Wild and Wooly in the Northern Sea of Cortez

Hola, amigos! It's been a few weeks since our last update, and for that, we apologize. But we've been working our way north, out of internet connection range for the most part, and have finally arrived at our likely northern most location for the rest of the summer, Puerto Refugio.

Yesterday was an interesting one. Started out like most, with little wind, and hot sunny skies. We were planning a long hop north, about 35 miles. Leaving our snug little anchorage at Isla Mitlan, we motored for the first hour or so. A light wind out of the SE came up, so we hoisted our sails. Lovely, smooth downwind sailing, with two fishing lines out. Hooked into a nice dorado, and while playing him, the wind began to come up (of course!). We landed him, and as I was cleaning him, the wind rose (of course!) into the 20's, with gusts tickling 30. Yikes...finish up with the fish, it's time to reef!!! Fish quickly in the freezer, we got the first reef tucked in, as the wind continued to build...now steady in the 30's with gusts hitting 40. Time for the 2nd reef in the main, and douse the genoa, let's hoist the staysail. Okee dokie...all good for a few minutes. Now the wind was a steady 40-45, with gusts in the mid 50's. High wind on the instruments (that I had the nerve to look at!!!) was 58 knots! Yeeeee Hah!!! Wish we had rigged the #3 reef line in the main, or the trysail, but we never thought we'd see winds like this. So we held on for the wild ride, watching huge rooster tails flying off the transom as we surfed down the waves at nearly 12 knots...that's a big number for Bravo!!! But for a long time, she remained in full if energetic control. Eventually, as we were rounding up in the gusts with even #2 reefed mainsail up, it was time to drop it altogether, and we continued on with the staysail for the last 5 miles into Puerto Refugio. 'Bravo' once again showed us what a fantastic voyaging boat she is, handling the nearly 60 knot winds unharmed. That said, it sure felt great to come around the corner with the wind falling, and drop the anchor in the bay worthy of it's name. The wind was squirrelly the rest of the afternoon and all night, ranging from 5 to 35 knots out of the west. A bit of an uneasy sleep, but no worries, the anchor held fine.

Puerto Refugio is a beautiful spot. Quite remote, with no real settlements nearby. It reminds us a lot of the west coast of Vancouver Island, desert style. It's at the north end of Isla Angel de la Guarda, a 41 mile long, uninhabited island in the Sea of Cortez. The area is a wild, rocky, and barren wilderness, with only 3 other boats now here in the 5 natural anchorages. Two of those boats are single handers, who've headed here specifically for the isolation and privacy the area affords. The other boat is Buena Vista, another Peterson 46 with friends Don and Deb aboard. Great snorkeling, kayaking, and fishing adventures all around. We'll likely spend a couple of weeks here before heading back south to Bay of Los Angeles for resupply.

So, what have we been up to the past couple of weeks, since leaving Santa Rosalia?? Well, we've been thoroughly enjoying the central/northern Sea. The wildlife has been spectacular. Most days we spot whales of one sort or another. So far we've seen sperm, fin, sei, gray, and pilot whales. Dolphins are all around, as are coyotes (on the beaches), amazing birdlife, hiking (whenever we get an occasional cloudy morning) and great fishing. Quoting from one of our guidebooks, about one of our favorite recent anchorages (San Francisquito)..."Bahia San Francisquito is unique and wonderful, offering a real essence of the heart of Baja. The lonely howls and cries of coyotes roaming nearby hillsides, and the distant blows of whales feeding on the nutrient rich sea mark the late night hours here....At San Francisquito the desert and sea combine, making a perfect stop for the nature lover, the hiker, and the fisherman." (thanks to Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer) It's all true!!!

The social scene up here in the summer is active, with around 25-30 boats spending the summer aboard. We had the first of two "full moon parties" in Bahia de los Angeles a few days ago, where folks brought out their floaty toys (or "noodles") to "run the estuary" as it drained on the ebbing tide. A beach potluck followed. Great sailing stories told by all ("...So there we were....."), and it was fun to put faces to many voices we've been talking to on the radio over the past 8 months.

