Current Position: N 20 07' W 105 34'
Wind: SE 6knts
Swell: N 3-5ft.
Currently I'm just south of Punta Ipala en route to Bahia Chamela. I left Punta de Mita on Sunday 12/1 at around 4:30 am. An early start is necessary for a safe and comfortable rounding of Cabo Corrientes, the point at the southern end of Banderas Bay. It's well know for its nasty weather and confused seas. Leaving Mita, the seas were glass smooth and there wasn't a puff of wind. The wind finally started to pick up about a half hour north of Cabo Corrientes. Expecting a bit of wind, I put the number two jib and full main up. Still without an autopilot, I had used bungee cords to hold the tiller on course.

The wind started building and I decided I need to reef the main. I went forward and tucked the reef without issue. The wind was now around 30knts and we are on a broad reach, just screaming along at about 6.3knts. As I was coming back into the cockpit to reset the preventer, the windward side bungee broke and the boat swung hard and accidentally jibed. Luckily, I was standing in the cockpit when this happened so there wasn't any being hit by the boom. Unfortunately, I was standing in front of the mainsheet as the boom swung across, the mainsheet caught me and threw me into the port-side winch. Quickly, I got the remaining bungee off the tiller, brought the boat back on course, and assessed the damage. No damage to the boat or rig. I initially thought that I had broken a few ribs but as of today I think I just bruised them badly. This was a tough lesson; it certainly reminded me to always be attentive on a downwind run, not to mention get the preventer set as quickly as possible.

The rest of the day's sail was uneventful. As soon as I rounded Cabo Corrientes, the wind shifted out of the south and I had a great beat to Punta Ipala. I arrived around 2 pm yesterday, set the hook in the small anchorage, and went to sleep. I finally got up around 5pm, made some dinner, watched part of Gandhi on DVD, and went back to bed.

Around 4:30 this morning I weighed anchor and set off. It's been a great sail so far. The wind is still out of the south and there is just enough wind so that the monitor will steer while motorsailing. I plan to stop in Bahia Chamela this evening, assuming I arrive there before dark. If not, I will either stand off until first light or sail to Navidad. Most Mexican ports have very minimal navigation lights so I try not to make any landfalls at night unless necessary.