Cruising in Paradise

See pictures at end of the post...

I feel as though we have finally arrived in the Sea of Cortez that I have read about and dreamt of during the last few months. We have anchored in the sheltered waters of Agua Verde, El Gato, Isla San Francisco, and Isla Partida. All along the Baja coast are green water coves with white powder beaches that invite bare feet, and reefs that entice snorkelers with corals and tropical fish.

At Puerto Escondido, we hiked through Steinbeck's Canyon dwarfed by giant boulders which had tumbled down from the mountains of the El Gigante range during the rains. We did not find the big horned sheep that Steinbeck described in his log from the Sea of Cortez, but the dry chutes of the canyon, fringed by palms and the imposing walls of multi-coloured rock, were awe-inspiring.

Chris shocked me by shaving his head the previous night, something he had meant to do for a very long time. The fact that he had done it in the shower with blunt scissors and left random tufts of hair did not make it very attractive. We tidied it up the next morning and as he scaled the walls and boulders in the canyon, he looked like Spiderman – see photos.

Our next anchorage in paradise was Agua Verde, aptly named as the water is truly green. We spent several days hiking the rocky bluffs and relaxing on the beautiful beaches. The water was so clear and shallow that we could see a sailboat wreck with the naked eye. The village of Agua Verde was typically Mexican with goats and chickens running around in the dusty streets, little kids shouting “ Hola” and people sitting around chatting in front of their homes.
Another couple, Keith and Debbie, came over with us to buy groceries at a little tienda where we stocked up on fresh vegetables and fruit.

We walked past a small farm with tiny piglets peeking out of their pens, kid goats bleating, and turkeys chasing each other. There was a cheese-maker across the road and we bought a couple of wheels of goat cheese for less than 3 dollars each to share with friends on another boat, the Faulkener family on Windfall. The Faulkeners, Jim and Meri, with kids Tim and Carolyne, have sold their small farm and an internet business in Colorado to sail for a few years. Strangely enough, they are thinking of emigrating to Nova Scotia (where Chris is from). Chris and I met with them for a glass of wine that evening to discuss the merits of farming on the east coast and found we had much in common.

From Agua Verde we sailed to Los Gatos, the azure waters of the bay backed by beautiful red bluffs. In the evening sun, the rounded salmon, pink and red coloured rocks at the base of the more jagged cliffs looked like soft pillows. We met a single-hander, George, a retired anthropologist and teacher from Yellowknife, who recognised Brisa and told us that he had made an offer to buy her a couple of years ago.

Our next anchorage was Punta Napolo, a tiny cove with one house and several pangas running in and out. We rowed ashore and met Angel, a lovely old man who showed us around his house and garden in which he grew tomatillos ( little green tomatoes ), onions and a few other vegetables. It was a very tidy little place and we were impressed that he had even raked the sand outside. He pointed us to a trail which led from the house to a dry river bed and we saw some burros and a two white horses watching us from the hills. We went to sleep that night listening to the braying of burros echoing in the arroyo.

En route to San Evaristo, we saw what appeared to be sharks' fins cutting the water around our boat. We were pretty excited by this, but later we realized that the fins were the wing tips of large manta rays. We are not sure why they swim close to the surface but enjoyed watching them cruise about the boat, jumping clear of the water and doing back flips. For the record, we did see what was clearly a small shark leaping out of the water. What was chasing it we did not find out.

San Evaristo has a large bay with a small village and salt pans still in operation. There were kayaks and tents set up in a small tourist operation at one end of the beach and pangas dotted along the length of the main beach. The village had a small tienda where we bought fresh vegetables and we enjoyed a walk to the salt pans and the wind swept beach to the north.

Isla San Francisco's 'The Hook' is a very popular anchorage with motor yachts and sailboats since it is easy distance from La Paz. Its gorgeous crescent beach and warm water is very attractive. Of course, we opted to hike the ridge for a birds' eye view of the whole bay. On the walk back to the boat we met some people dining under the a canopy and found out how the other half lives. They were cruising on a 130 ft yacht with a crew of 14 tending to 8 guests
in total and the owner was shocked when Chris told him we did not have any deck hands to help us on our 34 ft sailboat! Chris made the mistake of telling him that I was his deckhand and that he had bought me over the internet :)

The next 2 islands south, Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo, are a National Geographic spread when viewed from a satellite. A sandy shoal divides one from the other and fingers of mountains along their west coast separate the stunning bays of clear blue-green water. Their only drawback is the nightly Corumel wind which blows from Baja

We stayed 3 nights in the islands and then sailed down to La Paz where we are currently anchored near Marina La Paz. We were met by our friends Marv and Ardy on “ Odyssey” as we arrived and we all enjoyed a night on the town, our first big city since Mazatlan. Chris is working hard on water-proofing the portlights for leaving Brisa in Mazatlan over the summer.

