CABO TO LA PAZ - November 7-10, 2010
The trip from Cabo to La Paz was a quick, 4-day 150 passage, with no overnight runs, and only one night in each stop. In hindsight, we probably should have spent more time enroute, staying a bit longer in some of the stops to more fully "take in the sights" - it seems we have a bit more to learn about slowing down to "cruiising speed" instead of being in "delivery mode."
Our first day's run out of Cabo, on Monday, November 7, was a short 17 mile hop up to San Jose del Cabo, where we stayed in the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, a nice, albeit only partially completed "destination resort & marina" - it seems the declining economy got the best of their construction schedule! There was an older, established beach restaurant on the north side of the harbor, but most of the marina slips are on the south side, where the only restaurant & bar is aptly named "The Container" - because it is built in an old shipping container. Surprisingly, the place was immaculately clean, the outside tables and chairs (everything except the few stools at a small bar) were built of nicely varnished wood, the grounds were neatly manicured - and the food was wonderful! We enjoyed a great meal and retired early; we were still somewhat "braindead" from our three days in Cabo, and were planning to get a relatively early start the next morning. Those who lingered and visited the near-by town of San Jose del Cabo told us later we missed a great little town!
Our first day's run out of Cabo, on Monday, November 7, was a short 17 mile hop up to San Jose del Cabo, where we stayed in the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, a nice, albeit only partially completed "destination resort & marina" - it seems the declining economy got the best of their construction schedule! There was an older, established beach restaurant on the north side of the harbor, but most of the marina slips are on the south side, where the only restaurant & bar is aptly named "The Container" - because it is built in an old shipping container. Surprisingly, the place was immaculately clean, the outside tables and chairs (everything except the few stools at a small bar) were built of nicely varnished wood, the grounds were neatly manicured - and the food was wonderful! We enjoyed a great meal and retired early; we were still somewhat "braindead" from our three days in Cabo, and were planning to get a relatively early start the next morning. Those who lingered and visited the near-by town of San Jose del Cabo told us later we missed a great little town!
The next day, Tuesday, November 8, was another relatively short run, this time 28 miles to the anchorage in Bahia Los Frailes. Los Frailes is a popular "jumping off" point for boats heading over to Mazatlan, and is just around the corner from some primier diving and snorkleing in Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, the site of the only living coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. In our hurry to push north, we missed the oppotunity to snorkle there, but others who did told us it was spectacular. (We will definately put that on our "to do" list when we head back to the Sea next spring.) The anchoarge at Los Frailes is a bit tricky - there is a very deep underwater canyon that runs right up close to the beach, so anchoring is limited to a very narrow shelf that runs fairly close to the shore around the bay, and the shelf itself shoals rapidly near the beach! In one moment you are in 20 feet of water, and you quickly drift back into 100+ feet of water - you have to pick your spot, and get the hook down fast! The night we were there over 25 boats were anchored in the bay, so it was "cozy" along the shelf!
The next leg of the trip to La Paz, on Wednesday, November 9, was a 46 mile run up to Ensenada de los Muertos - beautiful bay with a rather dreadful name (Cove of the Dead). Actually, the name is derived from the "dead-man" mooring system (large buried anchors) used in the early 1900's for barges that loaded ore in the cove from a nearby mine; today, with the coming of a golf course, resort, luxury homes and condos, developers have tried to rename the bay "Bahia de los Suenos" (Bay of Dreams) - dream on! Our run up to Muertos from Frailes was a delightful beam reach sail, in 15-20 knots of breeze off the land! We dropped the hook as the sun was setting, and prepared for an early morning for the final 58 mile run into La Paz.
The final run into La Paz on Thursday, November 10, was under beautiful blue sunny skies, with 15 knots of breeze right on the nose, and adverse current almost all the way to the La Paz Channel; we motored! The trip was uneventful, except for the rather disconcerting experience of going through the middle of the San Lorenzo Channel (between the mainland and Isla Espiritu Santo), with over two miles to shore in either direction, and looking down to see the bottom in just over 25 feet of water! We knew the channel was shallow, and stayed precisely on our charted GPS route, but it still came as a surprise to see the bottom so clearly in the middle!
We arrived in La Paz in the late afternoon, and after sorting out a snaffu with our slip reservation that I had confirmed with the Marina Manager by e-mail while in Cabo ("I'm sorry Bright Angel, we don't have a rerservation for you, and the Manager has gone home for the day."), we tied up and began our month-long stay in La Paz - the "City of Peace."
