We spent the last two weeks of October getting ready for the Baja HaHa Rally. We stayed out at the Baja HaHa anchorage near Coronado Island until the 20th of October. Rosie came out and spent a morning with us. We tested out the kayak and spent time telling stories up on monkey island.
We did some more maintainance and chores and spent a day ashore exploring Coronado Island.
On Wednesday, October 20th, we moved from the anchorage to the San Diego Harbor Police Dock on Shelter Island. We pulled into our slip, secured the lines, then rented a car and drove to Las Vegas for a short vacation and to meet up with friends from Houston.
We got back to San Diego on Friday night. Saturday afternoon, B's cousin, Barbara, came down from San Pedro for lunch.
Most of the boats at the Police Guest docks were signed up for the HaHa and we spent the next week getting to know our neighbors, eating at the local restaurants, doing boat chores and getting ready for the journey south.
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One of our projects - replacing the main engine start batteries.
When we tried to start the engine before leaving the Baja HaHa Anchorage, the main engine start batteries were dead. We had to parallel them with the house batteries to get the engine started.
This picture is of the old start batteries, purchased in 2013 in Bocas del Toro, Panama. |
October 31, 2021, Sunday, San Diego Harbor Police Guest Dock: This morning was the Baja HaHa skipper’s meeting and this afternoon was the Annual HaHa Costume Party and Last Cheeseburger in Paradise feed at the West Marine parking lot.
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| Steve (SV Celebration) and B getting ready to go to the Skipper's Meeting |
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| Dianna and Steve (SV Celebration) at the Last Cheeseburger in Paradise Party |
Katie arrived at the dock ~20:30, dropped off her luggage and Patti’s
Mobi-Chair, then went to the airport to pick-up Patti and Al. They all got to the dock ~21:30 after a long day of traveling. They unpacked and settled in; we did some catching up then called it a night.
November 1, 2021, Monday – Start of the Baja HaHa Leg One – San Diego to Turtle Bay (345 nm, 45 hours): We helped some of the sailboats at the docks cast off their lines, then fired up the main engine and cruised away from our slip ~10:00 and joined the parade of sailboats leaving San Diego Harbor.
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| Dave, Maria (SV Jamala), Al and B on the stern of Seabiscuit |
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Our neighbor at the Police Guest Dock, SV Dreamcatcher,
showing their a$$ before casting off their dock lines |
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| The parade of boats leaving the San Diego Harbor |
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| Katie, Patti and Al on the stern enjoying the boat parade. |
We went offshore then turned south towards the Coronado Islands. Once we crossed the US / Mexico border, Al put out the fishing lines. We saw a large pod of dolphins just north of the islands so we checked them out then cruised between North and Middle Coronado Islands hoping to catch some fish. We finally hooked a Spanish mackerel and a bonita, not what we were looking for, and we threw them both back.
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| Al with the first fish of the trip, a spanish mackerel. |
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| Dolphins surfing the bow wake |
Another pod of dolphins came out to ride the bow wake. Dave and I took turns at the helm. Katie made a huge charcuterie tray for supper then Patti and I both went to bed while Dave started the first night watch. We did four-hour shifts – Dave 20:00 to midnight, B midnight to 4:00, and Dave 4:00 to 7:00 when we started the 1.5-hour day shifts again.
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| Sunset, Leg 1, Day 1 |
November 2, 2021, Tuesday, Leg One, Day Two: Dave took a position reading at 6:00 and I reported it during the 7:30 SSB Radio Net. Al had the fishing lines out by 9:00 for another try. We got a fish on the line, but it got away. We hooked up some seaweed and sea grass. Finally, we had a double strike and reeled in two nice yellowfin tuna, 20 – 25 pounds each. Al and Dave filleted the fish and we had tuna sashimi and poke for happy hour.
