We had decided to continue on to La Paz. We were up by 2:00 am and another boat had just pulled in with their deck lights on and had anchored a few hundred yards further along the reef area. They turned their lights off; we turned ours on so we could raise the anchor. A Panga approached us at high speed and it turned out to be the park police who told us we were anchored too close to the reef. After telling them that we had been here five nights and were in fact leaving, they departed.

It had calmed down overnight and we headed out into only a slight swell quickly putting two miles between us and the Pulmo reef which extends out a mile and a half from shore. We then turned north motoring gently until the sun came up. We then got a nice land breeze of 12 knots so both sails were set and we enjoyed the nicest bit of sailing since leaving San Pedro. We cruised along under sail on a nice broad reach for about three hours doing 5-6 knots before the wind quit and we had to go back to the engine. We passed some large new homes being built along the shoreline and tourism is beginning to expand in this area.

We arrived in Los Muertos at 12:30 pm. anchoring carefully in about 35 feet of water. There were a number of other boats coming and going and at least 20 at anchor. Los Muertos or Bay of the dead is protected from the north wind, but like Los Frailes is exposed to southern wind storms. It gets its name from a ship with fever aboard that was refused entry to La Paz. Most of those on board died.  Because of increasing tourism to the area the name has been changed to Bahia de los Suenos or Bay of dreams! It will still be a while before the old name disappears.

There are two hotels and restaurants at los Muertos and we were considering going shore for a meal. When we arrived the sea was very calm however by 3:30 pm the waves had suddenly increased in size and frequency, so we held off seeing how things developed. Boats were sharing weather forecasts which were contrary, so no one really knew what was going on.  We were again on a lee shore in deteriorating conditions. By 4:30 some boats were leaving, probably to move around the headland to a small shore anchorage that is protected by weather from the south.

Just before 5:00 pm we decided the rocking, which put the bow under water and then the stern swim step which then lifted water through the open transom into the cockpit was enough. As we were preparing for departure, I looked up to see a French Boat that was also leaving was very close to an Island packet, almost in danger of colliding. The boat was doing some strange maneuvers and then I saw the issue; every Captains nightmare.

A body was hanging outside the boat at the bow and holding onto the pulpit for dear life. The Captain wisely put the boat broadside on to the waves and had gone forward to help the other crew member working the anchor get the individual aboard. They did so and the person just lay there. As the anchor was stowed and the boat began to make headway, the Captain and other crew member came forward and had to drag the person who had almost fallen overboard and was obviously injured to the safety of the cockpit.

We raised our anchor and headed out behind the French boat intending to see if we had enough daylight to make it to the other sheltered anchorage.

With increasing poor weather conditions we did not make it to the sheltered anchorage we had wanted to get to which is on the north side of Los Muertos.

As nightfall had set in and the area was unmarked. We continued though the narrowest part of the Cerralvo channel with the flood tide which gave us a nice push into the Canal de Cerralvo. This is a wide channel between the mainland and the 16 mile long island of Cerralvo. Boats leaving after us hit the ebb tide and had to push their way north in the Canal. We knew it was going to be a long night!

At first we had the wind directly aft and the conditions had calmed considerably. As we moved north through the channel the wind shifted to the North East and increased to 18 knots. We tried sailing however we could not point tight enough to really make use of this and had to go back to the engine. As we began to clear the shelter of Cerralvo the wind veered to North West, on the nose with increased wave heights with a short frequency. We continued to slog it out with two other boats also heading in the same direction. It was going to be tough. We arrived at the entrance to the Canal de San Lorenzo about 11:30 pm.