Southern Baja

A new species of fish took our line the evening we sailed from Bahia Magdelena for the 180nm jump down to bottom of the Baja peninsula. Thus we feasted on dorado for the next two days - magnificent in all respects, the colours are so vivid when it is first caught . It got off the hook before I killed it, so another bloody mess in the cockpit while it slid around with the boat bouncing merrily along and me trying to subdue it with a little brandy and a winch handle. Fish don’t have eye lids, so they see the winch handle coming with every strike, the large fish with big eyes make this process fairly unappealing, hence the alcohol(for the fish). Approaching the sprawling condos and tourist traps of Cabo we ran out of wind after a good sail down with only 4 sail changes. I wonder how Steinbeck would have described the jet skis, para-sailers, cruise ships, dinner cruisers, glass bottom pangas, sports fishing vessels, tall ships……… all crammed into the protection of the small Cape. All this in only 30 years! So we left the next morning. Our planned early departure was delayed by heavy sleep and we paid for it as we beat into 25 – 30 knots and steep sea’s later in the day, so Bahia Los Frailes was a welcome relief late that evening.
As part of a national park, the waters and reefs here were teeming with fish. Even the snorkelling around the boat with large schools of green jacks that adorned each of the dozen boats in the anchorage was an experience. Not a bad place to be stuck waiting for weather. Manta rays often leaped out of the water nearby and we had a potluck beach dinner with other cruisers, flew a kite, cut Heidi’s hair and hiked on the white sand beach and hills above the bay. The need for internet to organize Christmas plans and work contracts for Heidi (now dissolved) and a fairly dire need of water (down to 30L) pushed us on. So another day of heavy weather motor sailing into 25- 30kns for another 46 miles up to Los Muertos. Finding our needs here but still running low on most other things (the only fresh things on board now are a few limes and ½ a chili, the yeast is done so its all un-leven bread, and no more eggs for baking), so we have been creative with the canned food supply and growing lots of sprouts. Our perceived short supply of tucker is relative to the plentiful larder we are used to, in reality we could make do for much longer, but we are fortunate having the option to restock. Many of the small fish camps that we have past don’t always have this option. So we stayed till the northerly winds abated and had a great sail most of the way around to La Paz. Now it is clean up time for us and the boat to rid the many layers of salt that has slowly coated everything.

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

Isla Guadalupe

Rock Formations on Guadalupe

A lovely NW breeze meant that we could set sail inside the breakwater in Ensenada. We tacked among the freighters anchored in Bahia Todos Santos and headed west into the setting sun. We thought that we would likely spend the night at the nearby islands of Todos Santos, but found all the anchorages full of aquaculture nets. While we approached a fellow came out in a panga to let us tie up to a mooring for a “propina” or tip for el Jefe. We stayed long enough to prepare dinner and watch a huge pod of dolphins in the last of the setting sun. It would take us two nights to reach Guadaupe Island in light winds, which had us frequently changing sails and occasionally give up and run the engine. We approached the north end of the island just after sunrise and spent the better part of the day heading south. We saw stark and stunning volcanic geology and occasional pods of dolphins throughout the day. Some friendly fishermen told us that the village on the west side had a large swell running right now and was therefore unsuitable. They were happy to give us a couple Jurel or Yellowtail for our dinner.
Guadalupe Island has enough endemic plants and birds to make Darwin giggle, so we were anxious to explore onshore the next morning. However with steep shores and the swell running and wrapping around, we had to satisfy ourselves with a kayak cruise. We had wonderful looks at Guadalupe Fur Seals, which are endemic breeders here and were declared extinct not once but twice and have managed to recover from the brink to healthy numbers. Females and nursing pups were among the boulders along the rocky shoreline and we were impressed at the pups’ agility compared to Steller Sealions which we have worked with at home in BC.
Guadalupe Fur Seals

With no sheltered place to land, a few more rolly nights likely and a perfect sailing breeze filling in, we made the decision to set sail again. Frustrating to be so close to a village of friendly people, an island full of natural wonders and the permit which took half a day; but once again the conditions at sea rule! Just before leaving we traded some fresh fruit for lobster so I could have a good lunch underway. Then we proceeded to catch a tuna later that afternoon for dinner. With a great breeze and shorter crossing we arrived at San Benitos Islands the next day. This is also a small outpost with interesting wildlife and a tiny village of about a dozen houses for fishermen and their families. We gave one fisherman some club soda to drink while in his panga and later while we were ashore he invited us to his house. He answered our constant questions about island life, fishing and wild animals. He built a picket fence around his dusty yard, complete with a gate to protect his small boy from breeding Elephant Seals. I looked at that fence and thought it might keep his three-year-old inside, but I’m not sure it would stop a bull Elephant Seal if he wanted through! We sat on his porch and chatted until well after dark as his wife fed me lobster (Stephen just had to watch as he’s allergic!) and gave us spices and recipes for our next catch. It was a great evening, even with our language challenges. Our anchorage here seemed to have all the non-breeding Guadalupe Fur Seals and as we lay in bed that night we listened to their funny sounds.

My Lunch!

¡Bienvenidos a Mexico!

