Bahia Los Perros to Guaymas

Ashore by dinghy at Kino, nice and calm

We left Bahia los Perros in calm, sunny weather and motored 20 miles to Bahia Kino on the mainland side of the Sea of Cortez. Because the bay is shallow, we had to anchor about half to three quarters of a mile away from the town dock. We launched the dinghy, landed on the beach and went ashore in search of groceries and lunch.

Isla Alcatraz, Kino

We returned a couple of hours later to find a brisk wind blowing onshore and plenty of short, sharp waves between us and Sal Darago. Jeremy removed his shorts; I rolled up mine. We did get wet, but it could have been so much worse.

We weighed anchor and headed for Punta Hueso de la Ballena (Whalebone Point). A panga came alongside with three men onboard. One spoke English. Jeremy thought they were checking us out, but they only asked for water. We gave them a five litre bottle of water and they motored away. They did not return. We continued to the anchorage where there were many flies and we had to retreat to the saloon behind our insect nets.

Kite surfing at Bahia Algodones

We had a good mobile phone signal and I was able to phone my sister, Pat. She had a problem with her heart and was about to undergo tests. She had been in hospital but was now at home recovering. I have since heard that she has returned to part-time shifts at work and is feeling better.

Shoreline at Bahia Algodones

Meanwhile, we waited for the strong southerly winds to arrive. It was now Thurday, 12^th April. We received an email from our friend, Dale informing us that Ruth Tyler had died. We reflected on the recent sad news we’d had from family and friends. Auntie Joyce died in March, a neighbour died in Tobermory, Scotland, and now an old friend from Essex. We were reminded of our mortality and how fragile we are as human beings. May they all rest in peace.

Strange coloured water - certainly not natural

 In the afternoon, a motorboat called Wetbar arrived and anchored nearby. Jeremy spoke to Greg on the VHF radio. They were heading for the same place as us, Bahia Algadones (Cotton) 82 miles further south. Once the strong southerlies died away they would be followed by strong northerlies and we would leave. It took a while, so we slept for a few hours, before weighing anchor at 2315.

Still - the sea birds seemed to like it?

The overnight sail was a combination of motoring and downwind sailing. As the wind strength increased, we sailed with only the genoa poled out. The seas soon built up behind us and it became quite rough. We were happy to see the islands off Bahia Algadones ahead of us and turned into the large bay, with a long, curving beach backed with hotels and holiday resorts. We anchored behind Isla San Luis in 17-24 knots of westerly wind and stayed there for two nights. Shortly afterwards, Wetbar arrived and anchored nearby. In the early hours of the morning, I heard an almighty bang and was sure something had hit us or the anchor chain had snapped. Jeremy and I checked everything with torches and could find nothing wrong and nothing missing. It was hard to sleep after that scare.

Local fisherman at Isla Pajaros

Wetbar went into Marina Real on the other side of the bay and we stayed where we were. The wind abated during the second night and we were able to leave the next morning in calm weather.

He was moving, but I don't think he has the halyard tension right

We motored past the best Mirador (Viewpoint) in the world (according to the local Tourist Information) and skirted Bahia San Carlos on our way to Bahia Guaymas, 21 miles away. We noted the power station ahead with hundreds of pylons disappearing over the hills; we passed the petro-chemical works and the big fishing port and we wondered why the sea water had turned turquoise when the depth stayed the same. Beyond all the industry and the commercial port lay rugged mountains and a desert landscape peppered with cacti. After some discussion, we decided to anchor in the outer harbour off Isla Pajaros. The only drawback to this well-protected spot was the strong smell of rotting fish which pervaded the air.

The view from Marina Fonatur at Guaymas

On Monday 16^th April, we had some difficulty weighing anchor as it was stuck on some unknown underwater obstruction. Once free of it, we motored across Guaymas Harbour and anchored off Marina Seca Guaymas, the boatyard where Sal Darago will be hauled out on 30^th April. We went ashore by dinghy, met friendly Ariana in the marina office, had lunch at nearby Kotoyl restaurant, bought basic groceries at Oxxo and chatted to Mike in the boatyard. He warned us not to anchor in Guaymas Harbour as there had been some thefts recently, mainly of outboard engines and dinghies. We took his advice and returned to Isla Pajaros for a second night. Fortunately, the smell of rotting fish had gone and we avoided underwater obstructions when we anchored.

