Being a cruiser makes the holidays a little more difficult than you might expect. We miss getting together with family and friends. Savoring, that quiet space between the years. We don’t however miss the zoo of shopping, cards, newsletters, post-office, and UPS.
As a cruiser, the friends you are with change literally with the tide. Here today and gone tomorrow. We feel best trying to maintain traditions. While you can always have a holiday meal at a hotel or restaurant we prefer doing things on the boat… It’s our home.
We decorate with lights, put up ornaments, invite friends to share a meal.
Here’s a funny video from our Thanksgiving dinner.
We are thinking of you and wish you the happiest of holidays surrounded by Peace, Love and Harmony.
Our friends Laura & Rich arrived Oct 30. Boat is ready to go and so are we!First stop Topolobampo, 196 NM. We departed at 0130 Nov 1 with an unfortunate “south wind”, and a bumpy ride come mid morning.I overcame some queasiness, and we arrived Topolobampo marina Nov 2 mid day.We docked for a couple days in Topolobampo and got ready for our Copper Canyon Tour, Nov 4-10.
Best Men’s Room Ever, San Carlos fun
Underway to Topo
Another Skipjack
Laura cooked breakfast, yum!
morning coffee
Approaching Topo
Calm Captain in Channel
long channel to Topo entrance!
Topo Marina entrance
Out to dinner in Topo
Out to dinner in Topo
Beautiful night above Ohuira Bay, lights of shrimp boats
Copper Canyon Tour
Copper Canyon, view from El Chepe
Sometimes you have to get off the boat and explore on land. Our Copper Canyon excursion took us by train (El Chepe), atop a “van” to the bottom of the Urique Canyon, by foot (hiking paths through Rarámuri villages), and even by Zip Line across three canyons at 65mph!
The Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of canyons consisting of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental. According to Copper Canyon Insider, Mexico’s Copper Canyon is seven times larger than the United States’ Grand Canyon, spanning the 372-mile Copper Canyon nature preserve.
Cristina, Rich, & Lisa
The success of our tour rested first on the small, but capable shoulders of our tour guide, Cristina. When we booked this tour with Authentic Mexican Travel, we were at first skeptical of having a guide, usually preferring to be spontaneous and independent intrepid travelers. Having this guide turned out to be the right choice for us. Cristina surprised and delighted us with her knowledge, humor, great conversation and tenacity to make our trip all we had hoped for.
El Fuerte
El Fuerte, historical tour!
Our first stop was El Fuerte.Cristina began with a walking tour of the center of town. She is passionate and wanted to share much history with our tired brains. We laughed a lot as Rich blatantly admitted “ less history” is better.She laughed heartily, but still insisted on slipping history in as often as possible. A funny thread that continued throughout our week’s tour.At the Palacio Municipal there is a large mural with a pictorial history of El Fuerte. She asked us how many minutes should I explain the story in? We challenged her to do it in five, which she almost did!
Courtyard, Palacio Municipal
El Fuerte, Gazebo in Plaza
El Fuerte, Center of Town
The Historical Mural wraps around & tells quite a story
Tarahumara, Rarámuri, Ralámuli
Rarámuri children at home in the canyon
Manuel, Tarahumara
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability. They live remotely in and around the copper canyon. Amongst the caves and cliffs of the canyons, they raise families, farm, make crafts for sale at markets (baskets woven with apache pine needles and sotol leaves a speciality), andthey run. Cristina referred to the indigenous people in three ways: Tarahumara, Rarámuri, Ralámuli. In some ways, we learned they are synonymous; yet, there are cultural and language distinctions among the groups.
Cristina talks & we listen!
For us it was all about the pronunciation. Each day we tried and by day seven, we could pronounce each word, almost. (Patient Cristina, more laughter). However we say it, we all appreciated the spirit of the people, their vibrant colors, their simplicity, their strength and joy.
click here to hear Cristina
The train only comes once a day.