Yesterday we met the owner of the only other Coast 34 we know of in Mexico. Jackie and Mike are from Vancouver and came down the Baja last year after living on board Angelique for 14 years. Mike has gone home to work while Jackie prepares the boat for transporting back to B.C. through Dockwise, a shipping company with floating storage for yachts. The interior of Angelique was quite different from Brisa even though it was finished only 2 years later.

La Paz is a gorgeous town and we are looking forward to spending a few more days here.



Cathedral in La Paz



Sand sculpture in La Paz



Mermaid bronze on La Paz Malecon


Part of Rani's shell collection


Sunset at Isla Partida


Ensenada Grande anchorage


Hiking on Isla Partida


El Cardonal, Isla Partida


Climbing through a hole, Isla Partida


Cross over our anchorage - Isla Partida


Coral tower, Isla San Francisco

On the peak at Isla San Francisco


Panorama - Isla San Francisco


Peak trail - Isla San Francisco


Colourful rocks - Isla San Francisco


Sunset - Isla San Francisco


Chicken escaping a nosy dog - San Evaristo



Burros on the salt pans - San Evaristo



Paper nautilus shell - San Evaristo


Salt pans - San Evaristo


Red rocks - El Gato


Oasis - Agua Verde


Agua Verde anchorage


Climbing at Agua Verde


Balancing rock at Agua Verde


The Faulkner family at Agua Verde


Agua Verde turkey practicing for Thanksgiving escape.


Goats at Agua Verde (we bought cheese from their milk)


Chris's new cut


Puerto Escondido El Gigante mountains


Rani signing up for the marines.


Climbing in Steinbeck's Canyon


Hiking in Steinbeck's canyon


Leaping in Steinbeck's canyon

Brisa sailing video

Hi folks,

For those of you curious about our new boat, a brief video can be found here.

Cheers,
Chris

Beautiful Baha Bays

Concepcion Bay provided a beautiful backdrop for a few days at anchor. The bay has numerous islands in the northern part and several islands have their own sand beaches. We met Jack on Mandan, whom we had heard on the radio nets, as well as Bob, another single hander sailing on a bright yellow wooden cutter built in the 1930's. Beach fires with roast potatoes and marshmallows, snorkeling, petroglyphs, and rocks that sound like bells when struck (due to their high iron content) are highlights of our stay here. We anchored in El Burro cove where Geary broadcasts weather for this coast of Mexico from his thatched beach front Palapa. Geary also generously allows cruisers to use his satellite link for email and we were able to do this while at anchor in emerald green waters.

Petroglyphs above El Burro Cove

Ringing the Bell Rocks above El Burro. Note the beach front palapas.

These flowers grow out of the rock faces in arroyos (stream beds).

Large crickets and grasshoppers survive despite lack of grass and water.

Urchins, anemones and corals.

The terrain varies quickly from mangrove swamp, to beach, to mud pans.

We coasted south, anchoring at two remote beaches south of Punta Santa Theresa. Calm weather allowed us to explore this coast that would normally be pounded by northerly swells. The land is mostly empty with a few fishing villages and sporadic retirement homes. Beyond the pale sugary sands of beach and dune we hiked through a harsh arid land of volcanic rock, cacti, and hardy scrub bushes. Vultures rested on the vandalized and non-functional skeleton tower on the point. In stark contrast, urchins, crabs, coral, and anemones coloured the tidepools at the base of volcanic cliffs. We combed the beaches for perfect shells and skinny dipped in waters, pleasantly cool after the exertions of hiking the uneven terrain.

Chris explores a huge dune. We had these coves to ourselves.

Further south is Punta Pulpito – the pulpit. This impressive pinnacle pushes far out into the sea, looking like a reposing lion from the distance. We anchored in its lee, rowed ashore, and landed on a tiny slip of sand at the end of a mile of cobble. The cliffs here are a treasury of fossils – mainly clams and scallop shells. We found our first obsidian flakes and 'apache tears' (rounded obsidian crystals) in the sandy bluffs above these cliffs. Climbing the pulpit, we stumbled over areas strewn with these glittering jewels, collecting some for use in jewelry making. The views from the 500' pulpit are impressive and Brisa looked like a tiny jewel herself floating above the green tinted sands of the bay.

View from Pulpito Point. Brisa is far below.

Fossil cliffs packed with clam and scallop shells.

