A parade of sailboats has departed the bay, backlit by the golden sunrise against an armada of billowy clouds on the distant horizon. I ponder on what beckons them away while we lingerers remain swinging on our anchors on the lovely blue. The water is ruffled this morning with 15 knot winds from the west and Mabrouka's hull is chuffing in the chop, but the azure sky above and the gold morning sunlight glowing on the crescent of low mountains around us promise another warm day.
There are reports of a storm coming, a norther bringing in 20 to 25 knot winds, but our exposure here is from the south, so we have good shelter. If we don't depart this morning, which we've made NO plans to do, then the next leg up the Sea of Cortez to La Paz may be into the teeth of a storm. Provisions are sufficient for several days' stay and there's a good cantina ashore with an excellent menu and plenty of beer and tequila, so I think we can survive.
We want to stay. "We" means Andante and Mabrouka, comrades in cruising since Anacortes, Washington. I've taken a special liking to Kevin, the big fireman from Puyallup. At something above six foot six, a well built and physically imposing man, he's never been other than kind, quiet and respectful in all his dealings with me. He's traveling with his son, Zach, and his long-time, off-and-on girlfriend, Susan. Drawn not only by the beckoning blue water under blazing Mexican skies, he's also been pushed by the stresses of his career to cruise south for some extended R-and-R. The voyage has had stresses of its own, though, and I think he's just now getting into a stride of long, relaxing days with no particular place to go.
I'm contributing to Kevin and Susan's self-therapy by taking Zach aboard Mabrouka for a few days, providing some valuable alone time for the couple. This is not a burden for me. Zach is nearly as big and strong as his dad, with an even kinder temperament and an eagerness to contribute and to learn that makes him a very welcome crew member.
Assuming the morning bluster is only a local disturbance that will take its usual siesta as the day matures, Zach and I planned to go to the beach for some more snorkeling and an exploration among the sand dunes and saguaro. I even thought about rigging up the sail on the Pudgy to skitter around the bay a little.
Once ashore we didn't get beyond the dunes. Frankly, we just weren't equipped either energy wise or outfit wise to deal with the brush and cacti. We did find a tiny sculpture garden at the top of the dune tended by some bee docents who were busily cleaning sand out of their reception halls.
We did snorkel a while, although I was frustrated by my GoPro and the fact that I hadn't brought my glasses. In attempt to get fancy with the damned thing I'd gotten into the menu system and couldn't see well enough to get back out.
The day was rounded out by dinner at the cantina when several boats worth of cruisers made a casual evening over chili rellenos and beers.