El Chepe to Cerachaui
Day 2 we boarded El Chepe for Cerachaui. Cristina arranged for a driver to meet us at each train stop. It was all organized and efficient. The train ride was comfortable, though occasionally hot and smelly with exhaust fumes between the cars — but the scenery was spectacular. Cristina alerted Michael of photo ops at every turn. She pointed out the native plants such as the Blue Agave, Sotol and the Apache Pine —and sprinkled in some history as we travelled along, snacking on delicious corn cookies we purchased earlier at the roadside horno.
Stinky in the Tunnel
Apache Pine
Fresh Corn Cookies, Roadside Horno
San Isidro Lodge (Near Cerachaui – Urique Canyon)
San Isidro Ranch
Michael & Memo
Staying at San Isidro Lodge was a highlight of the trip.Tito and his brothers Mario and Luis with their families live and operate the ranch, passed down from grandparents. The ranch includes several log cabins for guests.We took great hikes around the property, beautiful vistas, so peaceful. We ate meals family style in the main dining room off the kitchen. The food was homey, fresh and delicious. I loved the coffee after dinner with cinnamon and the popcorn passed around the campfire each evening before sundown. We were entertained by the roosters and chickens, turkeys and guinea hens all roaming and living together in relative peace. Kitties (Tuna and Memo, short for Guillermo) followed us around. Memo was fond of Michael’s lap with morning coffee or afternoon cerveza on the chair swing.
Path to Dining Room/Kitchen
Sweat Lodge
windows made of wine bottles in all cabins
Our second day featured a harrowing trip for me & Laura on top of a GMC down to the bottom of Urique Canyon. Especially unnerving to see the numerous “memorials” left along the narrow road. We enjoyed a beautiful lookout along the way and a walk and lunch in Urique at the bottom of the canyon.
memorials along the road
A stop on the way down the Urique Canyon
Michael at overlook
passing by
at the bottom of Urique Canyon
Urique
Our last quiet evening at the lodge we shared the campfire with other guests, which happened to include Manuel, a renowned Tarahumara featured in Born to Run.
On Day 4, Gustavo drove us to Divisadero, stopping at Cerachaui along the way. Cristina gave us a quick tour and history of this town, where she had once worked at the hotel. Quite a Mission & boarding school for girls founded by Padre Andres Lara. The distances that the Rarámuri must travel for school by foot are daunting. Understandably, the boarding school is a viable option.
The Mission
Boarding School
Laura, Cristina, Lisa, Rich
To say we had rooms with a view at the Hotel Mansion Tarahumara is understated. However, we did have to climb 223 steps to reach them! And for each meal we had to descend them. Let’s just say we were extra careful to not forget anything in the room. We relished the workout, feeling a bit of the Tarahumara spirit and the view was beautiful.We had our own table in the large dining room. We enjoyed our meals with Cristina, chatting about the day, practicing our Spanish and she English. Mas laughter.
Balcony View, AHHHH
Rocky, our beautiful friend & resident dog
223 steps to the room.. We are almost Rarámuri
Day 5 at the Parque de Adventura, Rich & I braved the ZipRider,reportedly the longest zipline in the world, 2545 meters (8,350 feet) long with a max registered speed of 135 km/hr (84 mph)! with a vertical drop of 450 meters (17% grade). For us is was a 2 minute ride at 65 mph, with 2 initial seconds of terror followed by an exhilarating peace. We hiked up to where our group was waiting for us to return by the Gondola.The park offers other excitng attractions for thrill seekers and challenging hikes. We celebrated with hamburguesas and cerveza.
Brave Souls!
WOOHOO
Don’t look below
We did it!
Beautiful Ride
Winding Down
Day 6, after a lovely morning hike, we left to catch El Chepe back to El Fuerte for our final night. It was a longer ride back. As the daylight dimmed, so did our view. Perhaps sensing our restlessness, Cristina led us in some spontaneous spanish lessons. Standing in the train isle, she led us reciting the names for body parts and sharing proverbial phrases of our cultures. One example Cristina shared: Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente: says that Sleeping Shrimp the current will take it away….is referring about lazy people…when people do not do anything we use it.
morning hike
Rarámuri home
Rarámuri home
Arriving in El Fuerte, we dined together at the hotel restaurant, toasting with tequila shots, and tasting black bass.
