May 17, 2020

Ensenada de Los Muertos
Checking out of a marina always feels bittersweet to me…once more leaving friends behind to sail off with just the two of us. But the thought of making it home in the next few weeks or so is comforting, despite what we know will be potentially even more awkward scenarios, not being able to be close to family and longtime friends.
For Mexico anyway, the loosening of restrictions and plans for businesses to be able to open up keeps being pushed back-the latest from June 1st to June 15th, which will certainly change once more as mid- June approaches. We really feel for the plight of the locals here and make email inquiries as to how we can donate to the Rotary Club in La Paz, who are delivering food to those in need during this pandemic.
Our sailing day ends up being fairly challenging but rewarding as we manage to sail for half of the twelve hours, tacking down the infamous Cerralvo Channel, treating ourselves to fresh baked brownies while following another boat that we just met the night before. These fun people are delivering the boat for the owner, who is departing from Cabo. It’s always nice to chat with someone who has been up and down the outside of Baja around 20 times! “Yes, you’re probably going to get beat up a bit around Cabo Falso, but just expect it and get through it.” Piece of cake, right?
We crank up the iron genny and the speed as the sun sets on our entrance into the familiar anchorage (our fourth time here). It’s extremely bumpy, but the waves have calmed quite a bit from just a couple hours earlier (according to our new friends) who we contact on the VHF when we get here. They are heading out before dawn tomorrow in order to reach San Jose del Cabo before evening-75 miles. We’d much rather go to Bahia Los Frailes first-46 miles. But we’ll stay an extra day here and enjoy the bay. Our buddy boat, Obession, is still in La Paz. At least there are no mosquitos here, which was getting to be quite an annoyance in Marina Palmira. We do need to rely on our sea legs though throughout the night, as the rolly waves continue. I don’t have much of a problem with that, as long as the wind stays down, which it does.
In the morning, it is calmer. After our indulgence of Pillsbury Honey Biscuits, we paddle to the beach and check out the resort which had welcomed cruisers a month ago. There is not a soul to be found, and new signs below the two sets of stairs pronounce this private property-no trespassing. I guess we won’t be doing take out today! We stash the boards and stroll down the beautiful, soft white sand, noticing once more, the bits of coral everywhere that must make this a good snorkel spot. Its very rocky in places. I hover around some of these spots after the walk, spotting a few brightly colored fish (particularly yellow ones) below my board. Maybe I’ll return with mask and snorkel for a closer look. Though my shoulder is telling me otherwise. It’s a good distance from the boat. If it were calmer….
The wind is starting to really pick up along with the swell. Time to return to Starfire and take an actual shower, hot water and all! Such luxury! After Rolf transfers gas from the jerry cans as well as some from the fuel bladder on the deck-into the main tank, we settle in for some reading, lunch, and a long nap. Might as well rest now while we can! Besides, the rolly waves continue, and swimming just doesn’t look inviting in this greenish water. How different it is than the first time we arrived in this bay in November. How excited we were to find the clearest water yet, as well as the warmest at 78 degrees. We couldn’t wait to jump in!