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| Al and Katie having lunch and working on the daily crossword puzzle |
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| Al, B and Katie with the two yellowfin tuna of the day. Al wore the right t-shirt. |
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| Al and Dave on the stern filleting the tuna. |
Al cutting up tuna for sashimi and poke
Katie preparing the marinade for the tuna poke
November 3, 2021, Wednesday, Leg One, Day Three, Arrival in Turtle Bay: We cruised into Turtle Bay and anchored up near the fuel dock at 6:45 this morning. There were 12 – 15 boats at anchor when we arrived. We spent the day unlaxing and enjoying the calm and quiet in the anchorage. For supper, we grilled tuna steaks and zucchini. We played a game of Cards Against Humanity – Dave won, then everyone was ready for the bunk.
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| Entering Turtle Bay |
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| Patti journaling on the stern, Turtle Bay |
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| Katie paddling around the anchorage on the SUP, Turtle Bay |
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| Seabiscuit at anchor, Turtle Bay |
November 4, 2021: Thursday, The Turtle Bay HaHa Baseball Game: We had the morning roll call on the VHF radio. At the end of the net, boats reported their mechanical issues and other boats offered parts and help for repairs. Katie went out for a paddle around the anchorage. When she got back, the project of the morning was to replace our fender covers with shiny new ones.
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| Patti, Katie and Al replacing fender covers, Turtle Bay |
Al trimmed the rest of the tuna and we vacuumed packed it and put it in the freezer. A light lunch then we got ready to go ashore for the HaHa Turtle Bay Baseball game. We loaded Patti’s Mobi-Chair into the dinghy, then Dave took Katie and me to the beach to do some reconnaissance.
Patti's Mobi-chair, aka the mermaid chair, hanging from the davit as we load it into the dinghy before going ashore for the Turtle Bay baseball game.
Some local boys showed us where the baseball stadium was and we dropped off our baseball donations. Patti, Al and Dave came ashore in the dinghy and we sat at a beach restaurant and drank beer until it was game time.
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| Patti, Al, Dave and Katie at the beach restaurant, Turtle Bay |
Up to the stadium and we settled in for an afternoon game. Everybody got a chance to bat and there were no outs. At the end of the game, the local kids got to choose from the stack of baseball equipment that had been donated. After the game, we went back to the beach bar for supper then back out to the boat in the dinghy.
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| Katie, Patti and Al watching the baseball game |
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| The Poobah pitching at the Turtle Bay baseball game |
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| Turtle Bay baseball players with smiles on their faces after receiving new baseball equipment |
November 5, 2021, Friday, Turtle Bay Beach Party: The morning roll call on the VHF net wasn’t as active as yesterday morning. Katie went out for a paddle while Al and Patti worked on boat projects – Al fixed a cabinet door and Patti made up new bungy lines for the dinghy cover.
The Beach Party was on the beach to the east of town so we re-anchored Seabiscuit closer to the party. A panga came by to take Katie and I to the beach with all of our beach gear then went back out to get Patti, Al and Dave. We set up near the volleyball court and enjoyed the afternoon festivities.
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| Patti and Al at the Turtle Bay Beach Party |
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| Katie, Dianna (SV Celebration) and B ready for the Turtle Bay beach tug-of-war, gals against guys. |
No contest, the gals quickly overpowered the guys
Patti and Al testing out the mermaid chair in Turtle Bay.
November 6, 2021, Saturday, Start of Leg Two – Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria (240 nm, 32 hours): Morning roll call started at 8:00 and the second leg of the HaHa officially started at 9:00. We heaved anchor and got underway with the rest of the fleet. We went offshore to do some fishing and, over the course of the day, reeled in 5 yellowfin tuna but only kept one.
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| The start of Leg Two, departing Turtle Bay |
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| Al pulling in a yellowfin tuna |
Reading and napping and watching the world go by as we made our way south. For supper we had salad with fresh tuna ceviche and sashimi along with lots of veggies.
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| The sun going down, Leg Two, Day One |
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| Patti and Al reading magazines and doing the daily crossword puzzle |
November 7, 2021, Sunday, Leg Two, Day Two: About 3:30, while I was on watch, a pod of dolphins joined us and surfed the bow wake. Watching as they played and splashed in the bioluminescence was like watching fireworks just under the surface of the water. Katie and Patti were both up chatting so they watched some of the action through the portholes and Katie went back to sleep listening to the dolphins chatting amongst themselves. Dave took over the watch at 4:00 and the dolphins continued to ride along with us.
