The Islands Near La Paz

After stopping at Puerto Ballena on Isla Espiritu Santo, then Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, we had a nice sail up to Isla San Francisco where we spent two days exploring.

Early Saturday morning we went ashore and hiked the ridge trail, which was filled with gorgeous views and numerous butterflies.

Around noon we motored to the East anchorage and walked the beach looking for agates. It would have helped if we knew what we were looking for, but I think the rock in the middle of the map is one.

Next we motored to the North anchorage to check out the shell beach, then we motored up to Isla San Jose and anchored near the mangroves which we explored with the dinghy.

We heard there was a "norther" coming so we moved up to Punta Salinas and anchored with two other boats. We sat there for two days until it blew itself out a bit. There used to be a salt mining operation there. Below you see some of the abandoned equipment with Thistle in the background.

Then we rode the "buffaloes" back to Isla Partida and anchored at Ensenada Grande again for two peaceful days. And now we are back in La Paz where we will reprovision and plan our trip across to the mainland.

Haircut, Groceries, Chores

Since we have been in La Paz we have washed the boat, filled the water tanks, done laundry, gone to the open air market and the big grocery store, adjusted the rpm of the generator so it will run the refrigeration dependably, watched the awards ceremony for the Baja 1000, eaten at lots of street vendors, and gotten a haircut.

Here's the before of the furry old captain....

and here's the after. The haircut was only 120 pesos, or about $9.00.

Fishing In Baja

Thanks to Malcolm's brother Ed, we have had good success fishing here in Baja. Our first catch was two Dorados just before Turtle Bay.

Here is our friend Mike with them on the side deck. We also caught two Bonita, but we threw them back.

Then we caught a Yellowfin Tuna the day before we arrived in Cabo, so we ate Sashimi that day.

 

Then at anchor one evening near Los Muertos we caught a Trigger Fish which we made into Ceviche.

They are fun little fish to catch, but keep your fingers clear of those viscous little teeth!

So Thank You, Ed for setting us up so nicely in the fishing tackle department. We really appreciate it.

Beautiful Cabo San Lucas

We arrived in Cabo San Lucas yesterday afternoon after another smooth passage. I can't say that about the passage from Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria though. It was pretty rough and the autopilot failed again, so we had to hand steer in sloppy seas. To celebrate I got a tattoo on my bicep. Pretty cool, huh?

If you think that's out of character, you should have seen us last night at Squid Roe. It was the official "We Cheated Death Once Again" party to celebrate the end of the Baja Ha Ha and those old sailors (including us) were doing it up right.

There were people dancing on tables and the music was so loud it felt like the walls and floor were pulsating.

We caught six fish on the way down; two Dorado, three Bonita (which we threw back), and one Yellowfin Tuna. We've had ceviche, fish tacos, BBQed fish, tuna sandwiches, and even sashimi.

Today is the Beach Party/Awards Ceremony on the beach, then after a little grocery shopping on Sunday, we will be heading up to La Paz where we will spend some time doing little boat projects and exploring the nearby islands.

Stuck in Turtle Bay

We had a nice drive down the coast with calm seas and no wind. Only a few bits of excitement on the second day. The first bit was having to clean the fuel separators, which is totally expected out on the ocean. The second bit was the autopilot stopping, which is a huge bummer because we had to HAND STEER. But we soldiered on. Then that evening when we were preparing dinner, two fish hit and a little circus ensued and dinner was really late.

But the best part has been our unexpected crew; Mike and Linda. We have known this couple for over 30 years and they had planned to crew on another boat, but that boat's owner had a problem and backed out at the last minute. So they hopped on our boat and we have had a good time with lots of laughs. Thank goodness they have no schedule either, and are laid back, so this delay in Turtle Bay is no problem.

Since we have been here, we have topped off the fuel tanks, topped off the water tanks, repaired the autopilot, gone grocery shopping, and taken showers at the hotel. Today we plan to walk out to the church and cemetery and see how they celebrate the Dio de los Muertos here in Turtle Bay.

The reason we are stuck here is because there is a tropical disturbance (Vance) way down south that might give us some high winds. We are waiting to figure out what it's going to do before we continue. So don't worry about us; we are being cautious.