A bit farther North.
16 May 2010 | Las Cocinas
Bill Hudson
We moved a bit father North yesterday out of San Pedro cove and 16 miles farther on our journey. I got everything ready for a nice sail as the winds were forecast to be out of the South to Southwest and that was just what we had as we sat in the cove. So off came the sail cover and I put the DuoGen back into "water" mode with the small propeller that drags behind Zephyr as we sail. Halyards were attached to the mainsail and the line were all made ready for use as we hoisted and unrolled the sails. All this work was of course the kiss of death to have any chance of sailing. Up came the anchor and out we went.
As we left the cove, the winds shifted to out of the North and the swells were coming out of the West so we began to first rock bow to stern and then side to side as we headed out. If it wasn't fastened down below, it came flying across the cabin. What winds we had died back to 2 to 3 knots so with the motor running, on we went along the coast. We really had no idea where we would end up for the night as there are several coves along the shoreline. We motored in to Serimuerto as well as Caleta Venecia and found both too rollie as the swells were rolling in making it an uncomfortable anchorage.
On we went toward Rada El Pasito--a wide spot along the coast. To open for our tastes is the wind changed at all. A mile farther up was Ensenada Julio Villa. A nice looking LITTLE cove. It would be great for a 30 footer but not for the 45 feet that Zephyr is. Plus there were some campers along the shoreline. We motored in to see it but never actually entered the cove as we judged it just to small for comfort. Now this little cove is out in the middle of no where so I can't imagine who let alone why any one would carve a road in the dirt to make a path to this place. But there was a nice road carved into the hills and flat lands all the way to this out of the way place. No houses not any water available but a decent road to get there.
We rounded Punta Morena and made our way to Las Cocinas(the kitchens) and found a delightful bay that would protect us from the South winds and swells that were rolling around out in the Sea of Cortez. There is a South cove to anchor in that will protect us from the South and a North cove that could protect us from North winds and swells. An all around decent anchorage for any wind. We dropped anchor at 28 13.09N 111 22.536W just after noon and settled in. We put up some tarps and lowered Puff with Dragon into the water so we could explore the neighborhood later.
After a nice lunch of curried chicken on tortillas, we changed into swim suits and took off for the smaller coves around the South corner of our bay. The rocks are beautifully colored with reds and different shades of other colors and is magnificent in the brilliant sunshine. As the Sun moves across the sky, the rocks take on different hues throughout the day. We saw panga fishermen motoring South throughout the day and only one small boat came in our little space of heaven. The coves we visited were beautifully carved stones with a bit of a small beach(or small stone) at the head. We pulled ashore and hiked a bit around the cove. The only really good beach was at our cove with a nice long stretch of sand that changes to small rocks the farther North you walk. So far, the water has been quite chilly no mater where we have stopped. The water here is just 70 degrees, a bit chilly for swimming. The really warm water comes later in the year.
We watched the Sun set about 1930 into the flat calm water West of us and sat out and watched satellites and planes pass overhead as the last of the glow from the Sun faded. The moon was just a small crescent that set by 2115 and the night took on a beautiful darkness that allowed the stars to shine brilliantly in the night. As the Sun goes down, the temperature drops quickly and the night air takes on a chilly feel to it. You can be sweating one minute in the heat of the Sun and have a chill the next. An amazing environment to spend time in.
We will spend today exploring our little slice of the Sea of Cortez. Tomorrows winds are forecast to be from the North to the East(yeah--right) so we will see what happens then. Yesterday was the "official" start of hurricane season so now we really start watching and listening to the weather.