The summer scene revolves around the tiny hamlet of Bahia de los Angeles, but more importantly, Puerto Don Juan, the only real "hurricane hole" in the Sea of Cortez. We'll be staying no more than one day's sail from Don Juan, and can head into the sheltered bay when a major storm threatens. Weather forecasting has taken on a new importance these days, as we're now officially into the hurricane season for the Sea, which runs from around August 15 through the end of October. We follow all tropical depressions as they begin to form down south, and through radio nets and radio email broadcasts are able to track their development. The other weather phenomena which cause concern are more localized (such as the winds we encountered sailing here yesterday). Known as chubascos, these rascals develop over the Sierra Madre mountains on the mainland to the east of the Sea, and the convection cells can often bring massive lightning, rain, and very strong downdrafts. Hard to predict where they'll hit, we always keep a weather eye to the east, especially in the evenings, to be on the lookout for the towering cumulous clouds which can indicate an oncoming chubasco.

So, here we are, in the northern Sea of Cortez, for the next 8 weeks or so. We'll continue to post to the blog via radio email, like this, but unfortunately that means no photos. Will try to upload some pix when we're next in Bahia de los Angeles, at an internet cafe. CHEERS!!!

Santa Rosalia rambles, or......."16 Tons, waddaya get?????"

(Apologies to Tennessee Ernie Ford!!!)

'Bravo' anchored in the panga harbor

We're now in the copper mining town of Santa Rosalia, roughly midway up the Sea of Cortez.  The French operated a copper mine here from the late 1800's until the mid 1900's.  When the ore was running dry, they turned it back over to the Mexicans....(a typical scenario).  Although the mine has been inactive for many years, evidence is all around, including French style residential buildings, mine structures, and even a metal church designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty fame).  Interesting town, if a bit down at the corners without a major source of revenue since the mine shut down.  An effort is underway to get it reopened by 2013, using newer technologies to extract additional copper from the ore.  Fishing by the local panga fleet is active, but tourism has not taken hold.

Wedding in the Eiffel church

The happy (???) couple

There are two small marinas here.  We're staying at one for a few days, after anchoring out waiting for a slip to finally open.  The marina has an AIR CONDITIONED room to hang out in, as well as a tiny pool.  Since we haven't been in a marina since April, we're enjoying using the facilities to clean the boat with fresh water, use unlimited electricity, and take care of lots of misc projects in the AIR CONDITIONED room!!!  Cool!!!

Mystery photo.....what is it???  (answer:  2 rain drops that we saw on a rock yesterday...I think 4 or 5 more fell after.  This was the first rain we've seen since last December, in San Diego!!!

Took a hike with other Seattle cruisers Paul and Judy from s/v Grace up to the large cemetery above the town.  Picking a dark, overcast day made for a cool hiking day, and gave a bit of gothic overtone to our "day of the dead".  It sounds like safety may have been a bit lax in the mine, as the story is that over 24,000 died working there in the 100 years of operation.  It was an interesting hike, and the views of the town below were great.  The graves varied from small piles of stones to fairly elaborate.  One in particular really showed a sense of creativity and "can do" attitude which we've become so fond of in Mexico.  The cemetery is completely dry, on top of the mesa overlooking town.  Seems someone wanted a garden oasis palapa (thatched hut) design motif, hard to accomplish without water.  So they cut the tank off of the back of a water truck, and partially buried it on the hill above the grave.  A hose led to the garden below, and BINGO!, it's an irrigated garden gravesite!!! 

Graveyard gardening, desert style!!!

Reminds me of another "can do" sight we saw a few weeks ago in Agua Verde.  While hiking in the hills, we came across a cow hanging from a big tree branch, under the only tree in the area.  The cow was suspended by a sling under her belly, and her rear legs were slightly lifted off the ground with a chain engine hoist.  She was free to munch hay at the head end, and her udders were hanging down, ready for milking.  As we scratched our heads, trying to figure out what was going on, we realized that one of her rear legs was splinted.  Seems like she'd broken a leg, and they kept her hanging under the tree until it healed!!!!!  Wasn't her time to be a carne asada taco!!!  Ah......Mexico, ya gotta love it!!!