Point Loma Sunrise, San Diego


We have arrived in Ensenada after a lovely overnight sail from San Diego. It felt so good to sail out among the warships and submarines past Point Loma. Yesterday we spent the entire day sorting through the necessary bureaucracy to import the boat, get visas, etc. The most exciting piece of paper of the day was permission to sail to an offshore island. Weather permitting, we'll visit Guadalupe, 200 miles offshore. Arriving in Mexico feels like an important transition into some real exploration! We no longer have a cell phone and will likely be out of touch even more.

Channel Islands

Yesterday we checked our email for the first time in awhile (scamming free wireless signals is our usual routine when ashore). It’s nice to get in touch every now and then, but we have to admit that we love being disconnected from the mod-cons of civilization for periods of time. We’ve spent the last ten days of ‘disconnect’ sailing through the Channel Islands. Getting there was delightful – our best day and night of easy sailing, without even starting the engine to pick up or drop the anchor. This was when we rounded Point Conception – the big elbow of the California coast, where the Channel Islands sit just south in an eddy of warmer current. We’ve had it all for weather; sitting out a gale, gorgeous hot and dry days of hiking and even a couple days of mist and rain, a relative rarity in this semi-desert climate. While we seem to have left the forests well behind us, the wildlife is still prolific and interesting: curious and endemic island foxes, loads of common and bottlenose dolphins, elephant seals snorting through the night at our anchorage, weird and wonderful Risso’s dolphins and bright orange Garibaldi’s (damselfish) are now swimming through the kelp, a sign of even more colourful fish to come as we head toward more tropical communities.

We are now anchored at Santa Catalina Island, still considered part of the Channel Islands, but not part of the National Park, a gradual re-intro to the civilized world. There’s a pub and a general store (we ate the last half onion last night, so fresh food is welcome) and lots of big shiny yachts and powerboats. We are definitely well below the average size of cruising boat down here.

California Species List

(in order of appearance)

Western Gull
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Common Murre
Common Loon
Turkey Vulture
White Pelican
California Sea lion
Harbour Porpoise
Brandt Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
White-crowned Sparrow
Snowy Egret
Brewer’s Blackbird
Elegant Tern
Western Grebe
House Finch
Yellow Warbler
Pygmy Nuthatch
American Coot
Western Scrub-Jay
Belted Kingfisher
American Crow
Common Raven
California Towhee
Western Tanager
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Heerman’s Gull
Kildeer
Mallard
Willet
Red-winged Blackbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Fox Sparrow
California Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Sanderling
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
American Goldfinch
Bushtit
Northern Harrier
Say’s Phoebe
American Kestrel
Black Phoebe
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
White-tailed Kite
Orange-crowned Warbler
Pied-billed Grebe
Western Sandpiper
Greater Scaup
Semipalmated Plover
Pelagic Cormorant
Marbled Godwit
Long-billed Curlew
Canada Goose
Least Sandpiper
Pied-billed Grebe
Black-bellied Plover
Townsend’s Warbler
Cassin’s Auklet
Buller’s Shearwater
Short-beaked Common Dolphin
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Pink-footed Shearwater
Anna’s Hummingbird
Mourning Dove
Wrentit
Bushtit
Bewick’s Wren
Western Sandpiper
Dunlin
Forster’s Tern
Red-necked Phalarope
Belted Kingfisher
Savannah Sparrow
House Wren
Orange-crowned Warbler
Marsh Wren
Kildeer
Spotted Sandpiper
American Avocet
Northern Flicker
Eared Grebe
Pintail
Amercian Coot
Brown Creeper
Humpback Whale
Pigeon Gullimot
Northern Elephant Seal
Vesper Sparrow
Allen’s Hummingbird
Black Turnstone
Black Oystercatcher
Island Scrub-Jay
Island Fox

Blue Whale
Long-beaked Common Dolphin
Risso’s Dolphin
Osprey

Western Meadowlark

Mockingbird

Photos: Island Fox, Heerman's Gulls, Immature Elephant Seal, Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Risso's Dolphin

Excerpts from the Sketchbook

Brown Pelican, Richardson Bay 19 Sept

It seems hard to believe that we’ve been in California for two weeks. After a stay in San Fransisco we’ve been hopping down the coast, living comfortably at anchor every night. Except last night when we did an overnight voyage south from Monterey Bay. It was meant to be a lovely sail with a NW breeze forecast. Instead we motored into a bare breath of southerly and nearly lost all faith in the weather forecasters. Today we were lucky however, no wind but the first day since San Fran hat we’ve been at sea with enough visibility to see much beyond our bow. No kidding, we have had enough fog thanks! The clear weather meant that we could see humpback whales beaching and tail slapping and dolphins and shearwaters. Perhaps we will have more of this clear weather when we get around Point Conception – a major stepping stone on the California coast. This point juts out into the Pacific and turns the cold southerly current away from the coast. We have made the other side of Point Conception into a fairytale in our minds, where the weather is hot and we can put away our winter clothes.

Red-tailed Hawk, Half Moon Bay 21 Sept

Long-billed Curlew, Elkhorn Slough Moss Landing 23 Sept

Jellies from Monterey Bay Aquarium, 25 Sept