The Malecon, Guaymas

The next day we motored back into the harbour and tied up in Marina Fonatur. One yacht, La Brisa, was there. At the marina office, the manager was surprised that we had not made a reservation. He booked us in for three nights. Half the slips were lost in a hurricane two years ago, but the buildings are intact and there are hot showers. We have done our laundry, checked out Home Depot, found several supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, been on local buses, booked on the long distance bus to Tucson, USA and I have had my hair cut. Tomorrow, we leave for a week or so to explore San Carlos but in the words taken from The Terminator, “We’ll be back!”

Kathy outside the Town Hall

Spot the loony? AND guess where he is.

Puerto Penasco to Bahia los Perros

Cabo Tapoca

We left Puerto Penasco at 0400 on Wednesday 4^th April. We motorsailed in mainly light SE winds avoiding pangas putting out fishing pots on the way. We had to fight off brown seabirds that wanted to hitch a ride on SD. Our destination was Bahia Tepoca, which we reached in time to watch the sunset over the village.

Sunset Cabo Tapoca

We were up early again the next morning and left at 0240. It was very calm. Long lines of reddish brown water indicated that the plankton had bloomed. SD passed through it with no problems. I saw a turtle. The pelicans and gulls must have had a feeding frenzy because they just drifted on the sea ignoring fish jumping all around them.

The Pond

 We anchored in The Pond on Isla Estanque, which is off the SE end of Isla Angel de Guarda. We stayed for three nights, completely undisturbed until quite early on the morning of Sunday 8^th April, when two pangas tied up ahead of us in thick fog. One came alongside just before they left and asked for batteries. Jeremy gave them four AAs.

Small lagoon within The Pond

 We had a lovely time in The Pond swimming and snorkelling and walking on Isla Estanque. Jeremy saw a fender and descended a rocky slope to retrieve it from the beach below. The weather was hot and the sea felt like it was warming up at last.

Sundowners in The Pond

We deferred leaving until after lunch when the fog cleared to give us over half a mile visibility. Cruisers have to be careful entering and leaving The Pond as there is only 5feet beneath the keels at low water. We sounded out and were soon on our way to Isla Partida, just thirteen miles away. We identified Roca Blanca which stands north of the northern anchorage and saw a rare sight ahead. It was a cruising yacht, the first we’d seen since Charlie in Punta el Alacran.

Pangueros

The yacht was called Tinmar and the crew, Ed and Charlene, came aboard and had sundowners with us. They had an interesting kayak powered by foot pedals. There was no fog.

Isla Esteban

That all changed the next morning when we woke to a pea souper. We left just before 0700 and used radar to identify Roca Blanca. We had about 100 yards visibility and blew the foghorn every few minutes as well as keeping watch. Some dolphins passed by. By 1000 the fog had cleared and we could see Isla Esteban ahead. We rounded the north end and anchored in the east bay at 1340. The gypsy on the anchor windlass jammed three times. Jeremy greased it later.

The arroyo Isla Esteban

We decided to go for a walk and rowed the dinghy to the shingle spit at the south end of the bay. There is an arroyo or dried river bed which leads to the interior of the island. Walking was tough on sand and gravel, but fairly flat for a change and there was lots of vegetation. We noticed many footprints but no-one was around and we were the only boat at anchor. We found a place where many stones had been carefully placed in geometric patterns and we wondered if it was a sacred place for the Seri Indians.

Spot the cruise ship

The next morning, Tuesday 10^th April, at first light, Jeremy looked out of the saloon window and said, “What would you say if I told you there were 15 picnic chairs on the beach and people on the bluff above looking at us?” I said, “I think you’re hallucinating!” I looked out and there they were with binoculars and cameras. There were no boats on the beach. If this were a pantomime someone would have said, “It’s behind you!” Sure enough, a small cruise ship called National Geographic Seabird, was anchored behind us with black inflatable boats tied alongside. We hadn’t heard a thing as it anchored and transferred guests to the shore to witness the sunrise, which was just beginning.

Roca la Foca

We left them to it and motored into the sunrise heading for Bahia los Perros (Dogs) on the SE side of Isla Tiburon, 20 miles away. We motored through the passage between Isla Tiburon and the amusingly named Roca la Foca (Seal), rounded the SE point of Tiburon, avoided pangas and fishing pots and anchored in the southern lobe of the bay. Some pangueros kindly removed a fishing pot that was close to the anchorage. They spent the night in tents at their fishing camp in the northern lobe. We swam to the shore and I wore my wetsuit. The underwater visibility was poor, but worth the swim. Afterwards, Jeremy scrubbed SD’s keels in the warm and sunny weather, while I checked the waterline. We did not go ashore as Isla Tiburon is a special island belonging to the Seri Indians. You need a permit to land and a Seri guide.

