The Islands of the Sea of Cortez

It has been almost a month since our last update.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our... cruising, paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and just exploring the "desert of the sea" ........ along with s/v Andanzas, m/v Island Grace and s/v Wind Song.  Most of the islands along the Baja are part of Mexico's National Park system.  As a result, all the islands are uninhabited (with exception of small fishing camps that support local fishing activity).  

We departed La Paz on April 15, bound for Caleta Partida, a fairly large bay lying between Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida and once the creater of a large, extinct volcano.  Here we layed at anchor for 4 days enjoying just "playing" in  a very scenic anchorage with emerald green water. 

A day at the beach teaching and playing Bocce ball......

Los Islotes Sea Lion Rookery

From Partida we traveled north, passing by Los Islotes, two small islands occupied primarily by sea lions. We had hoped to "swim with the lions" but wind and waves would not allow safe anchorage.

 

Cruising seventeen miles further north brought us to Isla San Francisco and "The Hook", a crescent shaped anchorage with white sand beaches. This island, though faily small, offered some great hiking.

Isla San Francisco

Our next stop was a small fishing village of 200 inhabitants, back on the Baja mainland, only 10 miles NW of Isla San Francisco.  Local night winds called a "Coromuels" can make many island anchorages very uncomfortable.  In addition westerlies spilling over the Baja from a storm in the Pacific were forecast.  We tucked into the bay at Evaristo but still encountered 45 kt+ winds around midnight....making for a sleepless night (anchorwatch).   The locals move their goats by panga....

The weather passed and we moved furher north to Los Gatos, another beautiful bay on the mainland side.  This anchorage is noted for its red sandstone cliffs.

Sting Rays are common in the Sea....they have a sharp barb on their tail that can inflict a serious wound.  When walking the shorelines, you do the "stingray shuffle" (shuffling your feet) to frighten the rays. 














 After a few days of hiking, swimmig, kayaking etc.... we moved 40 miles up the coast to Puerto Escondido, a large anchorage just south of Loreto.  This is an almost landlocked anchorage with a 200 foot wide entry channel.  Our objective was to spend a week to enjoy an annual cruisers gathering (party) known as "Loreto Fest".  Over 100 boats met for the event.

 We took our turn "hawking" hot dogs....required special skills

 Local dancers entertained the group.....

 While taking a tour of the bay by dinghy, we ran across a whale shark cruising through.  He was maybe 15 feet long and very docile...note the pilot fish hitching a ride....

While moored in Escondido, we also shared in a car rental with our cruising friends on Andanzas and Wind Song and spent a couple of days exploring Loreto and Mulege (80 miles by road north of Loreto) by car.  Loreto is one the oldest seaports on the Baja and was exploited for gold, silver and salt, the mission was built in the 1600's.

 They hired Rosie for a bit to help answer questions.....

 

From Loreto, we drove north some 80 miles to Mulege, a fairly small village at the north end of Bahia Concepcion.  This is the site of an old prision....prisioners were allowed to leave during the day and return each night..

Following the Fest, it was time to turn back south towards La Paz and from there we will move east back across the Sea to Mazatlan, as we plan to keep Serena Ray there for huricane season.  There were still several new anchorages to visit on our return trip, however.  Our first stop was a beautiful spot named Agua Verde, 20 miles to the south.  Agua Verde, like Escondido, sits at the base of the Sierra de la Giganta range and is very scenic. 

 We saw quite a few dolphins in the Sea...often joining us for a "bow wave" ride.

 While in Agua Verde, a local fisherman stopped by with his catch of lobster.  Of course we had to relieve him of 4 "grande langostas"

There is also a small village in Aqua Verde.... the blue building is the only restaurant... where we sat and enjoyed a cerveza. 

These two locals became our tour guides...... we gave them a few pesos and they ran to the little tienda to buy cookies...which they shared with us. They loved John's tattoos!!! 


















After a quick stop back in Los Gatos, we had a long day (60 miles) back to Isla Partida and into Ensenada el Cardonal for two nights.  This is another large anchorage with mangroves at the end and a trail over the island to the other side...this is looking East across the Sea

Our last stop before La Paz was a place we anchored some 3 years ago (a sailboat charter we did in 2007) in a place called Puerto Balandra, just north of  La Paz.  This is the location of "Mushroom Rock" and when we were there before, Adam Sandler was filming "Don't Mess with Cohan" on the beach.......

 We are planning to depart La Paz this coming week for Mazatlan, given we have a good weather window.  Our next update will likely come from there....as we get ready to head back to the Washington for an 8 week respite....land cruising and spending time with our kids, grand kids, family and friends...   

Until our next update ....