The final run into La Paz on Thursday, November 10, was under beautiful blue sunny skies, with 15 knots of breeze right on the nose, and adverse current almost all the way to the La Paz Channel; we motored! The trip was uneventful, except for the rather disconcerting experience of going through the middle of the San Lorenzo Channel (between the mainland and Isla Espiritu Santo), with over two miles to shore in either direction, and looking down to see the bottom in just over 25 feet of water! We knew the channel was shallow, and stayed precisely on our charted GPS route, but it still came as a surprise to see the bottom so clearly in the middle!
We arrived in La Paz in the late afternoon, and after sorting out a snaffu with our slip reservation that I had confirmed with the Marina Manager by e-mail while in Cabo ("I'm sorry Bright Angel, we don't have a rerservation for you, and the Manager has gone home for the day."), we tied up and began our month-long stay in La Paz - the "City of Peace."
A Visit to the Islands of
Isla Espiritu Santo & Isla Partida
After a couple of weeks in La Paz, we decided it was time to get away frrom the marina for a while and visit "The Islands" as they are known locally - Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida, both of which are National Parks, lie about 20-25 miles north of La Paz. Espiritu Santo is the larger of the two, at just over seven miles long and just under eight miles wide at its widest point; Isla Partida, to the north of Espiritu Santo, is just over four miles long. Both islands have numerous bays and anchorages on their west side, generally well protected from the prevailing northerly winds that blow down the Sea of Cortez, but open to Bahia La Paz on the west and exposed to strong overnight winds (known as Coromuels) that can come up in the evening and blow out of the southwest off the hot lands near La Paz.
Coromuels can occur at any time of year, but are not supposed to be very frequent or intense in the fall and winter months - Ha! I guess we just got "lucky" - our first night out, anchored in Ensenada del Candelero (Candlestick Cove) on Espiritu Santo, we experienced a whopper of a Coromuel! At sundown, around 5:30 - 6:00 pm, the water was flat calm; but, by 8:00 pm the Coromuel was blowing 15-20 knots, with short, steep waves that kept us hobby-horsing all night long! It was uncomfortable to say the least, but with 150 feet of chain rode out (in 25 feet of water) and our 40 kg (88 lbs) Rocna anchor buried deep in the sand, we stayed put!
(Reminder - click on the pictures below for larger images, captions, and slide show - advance with the arrow at the lower left of the picture.)
Coromuels can occur at any time of year, but are not supposed to be very frequent or intense in the fall and winter months - Ha! I guess we just got "lucky" - our first night out, anchored in Ensenada del Candelero (Candlestick Cove) on Espiritu Santo, we experienced a whopper of a Coromuel! At sundown, around 5:30 - 6:00 pm, the water was flat calm; but, by 8:00 pm the Coromuel was blowing 15-20 knots, with short, steep waves that kept us hobby-horsing all night long! It was uncomfortable to say the least, but with 150 feet of chain rode out (in 25 feet of water) and our 40 kg (88 lbs) Rocna anchor buried deep in the sand, we stayed put!
(Reminder - click on the pictures below for larger images, captions, and slide show - advance with the arrow at the lower left of the picture.)
On this trip to the islands we began to experience first-hand what we had often read about the unreliabilty of Mexican charts in general, and electronic charts in particular. These problems stem from the fact that up until very recently "modern" charts of Mexico (both paper and electronic) were based in large part on very old surveys, some dating back to the early 1800's. (The Mexican government has recently completed extensive
surveys and has begun producing some very accurate charts for most Mexican waters and coastlines; these charts have only this past year been made available for sale by the Mexican government in paper form, but have not yet been made available in electronic form.) For example, on our electronic charts of Ensenada del Candelero, Roca Monumento (lower left picture, above) does not even appear on the chart! And, when we took the picture of S/V Kanga (top left picture, above), even though we were obviuosly afloat (and between Kanga and Roca Monumento), our electronic chart showed us high-and-dry, 300 feet or so inland, on the bluff above Kanga! We navigated into the cove with the aid of daylight, and some very accurate waypoints (from Shawn Breeding's and Heather Bansmer's "Sea of Cortez" cruising guide - a must have for sailing the Sea of Cortez, as is their recently published "Pacific Mexico" guide for cruising the mainland coast).
