Sea of Cortez - Summer 2009

Back on land again. This time I am in a small copper mining town of Santa Rosalia. You may recall that I was here last fall after taking a bus from La Paz to meet friends here. I was invited to crew with them back to La Paz. One of my blogs from last year details the trip and the people I met along the way. You should be able to find it by scrolling down through the blogs that I have posted since the beginning of my voyage.

So let's see if I can catch everyone up on my latest adventures since leaving Loreto.

My first stop was Bahia Marquer on the south end of the island of Carman. In 1995 a program was developed on the island to help increase the population of bighorn sheep in Baja California. I understand, talking to locals, that the program was and is successful. There was not much there except the usual sandy beaches and turquoise waters. I stayed over night and pulled anchor after a restful morning and headed north to another anchorage on the north end of the island. Puerto Ballandra is a popular anchorage because of its' natural beauty and good protection from winds and waves.


These are the waters here and the sandy beach on shore. I stayed here one day and then pushed on to the next island of Coronados. Remember my previous attempt to get photos of Sting Reys jumping out of the water? Well I finally got a couple.


I took this photo after going ashore at Isla Coronados. This was to be the beginning of my hike to the top of a volcano. Here is a sign at the trail head. What you don't see is another sign noting that the trail is well marked. Now tell me, do any of you see a well marked trail in this photo?


Here is a sign that needs no explanation.


I stopped to rest as I looked around for a well marked trail and took this photo of my and other's boats in the bay below.


I never made it to the top but the distance I hiked was the same as I looked for this damn well marked trail. However, the day was not a total loss. I finally was able to get photos of String Reys as they tried to fly.



The next day I pulled anchor and sailed to Caleta San Juanico. The anchorage the first evening was a little bumpy so the next day I moved around the corner to La Ramada. No this is not a hotel. I went on another hike and found a cruisers shrine and as you see below I left my own mark that will show that a Gade was there in 2009.

This is the sunrise the morning I had sailed off to San Juanico.


This is the cruisers shrine


Yes, here is is. Written in stone! Gade was here for people throughout the future to see and wonder: Who was this great man?


Off again the next day to the Bay of Concepcion. I stayed here for 10 days, anchoring in Punta Santo Domingo, Playa Santispac, El Burro Cove and finally Playa Santa Barbara. I enjoyed a good old American 4th of July celebration in El Burro Cove and I dug up my own Chocolate clams in Santo Domingo and yes I hitch hiked to Mulege and back to get some supplies. I haven't done that in 50 years.

I met this young French couple in Santispac and spent some time with them on my boat over a few beers. They are taking an around the world trip staying in their tent as they backpack around the world.


This is a small and friendly restaurant and bar in Santispac.


I forgot to mention that I again went on a hike while in El Burro and found some petroglyphs on the way up the hill.


Finally I found the way they mark their well marked trails. With a sharp eye you can find these intermittently along the trail.


Here is a nice photo of the anchorage at El Burro Cove.

Finally I made it to the top.


Dolce Vita all dressed up for the party.


Pot Luck lunch on the 4th.


Keeping (trying) cool in the water.


Almost forgot. On my hike I found rocks toward the top of the hill that have a large content of iron. Watch and listen.




Finally I am off to my next anchorage at Punta Chivato but not before stopping over night again at Punta Santo Domingo where another cruiser showed my how to find and dig out clams.

Here on Punta Chivato there is an Italian restaurant that is owned and managed by an Italian company. The price for a vodka tonic was the same as if I were back in the states so I didn't stay long. Talking to one of the Mexican waiters I found out that along with their salary for working there, they are given a room to stay along with their food. Not a bad deal.


And yes, finally, another boring sunset.


Off the next day to Santa Rosalia where I am now. I am going to stay here for maybe another week and then head south again to return to Puerto Escondido. I decided to keep my boat there while I return to California since it is safer and cheaper during the hurricane season. So Bill and Jean, if I am going to see you, you will have to throw off those dock lines and go sailing or I will have to wait to see you this fall in La Paz.

No photos and stories of Santa Rosalia since this can be found in an earlier blog from last year. This will be my last blog for awhile. My son Steve is driving down here to visit and go sailing and fishing with me and then I return to California for a couple of months where I will get a chance to visit with most of you, so stock those bars. I am coming to town.

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.

Cruising Sea of Cortez - Summer 2009

Third installment

Plans changed again. Delaying for a day to visit Loreto and then I pull anchor again to continue my cruise. This means I will be away from any Internet access for awhile and I won't be able to update blog with Escondido or Loreto until later. There really is not much here in Escondido as far a great view other than the sunsets over the nearby mountains. I will try to get a photo of some of us cruisers playing water Volleyball in a place called Cocktail Cove. Kids and adults play together and some of the kids are kicking our butts.