Day 7, Breakfast, a brief walk about town and a return trip to Footloose at Topolobampo Marina.We invited Cristina aboard to see the boat and to say our goodbyes to our new Amiga.
Onward to Mazatlán
Back on the boat, I made chicken soup and we prepared for the next day’s journey, 222 NM to Mazatlán, with possible stop at Altata at 128 NM. The approach to Altata turned out to be a no-go zone,due to the current, big breaking waves and indistinguishable entrance. Decision made to avert, we set our sights on the next waypoint, Stone Island Anchorage, Mazatlán.We enjoyed a beautiful long sail throughout the day and night. Finally, got the right wind! Wanting to arrive in daylight, we decided to reef the main and gennaker to slow down our progress.Gorgeous, calm & starry night made for peaceful watch standing. The wind died around 0530 so it was time to motor, leaving the main up for a bit to help. What a morning, warm and steamy.For their last watch, Laura & Rich were treated with many Dolphin visits, along with the sunrise and then there was Mazatlán in the distance. The only disappointment of this trip was our fishing. We caught 15 skipjacks at last count, all released. Where are the Dorado? next time?
Anchored at Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island), 0900, Nov 13
We swam to cool off and enjoyed boat naps. Went to shore for garlic shrimp pizza & cervezas at Benjis, one of a few restaurants on shore. It was dark as we were seated on the beachfront and Michael requested some light. Expecting a candle? no – out they come with a string of christmas lights to hang above our table!We love anchoring out, so many unexpected stories.The next day, Laura & Rich hiked to the top of Isla los Chivos (Goat Island) while Michael & I rested. That evening we had a party on Footloose with a feast of grilled Arrachera and veggies, rice, coleslaw and música, including some bucket drumming and singing our hearts out to Eagles Hits.
El Cid & Farewell
We moved to the El Cid Marina and Resort where we have a reservation for a few weeks. We enjoyed a few days here with our friends at the pool and visiting old town before their departure on Nov 18. Our last evening together we went to dinner at El Presidio, great ambiance and food.
Old Town Mazatlán
We were sad to see our friends go after such a fun time shared. We think we gave them a fair glimpse of the cruising life. We are excited for them, knowing that they are that much closer to finding their own boat to take cruising.¡Salud!
Our first cruising season has come to an end. The last bit of business was to get Footloose settled for her summer home, hauled out of the water in Guaymas. Guaymas is the only yard with a travel lift large enough to handle our beam. We first visited San Carlos, another popular place for people to haul out or leave boats for the hurricane season and then moved on to Guaymas for the final work and haul.
San Carlos
Entering San Carlos
We arrived San Carlos Marina on May 8. The only available slip for us was a bit dicey. We anchored out first, then dinghied in to get a closer look before committing. The space was very tight (29 feet wide) for our beam (25 feet) Plus, one side of the space was not a “dock” but rather a cement wall. We decided to go for it since we wanted a break from windy anchorages. Our friend Joanneke from Witte Raaf kindly offered to come along and help with our landing. She was able to fend off on the starboard side (next to the cement wall), while I took care of getting the lines tied off on the port side. Michael backed her in while the wind did its best to push ustoward the wall. Sailing or docking, the wind direction has generally not been our friend this season. Still, no harm done, only a bit of an adrenaline rush. We settled in for a week and began prepping the boat for haul out and dry storage. We made our list of things to do and began chipping away. I cleared the pantry and donated some food to local orphanages. We checked off the list slowly. We both felt lethargic, a bit melancholy. Not sure if it was the work at hand, the heat, or the realization that we would soon be leaving Footloose, our home, for the summer.
