December is not the optimum time to visit the Sea of Cortez, but it was to be our only opportunity. Knowing full well that we would likely be motoring north, head into the wind or with no wind at all, stuck in places due to the numerous strong "northers" that blow at this time of year and that many interesting anchorages would not be safe or even accessible in these conditions; we set off into the Sea. Our friends, Jim and Linda on Bright Moments (BCA friends from Calgary) had left the day before with visitors on board and we were hoping to catch up to them. We headed for Ensenada Grande on Isla Partita, just north of the lovely Espiritu Santo (our farthest point north in the Sea last season), but Bright Moments had already moved on. As the seas were calm, we took the dinghy round to the north end of the island to visit Los Islotes. Here a unique experience awaited us - swimming with the Sea Lions! This particular colony is friendly to people, unlike the colonies we have encountered while kayaking in the Gulf Islands and off Vancouver Island. A few mooring balls have been installed for dinghies and pangas, and the Sea Lions were awaiting our arrival - what a noise they made. Only one small group of tourists was in the water and they didn't seem to be in danger, so with a little tingle of fear, we dropped into the water. The young pups came out to greet us and entertained us with somersaults, belly rolls and close (very close) swim-by's. We dove under and did somersaults and twirls along with them, which only encouraged them more. The adults kept a watchful eye out; and if people ventured too close to the colony, they would come out to ensure we backed off a bit. I had been told by other cruisers that the pups might nip your flippers, as they playfully do to each other; however, I was still unprepared for the feeling of a whiskery mouth taking me gently by the hand! At first I thought it was Ted, but on looking around he was nowhere in sight. The next thing I knew, a young pup swam up my back and wrapped his flippers around my neck in a playful hug - somewhat terrifying, but infinitely cool! It will be pretty hard to top that experience. The pups were so amazing that we almost overlooked the wonderful assortment of fish that also made these rocks their home. First the swim with the whale sharks and now this - Ted and I felt like we were on an aquatic version of our animal encounters in Africa years ago.
The next day we had a lovely sail north to Isla San Francisco, one of the jewels of the Sea of Cortez. Bright Moments hailed us on the VHF to say that they had gone up to Isla San Jose to visit the mangrove swamp at Bahia Amortajada, but would be back by evening. They arrived back covered in jejene bites, but pleased with their adventure. Linda whipped up a delicious seafood pasta for us, and I introduced everyone to Mexican Train; a wonderful congenial evening was spent together. Next morning, Ted and I climbed the ridge to view the picturesque bay with its curving white sand beach; but, unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me! In the afternoon, we joined Bright Moments for a pleasant sail. Sadly, the next morning we had to part company, as Bright Moments needed to return to La Paz in time for their guests to catch flights home. 'Tis the way of the cruiser's life -short intense times together and many goodbyes! We headed north again to find a protected anchorage, as a strong norther was predicted to arrive that evening. As with all the weather reports we had in the Sea of Cortez - the winds were usually ahead of schedule and at least 10 knots stronger than predicted! Consequently, we bashed headlong into steep, choppy seas up to the welcome haven of San Evaristo. Once under the protective cliffs of the headland, we could look around and enjoy this spectacular site, with the rugged Sierra Gigante range towering over the fishing village. Two young panguerros (fishermen) stopped by our boat and offered to sell us fresh Langosta (Spiny Lobster) - how could we refuse? That night we feasted on delicious BBQ'd lobster tails - so sweet and delicious!
The wind continued to blow hard for the next few days; so we visited friends on Evergleam, took a few excursions by dinghy into the village to buy fresh fish from the fishermen and to hike the roads in both directions out from the village. We quickly realized that hiking off the roads in this country was going to be very challenging - between the unstable rocks underfoot and the thorny brush - it took too much effort for the reward, and a full set of leather clothing would not be inappropriate. One morning, we saw a Dorado chasing a flying fish around our boat - both fish leaping out of the water - what spectacular colours! Finally, a short break in the weather was forecast, and as more strong winds were to follow immediately, we headed for the next protected anchorage - 40 miles north at San Marte. It was disappointing to have to bypass places with names like Timbabiche, with its abandoned Casa Grande, and the stunning red rocks of Los Gatos - perhaps we would have the opportunity on the way south - surely then the winds would be coming from behind us. A quick kayak ride and a short walk above the beach as the sun set behind the mountains and then it was off again the next morning for the final 30 mile motor run north to Puerto Escondido. Again, we had to pass lovely spots like Bahia Agua Verde and Honeymoon Cove in our quest to get to a safe anchorage. As we motored mile after mile, we thumbed through our copy of Shawn and Heather's Guidebook to the Sea of Cortez, eagerly reading the stories and admiring the beautiful photos of the places we were passing. A note to fellow cruiser's - don't leave home without this wonderful guidebook; and be sure to download their maps which overlay onto your charts, as they have taken depth soundings and put in GPS waypoints to supplement the often inaccurate charts (see photo).
