Islands Near Puerto Escondido

It's been an incredible few weeks since our last entry, exploring new islands, makine new friends and re-uniting with old ones. We met Andy and Amy on their sailboat " Rosalita " through Gary and Beth on "Speck" and we all buddy-boated for a few days. Isla Coronados is a little volcanic island in the Loreto Bay National Marine Park. We hiked up to the highest point of the extinct volcano ( only 965 feet high but the rocks and pumice spat out eons ago by the vulcano was rough walking ) and then soothed our tired feet by a lovely swim in the turquoise waters below. Andy is an avid fisherman like Gary and that day they caught 4 cabrillas and a Sierra, so we gathered in the evening aboard "Speck" where Andy had taken over the galley, frying fish, to be served with a potluck of potato and coleslaw salads, followed by a yummy dessert of Banana and Hazelnut Nutella dolloped over Graham Crackers and topped with sliced banana. Even I, the lone vegetarian, was persuaded to go over to the darkside by tempting crumbs of fried fish dipped in lip-numbing hot sauce and wasabe.

Andy and Amy

Gary and Beth invited us to go to the farmers' market in Loreto on Sunday. We motored in Speck and tied up at the government marina off the malecon. The market consists of a couple of dozen stalls set up in large arroyo selling mainly fresh produce. It was a treat buying quality vegetables and fruit. On the return trip to Isla Coronados, we sailed, Chris steering Speck while Gary fished. Within a few miles of Loreto, Gary hooked two Sierra mackerels, sleek silver fish with golden spots on their bodies. The bloodbath that ensued in the cockpit convinced me to remain a veggie-lover! Chris, however, was very happy to fry up a couple of Sierra steaks in butter and garlic that evening.

After a breakfast treat of Cafe du Monde beignets aboard " Rosalita ", courtesy of Andy and Amy, we left our companions to travel south to Monserrate Island to meet Dennis and Lisette on " Windward ". As the wind was rather blustery, the anchorage was quite rolly at Monserrate, so we all sailed to Agua Verde, a very beautiful bay nearby with a tiny village where we hoped to buy fresh veggies and goat cheese.The tienda was sadly short on produce but we located the goat farm where they promised to make some cheese to be picked up later that evening. It was fun walking back along the shelf along the shoreline to our beached tenders, picking up dead tarantulas ( don't ask! ) and watching the Sally Lightfoot crabs scuttling on the rocks. When we returned at 4pm, the cheese lady removed a huge wheel of fresh cheese from a cement block press and it was delicious!

Piglets hiding in the shade of the palm tree - Agua Verde

It was sad saying good-bye to Dennis and Lisette, but they headed south while we set off to Isla Monserrate again. The changing winds chased us all around this beautiful island over the next two days. We were enjoying a quiet first evening on its southwest side after a long walk on the sandy beaches and occasional bluff hikes when a small group of 20 feet long Drascombe longboats arrived manned at the oars by young people in their twenties. They belonged to the National Outdoor Leadership School and we found out later that they were out for eight weeks learning leadership skills and environmental ethics. They set up camp on the beach and we did not get a chance to chat as we made a hasty exit at midnight when winds blew from the west. Our night entry into the northern anchorage brought us much too close to a reef; lack of sleep causing a dangerous misreading of the depth sounder. The calm water soon soothed us to sleep and we woke up to the view of an expansive white beach fronting some marbled sandstone cliffs. A kyak excursion to shore allowed a closer examination of the fossils embedded in the bluffs and shellcombing to design pretty sand tiles for our future bathroom.

Later that night, with the wind now coming from the north combined with the swell refracting from the west, poor Ladybug rocked until we could stand it no longer. We picked up the anchor at the first light of day and motored to the eastern side of Monserrate. The shallow bay just around the corner from our previous anchorage had one small patch of sandy bottom, the rest being rocky. We set the anchor and paddled ashore to check out our new locale. There were dozens of pelicans, gulls and cormorants fishing nearby. It must be a great place to snorkel but we decided to walk in the arroyo instead. Along the way, we saw several brightly coloured birds, the Northern Cardinal, and sweet little black and white birds which we have not yet identified and lots of Monarch butterflies fluttering over clusters of daisy-like flowers.