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| Sunrise Leg Two, Day Two |
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| We found these squid on the deck this morming. |
The fishing lines went out just after 9:00. We caught two skip jacks, which we threw back, and decided that was enough for the day. Early afternoon, we saw rays leaping out of the water and three sea turtles. We pulled into Bahia Santa Maria at 16:30 and anchored up just in time for happy hour.
Everybody was ready to let off some pent-up energy and we spent a wonderful evening sitting on the stern and telling stories.
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| Patti's mermaid chair riding along up on the boat deck. |
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| Katie unlaxing up on monkey island |
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| Patti unlaxing on the stern |
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| Sunset Bahia Santa Maria |
November 8, 2021, Monday, Bahia Santa Maria: A day of rest today. A panga came by and we bought a dozen lobsters for $3.00 each plus candy for the panga driver's children. A short while later, another panga came by selling shrimp so we bought two 1 kg bags. We cooked up the lobster and Al and Dave sat on the swim platform and picked out the meat. For lunch, Katie made lobster salad.
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| Al and Dave picking lobsters on the swim platform. |
Later in the afternoon, Al and Dave peeled the shrimp and Patti skewered them. We grilled them and made shrimp tacos for supper.
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| Dave and Al peeling shrimp on the stern. |
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| Shrimp skewered and ready to go on the grill. |
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| Delicious shrimp tacos for supper, our favorite meal so far. |
We had the VHF radio on in the background and started to hear people asking if anyone knew where Pete was. Pete, the captain of SV Swan Song, had spent the day drinking on a friend’s boat and was having a hard time finding his way back to his own boat. People reported sightings, turned on their strobe lights to guide him and someone finally reported that they had him “tied to their stern”. A friend went over to pick him up and made sure he got back to his boat safely. That was the night’s entertainment for many boats in the anchorage and Pete got a special award at the awards ceremony in Cabo at the end of the rally.
November 9, 2021, Tuesday, Bahia Santa Maria Beach Party: The usual morning VHF net and roll call. Towards the end of the net, the Mexican Navy approached and wanted to come aboard Seabiscuit. We put out fenders and welcomed them onto the boat.
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| The Mexican Navy getting ready to board Seabiscuit, Bahia Santa Maria. |
We could hear people on the net in the background reporting that we were being boarded and could hear the Poobah responding that it was ok, if we needed help we would let them know. We answered the Navy’s questions and explained the Baja HaHa to them. They said they had pulled into the bay last night and were surprised to see all of the anchor lights, it looked like a small city. When they were finished with us, we sent them over to the Poobah’s boat then called him on the VHF to let him know they were coming. After their visit to the Poobah, he got back on the radio to let everyone know what a nice, polite group they were and to not be alarmed if they asked to come aboard.
Late morning, we waved down a panga to take us into the beach for the beach party. Katie and I got into the panga, then, using the davit, Al and Dave lowered Patti’s mobi-chair into the panga, then, using the davit and a riding belt, loaded Patti into her chair in the panga. The panga drivers are very skillful negotiating their way across the bar, using their motors to speed up and slowdown in order to catch the surf just right before turning into the beach.
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Patti riding in her mermaid chair in the panga, Bahia Santa Maria.
She described it like being launched in a rocket ship up into the sky. |
The party was up the hill from the beach so we went up there and parked with a good view of the bay. A live band was playing, plates of local fish and salad were available for lunch and cold beverages were being served.
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| Our "parking spot" at the Bahia Santa Maria Beach Party |
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| Katie delivering cold beer at the Bahia Santa Maria Beach Party |
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| The band at the Bahia Santa Maria beach party. |
We headed back out to Seabiscuit late afternoon while Katie went hiking with a group of friends.
