Woke up to strong winds and whitecaps on the water of our bay. Our guide, Ryan, listened to the marine forecast on his VHF radio and heard that in the afternoon there was going to be a small craft warning; plus the El Norte winds were expected to last until Friday. So not wanting to be stuck there, we had a quick breakfast (tequila omelet and tortillas) and hightailed it... first we had to pack up - carry all our gear further down the beach, then carry the kayaks down there too. It was the narrowest and lowest spot on the spit, and we wanted to launch on the leeward side, opposite from where we landed.
Got underway (it was a sprayskirt day, unlike yesterday) and once away from the island,
were really in the waves, which ranged from 3 to 4 foot swells. We were heading towards the peninsula, which meant the waves were coming at us from the side. It was exciting to say the least! Finally closer to shore the waves were smaller and we were able to turn and paddle parallel to the shore, which meant the waves were coming behind us. It was certainly a faster return trip with the wind pushing us along! We didn't stop for a break. Finally we were approaching Loreto, and about 500 yards from shore the wind picked up, the waves got bigger, and Ryan told us he would go in first, then help us - we would go in one by one. For some reason Trevor decided to go in by himself, right behind Ryan, and we watched in horror as Trevor's kayak turned and flipped over in the surf, but Ryan was right there to help him; he was fine. I went next, and had to work hard to stay straight and not get turned sideways. With both Ryan and Trevor to catch me I was fine - just glad to have made it!
We were soaked to the skin except where we wore our snug life jackets - those spray skirts don't really keep the water out - not when you have waves breaking over you!