Puerto Escondido was not what we expected. To be sure, it is a lovely location with the Sierra Gigante and the protected anchorage; but there is really nothing there, to do or see - just a small Fonatur marina with haul-out facilities, a small tienda and restaurant, icy cold showers and a grid of empty streets with no development! Loreto, the nearest big town, is 15 miles north, but the buses go at inconvenient times like 2 AM, 3AM or mid-afternoon! Fortunately, our friend Dave (Free Spirit) had his truck there and offered to drive us to town to see the sites and provision. Many people live here semi-permanently on their boats, but with the minimal services, cold winters and blistering hot summers - it is definitely not for me. We enjoyed spending time with Dave and new friends Thea and John (Swerrver 2); albeit briefly, as our time away from the boat was limited due to the WINDS! Remember the north winds that were forecast - boy did they blow - sustained 20-25 knots with gust to the mid-30's inside the protected anchorage! Ted spent two nights sleeping in the cockpit on watch, as the mooring balls are all pretty suspect and we were not comfortable leaving the boat without someone on board. We were told that the moorings are not being maintained as plans are afoot for changes to the marina sometime in the future. This was clearly evident on the Saturday, when the moorings broke on two boats - one went careening into one or more boats in the Waiting Room and the other smashed against the sea wall within the Ellipse, the second one on a chain that had just been "inspected" and pronounced OK! Fortunately, Ted was on his way over to the swap meet and saw the boat pinned to the dinghy dock and headed towards the sea wall. He raised the alarm and assisted with getting the boat off before too much damage was done. Warning to other cruisers - don't trust the moorings - better to anchor instead, even though you get charged the same price to anchor as to tie to a mooring buoy.
Did I mention that Dave makes delicious bread? He kindly offered to give me a lesson in bread-making, a skill that I will need to practice for the trip ahead; so we stayed on one more day for me to do this.
We finally decided that enough was enough - the weather was cold, Ted officially stated that the water was now too cold for swimming and we could hear warmer climes calling; so with our larder packed with treats from Dave and promises to see him again in the New Year, we pointed Roundabout's nose back south. About the" wind at our back's" thing - you would think after all the bashing into the wind that we did going north; we would have the benefit of being able to sail south with it behind us, but "no...ooo". It reminds us of Ted's father's expression about "walking uphill to school in both directions".
On our way to Agua Verde, Ted caught a 38" Dorado, his first - Bob you would have been proud! The amazing quantities of sea life we experienced at Isla Espiritu Santo last December were not present this year - perhaps something to do with the lack of plankton, as the water is so clear. I guess we were doubly lucky to see and catch a Dorado. They are almost too pretty to kill, but we enjoyed fresh Dorado that night. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Agua Verde, as it is such a lovely location. We spent our time kayaking and hiking, although the hiking is akin to walking on marbles (geologically too young to have developed soil yet, plus erosion I guess) and explored the town. The little "Mini-Mart" tienda near the shore has fridges stuffed with lovely produce and a surprisingly good selection of groceries. We bought fresh local goat's milk cheese and served it up on crackers with the last of my Cowichan Bay Hot Pepper Jelly - delicious! From Agua Verde, it was another long motor into the wind back to Isla San Francisco, another night of howling winds, and then we headed back to La Paz for Christmas. We had a brilliant sail down from Isla San Francisco in a 20-25 kts westerly; making up for some of the earlier motoring and/or bashing.
The Sea of Cortez is a place of legendary beauty, with a multitude of interesting anchorages to explore. We're glad we did the trip, the scenery and the rocks are spectacular; but one cannot truly enjoy what the Sea has to offer at this time of year.