We found even better obsidian nuggets at our next stop – San Juanico bay. This unique bay has some of the most beautiful rock formations I have seen, as well as several excellent beaches and secure anchorages. A tree here is festooned with wood and stone and shell carved or decorated with ship and crew names (the so-called 'cruiser's shrine').

We shared our anchorage with a Norseman 44 foot sloop with Dennis and Lisette on board. Dennis looks a bit like Pierre Trudeau in his 60's and Lisette is from Quebec and still has an accent despite years of living abroad. I had my birthday (44) here and this charming couple invited us over for a delicious selection of appetizers and excellent wine (Dennis worked as a wine chemist and manager at the Gallo winery). We reciprocated with a curry dinner and my attempt at a cake (featuring snickers bars and oranges).

Roadrunner bird on the beach at San Juanico.

On the rocks at San Juanico.

Dennis, Lisette, and Rani at the Cruiser's Shrine in San Juanico.

Cruiser's shrine signs.

We also had Alejandro and Thomas over to Brisa for the birthday celebration. Alejandro and Thomas are caretakers at one of the 4 opulent houses that overlook our anchorage. The day before, we travelled into Loreto with them – a 50 km, 2 hour drive (the first hour is 10 kms of challenging dirt road). A 4 wheel drive is absolutely mandatory! At one point we met up with Thomas's cousin coming the other way in a pickup truck. The cousin pulled over to let us past and we had to pull them out of the soft river bed gravel with a tow rope. Even Thomas got lost once here, as the road is essentially a river bed and at times tributaries branch in several directions.

Chris, Thomas, and Alejandero in San Juanico.

View from home out over San Juanico.

Loreto is a fair sized town with a lovely church and beautiful leaf bowered pedestrian area. Tourism is definitely a major player here and we saw more white skin than we had in weeks. We reprovisioned with fresh food and staples, refilled our 5 gallon water jug (10 pesos or about 90 Canadian cents), and picked up some beer for the celebrations (< $5 Canadian for 6 cold beer). We visited Thomas's family and learned about the car accident in which Thomas lost his leg 2 years ago (despite which he drove us in and was able to get himself on and off Brisa and into our dinghy!). Sadly, Thomas's younger brother suffered severe damage to his head and neck and cannot speak or function normally. Despite not being covered by insurance for this family disaster, everyone seems to take things in stride and accept that they will have to look after the unfortunate fellow for the rest of his life. The closeness and supportiveness of extended families here is in contrast to our more isolated culture up north.

From San Juanico, we had a splendid sail down to Ballandera cove on Isla Carmen, We hiked into the interior of the island across dead level planes, along stram beds, and through gorges. We marvelled at dwarf birch-like trees with bizarrely stocky trunks and a tree that looks like our silver birch only bright green ('incredible hulk'-coloured). Back in the cove, we met a couple from Vancouver Island, cruising on a steel junk. They have been in Mexico for 6 winters, working up north for 6 months each year in the summer. They knew the Coast 34 sail boat and were very encouraging of our plans to continue cruising. The next morning, the trimaran, Flying Fish, and a large and somewhat decrepit wooden schooner joined us at anchor. These boats had been with us in Juanico, too. The schooner is owned in a partnership between a woman and two men and the woman's kids are on board. The boat was given to them and clearly needs a lot of love and affection. She was leaking profusely when we first saw her, lost her steering in heavy seas a day later, and dragged her anchor and drifted quite close to us that night. I admire the owners for taking on a project of this size (apparently they user her or plan to use her to deliver school supplies to remote places in Mexico).

Fishing hut in Ballandera Bay.

Inside of fishing hut.

Shrine in a fisherman's hut.

Throw-away Thursday. We gave this box to a fisherman.

Sunset in Ballandera Bay.

Cacti and flowers in Ballandera Bay.

Miniature birch trees.

Bright green 'birches'.

We are now in Puerto Escondido anchored off a marina where we have had our first good showers since Santa Rosalia (3 weeks ago!) The anchorage is backed by towering jagged peaks and is so large that even with 20 or so boats it seems empty. We plan to hike a canyon mentioned by John Steinbeck in his Log from the Sea of Cortez tomorrow.

Sailing from Mexico to Canada via Hawaii

As I mentioned in previous posts, Ladybug is for sale in Mazatlan, Mexico (see www.mazmarine.com). If she does not sell by the end of April, I plan to sail her back to Victoria via Hawaii, departing in early May, spending a week or 2 in Hawaii and then arriving in BC in early July.

I am looking for one good person to join me for one or both legs (about one month for each leg). This would be a chance to unwind and get some great blue water sailing experience.