So the next stop on the tour is Bahia Agua Verde. I stayed here for three days, visiting other cruisers, hiking and snorkeling and just kicking back to relax.


Took the dinghy over to a small cave to see if I could find any sea monsters. I found only crabs.


Dolce Vita is the boat off in the distance. You can't see my dinghy but is on the far beach where I began my hike. I found some people on the beach at the end of the hike and asked if they would be so kind to take me on their dinghy to where I anchored. I was not in the mood to hike back.


It is amazing that anything grows in the desert, but beauty can be found even here.



The small fishing village had a store and what they called a restaurant which really is some one's home. I had three fish tacos. They were great.


Well that is it for now. I ran out of interesting photos and stories. In the next few weeks, I will update the blog with the latest adventures. Better and more beautiful anchorages wait for my arrival.


This is the shell from a crab from one that left home. How they crawl out of their shell and leave them in good condition is a mystery to me. A marine biologist would have the answer for me.

Cruising the Sea of Cortez - Summer 2009

I am stuck in La Paz, Mexico but having fun none the less. Hurricane season again which means tucking into somewhere until end of October when the season ends.

I arrived here from Mazatlan around this past March. After a few weeks here any after returning from Europe, I sailed north up into the Sea of Cortez reaching Santa Rosalita in two weeks while enjoying the many islands along the way. My intentions were to continue north to the Bay of Los Angeles but the boat had different plans. At least 3 problems surfaced with the boat and I thought best to return to La Paz where I could find the services and parts that were needed. Here I remain while enjoying the companionship of many other cruisers, some of which I have met along the way before arriving here.

It has been too long since my last blog and photos that I took going north are much the same as I had taken back in 2009 when last visiting the Sea....... so I am going to paste and older blog that I posted back in 2009. Some of you may not have seen this before so it is as if it were new. The others of you that are near my age have forgotten that you had viewed this before so this is as if it was also new for you.

So enjoy the brief blog and relax knowing that I am still alive and well.

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I stayed around Isla San Jose for awhile having made myself lunch, waiting for the tides to come in but it looked like they were going to remain low until late afternoon. There are these little bad ass bugs called no-see-ums that are smaller than the head of a needle and there is no way to prevent them from entering the boat and having there way with you. They leave behind a small itchy welt that drives otherwise normal people to jump off of a cliff. So I pulled anchor after not wishing to jump off bridges by remaining there through the evening when they come out of their holes.

Next anchorage was San Evaristo. This is a bay on the Baja peninsula.

Here, as in many locations along the way, is a small fishing village. There is a small store to pick up some supplies that you may need and a home that sells beer if you have run out. It remains open as long as there is something on the shelf and closes so they can drive to La Paz to buy food stuff to again sell to the locals and boaters.

This is the vulture I wrote about in one of my emails. Take a close look. Do you agree that he has a hungry look as he see me pass below him?


For those that have not driven in Mexico, this is a Mexican road sign.


Here she sits. A little closer view of Dolce Vita at anchor in San Evaristo.

Next stop is Nopolo. This location is also on the Baja peninsula. There was not much here to explore ashore but is was quiet and a great place to sit back and chill.


Another great sunset to enjoy while sitting in the cockpit with a drink and a good book.

OK! It is time to pull anchor again. Next stop is Bahia San Carlos.


I don't think I have mentioned how clear the water is. The dark spots in the photos are small rocks. The depth of the water here is 20 feet. Watch and you see several fish swimming by but none large enough for dinner.


Remember Manuel? He is the hombre that caught be lobster for dinner one evening. This is his garage where he keeps his truck. Notice the large bones he has his hands on. Whale bones.


Most of he homes in Mexico are small and usually are very simple in design. Much like a block house. This gentleman had some creative juices when he built this home. This is Manuel's neighbor.


Remember the house that was built after selling a blue 5 carat pearl that a fisherman found. This was built back in the early 1900's. Local history does not say how long someone lived here but it now stands as an empty hulk. No one has enough money to buy it and restore the roof and the interior.

Next stop is Bahia San Marte. Did some more snorkeling and hiking here around the ridge of the bay. It is always rewarding when you can hike to the top of some hill near the anchorage so you can get a good perspective of what the area offers in a way of views.

Here are some photos that I took while on the hike. I went snorkeling after getting back to the boat so I could cool off. One of the other snorkelers mentioned that I must be a strong man. Asking why they thought such nonsense they said I had only a pair of swimming trunks on. They all had full wet suits. The water temperature was 83 degrees. You tell me if you would need a wet suit.





Well that is all for the second installment of the blog. I am going into Loreto tomorrow to see the town and take some photos.