Anchorage San Carlos
Martini Cove Near San Carlos
Last of the provisions — omelet
Oops
We planned to leave early on May 15 for Guaymas, hoping to shove off before the wind picked up. We got up early, but had to wait until 0900 to checkout. By this time, the wind was up and had too much west, which was eager to push us directly into “the wall”. Michael recruited several to help with lines to hold us off the wall until he could pull away. It all worked well as he pulled out of the slip and turned down the channel. As soon as the stern cleared the dock, the men threw the lines, which I scrambled to retrieve from the water, first from the stern and then from mid-ships. As the boat was being swept to port, Michael was doing all he could to keep Footloose in the center of the narrow channel. I heard Jan yell to me – get the mid ship lines – and I ran from the stern step to pull them in. Too late – the prop was fouled on the line and Michael had lost steerage. Luckily there was an empty side tie dock and the wind pushed us on. The guys helped tie us off. I sat down and cried. Michael quickly put on his wet suit and dive gear and dove to look at the prop. He cut away the mess of lines, then tested the engines. All clear – we were off to Guaymas. We always debrief after things go well or awry. What could we have done better?In hindsight – 1) we could have anchored out and avoided the risk of the questionable dock space. 2) I could have brought up mid-ships line(s) first; or if docked and using line handlers, we could limit the number of lines, with four being too many for one person to bring in efficiently. 3) we could have brought Jan aboard to help with line retrieval. 4) Michael thought he could have built more speed allowing the rudders to work and steer the boat. Always learning.
3/4 three strand in a propellor
Guaymas
First, we docked at Marina Fonatour. Again, we took the only space we could fit. The wind helped us this time, with Michael bringing Footloose into position and letting her drift to the dock. Others welcomed us and quickly tied us down.Countdown time — one week to get ready for the haul out. We did manage some breaks from the work detail to walk and eat in Guaymas. We were blessed to find our taxi driver, Jesús, who became our personal driver for the week. Whenever we called, he was there! He recommended Mariscos El Rey, which we enjoyed twice, with delicious seafood cocktails and grilled Pulpo. He drove us around to every Ferreteria in town looking for a fuel filter for the Gen Set. Jesús is married, has five dogs, two cats, and five niños all grown up. I adore him. His air-conditioned rides and our fun, albeit language-challenged conversations, were a pleasant diversion from the work and haul out dread.
Jesús
Hurricane blew out this restaurant.
Tres Presidentes. Some only made it six months
Exercise class in the park
Deserted Building
Pulpo
Fun at Mariscos El Rey
I won’t detail all the boat prep here, but, oh my, it was more work than anticipated. We thoroughly cleaned the inside, polishing all wood trim, scrubbing floors, walls to headliners, cleaned the leather settee cushions, emptied all cabinets to clean some more. No mold will live here!Michael took down all lines and we wrangled in the sails. The main sail was the toughest. We tried to plan it for a windless moment, but when is that really? We got it down late afternoon and began to fold it (950 square feet, 250 pounds),with Michael at the tack and me at the clew. The wind puffed and a section of the sail billowed up over the side. AAAH, NOOOOO. Michael flopped on top of the wad and pulled it back down. Disaster averted. We began again, trying to keep the folds as tight as possible in order to fit sail into the bag for storage.Success. tick tock, tick tock. Watermakers pickled, check. Oil changes, check. Heads cleaned, check. All laundry cleaned and stored check. Suitcases packed, (UGH), check. The list got smaller, we got wearier. On Sunday, with heads now shut down, provisions all gone and nowhere to sit or sleep, we checked in at the Holiday Inn Express where we would stay for the week while we did final work. And then it was Monday morning.
Boat Barf
Strings
Lifting the main with Halyard
Take off the main, check
Haul Out
After a fitful night, we go, both nervous. It’s my first time. I love our boat. It’s unnatural to take a boat out of water, yes?The space is irregular where we’ll be hauled, narrow and jagged. We carefully placed fenders around the boat. Michael marked where the straps should be placed for hauling under the hull’s lifting points.