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| The pangas at the Bahia Santa Maria beach party waiting to take people back out to their boats. |
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The view of the boats anchored in Bahia Santa Maria as
Katie and friends hiked down the hills above the village
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| Katie coming back to Seabiscuit in a panga after her hike. |
November 10, 2021, Wednesday, Start of Leg Three – Bahia Santa Maria to San Jose del Cabo (197 nm, 26 hours): The morning net and roll call started at 6:00 with the official start of the last leg of the HaHa at 7:00. About 1/3 of the fleet had left either yesterday afternoon or earlier this morning. We heaved anchor at 7:15 and cruised south out of Bahia Santa Maria. The fishing lines were out in the water by 9:00 with Al on the stern waiting for a bite. We caught a yellowfin tuna then had a double marlin strike. Al got to see one of the marlin leap out of the water before it threw the hook and got away. Late afternoon, we hooked a 40-pound wahoo and brought it on board just before sunset. Katie cooked supper while Al filleted the fish and Patti bagged the fillets for vacuum packing.
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| Sunrise Bahia Sants Maria, Start of Leg Three |
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| A sailboat coming across our stern with their spinnaker up. |
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| Al with a smile on his face as he holds up the wahoo. |
November 11, 2021, Thursday, Leg Three, Day Two: Dave and I did our regular night watch rotation. The wind was good for the sailboats in the rally and we travelled with the same group for most of the night. About 6:00 we rounded Cabo Falso, the southernmost point of the Baja Peninsula. We cruised past Cabo San Lucas and the famous rock formation, The Arches, and continued east to the marina at San Jose del Cabo.
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| The morning sun on The Arches near Cabo San Lucas |
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| Rounding Cabo Falso, west of Cabo San Lucas |
We entered the breakwater at Marina Puerto Los Cabos about 9:30 and tied up at the fuel dock to load water and check in to the marina. The slips in the marina were full but they had arranged for ~12 HaHa boats to anchor up inside the breakwater. Steve, Liz and Cheryl on SV Aloha came in shortly after we did and anchored up in the turning basin in the northeast corner of the marina. They generously offered to have us raft up beside them so we tied up on their port side. We settled in, cleaned up and got our paperwork ready to clear into Mexico.
Dave and I went into Cabo San Lucas to do the paperwork shuffle: first, the Ministry of Health: when we arrived there we were told to send an e-mail to the Minister of Health in La Paz and they would e-mail our health certificate; next Immigration: They were very well organized and had extra staff on hand to help fill out paperwork and collect fees; last, the Port Captain: there was a long line in the Port Captain’s office and we talked with a few people who had been there and back several times. We found out that we needed more copies of our documents, passports and immigration cards before we would be able to clear in. We found a small copy shop in the neighborhood, made copies and went back to the Port Captain’s office. The line was gone and they processed our papers quickly.
We got back to the boat late afternoon where Patti, Al and Katie had spent the day unlaxing on Seabiscuit and packing their bags. Katie had booked a resort for them for two nights in Cabo San Lucas followed by three nights at a resort in San Jose del Cabo. We dinghied them and their luggage to the dock, made sure an Uber was coming to pick them up and dinghied back to the boat.
We were both tired and decided to spend the evening on the boat. We had cocktails with Steve, Liz and Cheryl then they dinghied to shore for supper and we heated up leftover shrimp and quinoa. With the tide change, another HaHa boat anchored nearby swung into us and was bumping up against our port side. After pushing them off several times, we decided we needed to move. We untied our lines from Aloha, moved away and re-anchored. Meanwhile, in Cabo San Lucas, after checking into the resort, Katie went to the “Can’t Believe We Cheated Death Again” HaHa party at Squid Row. No pictures (???) but she says there were lots of sailors there having a really good time.
November 12, 2021, Friday, San Jose del Cabo: A day of rest and administrative chores. We did some minor boat projects and spent the rest of the day catching up on internet stuff, lounging and reading. We went ashore for supper at El Burro Sashimi which was delicious. Patti, Al and Katie spent the day at the pool at their resort near downtown Cabo San Lucas.
