January 25, 2014  Islands in the Sea of Cortez

Happy New Year!  I can’t believe that Christmas was one month ago today!  We have had such a busy time since then that it’s hard to keep it all straight.  We have been back from Canada for just over two weeks now and feel like we’ve been on the go non-stop.

Our trip back to Canada went by very quickly.  Our son, Brendan, and his beautiful bride, Charlene, tied the knot on January 4th in Vancouver.  The afternoon wedding and dinner were enjoyed by about 150 friends and family all wishing them well as they officially start their life together.  Jim and I have now been welcomed into Char’s family with open arms, which is an unexpected bonus of this happy union.

Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Bowen

Mr. and Mrs. Bowen - all cleaned up for the wedding

As I write this Char and Brendan are returning from their three week honeymoon to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and we look forward to hearing about their adventures.  We also had time to spend with a couple of very close friends,my Mom, Olive, my niece Taralee and Davey and my sister, Laurie.  I enjoyed spending many hours with Mom, out for lunches and sometimes as she accompanied me on errands.  I’ll have more time to spend with her this coming summer when we return again.

While we were in BC our friends, Edie and Adam, boat sat Falcon in La Paz and had a great time enjoying the city and visiting with other cruising friends.   We used their truck while in BC so it was a win win all the way around.  

The Malacon, La Paz.  Hundreds of people
walk it in the evening, nicely lit too.

Heading back towards Marina de La Paz

During the few days we were together we did get a quick trip over to Isla Espiritu Santo for a night to give them a chance to see the islands.  Unfortunately the winds were very strong and we couldn’t even take the dinghy to shore but it was nice to be away from the docks.  While in La Paz they had access to the marina facilities and use of our dinghy if they wanted it.  They are great walkers and put on many miles by foot.   We were very appreciative of their conscientious efforts and knew Falcon was in good hands while we were away.   Just after Edie and Adam left for BC we welcomed other cruising friends, Jim and Carol, to Falcon for 10 days of cruising north to the community of Loreto.  They lucked out weather-wise because the constant north winds receded for a number of days, allowing us to put the miles on without slamming into headwinds.

Jim and Carol Shohet on Isla San Jose

Cruisers were swimming with sea lion pups at this tiny island

The four of us left La Paz last Friday, January 17th and headed back to Espiritu Santo for the night.  Our friends, Alison and Randall, were also anchored on the island and the six of us enjoyed a great evening together, sharing food and swapping stories.  In the morning we pushed off for Isla San Francisco, a beautiful anchorage at the southern tip of that island.  We sailed off and on all day then anchored in the protected southern bay where we enjoyed a leisurely evening watching the masses of brilliant stars lighting up the clear sky.  For a change we were not alone, sharing the anchorage with five other boats. 

Sierra de la Giganta mountain range

Sunrise at Isla San Fransisco

On Sunday morning we were treated to an amazing sunrise just before leaving to stop in at Isla San Jose for a dinghy trip through a lagoon and into a mangrove forest.   We all piled in the dinghy and explored narrow passages surrounded by lush green mangroves that sprouted long roots somehow down into the salty water to secure themselves in the sand below.

Dinghy ride into the mangrove forest

Spectacular scenery in the lagoon, Isla San Jose

To the south of the lagoon sat a tiny island called Isla Coyote, which was inhabited by a few tenacious fishers. 

Isla Coyote's small fishing village

Hard to believe that a community could survive in such a small place.  Obviously they spent a lot of time fishing and bringing in all supplies from elsewhere. 

By noon we pulled up anchor and motored in flat calm conditions – very unusual – to the village of San Evaristo on the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez.  We explored by dinghy before taking a hike to ‘town’ then over the hill to the salt evaporation ponds.  It was a very impoverished community but the locals were all happy and smiling when we greeted them.

Shrine beside the gravel road, San Evaristo

Looking north towards the salt ponds

As the weather was very stable we put the miles on the next day and headed 45 miles north to Bahia Aqua Verde where we anchored for a couple of nights.  We were able to snorkel in the protected anchorage where we spotted dozens of colourful tropical fish.  The following morning we took the dinghy to the beach then hiked around the rocky cliffs to the friendly little village. 

Tiny plants attached to cracks in the shoreline rocks

Looks like jellyfish tentacles

Jim holding up the shoreline, Bahia Aqua Verde

We saw a ‘restaurant’ sign outside a house where the inhabitants were sitting around an old blue vinyl covered table.  They quickly vacated, cleaned it off and offered us the plastic chairs.  The house / restaurant was abuzz with activity since we ‘gringo’s’ were happy to let the missus cook us chicken quesadillas.  The meal was a little pricey, but we were happy to contribute to their household none-the-less.  The man of the house had to go to the local tienda to purchase the fresh ingredients and four beer.  We couldn’t complain about our meal not being fresh, that’s for sure! 

Village at Bahia Aqua Verde, about 30 homes in all

Winding our way around the hill to our anchorage

Luxurious shrubs fed by a natural spring coming
out of the highest hill in the area, which also
provided water for the community.

After lunch Jim and I hiked up the dusty red rock road and around a hill to get back to the dinghy while Jim and Carol hiked back along the water.  We had spectacular views of the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range and the anchorage below. 

Rugged rock outcroppings near our anchorage

View from the gravel road leading to the anchorage
at Bahia Aqua Verde where we were not alone!

Graceful pelican departing his perch on a panga

Carol and Jim enjoying Bahia Aqua Verde

We’ve never been to the Grand Canyon but can imagine it looking much like the landscape in this part of the Baja Peninsula.   By late afternoon we were all ready for a relaxing evening before pushing off for Puerto Escondito in the morning. Follow along to Puerto Escondito on our next update...