We motored over at 0740, hoping to get there just at the right moment for the haul out scheduled for 0800. This is a very shallow area and we did not have much room for circling. As we approached, the travel lift was not in place and there was no one there yet to catch the lines. We radioed Gabriel at Marina Guaymas for assistance. There was some back and forth and around 0830, the men walked down to the dock. I handed off the bow lines on starboard and then stern line on port. Footloose was secure, but where was the travel lift?An hour later, Gabriel called to tell us there was a flat tire on the lift. It would be a couple hours. ok.We waited. We walked to OXXO for some ice and snacks. At 1000, Michael wandered out to the travel lift to check on progress on the tire. Two men were wrestling with the huge tires and were almost ready to remount the wheel. Michael returned to the boat. We waited. It’s hot. At 1300, Michael goes back to investigate and learned that no further progress had been made. He checked with the office about leaving the boat and returning the next morning. The owner of the travel lift agreed to haul the boat at 0900. We walked over to Gabriel’s where the boat will be stored and informed their office that the boat haul was delayed until the next day. Jesús picked us up and we went on our way shopping for filters and pausing for ice cream.At 1500, Gabriel called Michael, “where are you, your boat is in the sling ready to haul.”Michael – “What???!”The operation stopped.
Tight Fit
Shrimpers
This propeller needs some heat.
Where shrimpers go to die
The next morning, Jesús picked us up at 0730 to drive us back to the yard. This time the travel lift was in place and before I’d made a cup of coffee, it was show time. I climbed off the boat, turned my head away from the lift and Michael caught me making the sign of the cross. I bravely turned back to watch and took some photos. Footloose rose and they pulled her out. The travel lift proceeded up this rough roadway to the storage yard with Footloose swaying in the sling. yikes. (Deep Breathing required)
They parked Footloose and put her down on blocks.Relief, temporarily. Unfortunately, when we got back aboard and walked to the bow, we were horrified to find hydraulic oil spots all over the place. It apparently had leaked from the lift overnight. If only they had waited for us, we could have averted the mess by covering it properly. Instead, our custom kayak cover is stained. And our deck was a mess. We spent an additional day cleaning as best we could, but still no bueno. Captain very unhappy.
Hydraulic Oil Leak on deck
Stained cover, no bueno
All Shall Be Well
We cleaned up today, secured the dinghy on deck, and said our farewell to Footloose. We’ve stored her the best we know how and pray that she’ll be safe for the summer. We’ve met Alejandro, who will likely do some sanding work for the bottom paint job. Everyone in the yard, workers and boaters alike are cheerful about it all, which is reassuring — sort of. Workers are confident in their work and of the safety of the yard. Boaters love to meet you and share their hurricane or other boat yard horror with a chuckle. No problema!What if a hurricane hits? It happens. A guy we met in the yard told us how his boat was hit by a falling wall – without a hurricane.Never mind.
Next
We’re leaving soon, catching a flight to Albuquerque on Wednesday. What an amazing first cruising season from California to Mexico. We are excited to see family and friends this summer and looking ahead to next season, what will it bring?It will begin with putting the boat back together and likely cleaning off all the red dust. But then, Footloose will splash and we’ll be off — Mazatlán, Puerta Vallarta, Banderas Bay, La Cruz, Zihuatanejo, making our way to Panama maybe. All to be determined. Plans and crew are flexible.
We’re tired after the haul out. I’m reminded that it’s best to never make decisions about cruising after a rough passage or grueling boat work. Be mindful that there are far more sunsets than there are fouled props; many more friends than boat yards!
We hurried north to Puerto Escondido to hide out from a forecast norther. This was a great place to hang out. We met up with some old friends from the HaHa and La Paz.
Hiking Tabor Canyon (Steinbeck Canyon)
We took a walk, crossing Highway One to see this famous canyon that climbs up into the Sierra Gigantes with beautiful rock pools and palm trees–amazing.
Ted, James, Deena, Eliza (Nellie Jo & Serafina)
Bat in Daylight
Honeycomb
Old Building on the way
Carnival in Loreto
We rented a car for a day so we could get some shopping done. Carnival was happening across Mexico, and for the sleepy little town of Loreto, this meant a parade. We had a great time taking photos of the participants.
