Bahia San Gabriel/Ensenada Grande
01/16/14
24 25.632N, 110 21.748W
We finally escaped the Marina in La Paz! We have been waiting for the "Northerlies" to calm down so that we could get a trip in to the local islands, Espiritu Santo and Pardita. We finally made it out. Our first stop was Bahia San Gabriel, which is a large bay with miles of white sand beaches. We dropped anchor and then dinghied to shore, where we waded around the shallow sand bars. On our way to the island, we were contacted on the radio by my friends, Natalie and Gravel, aboard True Companion. They were anchored about 10 miles away in Ensenada Grande, on Isla Pardita. So, after a couple of hours we hauled up anchor and motored north to join them. As we approached Punta Tijeretas, the southern boundary for Ensenada Grande, we were treated to a show of dozens of bat rays jumping and flipping into the air. They really appeared to be enjoying themselves, with many in mid-air at the same time. We arrived here at about 5:15pm and dropped anchor in 16', close to our friends aboard True Companion. Natalie and Gravel dinghied over and we caught up over cold beverages. Our trip up from Bahia San Gabriel was only about 10 miles, but it was dead into the wind, which was blowing about 20 knots, so it took us about 2 hours. They ended up inviting us aboard for dinner, which was delicious. We talked and laughed into the night before returning to our boat.