Last time, we had gotten the boat to the harbor and in the water. Though we didn’t sail because there wasn’t any wind. Three days later there was a nice fresh breeze so Steve and I headed off to the harbor.
Took an hour or so to get everything ready to sail, and the whole time we’re fighting fairly heavy swells and a 14 kt brisk wind.
So this is us out in the giant harbor with 12 foot swells and 14 kt winds trying to keep the thing afloat. The tiller for the boat is on the left, and the tiller for the boat motor is that black wand sticking up there on the right.
Steve knows what he’s doing though so not too much to worry about.
We use the mainsail partially furled to make it out of the harbor, sail around a bit, and then furled the jib. Then the Captain has me raise the mainsail further, and that’s when we discover it has ripped and has a big hole in it near the bottom. You can’t really keep sailing when that happens so we use the jib while Steve struggled to stow the mainsail. While he’s working on it, he has me man the tiller and the outboard engine to maintain our course upwind so it’s easier to manhandle the sail. And turning upwind means our beam ends up perpendicular to the 12 foot swells. Gah! The swells and wind were enough to make me a little nervous about this whole trip today. 
Here I’m struggling to keep my camera in my hand while holding onto both the tillers. One for the boat, and one for the outboard motor.
There was a short calm period where I got a shot of Kiki’s RV park way over there…
It got to be too difficult so we headed back into the harbor. There won’t be any pictures of that return trip because I was too busy trying to help get the boat into the harbor. The little engine was struggling against the seas and the winds and I was doing what Steve was telling me with the jib. The wind and seas pushed the boat towards the harbor walls made of sharp granite while we were trying to return to our slip, so the Navy rushed out to rescue us. Tossed me a line that I wound around a capstan so they could pull us back closer to the slip. Our little engine wasn’t much help in rough seas but it did have the oomph to get is the final 12 feet back into the slip and kept us from bashing into the Navy boat stern in the next slip. Anyway, we made it back, and stopped on the way home for another pizza dinner.
That’s when he tells me that there was never any danger in those rough seas because the boat has a 600 lb ballast weight in the bottom of the boat, and the entire hull is built with a thick layer of that floating foam stuff. No way could the thing sink, even if it capsized and filled with water. Damn, wish he’d told me that before I got all nervous. Only a little nervous because of the swells we were taking, the stiff wind pushing us all over, the ripped sail, the boat engine dieing on us a couple times, etc.
A couple days later, I’m really bored and ask if Steve if he’d like to drive me north along the highway just before San Felipe so I can look at all that development I’d seen on the way into town. For gas money. He agrees, and off we go, sightseeing.
Lots of abandoned buildings here in San Felipe. Many were caught by the downturn of 2008 and lost tons of money.
This is heading due north. There’s an old mine on the left in those hills.
And here you start seeing some roadside development, mostly put in by American investors before the crash.
Looking back towards the northern hills that border San Felipe. That’s the east coast of Baja just on the other side of those hills.
And then there’s a bunch of buildings…
We stopped here and kibitzed with the owner of the bar for a while. Steve knows her.
That’s the entrance gate for one of the several beachside ‘resorts’ they have up and down the coast here. It actually had two guards there, but they wouldn’t let us in to look around.
Here’s one of the many abandoned developments that got started, soaked up millions selling unimproved lots, and then quickly folded. See that block fence? Goes around the entire property. There’s several service buildings too. But not a soul lives here.
And another gated community that never got off the ground. No guards at this one.
And another attempt to sell the dream of Mexico…
It didn’t do too well. But over there, it looks like a thriving community!
That one had fancy homes. Gated, and we couldn’t go in without an invitation.
This one has been here since long before the boom and crash. Pete’s Camp has numerous permanent and semipermanent dwellings up on the main road level section, then you drive down this little embankment and find a really old car at someone’s house.
Below that, you find the beach and many boondocking sites. There is a restroom but for boondocking it’s too primitive for me these days. No power or water? Also, note how far out the sea is. You’re looking at sand and mud flats. That’s where mosquitoes and flies like to breed. It’s winter so they’re not bad now, but just wait till summer. I’d bet there were many people who bought homes here and nearby who thought they’d have a nearly on the ocean experience only to find it’s way out there. Too far to walk to take a swim. Best to wait for the tide to come in.
Mud and wet sand as far as the eye can see, almost.
And a couple boondocking RV’ers.
It’s a long walk to the sea. Reminds me of Bellingham, Washington near the Canadian border. Same sort of thing.
Looking back towards San Felipe. Kiki’s RV park is a bit past those two hills.
So Pete’s is one of the several established gringo communities here on the beach just north of San Felipe and it seems to be doing well. Lots of sold buildings and RV spots, a bar, store, etc.
And after that little excursion, we headed back to Kiki’s for some laid back relaxing.