Two weeks on the hook so some catching up!

The Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by Las Cruceras (local cruising club at La Paz) was a hit for the 170 cruisers in the area. Jeff and I volunteered for a shift of serving out the main courses and general cleanup. Always good to give back a bit and a great way to meet new people. 

Speaking of meeting people… remember back at Cabo Pulmo the woman, Lisa, who dove with us and was made to walk the plank and dropped off at the next port after the owners wife got wind she was onboard? We thought we’d never see her again. Well, she popped up at the dinner and quickly flagged us over to sit at her table. Sure, what’s the harm in that.  I can honestly say I’ve never had such a weird conversation as that day… Most of which I cannot put in this blog - my DAD reads this! She is one crazy lady. When she started asking about our guest cabin; we made for the door. (Although her conversation led me to believe she wanted to sleep in OUR cabin with us in it too). Enough said there. We walked fast out of there and decided to walk back to our marina (2 miles). Periodically, with a bit of a  look of stalked prey on our faces, we peered behind us to make sure she wasn’t following. She did at first but we dropped her within a few blocks. She must be used to that…

The walk back on the Malecon that evening was just sublime. Lots of locals out using the beautiful esplanade around the bay. Runners, bladers, cyclists and walkers, both young and old, just out enjoying the beautiful sunset. La Paz is a really cool town. Back at the marina, we met up with Betsy and Derek for a late night snack (hey, we didn’t have any leftovers!) and margheritas. We were both taking off the next day in different directions; although we hope to see them in Loreto.

On Friday, we headed out to Isla Espiritu Santo; the 9 mile long island national park. What a fantastic place! The crossing was a bit windy and rolly but nothing we are not used to at this point. We chose a southern anchorage and were the first ones there. With 150 more boats in the area from the Baja Haha, I just expected there to be crowds. Many were not leaving La Paz for another few days due to the winds which was their loss as the island has many protected anchorages.

Bahia San Gabriel is a large bay that is open to the southwest. A gorgeous white sand beach wraps the inner bay.We snorkeled, swam, dinghied to land and hiked. Once again, the guide books led us astray on a hike. Book: A 2 mile trail leads to the largest beach on the island Playa Bonanza. Reality: A 4 mile hike each way with no trail but a few random rock cairns left by other lost souls takes you to the other side. However, when a north wind is blowing, the dune is breached and creates a large lagoon that blocks your access to the beach. Its a Wizard of Oz story… We never had to look any farther than our own bay and beach for perfection. 

Bahia San Gabriel

Two nights later, we headed north on the island to Ensenada Del Candolero where the winds howled for 2 days. Just a little chop in the bay where we and 2 other boats were anchored. It became a bit of a joke when I would say “but Predict Wind says they’ll dissipate this afternoon”. It never did let up. But, another fantastic snorkeling venue at Roca Monumento; the large rock that splits the bay. On land there was a fairly fancy camp set up for Swim Trek. This is a company that provides open water swimming vacations. Yes, there are people who will pay to do this! Their clients camp at the main camp in the bay and they get shuttled to different areas to swim each day. I hadn’t swam any distance since July but I thought I’d see how it would go. I swam over to them in the biggest chop/waves I’ve swam in and chatted a bit. They inspired me to do more distance swimming each day rather than just around the boat. We also visited with the kayak tour that was on the other side of the bay. They were looking longingly at Salpare bobbing in the bay as they prepped for their windy paddle.

Working our way up the island, our next stop was El Cardonsita. This is the small anchorage that sits between two of the more popular ones. When I say popular, I mean there might be 4-6 boats in it. I have no idea where everyone is… still waiting in La Paz???? This new site was a dream. Small enough to feel intimate yet long enough to have a primo snorkeling reef, long sandy shallow area and hidden sandy beach. Perfect for drone flying (see video), snorkeling right from Salpare and more swimming. The gulls and their yammering kept us laughing, too.

Needing to charge the batteries a bit, we left to check out the Sea Lion colony at the top of the island. Isla Islotes is jagged with raw beauty. The critters were out playing as we lazily circled the island. As the northerlies were supposed to start up again in a day or so, we decided to head to Isla San Francisco and start our journey towards Loreto.