SmoCo Sailingvideo
[Ep 51] All Alone & Waiting for a Weather Window | Las Cocinas, Mexico
February 24, 2026 · 12 min · 643 views · Villa de Cos, Mexico
Sailboat anchored alone in turquoise bay near rugged cliffs
What this video covers
Armand and Liya, sailing the boat Cosmo with their dog Pino, divert 40 miles north from San Carlos to Las Cocinas, Mexico, after a weather window collapses before a planned midnight departure across the Sea of Cortez.Watch Las Cocinas sits roughly halfway between San Carlos and Bahia Aquino — a remote, unserviced anchorage with no cell coverage, no town, and submerged rocks and reef extending several hundred meters from Punta Moreno that require careful navigation on entry but provide strong swell protection once inside.2:13 Overnight lightning and 30-knot gusts pin them at anchor for a day; the anchorage holds without roll.3:24 While waiting, Armand marks the Volvo engine's emergency cutoff toggle with red nail polish for fast identification at night.6:12 Weather planning for the 80-mile crossing focuses on wind forecasts showing 11–17 knots, a dead zone around 0600, and Chubasco reports — a daily analysis they treat as a go/no-go trigger.7:37 With a two-day-past-full-moon night providing good visibility and a broad-reach forecast for the entire crossing, they depart just before 0800, targeting a 4 p.m. arrival the following day.9:55 Monitoring Chubasco reports alongside standard wind forecasts is the crew's primary risk-management tool for summer Sea of Cortez passages.
More from SmoCo Sailing
From SmoCo Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.