12th December
Punta Pulpita - Bahia Concepcion
We were glad to have taken shelter under the towering rock of Punta Pulpita from the howling winds as the norther continued for a third day. An improvement had been forecast but in the event this turned out to be the worst day. Rounding this point would be tenable but unpleasant and we decided to save the wear and tear on Fantasia and ourselves by taking shelter. It was far too rough to attempt a trip ashore and so the dark vein obsidian rock above us would remain sadly unexplored. We had to be content with a another day finding jobs to do below decks and were glad that we had viewed our DVDs sparingly and enjoyed watching 'Some Like it Hot' for only the second time tucked up in our comfortable state room!
We made an early morning start under the nearly full moon and with seas much abated we made it to Playa Burro in the Bahia Concepcion by mid afternoon. With Highway 1 running alongside the beach with its RV s and beach palapas we were almost in civilisation again. An almost constant stream of juggernauts hauling goods from the States down to La Paz and to the towns in between was a novelty after two weeks without hardly seeing a vehicle. After a walk along the beach we visited 'Bertha's beach restaurant for a good shrimp supper although sadly our palates have been ruined after the fantastic Agua Verde shrimps. A sign up in the restaurant explaining that every drop of water is hauled 17 miles from Mulege put in perspective just how lucky we are to have our own watermaker on board Fantasia.
It was dark when we returned to the dingy but with a full moon and Fantasia anchored close to the shore the trip back by dingy would be quick and straightforward. As we stepped into the water to pull the dingy out to sea we were amazed to look down and see that our feet had luminescent green halos around them. We jumped up and down in the seaweed lined waters edge like children, watching the bright lights around our footprints. Our short paddle back to the boat ended up taking far longer than the few minutes it should have taken as we splashed our paddles through the water and spun the dingy around in circles watching out for the showers of shiny green stars as we did so.
|
Comments [0]
11th December
Caleta San Juanico towards Bahia Concepcion
The winds were forecast to abate this morning and so we decided to weigh anchor and continue our travels north. The early bird net confirmed yesterday's predictions of northerly winds, less than 20 knots. After a couple of hours motoring, both wind and seas were building until we had 30 knots on the nose with the seas becoming very rough as we approached Punta Pulpita. Dressed in our wet weather jackets for the first time since the first few miles down the outside of the Baja, this was more like the English Channel than Mexico. We took the opportunity of seeking shelter in the lee of this towering rock until the weather improved. With a vein of obsidian prominent on the rocky headland, maybe we would be able to seek out a small piece if the wind dies down enough to allow us to make a trip ashore.
|
December 9th
Caleta San Juanico
As forecast, we awoke this morning to the full force of a norther, with 25 knots of wind reading on our wind instruments even within the shelter of the anchorage. White horses were visible outside the bay and we were glad to be hunkered down. We had taken advantage of the lull before the storm when we arrived yesterday afternoon to take a trip ashore and a short walk before nightfall. Caleta San Juanico has plenty to keep storm bound sailors occupied and apart from catching up with domestic tasks on board Fantasia, including finishing the dreaded cover for the steering binnacle with our new sewing machine, we enjoyed some nice walks and more shell collecting. This time we collected shells for an immediate purpose, to make our contribution to the cruiser's shrine, a tree on the beach laden with mementoes from visiting boats, inscribed with names and dates. We ventured out again on Wednesday morning when the wind seemed to have died down a little, for another walk and to add our inscribed shells to the shrine. As we returned to Fantasia the wind was building again and waves creating enough spray to give us a soaking. We arrived back just in time as again 25 knots was reading in the cockpit and white horses forming in the bay, not a time to be out in our little dingy!
Henry (of the magnificent seven back in the summer) was once in a rock band appropriately named 'Obsidium Black' and we had read that small obsidian stones could be found on the beach. Also known as 'Apache Tears' owing to a legend whereupon Apache warriors leapt to their deaths to avoid being held captive and tears were shed for them by their families, each one if which turned to stone. We did search for these lucky stones, especially as the legend promises that anyone who carries an Apache Tear will never weep again as the warriors families have wept in place of your sorrow, but sadly without success.
As Christmas approaches and being at least a hundred miles away from the nearest meagre tianda, our beachcombing has taken on a greater focus. Seeking out the tiniest shells to make necklaces for presents, has meant slow progress on our walks but has yielded exciting treasure for evening or storm bound projects.
|