After our bouncy night in Ensenada del Candelero, we decided to move a little further north, to Carleta Partida, the largest of the west-side anchorages and one in which we hoped to find a little better protection from a southwesterly Coromuel, should another one come up the next evening - which did not happen, fortunately! Carleta Partida was formed in a sunken crater of an extinct volcano, and is what separates Isla Espiritu Santo from Isla Partida. The geologic history of the area is easily imagined from the land surrounding the anchorage:
surveys and has begun producing some very accurate charts for most Mexican waters and coastlines; these charts have only this past year been made available for sale by the Mexican government in paper form, but have not yet been made available in electronic form.) For example, on our electronic charts of Ensenada del Candelero, Roca Monumento (lower left picture, above) does not even appear on the chart! And, when we took the picture of S/V Kanga (top left picture, above), even though we were obviuosly afloat (and between Kanga and Roca Monumento), our electronic chart showed us high-and-dry, 300 feet or so inland, on the bluff above Kanga! We navigated into the cove with the aid of daylight, and some very accurate waypoints (from Shawn Breeding's and Heather Bansmer's "Sea of Cortez" cruising guide - a must have for sailing the Sea of Cortez, as is their recently published "Pacific Mexico" guide for cruising the mainland coast).
After our bouncy night in Ensenada del Candelero, we decided to move a little further north, to Carleta Partida, the largest of the west-side anchorages and one in which we hoped to find a little better protection from a southwesterly Coromuel, should another one come up the next evening - which did not happen, fortunately! Carleta Partida was formed in a sunken crater of an extinct volcano, and is what separates Isla Espiritu Santo from Isla Partida. The geologic history of the area is easily imagined from the land surrounding the anchorage:
The waters in these anchorages are the most beautiful, clear aquamarine. It is interesting to see your anchor chain lying on the bottom in 30 feet of water, and fun to see schools of fish swimming by!
After a wonderfully peaceful day (and night!) in Carleta Partida, we headed up the island to Ensenada Grande, another beautiful anchorage, where we were joined by our friends Hugh and Anne Jenings on their Gozzaard 36, S/V Serendipity. We met Hugh and Anne, who are from Port Ludlow, WA, in San Diego, where they were preparing for the Baja Ha-Ha. We spent the day hiking the the surrounding hillsides with Hugh and Anne, before enjoying a wonderful dinner aboard Serendipity.
The next day we were also joined in the anchorage by Gene and Tami Reynolds, and their kids Christopher and Abigail, aboard their Hans Christian 43, S/V Andiamo III, homeported in Olympia, WA! Andiamo III also made the trip to Mexico on this year's Baja Ha-Ha. It was quite the Washington convention in Ensenada Grande that night! After a late afternoon snorkeling trip with the crew of all three Washington boats, we all gathered on Bright Angel for dinner. Linda did herself proud with her impromptu chicken fettucini and garlic bread for the masses! Hugh and Anne brought the wine, and Tami brought chocolate brownies for desert. It was indeed a memorable evening!
After two days on the hook in Ensenada Grande, it was time for us to head back to La Paz so we could attend the Club Cruceros (www.clubcruceros.org) cruisers Thanksgiving potluck dinner at Marina Palmira. On our way back, we took a quick side trip up to the north end of Isla Partida to see Los Islotes, which is a popular spot for cruisers and tourists to see and swim with sea lions! We opted to stay on the boat and just do a "drive by" - this time! (Maybe we'll swim with them next spring!)
After two days on the hook in Ensenada Grande, it was time for us to head back to La Paz so we could attend the Club Cruceros (www.clubcruceros.org) cruisers Thanksgiving potluck dinner at Marina Palmira. On our way back, we took a quick side trip up to the north end of Isla Partida to see Los Islotes, which is a popular spot for cruisers and tourists to see and swim with sea lions! We opted to stay on the boat and just do a "drive by" - this time! (Maybe we'll swim with them next spring!)
PASSAGE TO MAZATLAN
December 8-12, 2010
We left La Paz bound for Mazatlan on the afternoon of Wednesday, December 8. The wind was really blowing that day - a steady 18-20 knots out of the north. We had intended to go only as far as Puerto Ballandra that evening, a mere 12 miles from La Paz; Ballandra is a beautiful anchorage just inside San Lorenzo Channel, and one that we blew past in our hurry to get to La Paz a month earlier. However, the guide books say Ballandra can be uncomfortable in a strong northerly, with wrap around swell. So instead, we tucked into small but secure (and pretty) Caleta Lobos, only 10 miles from La Paz - along with seven other boats. (The next morning, on our way past Ballandra, we did not see a single boat in that anchorage!)