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| Patti at the pool in Cabo San Lucas. |
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| Patti and Al at the pool, Cabo San Lucas |
November 13, 2021, Saturday, San Jose del Cabo: We spent the morning doing cleaning chores while the Drinkwaters moved from their resort in Cabo San Lucas to a resort in San Jose del Cabo.
Late afternoon, we all went to the Cabo San Lucas Marina for the HaHa awards ceremony. Every boat who participated in the rally got an award; we got first place in our division. They had awards for the youngest sailor, the oldest sailor, the worst snorer, the best fishing story (Steve from SV Aloha won for catching a 100-pound wahoo during the second leg and sharing it with other boaters while we were in Bahia Maria). Allen and Maria from SV Jamala were recognized for being the last boat to leave San Diego, a week later than the rest of the fleet, and for making it in time to be at the awards ceremony. Best of all, Patti was awarded the Spirit of the HaHa award. She got a standing ovation when the award was announced and gave an outstanding acceptance speech; there weren’t many dry eyes in the crowd.
Patti's speech at the Baja HaHa awards ceremony after receiving
the Philo Hayward Spirit of the HaHa award.
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| Dave, B, Patti and Al at the end of the awards ceremony. |
November 14, 2021, Sunday, San Jose del Cabo: Last night was the official ending of the 27th Baja HaHa. You can read the Poobah’s summary of the 27th Baja HaHa
here. We decided to spend a few extra days in San Jose del Cabo to enjoy the local area. I went for a paddle around the marina on the SUP and Dave disassembled Patti’s Mobi-chair and packed it up so they could take it home on the plane.
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| The frame of Patti's mermaid chair, disassembled and ready to be packed for the trip home. |
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| The floats and wheels from Patti's mermaid chair. |
Mid-afternoon, we went over to Cabo Azul, the resort where the Drinkwaters were staying, for pool time, happy hour and supper. We shared lots of stories and memories and a good time was had by all.
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| B and Patti at the Cabo Azul pool |
Al and Dave drinking margaritas in the Cabo Azul pool
November 15, 2021, Monday, San Jose del Cabo: Another paddle around the marina this morning then we gathered up our laundry and took it into town. We wandered around downtown San Jose del Cabo, activated our TelCel SIM cards, got pesos from the ATM, had lunch at a local restaurant and stocked up on fresh fruit and veggies. There were several Catrina figures located in the downtown square in San Jose del Cabo. The Catrinas, skeletons wearing fancy hats, are typical Day of the Dead symbols. Read more about them and the Day of the Dead traditions
here.
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| B with a giant Catrina, downtown San Jose del Cabo |
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| Enjoying a rest on a local park bench, downtown San Jose del Cabo |
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| The cathedral, San Jose del Cabo |
Back to the marina for an afternoon of unlaxing, then to Cabo Azul for one last supper with the Drinkwaters before their flight home tomorrow. We ate at a Mexican restaurant in the resort next door, said our goodbyes and made our way back to the marina.
November 16, 2021, Tuesday, San Jose del Cabo: The Drinkwaters flew from Cabo to San Diego today where they will spend the night before their flight back to Boston for Patti and Al and San Francisco for Katie. Dave and I spent the morning doing boat chores, projects and maintenance. We went ashore for some more fresh fruit, potable water and ice, then went into town to pick up our laundry. For supper, we barbecued tritip and spent a quiet evening on the boat.
November 17, 2021, Wednesday, San Jose del Cabo to Los Frailles (32 nm, 4 hours): We heaved anchor this morning at 8:30 after taking up our trash and turning in our gate key. The voyage was uneventful and we were anchored up and settled in before 13:00. There were ~10 other boats in the anchorage, most of them HaHa boats. We spent the afternoon up on monkey island watching the activities in the bay – people were swimming, kayaking and walking on the beach. For supper we grilled wahoo fillets. Just before sunset, all of the pangas from the beach headed out to the fishing grounds just south of the anchorage. It looked like a small town out there with their navigation lights and fishing lights burning brightly.