If you are interested in an adventure, please contact Chris at

Basking in Bahia Concepcion

Well we are finally heading south again, back toward Mazatlan and little Ladybug. We crossed the Sea of Cortez again, to Santa Rosalia, accompanied by Max Dagger (not a stage name!) , a friend we met in San Carlos. We had a good sail and used our windvane most of the way (it works like a charm!).


Max Dagger sailing on Brisa off the Tetas de Cabra, San Carlos.

In Santa Rosalia we met up with our friends from Blue Moon, Jo and Rob, whom we had last seen sailing from Bahia Magdalena to Cabo San Lucas a couple of months earlier. We toured the old French copper mining town of Santa Rosalia and enjoyed a feast of King Crab (at least I did) on board Blue Moon.


Rob with King Crab. One crab fed 3 people, just from the leg meat, with a quart freezer bag left from the body!


Panga fisherman with his sporran.


Jo, Rob, and Chris at Santa Rosalia.


Eiffel´s famous iron church at Santa Rosalia.

Next we headed south to Punta Chivato, stopping en route to do some shell collecting at Isla San Marcos. Jo makes lovely jewelry from shells and stones and Rani is inspired to try her hand at this, too. We had a splendid sail from Isla San Marcos to Punta Chivato and after a couple of days beach combing here, we headed south again for Concepcion Bay where we are anchored off Playa Santispac. We enjoyed a beach fire with some fellow cruisers and look forward to a dip in some hot springs tonight. We are currently in Mulege, a date palm oasis in the desert, with an historic mission and an equally famous prison. We plan to spend a week or so exploring Concepcion Bay´s many anchorages before continuing toward La Paz.



Rani paddling into a sea cave on Isla San Marcos.


Wild flowers, Isla San Marcos

Rani´s shell collection part 1.

An eel skeleton.

Anchorage at Santispac Beach in Bahia Concepcion.

Fisherman´s hut at Punta Chivato.

The best shell beach in the Baja, south of Punta Chivato.

Sunset at Santa Innes, south of Punta Chivato.

Chris at Punta Chivato


Sunset at Punta Chivato

Lanchas at Santa Rosalia

Farewell to San Carlos

We leave San Carlos tomorrow to sail across the Sea of Cortez for Santa Rosalia (about 1/2 way up the inside of the Baja peninsula). Our time here has been divided between boat projects and a some hiking, partying, and sailing.

We attended the local Carnival parade last week. Floats and dancers of all ages. Lots of Tecate beer but very few staggering drunks - more of a family affair. See pictures below:


Rani, Cheryl, and Frank enjoying the Carnival parade. Cheryl and Frank have been great friends here in San Carlos, sharing their floating home (Serendipity - a Hans Christian 38) with us and going out on hikes and sails, too.


Carnival dancers.


Pirates were popular this year.


Carnival Queens and dancers


Japanese dragon float.


Chris and Frank enjoy some 8 peso (70 cent) Tecate beer.

Last week we went for a hike to nearby Nacapule canyon, which is located in the desert, yet filled with palm trees and pools of water from underground streams. This hike was one of the most interesting I have ever done because of the stark contrasts between desert and oasis. We saw a number of lizards and insects that we have not seen before as well as the palms (which are not native to the area and must have been brought in) and a tree that looks like a paper birch. We hiked the length of the 'official' canyon trail and met a Dutch fellow who told us that we could hike around some obstructions and continue to a ridge overlooking a ranch. We managed to squeeze our way through some pretty tight places and found the ridge with some spectacular views out over the ocean and San Carlos. We returned via the ranch under a blazing sun, climbing a couple of fences and disturbing herds of goats and Brahma cows.


Chris and Rani in the canyon.


A lizard in the canyon.

We went sailing last week as well, taking out our friend Hans Backer and Cheryl and Frank. This was a shakedown sail to help us get a hang of the boat. We found that the boom vang control is very necessary with the Garhaur vang because this solid vang is spring loaded and must be held down in order to get a good mainsail shape. It is a puzzle as to why the previous owners did not complete the vang installation. We also found that the boat has plenty of canvas with its new tall rig. We are looking forward to seeing how she sails across the sea tomorrow...


Hans Backer with his stylish garbage bag vest to keep him dry during a rough dinghy ride to the shore.


Cheryl and Rani cruising near San Carlos.

We have finished most of our boat task list: the outboard motor works well now, we have changed engine oil and installed a newly fabricated stainless exhaust elbow (Hernandez brothers in Guaymas made this for us in an evening for a very fair price). We need to rig up a boom vang cleat, install a new bow light, and set up the wind vane before we leave.

We have heard from some other cruising friends who are on the Baja side and hope to run into them after we cross the sea. It may be a while before we post again...