Mag Bay Reunion

Six years ago we were introduced to Baja on a kayaking trip to the remote mangrove channels north of Bahía Magdelena (Mag Bay) by our friend Rick, a great adventurer and kindred spirit. Sailing Narama south was a perfect opportunity for a Baja reunion. So we met Rick in Asuncion a few weeks ago, where Angela and Miguel were gracious hosts to us all six years ago. They were wonderful to us once again; son Miguelito took us fishing for the day, then Miguel BBQed our tuna that evening. It was a special treat to take some of the family out for an afternoon of sailing as a thank-you and have a hundred dolphins swim past.
Sailing with friends in Asuncion

On the next stage of our reunion, Rick paddled out to meet us in Puerto Magdelena, for a week of exploring new territory in Mag Bay. First a hike up the ridge on Isla Magdelena for spectacular scenery of the outer bay and mangrove channels, then we sailed south to anchor in an isolated little bay on Isla Margarita. Stevo and Rick did an overnight reconnaissance paddling trip to see if it was possible to cross the “Rehusa” a potentially narly mouth of water where wind and tide can whip up and be unfriendly to kayaks (no crossing this time). Heidi explored on land from the anchorage and discovered a beautiful lagoon full of birds and a great hike. So we all went up a canyon into the middle of the island, which we named “Arroyo Mariposa” after the multitude of butterflies on all the greenery lining the canyon. We even found a pool of fresh water to freshen up on the return – a rare treat in Baja!

Vulture Silhouettes

Rick is an avid fisherman and caught us a fine dinner of Corvina, Spotted Bay Bass and Halibut, which we cooked over an open fire on our beautiful beach. It was a quintessentially perfect evening – sunset, bottle of wine, fire, great food and company, in a week of great sailing and exploring. As Rick would say, “we’re living like millionaires!”

Dining out on the beach

Mag Bay Species List

Magnificent Frigatebird
Long-billed Curlew
Willet
Elegant Tern
Brown Pelican
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Reddish Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
White Ibis
Green Heron
American Oystercatcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Osprey
Western Gull
Western Grebe
Belted Kingfisher
Caspian Tern
Mangrove Vireo
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Great Egret
Semipalmated Plover
Heerman’s Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine
American Kestrel
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Golden Vireo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Raven
Black-throated Sparrow
Loggerhead Shrike
Costa’s Hummingbird
Whimbrel
Forster’s Tern
Western Sandpiper
Sanderling
Mangrove Warbler
Eared Grebe
Tricoloured Heron