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| Los Frailles anchorage |
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| Dusk, Los Frailles anchorage, looking west at the mountains of the Baja Peninsula |
November 18, 2021, Thursday, Los Frailles to Los Muertos (46 nm, 6.5 hours): Anchor up this morning at 8:15 for our journey north to Los Muertos. It was a nice day to be cruising, very light winds and no swell so we pinned the stabilizers. We did a few minor boat chores along the way. The excitement of the voyage was rolling over our trip log; we have now done more than 30,000 nm since we purchased Seabiscuit in 2011.
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| Sunrise Los Frailles |
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| The trip log at 9999, ready to roll over 30,000 nautical miles. |
We anchored up at Los Muertos at 15:00, settled in and watched the activities in the anchorage.
November 19, 2021, Friday, Los Muertos to Isla Partida, Ensenada Grande SE (53 nm, 7 hours): Anchor up at 8:30 this morning as usual. Lots of dolphins came alongside the boat along the way to ride our bow wake but none of them stayed for very long. We figured they are used to faster boats and our slow speed was too boring for them. We cruised between Punto Arranco Cabello, the northern tip of the La Paz Peninsula, and the south end of Isla Espiritu Santo about 12:30 and continued north up to Isla Partida. There are beautiful cliffs and rock formations along the coasts of both islands. We anchored in the southeast lobe of Ensenada Grande at 15:30 with 8 other boats in the anchorage. The water was clear blue and we could see the sand bottom beneath the hull. We both jumped into the water for a swim before happy hour and supper.
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| Los Muertos anchorage |
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| The shoreline of Isla Partida |
We spent Saturday morning doing boat chores and Saturday afternoon swimming around the boat.
November 21, 2021, Sunday, Ensenada Grande SE to La Paz Anchorage (28 nm, 4 hours) : We heaved anchor at 8:30 and headed south to La Paz. The kids and grandkids called to wish Dave a Happy Birthday. About 12:30, we anchored up near the Navy Base and settled in to catch up on internet and to do minor boat chores. At 15:00, we launched the dinghy and went ashore for the La Paz Beach Party at La Costa Restaurant, the final HaHa party for the season - door prizes, cold beverages, a buffet supper, folk dancing and a mariachi band, along with story-telling and a chance to meet some more HaHa participants from this year and previous years.
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| Folk dancers at the La Paz beach party |
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| The Mariachi Band at the La Paz beach party |
Monday morning, we went into town: we bought Sea of Cortez and Pacific Mexico cruising guides from the local bookstore, Dave got a haircut, we had lunch and bought groceries. We spent the afternoon on the boat reading and unlaxing.
November 23, 2021, Tuesday, La Paz Anchorage to Isla San Francisco (44 nm, 6 hours): Anchor up just before 8:00 and we motored up the channel and turned north. A beautiful day to voyage. We turned into the crescent shaped anchorage at the southwest end of Isla San Francisco at 14:00 and dropped anchor. We counted 12 other boats, a popular spot. The water was crystal clear and we went for an afternoon swim around the boat.
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| Dave lounging on the stern, Isla San Francisco west side |
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| Sunset Isla San Francisco |
November 24, 2021, Wednesday, Isla San Francisco West to Isla San Francisco East (3 nm, 0.5 hours): Dave swam and I paddled the SUP to the beach this morning for a walk along the shoreline. We ate lunch, then heaved anchor and moved to the other side of the island.
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| Dave swimming near the beach, Isla San Francisco west |
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| Rock markers on the beach, Isla San Francisco west |
Winds from the south/southwest, called Coromuels, are “found in the La Paz area where they usually begin in the evening, and blow throughout the night. These winds are created by cool air from the Pacific Ocean flowing across the low land of the Baja Peninsula southwest of La Paz, towards the warmer waters of the Sea of Cortez” (quote from Breeding, Bansmer Sea of Cortez cruising guide). Last night, a Coromuel blew into the anchorage on the west side of Isla San Francisco and we spent a bumpy night being blown towards the lee shore. We decided to move to the other side of the island so that if a Coromuel blew again tonight, we wouldn’t have to worry about the wind waves and swell coming into the anchorage.