The calm did not last long, so we set sail for Isla Danzante, off Puerto Escondido, to rendezvous with " Speck " at Honeymoon Cove. Only a couple of miles out from Monserrate, we lost the wind and had to turn on the engine. We used the opportunity to run our watermaker as we were running low in our tanks. Surprisingly, Chris remembered most of the steps and we made 12 gallons in 2 hours. Approaching the southern tip of Danzante, a wild westerly blew in on our nose and we sailed at hulls speed, dodging major reefs off the Candeleros ( Candlesticks ) and Danzante. Honeymoon Cove is not one of our favourites as we have dragged twice in there in the past and it looked rough in there when we peeked in for a look at Speck. We spoke with Gary and Beth on the radio as they were walking on the beach and said adios since we could not find a good spot for anchoring.

It was a short sail to Puerto Escondido, a gem of a harbour at the foot of the El Gigante mountains, and we anchored before sunset in the Ellipse, a tiny cove outside the main harbour. The next day we met a couple, Rob and Robin, who offered us their mooring ball in the Ellipse, as they were moving out for a while. It's wonderful not worrying about the anchor dragging or being too close to the other sailboats and we have finally corrected our sleep deprivation.

We made contact with the Brown family who live nearby and arranged to take them for a day sail to Isla Carmen on Tuesday. It was a really fun day with everyone enjoying the sailing, snorkeling, swimming, hiking and fossil-finding. Ann and Doug have sailed in the past in the Mediterranean and one could see the passion on Doug's face as he held the tiller and steered Ladybug out of Escondido to Carmen. We know that it won't be long before they buy a sailboat! Their children, Chandler and Henry, were delightful, revelling in this new experience.

Our friends, Rob and Jo of " Blue Moon ", arrived on Wednesday and we had a curry dinner to welcome them and thank the manager of the Singlar Marina, Constanza, for helping us with a postal problem. It was nice to hear Blue Moon's travels since we had last seen her in January. Yesterday, we took Rob and Jo on a hike in Steinbeck's Canyon- a full day spent walking and climbing in the lush canyon, listening to the water cascading down chutes, cataracts and waterfalls, swimming in emerald pools, photographing spotted frogs and purple butterflies, returning home tired of body but buoyed in spirits.

I feel as though we have discovered paradise and hope to spend many more months in the Sea of Cortez.

Evening stroll at Salinas Bay, Isla Carmen

Making shell tiles in the sand

Bumphead Parrotfish seen snorkeling in the Baja

Northern Cardinal seen in the canyon on Isla Monserrate

Panamic Sargeant Majors

Ladybug anchored at Isla Monserrate

Beautiful little black and white bird on Isla Monserrate

Cacti seen in Steinbeck Canyon

Pelicans cruising on Isla Monserrate

Sunrise over Catalina Island, Baja California

Paddling to Ladybug in our cute Helios

Listening to the call of the ocean, Isla Monserrate with the El Gigante in the distance

Shell designs in the sand

The lengths she will go to collect shells!

Rich tapestry of smooth shells and shell bits tumbled in fine sand

Helios beached on Isla Monserrate

Arachnophiliac - Lisette and pet Tarantula :)

Goats and kids - Agua Verde

Ladybug in Agua Verde

Lisette and Dennis, SV Windward

Decorated for American Thanksgiving

Calliope Hummingbird

Cortez Angelfish

Reef Cornetfish

Western skink - a smooth blue tailed lizard seen on Isla Monserrate

Northern Cardinal

Giant Hawkfish

Cortez Rainbow Wrasse

Dark clouds gather over El Gigante

Fresh goat cheese, Agua Verde

Ghost village at Salinas Bay on Isla Carmen ( houses and remains of the salt mining operation abandoned in the 1960's )

The Brown Family on Isla Danzante

As much as I would like to claim otherwise, the photos of the fish and birds ( other than the pelicans and the black and white unidentified one ) used in this blog were not taken by us :(

17 days in the Southern Sea of Cortez

Rani looks out over Marina Palmira where we kept Ladybug during the Hurrican Rick scare.

