We have limited fuel for the eight hundred or so miles we need to travel between Cabo and Ensenada (fuel stop to fuel stop). If we tried to motor the whole distance, we'd probably run out of diesel three quarters of the way there. That means we'll have to sail about a quarter of the distance, which translates to sailing half the time when you consider the additional distance and inefficiency of sailing upwind.
Going south was easy: we set our sails and fly downwind in a straight line. Going upwind involves considerably more work and discomfort. However tempted we may be though to make quick miles with the motor when the going gets tough or the wind goes flat, we have to keep in mind that half of our time must be spent sailing. We have to make miles under sail whenever we can. That obviously assumes the sailing is productive.
Today was a successful day in that we were forced by the conditions to motor for three hours and we were able to sail productively for four hours. That's an hour in the bank for later withdrawal.
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