Cruising Sea of Cortez - Summer 2009

Well here I am again. I decided to stay here one more day before pushing off. So that means I can add my forth installment for the blog that covers Puerto Escondido and Loreto. Five of us shared a rental car yesterday and spent the day in Loreto getting some supplies and exploring the area.

You may recall a photo of me with my La Paz first mate from last year and also a photo of me with my Mazatlan first mate. Well I am happy to report I now have a Loreto first mate. Isn't sailing just great?


Eat your heart out guys!!!

Not much to see in Escondido. It is a popular anchorage for boaters during the hurricane season. They call it a hurricane hole because it provides protection with the mountains that are rising up across a small valley less than a mile away.


Another wonderful sunset with the mountains in the background.


Remember my friend in La Paz. She followed me to Escondido.



The cruising community has a lot of fun together and we always find reason to get together to eat and drink. Here we are having a pot luck breakfast and during the late afternoon, many of us meet in the Cocktail Cove for a friendly but competitive game of water volleyball.


When we are not eating and drinking, we are fishing. This is a forty pound Dorato that someone caught in the bay. He shared the meat with us so yet again I had fresh sea food for dinner. Sorry PETA members. Some animals have to die so we can eat!








A little history of Loreto.

In October 1697, Jesuit padre, Juan Maria Salvatierra, along with a party of men, landed at Loreto to establish a settlement and the first mission of the Californias. The settlement was a success and Loreto quickly became the center for church as well as the government and military activities in the area.

The mission church, Mission Nuestra Senora de Loreto, built by Jesuit padre, Juan Salvatierra, became the center for establishing additional missions though out Baja and California. Carved above the entrance to the mission is written, "Cabeza y Madre de las Missioes de Baja y Alta California" or Head and mother of the missions of lower and upper California. Eventually, 23 additional missions were built throughout Baja with Loreto serving as the head.

It was also from Loreto that the Franciscan padres, Gaspar Portola and Junipero Serra left in 1769 to explore north, reaching San Diego and eventually discovered San Francisco Bay.





Since I was riding with four other people, I did not have time to check out Joanne's hotel that she had hoped to stay last summer. This is one of the hotels in town that several people say you must see. It has a glass bottom swimming pool on the second floor. You can see people swimming from the first floor looking up.


This is why I didn't leave today as first planned.