Loreto
Loreto
Loreto, carnival princess
Mission in Loreto
We walked through the mission in Loreto which was the first Spanish mission in Baja California that inspired the other missions in California.
Gary the vegetable guy
So we are walking over to the hotel to get lunch and we hear some chatter on the radio, sometimes we carry our portable VHF, about Gary is at the hotel… we are confused, several people are talking about it. Who is Gary? We arrive at the hotel and Gary has a table set up to sell produce. He is an expatriate American with his wife he live in a fifth wheel up in the hills. They have a vegetable garden and come here once a week to sell produce. Cabbage is a staple vegetable of cruisers because it holds up a long time without refrigeration. And Gary has CABBAGE, and kale, chard, beets and other great stuff. That cabbage was amazing. I hadn’t had a cabbage roll in decades, these were delicious.
Cabbage Rolls
Agua Verde 3/3/17 – 3/10/17
After the weather calmed down we went back south to an anchorage called Agua Verde. Another great place to hang out with more wind coming. We anchored alone, but in the end, seven other cruising boats were hiding out in our little cove.
After the Blow
The first day we stayed on the boat and read all day- guess we were tired. Had a couple of meals at the beach restaurant including Chicken Mole.
Lisa paddle boarded and even dove in for a swim and then got ambitious and cleaned the 192 feet of waterline which was covered with brown slime.
We went to the local Tienda and bought the world’s best cantaloupe and the world’s worst bacon. Lisa will often ask me what I want for breakfast. She’s thinking yogurt and fruit or oatmeal, but I ask “bacon and eggs?” Kind of a joke, since we generally don’t have bacon. So, I buy this package of bacon at the Tienda. When we open the package, the bacon is actually made of pressed pieces of unidentified pork meat rather than the strips you would normally think of as bacon. The strips are very fragile and impossible to cook in the standard bacon way. We wind up with a pan full of browned bits that smell somewhat like bacon, and taste somewhat less like bacon. We add it to a scrambled egg burrito, still pretty yummy. Oh—what I’d do for a package of Dailey’s with pepper on the edges.
Lisa has been nursing a sore knee since we hiked the Ensenada Grande trail, so I went by myself to visit a prehistoric site with cave paintings. About five miles there and back. I didn’t see a soul. Sitting in this cave, high above the beach by myself, I looked out over the ocean enjoying what must have been a very familiar scene to those those people who left their hand prints at the entrance to the cave.
I’m Watching You
Thousand year view
Inside
I spent the last day cleaning the bottom of the boat. With the aid of the hookah, I could go down deeper to clean where Lisa couldn’t reach. It is getting dirty faster as the water warms up and our bottom paint approaches the 2 year mark. The clean bottom gave us a ½ knot of boat speed!
Bahía Candeleros 3/10/17 – 3/11/17
We began moving north again hoping to circle Isla Carmen before returning to Puerto Escondido to meet our neighbors from Tideway who will be joining us for a few days.
We anchored off a hot spring near San Cosme, but never found the hot spring. Later that day we anchored at Bahía Candeleros off a large new resort. We enjoyed a late lunch/dinner. The resort has a golf course, but so far only 11 holes have been completed. A group of golfers next to our table at lunch reported that it’s a beautiful course, complete with whale watching. Quite a site from the 17th tee box!
BahíaMarquer 3/11/17 – 3/12/17
We had planned to stop at Honeymoon Cove, but it turned out to be a little on the small side with one boat already in the “sweet spot” and rocks too close for comfort, so we moved on to Bahía Marquer.
We even enjoyed about a half hour of actual sailing. If you get the right conditions this boat really goes. With only ten knots of wind we were faster than we are motoring.
This bay has many large Manta Rays basking in the water and occasionally jumping out of the water. The rocky shoreline had lots of colorful fish to see. Dolphins visited too. Unfortunately, so did the flies. We’ve had an increase of pesky flies aboard. We’ve misplaced our repellent, so we’re motivated to go buy some at Loreto.