The next day, Thursday, December 9, we motor-sailed in some boisterous winds and seas most of the 47 miles to Ensenada de los Muertos, where we anchored for the night in the beautiful cove well protected from the northerly winds that continued to blow down the Sea. On Friday, December 10, we spent most of the day preparing for the 190 mile crossing of the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan; rigging preventers, jacklines, lee clothes and spray skirts. In the afternoon, we rowed the dinghy ashore, and went for a walk on the beautiful white sand beach to the Grand Sueno Golf & Beach Resort. There we had some margaritas in their beautiful bar, played some shuffle board, and then ordered a wonderful dinner in the restaurant. Afterwards, we walked back down the beach and rowed out to Bright Angel in the moonlight - a perfect way to celebrate Linda's birthday! After securing the dinghy on deck, we turned in for a good night's sleep; it would be an early wake-up (5:00 am) and start of the passage on Saturday.
We were underway before 6:oo am on Saturday morning, December 11. The winds had all but died down overnight, and were still light - less than 5 knots - when we left. The winds remained light throughout the morning, but by noon they had picked up to a respectable 10-12 knots. So we rolled out the sails, and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of sailing - straight down the rhumbline on a broad reach - until sundown, when the winds died down again to less than 5 knots. We furled the sails and motored through the night. The seas had really settled down, so it was a very comfortable night. We ran our usual 3-on, 3-off watch schedule. Linda drew the "excitment cards" for her night watches: on the 9-12 pm watch she had to duck a coastal freighter headed from Mazatlan to La Paz, and on the 3-6 am watch she had to get out of the way of another freighter heading the other way, from La Paz to Mazatlan. (We were apparently on the shipping rhumbline, as well!) As soon as Linda had manuevered out of the way of the eastbound frieghter, a whale breached - jumping completely out of the water - a mere 20-30 feet from the boat! I was fast asleep.
After a second beautiful sunrise at sea, this one over the Pacific Ocean, we reached Mazatlan shortly before noon. Another chapter in the Grand Adventure is about to unfold!
The next day, Thursday, December 9, we motor-sailed in some boisterous winds and seas most of the 47 miles to Ensenada de los Muertos, where we anchored for the night in the beautiful cove well protected from the northerly winds that continued to blow down the Sea. On Friday, December 10, we spent most of the day preparing for the 190 mile crossing of the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan; rigging preventers, jacklines, lee clothes and spray skirts. In the afternoon, we rowed the dinghy ashore, and went for a walk on the beautiful white sand beach to the Grand Sueno Golf & Beach Resort. There we had some margaritas in their beautiful bar, played some shuffle board, and then ordered a wonderful dinner in the restaurant. Afterwards, we walked back down the beach and rowed out to Bright Angel in the moonlight - a perfect way to celebrate Linda's birthday! After securing the dinghy on deck, we turned in for a good night's sleep; it would be an early wake-up (5:00 am) and start of the passage on Saturday.
We were underway before 6:oo am on Saturday morning, December 11. The winds had all but died down overnight, and were still light - less than 5 knots - when we left. The winds remained light throughout the morning, but by noon they had picked up to a respectable 10-12 knots. So we rolled out the sails, and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of sailing - straight down the rhumbline on a broad reach - until sundown, when the winds died down again to less than 5 knots. We furled the sails and motored through the night. The seas had really settled down, so it was a very comfortable night. We ran our usual 3-on, 3-off watch schedule. Linda drew the "excitment cards" for her night watches: on the 9-12 pm watch she had to duck a coastal freighter headed from Mazatlan to La Paz, and on the 3-6 am watch she had to get out of the way of another freighter heading the other way, from La Paz to Mazatlan. (We were apparently on the shipping rhumbline, as well!) As soon as Linda had manuevered out of the way of the eastbound frieghter, a whale breached - jumping completely out of the water - a mere 20-30 feet from the boat! I was fast asleep.
After a second beautiful sunrise at sea, this one over the Pacific Ocean, we reached Mazatlan shortly before noon. Another chapter in the Grand Adventure is about to unfold!
