Montenido
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2014
- Messages
- 381
- Location
- Mexico
- Vessel Name
- Ansedonia
- Vessel Make
- Californian/Carver 52CPMY
Hi folks,
My wife and I just returned from La Paz, Mexico, where we keep our new-to-us trawler, Harmony, a Californian 42 LRC. We ended up spending several days in the marina, getting things squared away, and taking care of small projects. I was a bit nervous about this trip because I have never pulled into or out of a dock with a trawler. Time to learn!
We were finally able to get away from the dock mid-afternoon on Friday, just ahead of a forecasted northern wind event. We made it off the dock and pulled out of the marina using just the engines, with the rudders centered. So far, so good.
After fueling, the wind came up as expected, and we headed to our anchorage a short 5 miles away. We arrived and anchored just in time to enjoy the sunset with cocktails in hand. The wind blew throughout the night (and for the entire 5 days we were out), but we were in a sheltered cove, so there were no waves or swell to deal with. In the morning, we weighed anchor and headed into the wind and waves to our next anchorage, about 15 miles away. The boat handled the waves very well and we were soon anchored in a place called Caleta Pardita, on the south end of Isla Pardita, just north of La Paz. The wind really howled, but once again we were sheltered from any swell or chop. Because of the wind, we were kind of confined to the boat, so we took the time to figure how all the systems worked, and what switch turned on what.
The next day we made a quick dash to another anchorage, called Ensenada Grande, which also provided shelter from the waves, but did allow a bit of wrap around swell to rock us a little. We spent 2 days here, paddle boarding when we felt brave, and hiking on the rocky shore. After four nights in three different anchorages, we headed home, running downwind. I have to say that this boat surfs the waves very well. As we drew nearer to our marina I started to get heavy butterflies in my stomach thinking about docking in the wind. When we arrived, we had two line-handlers waiting, and I managed to dock safely with a stiff tailwind, with no damage to anything. Whoohoo!
The boat performed flawlessly, and all systems worked as designed. The best thing is that my wife absolutely LOVES Harmony, especially after 8 years on sailboats.
So, that's it. We left and came back safely, and learned a lot in the process. We can't wait to get back down there to enjoy and learn more about this trawler stuff.
Cheers, Bill
My wife and I just returned from La Paz, Mexico, where we keep our new-to-us trawler, Harmony, a Californian 42 LRC. We ended up spending several days in the marina, getting things squared away, and taking care of small projects. I was a bit nervous about this trip because I have never pulled into or out of a dock with a trawler. Time to learn!
We were finally able to get away from the dock mid-afternoon on Friday, just ahead of a forecasted northern wind event. We made it off the dock and pulled out of the marina using just the engines, with the rudders centered. So far, so good.
After fueling, the wind came up as expected, and we headed to our anchorage a short 5 miles away. We arrived and anchored just in time to enjoy the sunset with cocktails in hand. The wind blew throughout the night (and for the entire 5 days we were out), but we were in a sheltered cove, so there were no waves or swell to deal with. In the morning, we weighed anchor and headed into the wind and waves to our next anchorage, about 15 miles away. The boat handled the waves very well and we were soon anchored in a place called Caleta Pardita, on the south end of Isla Pardita, just north of La Paz. The wind really howled, but once again we were sheltered from any swell or chop. Because of the wind, we were kind of confined to the boat, so we took the time to figure how all the systems worked, and what switch turned on what.The next day we made a quick dash to another anchorage, called Ensenada Grande, which also provided shelter from the waves, but did allow a bit of wrap around swell to rock us a little. We spent 2 days here, paddle boarding when we felt brave, and hiking on the rocky shore. After four nights in three different anchorages, we headed home, running downwind. I have to say that this boat surfs the waves very well.
As we drew nearer to our marina I started to get heavy butterflies in my stomach thinking about docking in the wind. When we arrived, we had two line-handlers waiting, and I managed to dock safely with a stiff tailwind, with no damage to anything. Whoohoo!The boat performed flawlessly, and all systems worked as designed. The best thing is that my wife absolutely LOVES Harmony, especially after 8 years on sailboats.
So, that's it. We left and came back safely, and learned a lot in the process. We can't wait to get back down there to enjoy and learn more about this trawler stuff.
Cheers, Bill
