmaker needed a lot of work.

Although we were on our last 50 miles and counting, we saw only one boat all day. Our only visitor was a whale, which came near the boat spouting noisily. In the calm conditions the men even tried trolling for dinner but had no luck. Carlton again reminded us that "the fat lady hadn't sung." At least the weather was warming up and I was getting anxious to swim.

On our tenth morning as I watched the sunrise I noticed a small strip of land in the east. Or was it low fog? The wind had picked up and four hours later we were sure it was land about 30 miles away. To celebrate, I fixed pancakes and we all gobbled them down. The land grew closer and we could see white sand. That made us excited and happy, but we knew the hard part was still ahead.

Carlton was at the helm while I helped get lines and fenders ready. Phil adjusted the sails as we turned into the bay. Then Phil attached the small motor to the stern step and started it. We were dodging small boats as we heading into the marina. As we came close to the dock, I handed a line to a lady who cleated it for us. Then I jumped off with another line. Finally, we heard "the fat lady singing" because of our good teamwork. At my first change I headed to the beach to swim and cool down.

The next morning we were busy checking in, washing clothes and trying to find someone to fix the sails and diesel. The office said a man named Kenny was good with engines and he came by in a couple of hours. He stood in front of the diesel and told Phil what to turn on. Then he said it sounded like some kind of obstruction. A minute later, there was a great big BANG! And water flew out of the engine all over Kenney. Luckily it was salt water and not hot. Then Phil said, "Boy, am I dumb! I forgot to take the wood plug out of the exhaust because we were going downwind." The engine started and Kenny left.

The last day Phil was busy cleaning everything and, knowing he wouldn't have time to take us snorkeling, Carlton and I made plans to return to San Diego. Phil was happy as he got his boat down the coast. Carlton was happy because he had more time to enjoy life. My life was fulfilled as I'd had all the adventure I wanted in one lifetime.

Miss Muriel