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| The south shore of the anchorage on the east side of Isla San Francisco |
We were the only boat in the anchorage on the east side of the island. A kayaking expedition group had a camp set-up on the beach and we watched the kayakers paddle in late afternoon. Of course, the Coromuels didn't blow but it was still a nice calm place to spend the night.
November 25, 2021, Thursday, Isla San Francisco East to San Evaristo (10 nm, 1.5 hours): Another super long voyage this morning. Anchor up at 8:30 and anchor down in San Evaristo at 10:00. The weather forecast was for winds from the North 15 – 20 knots and the north anchorage at San Evaristo provides good protection from the north winds. There were five other boats in the anchorage when we arrived.
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| The town of San Evaristo |
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| I found our next boat on the beach at San Evaristo |
We sat up on monkey island and watched the world go by, did a few boat chores, read our books, napped and had a relaxing day. At 16:30 we launched the dinghy and went ashore for a walk and supper at the restaurant. Alas, the restaurant was closed but we had a nice stroll along the beach. We came back out to the boat and had bacon and eggs for our Thanksgiving feast.
The wind blew most of the night and it rained, a rare occurrence in this area. The average annual rainfall in La Paz is 6.7 inches with an average of only 1 day of rain in November. We spent Friday doing boat chores and maintenance tasks along with a healthy dose of unlaxing.
November 27, 2021, Saturday, San Evaristo to Isla San Francisco via Isla San Jose (13 nm, 2 hours): The winds continued from the north today but we decided to move to another anchorage. We cruised south around Punta Ostiones and anchored off the southern end of Isla San Jose, near the lagoon and mangroves. We launched the dinghy, crossed the bar into the lagoon and cruised north through the passage in the mangroves to Bahia Amortajada. We saw egrets, herons and kingfishers, lots of small to medium size fish and a sea turtle.
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| Dave driving the dinghy through the channel in the mangroves at the south end of Isla San Jose |
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| Black-crowned Night Heron in the mangroves, Isla San Jose |
When we got back to the boat, we decided the anchorage was too windy and rolly to stay (the north wind was blowing across the flat land and there wasn’t much protection) so we heaved anchor and went south to the anchorage on the west side of Isla San Francisco.
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| Pelicans on the rocky north shore of the west anchorage, Isla San Francisco |
November 28, 2021, Sunday, Isla San Francisco to Caleta Partida, Isla Partida (21 nm, 3 hours): Anchor up at 8:15. The wind blew most of the night and was still blowing 15 - 20 knots from the north this morning. We had a following sea as we made our way south and turned on the stabilizers to help with the rolling and yawing. We watched the Sunday crowd of boats leaving Caleta Partida before we turned in ~11:00. Anchor down and we settled in. It was like another world inside the anchorage. Very well protected from the wind and nice and calm. It was overcast so we spent the afternoon hanging around on the boat.
The sun was out Monday morning so I paddled the SUP around the anchorage after breakfast. Dave suited up and we turned on the hookah so he could clean the bottom of the hull.
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| Dave cleaning the hull, Caleta Partida |
We took a lunch break then hung around the boat for the afternoon. I went for a quick swim and we read our books and watched the activity in the anchorage.
Tuesday was another warm, sunny day. I paddled around the cove then Dave finished the hull cleaning project. We took the dinghy ashore to explore the cut between Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo and to look at the fishing camp on the beach.
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| The fishing camp on the beach near the cut between Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo |
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| A raven on the rocks near the fishing camp |
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| B amongst the saguaro cacti, Isla Partida |
December 1, 2021, Wednesday, Caleta Partida to La Paz (22 nm, 3 hours): The bright lights and big city were calling this morning. Anchor up at 7:30 for the cruise south to La Paz. We pulled into our slip at Marina Costa Baja at 10:30 and settled in.
We fly to Texas to visit family on Friday.
Until next time...
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