INTO THE WILDS

JESSICA ZEVALKINK AND LUKE YEATES SET FREE IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ WITH THEIR NEWLY RESTORED YACHT AND NEW BABY

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The earth inhales. A treeless desert fevers under a rising sun, breathing the cool air that rests at sea. In the evening the earth exhales, its warm breath accelerates down the mountain sides, returning it to the sea. The Coromuel winds frequent the southern half of the Sea of Cortez in late spring. We prepare for them every evening by setting our anchor tactically, for the gentle exhalations are quick to become 25 knots. Aboard our steel ship, I feel safe, Alekona seemingly uninterrupted by nature’s local phenomenons. Inside lies the entirety of my world, our four month old son Otis.

While Alekona floats steady, Otis grows. The landscape surrounding us looks Martian and the sea is bright green. The Baja coastline has beautiful knuckles in which we can routinely find secure anchorages, and the further south we explore the more natural cavities we find. In early May we’re late in the cruising season and the further we sail the more becalmed we become. But wind or no wind, this exploration is what we’ve been working towards all year. We light up when we find anything over 8 knots and favor night passages over the day, avoiding the fierce heat. Delighted in knowing that our 22-ton steel ship will even budge with less than 10 knots of breeze, we look forward to the Coromuel winds when they blow through.