Loreto Landing Lights
Moonrise
Loreto 3/12/17 – 3/13/17
We had very light conditions and were able to anchor off the town of Loreto, which does not have a marina big enough to take yachts of any size. There is a small enclosure for pangas and a dingy dock. Loreto is a roadstead anchorage and not a good place to be if the wind is blowing.
After dropping anchor, we were boarded by the Mexican Navy. Two young men boarded and checked our passports and boat papers. These guys were totally pleasant and beamed when we mentioned how much we were enjoying our stay in Mexico. I would much rather deal with these pleasant yet earnest young men rather than the self- important Homeland Security Officer we dealt with on our entry to the US from Canada a few years ago.
I took a trip to the store to top off our coffee supply and buy some bug repellent! That night we sat on the porch and had the unusual experience of hearing both the music from Loreto and the sound of a large number of Whales passing in the channel between Loreto and Isla Carmen. The whales sounded like a person exhaling through a piece of 3 inch plastic pipe… Amazing. As the sun was setting, I was able to see the large humps on the far side of the channel.
The next morning we took a walk on Loreto’s Malecon and enjoyed breakfast at The Oasis. While walking about we met an American couple walking their dog, Gilroy, who have lived here for 25 years. It was interesting to hear them talk about the early days of Loreto when they were the only gringos in town and the fishing was bountiful. Loreto is pretty “gringofied” these days and the fish are fewer- sadly.
Loreto Malecon
Isla Carmen
We circumnavigated Isla Carmen. Isla Carmen is across the channel from the town of Loreto. This is the largest Island by far, in the Loreto National Park. This island is privately owned and visitors must stay below the high tide mark. The Loreto National Park is intended to reduce fishing pressure from large trawlers, and preserve the biological diversity of the region. At Isla Carmen, Desert Bighorn sheep have been re-introduced. As the herd increases in size, some are relocated to other islands in the sea. I found this interesting dissertation on the topic of preservation efforts in the Sea of Cortez.
Puerto Ballandra 3/13/17 – 3/15/17
In the afternoon, we moved Footloose across the channel to Puerto Ballandra. The only other boat in the bay was Tinmar, a Bruce Roberts steel boat. Aboard were Ed and Charlene who live in Farmington, a small town in Northwestern New Mexico, which is also where my brother lives. Charlene does graphic design and has designed brochures for the San Juan College Automotive Technology program, where my brother works. Small world?
As we waited for the Tinmar crew to join us for dinner, I was scanning the hillside around the small bay and just as I was remarking to Lisa that I was surprised that I never see any animals, I spotted three Bighorn Sheep at the top the ridge. I have never seen a bighorn in the wild before. Pretty cool. Wish I had a longer lens for that picture
Find the Bighorn Sheep!
The next morning, a panga showed up with three North Americans in fatigues, who got out and began to hike toward the ridge where I had seen the bighorn. I was rooting for the wily sheep.
Bahía Salinas 3/15/17 – 3/18/17
The next day, we motor sailed around the corner to Bahía Salinas, Our third salt works. This one also abandoned years ago. This time however part of the remaining town was torn down and in its place was hunting lodge. Three women lay basking in the sun. Waiting for their men to return from the hunt. The place has a lot of no trespassing signs as the whole island is owned. In an odd juxtaposition, a hunting lodge dedicated to killing the animal that they are also trying to preserve. One reference I found indicated that as of 1999, people were paying $50,000 to take a single big horn sheep. While we were restricted to the beach area we did sneak in to take a look at some of the old abandoned structures. I would have loved to see the salt pond but the presence of the hunting lodge gave the place an unpleasant threatening feel.
Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
The swimmer
Cruisers
Plastic Bighorn Target
The next day, we got one of three wishes, wind on the beam for about 45 minutes and had a good sail towards Puerto Escondido..
Being a cruiser makes the holidays a little more difficult than you might expect. We miss getting together with family and friends. Savoring, that quiet space between the years. We don’t however miss the zoo of shopping, cards, newsletters, post-office, and UPS.