La Paz is a superb base from which to explore the dozens of islands and coves in the south western Sea of Cortez. Epiritu Santo and Partida islands lie across the San Lorenzo channel from La Paz. They are very popular with kayak tours and diving charters due to their many coves, sand beaches, rocky points and islets teaming with underwater life. We spent several days in these islands, which in the spring we had only briefly visited due to having to get back to Ladybug I in Mazatlan before hurricane season.

Ladybug II in the marina in La Paz.


Ladybug II under way.


Sand crabs on Isla Partida


Another Canadian cruiser inspects his rigging.

Because there had been recent rains, there was a profusion of wild flowers in the arroyos and canyons that we hiked. We also saw lots of wildlife, including two rattlesnakes on one hike and a black and grey snake on another. The first rattler we saw was in a cave that looked big enough to house a small community of stone age people. The rattler was tucked into an indentation in the dirt in the middle of the cave and, had it not moved, it would have been virtually invisible. At a beach in the bay that divides the two islands we disturbed hundreds of little crabs that live in holes in the sand and hiking up a canyon from that beach lizards ranging from 1 inch to a foot long scuttled out of our way.


Rattle snake in a cave on Isla Partida


Lizard sunning itself

We spent a lot of time in the water both to cool off and bathe as well as for the fish-watching. The water is between 70 and 80 degrees fahrenheit and there is no need for a wet suit, yet. We had bought a guide to Pacific coast fishes​ in La Paz and put it to good use here. Some of the fish we see regularly include King and Cortez Angel fish, Mexican Hogfish (so named for their foraging habits), irridescent green parrot fish, damsel fish, and Panamic green moray eels (including one that must have been four feet long!). In some places where there was more current we swam through schools of dozens of brightly coloured fishes – especially Panamic seargent majors and yellow tailed surgeon fish. I can see why Jacques Cousteau loved this place!


Snorkeling off the boat - the inflatable kayak is on the deck.


Shrine to the virgin of Quadalupe on the beach beside a small fishing village.

We have not launched our rubber dinghy this year, instead using our inflatable double kayak to get to and from shore. This boat is easy to paddle in a wind but due to splashing we usually wear our bathing suits an change on shore. We have also snorkelled off the kayak, anchoring it with a rock tied up in a plastic bag. It is quite easy to get back into the kayak due to it's width. The last time we used this boat was in Barclay Sound back in Canada, so I am happy we are finally getting some use out of it!


Stunning scenery on the east side of Espiritu Santo


View over the Caletta Partida anchorage. For some reason there were mosquitos up here, so even paradise has its serpents...


Because of the rains, there was still some water in the canyons.


The red flowers are on a vine that sometimes climbs the big cacti.


Cacti over an anchorage south of San Marcial. This was a steep hike and the rocks were very crumbly. Rani was cursing me as we struggled to get down to our boat (she spent most of the descent on her backside!)

After a week out, we reprovisioned at a small shop in village of San Everisto and continued north to some of the anchorages we had visited in the spring including Los Gatos. We also tried out some new ones, anchoring in a cove just north of Los Gatos, off a beach south of San Marcial point, and, last night, in a beautiful cove on Monserrate Island.


At anchor north of Los Gatos


Moon over San Francisco island (the no-see-ums were out in force here, so we missed out on a great hike along this ridge that we had done back in April).

We have Gary and Beth on board their little sailing boat, 'Speck' to thank for introducing us to some of these new anchorages. We met this Oregon couple while sailing from San Everisto. Gary and Beth sail in the Sea each year for a couple of months on a lovely 23 foot Montgomery, which lives on a trailer in La Paz for the rest of the year. They have a stained glass business back home, but are planning to retire to San Juan island, just across Haro Strait from Victoria, in a few years. One day we swam over to their boat and were invited aboard for an impromptu dinner and rum punch. The next day they tried out our vegetarian chilli and fresh baked bread on board Ladybug. After more than a week in each other's exclusive company, we were happy to spend some time socializing with other boaters!


Speck under way.


Gary and Beth drop over for a visit (Beth swam over)

We plan to head further north for another couple of weeks possibly as far as Santa Rosalia and then turn south and make our way slowly back to La Paz.


Sunset over San Francisco island.

