S/V Kaiquest in Ensenada
There's something about being on the open ocean that makes one want to wax poetic... that or the fact that there isn't much else to do - except there is. I'm crewing for long time family friends and their 8 month old twins who keep us all entertained, if not constantly working to keep them happy, if they're not sleeping.
Let's go back to 1997 when my family was cruising Mexico aboard Rutea and I was 8 years old. We met the Curry family with two boys, Will and Ben, somewhere around 16 and 14. Being similar ages, my brother Ian and Will's little brother Ben became fast friends, and because he's a great guy, Will tolerated an 8 year old girl determined not to be left behind by the older kids to follow him around all over Mexico and Hawaii. To be honest I had a huge crush on Will and was convinced we were going to get married. Alas things didn't quite work out like that, he married a wonderful woman named Sarah and last year they had twin boys, Hugo and Kipp.
I had reconnected with Will and Sarah last spring before the twins were born when they sailed their Jeanneau 42, Kaiquest, down to San Diego from Vancouver. They told me their plan was to sail the boat to the Sea of Cortez after the boys were born but weren't sure how they'd handle the boat and the babies, so of course I offered to crew for them if the opportunity came up.
And here we are, about 150 miles south of San Diego, heading due south, for lower latitudes and warmer temperatures. It won't warm up for another few hundred miles so the babies are in their snow suits and we're all bundled up, but it feels good to be back out here. Aside from a quick trip up to Mission Bay on my own boat, I haven't been out to sea since I was on Rutea in 2013. Almost lost my sea legs.
Getting off the dock was a bit challenging. I had just been on a quick weekend trip to Guanajuato with my mom and some friends (highly recommend if you're looking for a super cute, cheap Mexican getaway), landed at the TJ airport and took a bus down to Ensenada to meet Kaiquest. They had sailed down over the weekend as a shakedown sail, the boys loved it and the boat is in mint condition, so we were all ready to go.
I met up with them, we did some last minute provisioning, showered and had a last fish taco meal, ready to turn in the marina keys when Sarah said, umm I think Kipp is sick. And to be fair, he looked really sick. The normally bubbly, smiley baby was lethargic and whiney. Will and I both brushed it off as teething or whatever, keen to get off the dock. Sarah, who is a great mom and voice of reason said "no, I don't want to head to a remote part of Mexico with a sick baby." Fair. So we popped a few beers and went to a nice dinner, hoping Kipp would feel better in the morning.
Real sick baby
The next morning we were again prepared to throw off the dock lines but honestly, Kipp still looked terrible so Will and Sarah took him to the clinic while I stayed with Hugo. They came back an hour later - Kipp had strep throat. No wonder the little guy was so cranky. We were all relieved there was a diagnosis and a cure, so we were confident we could leave the next day. We took the opportunity for an extra day in Ensenada to spend a lovely afternoon at a winery in the Valle de Guadalupe, a half hour inland.
Huge debating the Pino or the Cab at El Cielo
The next morning Kipp was much better so around 11 am we sailed out of Ensenada in a cloud of dust, heading for lower latitudes.
Kipp on the left feeling good enough to get off the dock... Hugo on the right ready to rock.