Bahia de Los Angeles to Puerto Panasco

Isla Division, Puerto Refugio

We left Bahia de Los Angeles on Saturday 24^th March. The elephantine cloud had dissipated, the weather was meant to be OK for a day or two before strong winds blew once more, so we decided to motor 7 miles further north and risk a night on anchor behind a rocky islet off Isla Mitlan in the ominously named Bahia las Rocas (Bay of Rocks). We had an exit plan to make for Puerto Don Juan, if conditions deteriorated. All was well and we spent a quiet night there.

Pink caveman

The next day we left at 0700 and travelled 34 miles to Puerto Refugio on the northern tip of Isla Angel de la Guarda. It was a beautiful place with a choice of anchorages for all wind directions. As the name suggests it was truly a Port of Refuge.

Hobbit caves on Isla Division

We stayed for three nights and let the strong NW winds pass us by. It was a great place to explore with several islands, beaches and hikes. No-one came by, not even a local panga, even though there was a fishing camp on the shore near our anchorage. Our companions were pelicans, gulls and sealions.

Sal Darago in Puerto Refugio

The tide is a factor to consider in the central and northern part of the Sea of Cortez. We became particularly aware of the 15-25ft high water during the spring tides over Easter. Did you see the blue moon on 31^st March?

Kathy with SD in the distance

By 28^th March the weather was suitable for our 48 mile passage north to Willards Bay/Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. We expected to sail but the winds fell light and the sea became glassy, so we motored. We had to anchor a long way from the shore, but we were well-sheltered from the prevailing wind.

Cacti country

It was our 43^rd Wedding Anniversary on 29^th March. We celebrated by taking a long dinghy ride to a fish camp within 3km of Highway 5. We could see the Pemex filling station sign and knew the tienda was close by. What we didn’t know was a dip hid an inner lagoon and a dirt road went round it towards the highway. We cut across sandy scrubland only to be met by a barbed wire fence just before the highway. Jeremy held the strands down while I clambered over. The tienda was a decent small supermarket with WiFi available for a small charge. As we’d had no phone signal for two weeks, it was good to pick up our messages and emails.

Alphonsinas Wedding Anniversary lunch

Another dinghy ride a little later took us to Alphonsinas hotel resort and restaurant. The lunch menu was rather limited, but I enjoyed my fish tacos. It was quite amusing to haul the dinghy up the beach and park it in the car park.

We had time to visit Papa Fernandez on the NW side of Willards Bay. The restaurant there had photographs of John Wayne, who used to fly in and go fishing once upon a time. Perhaps we made the wrong choice for lunch.

Camping on the beach at San Felipe

We left soon after 0200 on 30^th March. We had 80 miles to travel to San Felipe, the most northerly anchorage on the Baja Peninsula side. We saw a school of whales on the way. The strongest wind recorded was 7 knots, so it was a long motor and very hot – 89F. It was time to take off the thick duvet.

Blue moon

We tied up in Marina Fonatur and had to pay a daily rate rather than per night. There were no other cruising boats.

Seafood volcano at La Vaquita

We learned that 50,000 additional people had arrived in San Felipe for Semana Santa (Holy Week). It was more crowded than Blackpool on a hot bank holiday weekend. Unlike Blackpool, almost every inch of beach was covered with a sea of coloured tents where people were camping. Loud music played, families partied, souvenir stalls touted their wares and a happy, carefree atmosphere prevailed.

Prawn fisherman on the Malecon, Puerto Penasco

We found a restaurant called La Vaquita and had margueritas and a shared sea food meal to properly celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and Easter. Happy Easter everyone.

Today, Tuesday 3^rd April, we are in Puerto Penasco, the most northerly harbour on the mainland side of the Sea of Cortez. We arrived yesterday after a 70 mile overnight passage. We motored at first, then sailed for 5 hours with one reef in the mainsail and a small genoa. There was an uncomfortable swell running, with some breaking waves splashing into the cockpit.

We found out today that Puerto Penasco had been closed because of the weather and no tourist boats or fishing boats were allowed to leave. We were lucky that a berth was available at Marina Fonatur. Once again there were no other cruising boats in the marina, although there are some hauled up in a boatyard.

The harbour at Puerto Penasco

Tomorrow, we start our journey south. The nearest anchorage at Cabo Tepoca is about 73 miles away, so we intend to leave at 0400. The winds are supposed to be light, but they are turning southerly now that we are going south.