On Monday (January 30), the wind shifted again. We knew that the rolling in anchorage would increase and soon it would become comfortable. It was time to move again. We also knew that there was a storm coming. We’d decided that we wanted to ride the storm out in a marina. We were excited to be able to procure a “real” slip at Costa Baja, complete with water, power and pump out!

We pulled up anchor at about 0830, right after One World did, and followed them towards the La Paz area. It was a 6.5 hour ride to Costa Baja. We were in small 1 – 2 foot (.3 – .6 meters) head seas, so it was mildy uncomfortable. The day started out mostly sunny with some clouds, but as the day wore on, the clouds steadily increased. By the time we arrived, it was mostly cloudy. The temperatures were cool, but not cold, in the high 60s Fahrenheit (about 16-ish Celsius). Thanks to the wind, we did need our heavy jackets to sit outside when the boat moving. Eric saw two whales while he was on watch, but he didn’t get a close enough look to tell which species they were. 

At the turn off into the channel to Costa Baja, we saw that the world’s biggest sloop was on the fuel dock. When we’d booked the reservation, we’d asked about getting fuel on the way in, and the marina had told us the fuel dock was booked for the day. Now we knew why.

We passed the fuel dock and navigated into the inner harbor. When we booked the reservation, the marina told us the slip was narrow and wanted confirmation we were ok with a small slip. Turns out the slip had plenty of room, at least as much as our San Diego slip, so docking was straightforward. Eric also planned at slack tide and there was minimal wind.

Once we got Kosmos situated, we reveled in the luxury of such a nice marina slip. We had lots of power and water. It was flat calm. We didn’t have to get the dinghy down to go to shore. And we could eat in a restaurant! We had dinner at Azul Marino. The sunset was mostly blocked by the clouds.

On Tuesday, it was grey, gloomy and rainy all day. And it was real rain, too, not just drizzle! Surprisingly, the storm didn’t bring a whole lot of wind, and in the protected inner harbor, it was totally calm. Eric was a chore machine all day:

• He’d equalized batteries overnight.
• He changed the generator oil and filter, as well as the generator air filter.
• He changed the air filter on the main engine and topped off the oil on the main engine.
• He changed the filter on our Seagull water filter (the filter for our drinking water).
• Our Stidd helm chair had been squeaking, so he tightened and lubricated the chair and eliminate the squeak.
• Then he started on the lazarette. He checked for leaks and tightened some hose clamps. He changed the batteries in the remote temperature/humidity sensors. He also moved the sensors around to different locations in the law then they had been, and put one on the inverter.
• Then he tackled the dive compressor. He installed a new safety valve, a part that we’d bought while we were in San Diego and had brought back with us. He also took off cover and inspected the belt. It was a bit loose. 
• On the anchor, he fixed the cotter pin in the anchor swivel. The pin was somehow not in the proper position.

All the clouds made for a dramatic sunset.