The last two days.
18 January 2010 | Caleta Candeleros Chico
Bill Hudson
Sorry I missed yesterdays post but there just didn't seem to be enough time in the day.
We started Monday taking a side trip in Puff to a small beach East of Agua Verde that is a decent place to anchor in times when Agua Verde is just too full. It's about a two mile trip so it wasn't that far by dingy. As it turns out, there wasn't a sign that anyone had ever been on the beach. There wasn't a single foot print or a collection of shell or stones piled up that we normally find on the beaches we have visited along our trip. This baby was pristine. There were shells all over the place and some of the biggest we have ever seen. Not only in size but in weight and thickness of shell. It was amazing. There were literally piles of these shell all over the place. I'll post some pictures when we have internet access in a few days.
We then putt putted over to see what the cruise books have called the Agua Verde Yacht Club. There was a building on one of the secluded coves that had been abandoned and it had officially(or unofficially) dubbed the Yacht Club. Well, not anymore. Now someone has moved in and it's now a house for a family from what we could tell. Oh well.
Next, over to visit the town of Agua Verde. A very nice and colorful town of numerous fishermen. The houses are all painted bright colors and it was fun just walking through this small village. We visited the small tienda(general store) and picked up some of their homemade Goat Cheese as well as a half dozen fresh(and I do mean fresh) eggs as well as a box of milk. The milk they sell in Mexico doesn't need refrigeration as long as it is in it's original box. It will normally keep for about 6 months. The brand we typically buy is Nutri Leche and comes in a one liter box. It's perfect for cruisers since it takes up very little space and can go anywhere. Plus--it tastes great. I like it better than what we used to get at home. Once we were done there, we ventured over to the local restaurant. It's was more like a persons home that just stuck a sign on the fence that said "Restaurant" and left it at that. The gate was partially open, so I walked in and in I'm sure very bad Spanish--are you open? The husband asked if we wanted something so eat. With our answer of yes, he went and got his wife and she came out of the house to take our order. OK--they had no menus so we had to sort of ask--again, in bad Spanish--"Any cervezas?" Nope--apparently, Agua Verde may be a "dry" town. We didn't see any sign of beer or alcohol anywhere in the village. OK, we went for the old standby--Coca Cola--yep, no problem there--room temperature but they had them. OK, we are getting closer--Tacos? Yes, as long as it is a fish taco you want. When in Rome--it's a fishing town, what did you expect to find--beef? Please keep in mind that the wife spoke no English and I last took Spanish in 9th grade!! We ordered four and settled in for a nice lunch. Over on the corner of the patio--also the restaurant was a bed made up of stretched straps woven together to make a mattress with a cat sleeping away in the shade. In the window behind me was the daughter--about 13 just staring out the window at us as we sat there. I never saw her but Tracy said she was in full makeup. She had a soap opera running on the television behind her. We were apparently more interesting than the TV show. The tacos showed up and were great. We have no idea what kind of fish it was--probably Dorado, but it was great on homemade tortillas with freshly cut up tomatoes, onions and a jalapeno. A spicy blend to be sure. Once we paid the bill, we walked back to Puff and took off for Zephyr.
Once back on Zephyr, we watched as cows and goats wandered and mooed and bleated as they walked along the shore. Add in the occasional crow of one of the local roosters and it seemed we were surrounded by farm animals. Later, we were visited by Susan and Ken from the only other boat in the anchorage. They are waiting for permission to visit the island of Socorro way down South. Apparently not something easy to get as they have been waiting for quite some time. We then settled in for a nice quiet evening planning where we would head out to next. We settled on Caleta Candeleros Chico, a small anchorage about 16 miles farther up the coast. A nice small cove relatively protected.
We upped the anchor and took off at 0800 for the short trip. As the wind was still blowing from the South and we wanted to go Northwest, it was going to make for a nice sail. I took off the mainsail cover so we would be ready. With the engine started, we headed out. The wind immediately shifted to out of the Northwest. Hey--go figure huh? The wind going against us? Again? So we unhappily motored along. A few miles later, Mother Nature took pity on us and she shifted the wind around until we could finally raise the sails and make our way towards our new anchorage. Slowly, the wind moved around until it was behind us. We raised the main and hoisted the forestaysail and all was well on Zephyr. About a mile short of Candelero Chico, we pulled the sails down and slowly motored into the cove. A lovely small cove and we were the only boat here. The cruising books all say it is good for one mid-size boat and we were lucky enough to be the one. This is our first cove that we actually have all to ourselves. It's what I have wanted to have since we started our cruise and so rarely gotten. Again, I will post pictures when we get back on the internet. Once the anchor was down(25 42.413N 111 12.936 W), we had a nice lunch and then stuck Puff in the water and I rowed ashore. It's not that big a place. I was going to do some hiking. Apparently there was a trail going to a beach at another bay a mile or so South or us. I pulled Puff up on the beach and took off. As I walked along the shore, I found several shark bodies along the beach. Boy--do these guys have teeth!!! Row after row of still very sharp teeth. I set them aside to take back so Tracy could see them.
Off on my hike and about a mile later, I came upon the beach down South. Pretty, but I'll take the beach we have right here. I did see a small patch of land all barb wired and fenced for some guy from Arizona. At least that is the area code for the phone number on the sign he has posted on his property. Now there is no water for miles around and no docks or really great beaches that make this place a great place to have a second home, so it seems strange to me that anyone would go to the time and trouble to not only buy this property but then fence it in. I guess it takes all kinds. So Raul O'Farrill, where ever you are, your fence looks great!
Back to Zephyr and I barbecued some of our last steaks from Costco. Oh, they were so nice and thick and tender. WIth a nice bottle of red wind and a nice pasta side dish, it was a really great dinner.
So here I sit catching you up on our last two days. Busy and fun and tomorrow, we may stay one more day. Another big storm--actually three big storms are making their way towards the Baja so we may have to head for Puerto Escondido for several days. It's a really safe harbor with a nice marina where we can rent a mooring ball till the storms pass. We will make that decision tomorrow as the first storm isn't due till Thursday sometime.