But I digress.....Since leaving Geary's beachside party on July 4th, we've worked our way slowly here, stopping at a couple of interesting anchorages en route...Punta Chivato and Isla San Marcos.  Punta Chivato had a great shell beach...miles of amazing shells to comb through.  And good snorkeling, though we saw several venomous stone fish....they're so well camoflaged that it's really the ones, likely many, that we don't see that are the worry!!!

Isla San Marcos was another mining story, of a different sort.  The open pit gypsum mine a mile or two from the anchorage is still operational, and when the wind is wrong, a cloud of airborne gypsum dust wafts over the boat.  But the anchorage was very protective in the strong northerly wind we were having, so we spent a few days snorkeling and hiking into the company town on the island.

San Marcos gypsum mine and town

Kids' playground right next to the loading towers!  I think they got the feng shui all wrong!!!

Since this is the first time we've had internet for a while, we'll get you caught up on some of the photos getting us up to the present.

July 4th at Geary's in El Burro Cove

Beating the heat on the 4th

Ending the dorado dry spell!!!

Views were great from the nice hike above El Burro Cove.

But like all Baja hikes, it was HOT!!!

Finding many of the native petroglyphs on boulders was interesting.  Baja has many such sites.

Another inspirational Baja sunset

And finally, for those of you who have read this far, here is a little bonus wildlife video, shot off the boat a few days ago.....have fun!!

Weather (or not)

Do any of you remember the movie "Body Heat"? Seems like it was 70's or 80's...William Hurt, Kathleen Turner. Quite steamy. In the movie, Miami was going through a heat wave. Was on everyone's mind, mostly what they talked about. And everyone was constantly glistening/dripping with sweat.

Well, we've arrived to summer in the central Sea of Cortez, and the weather has become a major topic of conversation. Unlike the winter months that were spent down south on the mainland, where the weather couldn't have been more benign or pleasant, we've entered a bit of a new reality. (And with the temps in the mid/upper 90's, it's not even THAT hot, according to the veterans). All boats become nearly obsessed with devising ways to provide shade. Ranging from simple blue tarps hung over the boom, to elaborate canvas/zipper/snap/velcro contraptions, the goal is the same...provide shade from the intense desert sun. (Our system is a work in progress, and falls somewhere between these two categories). And we're constantly dripping wet. Fans are our new best friends, even portable ones outside in the cockpit. We have at least two of our 8 cabin fans running constantly 24/7 whenever we're aboard. And it's really hard to drink enough water to keep hydrated, a constant effort.

Refrigeration takes on a whole new dimension as well in the heat. The system is working very hard these days to keep us supplied with ice and cold beer. (as well as keep our freshly caught dorado ready for the pan!!) It's kind of a triple whammy: First, we typically have been self sustaining, energy wise, with our solar panels. They have been providing enough energy to run the boat day and night, whether under sail or at anchor. Unfortunately solar panels become less efficient as they get hotter. They turn out fewer amp/hours per day. That's whammy #1. Second is that the air temp is now typically in the upper 90's all day, cooling down to the mid 80's at night. So there's just a lot more cooling needed to keep the fridge and freezer at the proper temp. And whammy #3 is the water temp. Our system is cooled with sea water pumped into a loop to carry off the waste heat of the refrigeration cycle. The sea temp has now risen to the mid 80's, making for great swimming (even a bit too warm), and excellent dorado fishing. But it's much less efficient as a coolant for the refer system. We've installed a couple of additional fans in the equipment spaces to provide extra cooling to the refer system and the solar charger, which has been running it's internal fan constantly. All this means that the system is working very hard...so far so good, but we need to run our generator for an hour or so every morning to give a bit of extra boost to the batteries.

The good side to the heat, of course, is that we typically spend a couple of hours daily in the water. Although it's sort of like a warm bath, it nonetheless does provide some relief from the heat. And gives everyone time to play with their "floaty toys", ranging from simple "noodles" to fancy rafts, chairs with drink holders, and a huge assortment of inflatable critters. All good fun!!!

