How time flies! Two months ago we were scrambling with last minute preparation for departure from Seattle. It was drizzly and cold, with snow right down to the water. Friends from Oregon couldn’t even make it to our going away party due to snow on I5! The snow stuck with us as far south as Catalina Island – okay, not right with us, but we could see snowy mountains behind Los Angeles.
Now I am sweating my way around La Paz, gathering groceries, some more spare parts, and mostly just sweating. 11 days ago Sophie flew in to San Jose del Cabo to make sure that I was taking care of her boat. A few days later Kuaka headed north for the first time in almost 2 months.
We sailed out of San Jose del Cabo in a nice 12ish knot breeze, but from the wrong direction (NE, where we were headed). Within an hour we sailed into thick fog, the wind died, and it was back to motoring. The fog, which felt wonderful after the heat of the marina, stuck around almost all the way to Los Frailes. Light winds held overnight, but we couldn’t get to shore due to the still-present southerly swell. The next morning we pulled up anchor and headed north around 4am – early enough to make it all the way to Isla Espiritu Santo in a day.
Mid afternoon found us motoring again in a flat calm just north of La Ventana- where many fellow Oregonians flee during the winter for kiteboarding, windsurfing, wingfoiling, warm weather and margaritas. To the east was Isla Cerralvo – also now named Isla Jacques Cousteau.
The island has no marked anchorages but, in the glassy calm, we decided to cut out motoring short and anchored on a sandy bench about half was up the west side of the Island. We were treated to exceptional snorkeling and a calm night after some funky afternoon southerly winds.
The next day we motored and sailed to Isla Espiritu Santo where we spent the next 4 nights anchored off beautiful sandy beaches in aquamarine water. Each afternoon a southwesterly wind blew up around 15 knots, making the anchorages a bit uncomfortable.
The greatest discomfort came from one windy evening when a horde of large powerboats anchored around us – apparently we were in the one protected spot where they all wanted to be.
We ended the week in La Paz. We enjoyed exceptional food and a beautiful city, along with a little bit too much heat for two northwesterners.
We’re considering this segment of the trip our “Pacific NW Cruising Appreciation Tour.” While it’s beautiful here, the lure of colder temperatures, protected anchorages, and fewer floating gin palaces has some appeal.
Speeding through the Gulf of California in just over a week isn’t ideal, but given the time of year, it’s necessary. It is now a sweltering afternoon and I have just complete my clearance from Mexico. On to the next leg!