The morning brought some decent wind and we had wonderful sailing after Topolobampo. We did long slow Jibes (Gybe in UK English) from 7:00 a.m. in the morning until dusk in 12-15 Knots of wind which freshened during the day to more than 25 Knots.

The wind was directly astern, hence the Jibes as Hilbre does not do well directly downwind without a pole. It is also hard on the Auto pilot which has to work overtime. Sailing 35 degrees off the wind makes it easier and keeps the sails full.

At about 8 pm we ran into the Sea of Cortez and Pacific convergence zone, about 40 miles north of Mazatlán. The different wave patterns from the two major water bodies and 25 Knot winds during the day had built steep breaking and confused seas. These seas were in the 10-15′ range with no steady wind direction. We adjusted our sails to minimize rolling and then let Hilbre jog along for a few hours while we rested until the sea clamed down.

Eventually the wind and waves settled into a steady direction and the sea calmed down. We have now covered over 300 Nautical Miles towards Mazatlán.