Island bound

Well a week has gone by since we arrived in La Paz. We spent much of the time wandering along the malecon (boardwalk) back and forth between our marina and the old town. We met some great folks on boats located in various marinas and learned a little about cruising in Hawaii and El Salvador from them. Our long term plans to cruise to Hawaii in the spring seem more and more like a good idea and we may spend as much as 3 months there. We have not been completely idle on the boat and completed a few projects including replacing the ceiling board over the quarter berth (missing for some reason since we bought the boat), getting a foam overlay for our v-berth mattress to make it comfortable, and picking up curtain material to provide (visual) privacy in the heads.

We are off now to cruise the islands and coves north of here and will probably be out of email contact until around Nov 10th. A number of people we met last season are up north of us and we hope to cross paths as they head south.

Hiding from Rick

My birthday at sea will be memorable; we motored on a calm sea from Los Muertos, pilot whales and flying fish crossed our bow, lemon drop butterflies fluttered by as we passed through the Ceralvo Channel and we wondered how far they had flown and whether they would return safely to their valleys of desert flowers. The Ceralvo Channel is only a few miles wide but to them it must be like an ocean crossing.

Mid-channel we were boarded by a squadron of wasps which bit us both – final score Chris 7 Wasps 2. We finally had a nice 4-5 knot wind from the north and put up our sail. Then a squall hit us just past the the San Lorenzo Channel making it difficult to take down the mainsail in 30+ knot winds and we had to beat our way with the engine running into El Merito Cove to put down our anchor. The bay was nice and peaceful, so Chris cooked us a delicious fritata followed by Ferrero Rocher for dessert. He had also hand-drawn a cute birthday card showing Ladybug being chased by Hurricane Rick!!

To backtrack, we left Mazatlan on Thursday afternoon to cruise in the Sea of Cortez, spend a little time snorkeling and swimming in Los Muertos, the islands near La Paz and in some of the gorgeous bays to it's north. We were beating into a west and then a northwest wind and the boat healed at 15-20 degrees for the next 2 days. I had lost my sea legs after 5 months on terra firma and lost my lunch on the first day and did not feel like eating on the second either.

The Southbound Net radio weather forecast by Don on Thursday night gave us cause for concern as a tropical depression lying off Acapulco was being upgraded to a hurricane named Rick and it was heading to the Baja. Rick grew up super fast, it's intensity up to Category 5 ( winds of 180 mph ) by Sunday morning, my birthday. We had lots of time to get to La Paz as Rick was not due to make landfall at Cabo San Lucas unti Tues night/Wed morning this week. But, was it wise to come to La Paz rather than keep going north?

After 4 days at sea, we were tired and decided to hunker down at one of the marinas after all, arriving this morning. We are expecting hurricane winds on Wednesday morning but people who have been at this marina for years have assured us that it is well protected by the breakwater and the docks are secure.

For the last 3 days, all we saw was a haze of clouds stretching hundreds of miles to the south, then the feathery cirrus clouds ( mares' tails ) passed over us 2 days ago followed by a lower layer of puffy cumulus clouds yesterday and the blackish thunderheads which brought the squall. They all portend a very bad weather system coming this way. We took off our roller furling sail and stowed it inside, tied the boat with as much line as we had, put out all the fenders and battened down the hatches.

However, much to our relief, Rick has weakened and turned east and all we should get here in La Paz is heavy rains and some gale force winds at the most.

Rick at his best - the most powerful hurricane recorded here in over a decade!


Thunder head approaching. We were struck by a sudden squall a few minutes later.



Calm seas of Los Muertos where we made landfall after a 54 hour crossing, beating much of the way.



Our little family at Singlar marina in Mazatlan - Eunice, Rani, Alma, and Myriam.


Old town Mazatlan


One of many lovely old crumbling buildings in Mazatlan. Many have no interior, with trees and plants sprouting from the 'floors'. American and Canadian buyers are renovating these older homes as retirement properties.

Acapulco on a smaller scale. The fellow below declined to dive but his younger and crazier partner did so a few minutes later. There is only about 6 feet of water below so they wait for a good swell and dive into the wave.

Lori and Ken, our cruising friends from last year in Magdalena Bay have settled in Mazatlan and bought a small but cozy home in the old town. They will live here, make music, and keep their boat to cruise the Sea of Cortez.