18 March 2012; At Sea, 2nd day.

Today we noticed the change in temperature, both air and sea water when we passed Cabo San Lucas which is called the Cold Cape for that reason. Until noon time we had been sailing in the California Current, which comes from the North and thus transports colder water towards the Equator area. That gave us a nice push in the back and saving fuel is something that always makes us happy. The colder water (around 55oF/13oC) also keeps the outside temperature down but that all starts to change when you come to the end of the Californian Peninsula. Here the California current turns away from the coast and start flowing to the West towards the mid of the Pacific. Its place is being taken by the North Equatorial current, which comes up from the Equator area and thus transports warmer water towards the North. That means we will be sailing against it for the coming days. That will cost more fuel and makes my chief engineer very unhappy. 

In the course of the day the outside temperature started to climb slowly but it was not as pronounced as it sometimes is due to the very strong, gale force north westerly wind that was blowing. As we were going south east towards Puerto Vallarta it did not bother us as it was a following wind but it did keep the temperatures lower than normal. Maybe not nice for the Sunday sailors and fishermen of Cabo San Lucas but that NW wind and swell kept all the small boats inside the harbor and thus they did not bother us. It made it possible to do my bit of sightseeing past the South point of California completely unhindered. Even the whales found it too rough as we saw only one humpback playing around but none of the larger numbers that we are supposed to see around this time of the year. By the end of the month they will start moving up towards Alaska where they should arrive by the end of June.

Thus without a single obstacle in the way we sailed passed the shore line at a 1.5 miles distance. Here the water is about 300 feet deep and it is a distance that gives you a good overview of the area. The closer you go to the shore, the more beach you will see, but you lose the panoramic overview. The southwest point of California is called Cabo Falso. Aptly named as it is not the most southern point of the Peninsula, that is Cabo San Lucas, but when looking at the chart, or with the naked eye, it looks as if it is the most southern point. Put a ruler along the two and it shows that it is not. Still from a distance Cabo Falso looks much more impressive as it is much higher and has a radio station cum lighthouse on the top. This is the second lighthouse. There is an old one near the cliffs at the water line but about 40 years ago, the Mexican government combined a radio station with a light tower on the top of the hill. Now the attendants could not only see over the ocean but also over the land itself and into the bay of Cabo. The ruin of the old light house is still there and I have been told that it is a favorite spot for those very much in love.

From left to right: Cabo Falso, the beach in between and Cabo San Lucas to the East. The old lighthouse is just visible at the edge of the cliff and the new one as a white spot on top of the hill.

In between Cabo san Lucas and Cabo Falso is a stretch of beach that in 1981 was proclaimed by Playboy Magazine one of the seven most beautiful beaches in the world. At that time there was only one isolated white hotel there and Cabo was still a sleepy fishing port. Then came the rapid expansion and now the beach is overshadowed by 100’s of villa’s and apartment buildings. Most of them incomplete due to the economic slump of 2009. I do not think that this beach would get the Playboy vote again. Still it is very nice look at. There was no cruise ship in the port today, which makes sense as it is Sunday. Most cruise ships are either in the home port or have just left the day before and that means that Cabo only gets regular visitors in the period of  Tuesday to Friday, unless a ship calls in on a longer cruise for a one off visit.

Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Vallarta and it is supposed to be wind still there but still not too warm. Today there is some sort of public holiday going on which should make all the locals very happy, and we will have to see if we can get the pilot out on time. He is never a problem but getting his pilot boat crew going is a different story. Tequila and getting up early do not really go together.