And it's not just the heat. Wind has become a much greater topic of concern as well. Naturally we all follow the tropical depressions as they develop down in southern Mexico, as they have the potential to develop into hurricanes as has happened twice already this season. Happily those two headed out toward Socorro Island before dissipating. But the convection cells born by the hot temperatures on land and warming water, as well as the heat and barometer pressures in the US southwest have dramatic effects on our winds on a more localized basis. Starting on July 1, a nightly Chubasco report is broadcast via email, giving us the likelihood of a Chubasco wind hitting us that night. The Chubasco's can be rather nasty, coming up very suddenly in the middle of the night and packing winds with potential speeds up to just shy of hurricanes. Thunder, lightening, and hard rain can also be part of this rascal's arsenal. We have not yet experienced any down here in the central Sea (we're anchored in the Bay of Conception in El Burro Cove, approx 14 miles south of Mulege). But a few nights ago one hit in the Bahia de Los Angeles, where we'll be heading soon, and it had reported winds of 57 knots, over 60 mph. You may have heard about a Mexican tour boat flipping near San Felipe in the northern Sea during a Chubasco event a few days ago. Several folks are still missing from this disaster, and this was a big, commercial vessel, who was apparently caught out where/when he shouldn't have been.

This means that part of our daily routine now is putting up all of our sun shading every morning when we wake, and taking it all down as the sun sets. To keep the tents and tarps up at night would be a sure invitation that we'd be visited by a Chubasco!!! And we're thrilled that we invested in a new, oversized 90 lb Rocna anchor before we left Seattle.

For the 4th of July we attended a tremendous gathering of yachties and others at the beach palapa of Geary, our local weather guru. A yearly event, Geary provides the tents and 300 hot dogs, while all of the 30 to 40 boats anchored out bring pot luck dishes. It was a great time to meet up with old friends and make new ones, as we all get prepared to weather the coming summer months, playing in the northern Sea of Cortez.

Sorry about the lack of pictures...access to internet service will become more and more sporadic throughout the summer in the Sea.

Summer time (and the livin' is easy!!)

Upper temp in cabin, lower outside, at 5 pm.

Happy summer, everyone!  The solstice has come and gone, and things are indeed warming up here in the Sea.  Actually the locals keep telling us what a nice cool season it's been so far, but it sure feels warm for us gringos from the north country!!!  And summer's just begun.  We've been hearing reports from Geary, a local weather guru, that the temps in the Bahia de Los Angeles (a bay around 100 miles to our north, where we plan on spending the summer) have been ranging from 110 to 116 degrees  this past week.  Yikes!!!  I didn't even know it got to 116 on planet earth!!!  Happily he reported that it was an error on the part of the automated reporting station, and the temps are only around 100.  Whew, that's more like it!!!  August and September are when it gets warm, so folks say!!!

We've been busy exploring the various islands and anchorages in the area.  Islas Carmen, Coronados, and Danzante all have wonderful protected spots to drop anchor, kayak, fish, hike, snorkel, and just relax.  We've even been getting in some excellent sailing for a change!!!

Looking pretty cruisy, w/ just a kite up, no main!!!  Photo courtesy of Bill, on 'Iron Maiden'

We took a quick 5 day trip up to the US for some business and to renew our visas.  Flew in and out of Loreto, went very smoothly.  Now anchored at Isla Coronados, where we can get internet connection out of Loreto, approx 6 miles to the south.

 

Had a great time exploring Isla Carmen.

One spot that we anchored at, Bahia Salinas, was the site of an old salt mining town, where great quantities of salt was collected and shipped globally.  The town was abandoned in the early 1980's, and it's pretty much as it was left, with the harsh elements rapidly reducing it to rust and bricks.  Very cool to explore, and the hike out to the salt flats was a good one.  Joined at Salinas by friends from boats Kashmira and Kachasa, we also snorkeled on the wreck of an old tuna boat which sunk a number of years ago in the bay.  Great reef has formed with a tremendous array of fish, lobster, and other critters.  We stayed for hours on the wreck.

The closest we came to playing in the snow this year!!

 

Forklift has lifted it's last bag of salt!!!

View from top of Coronados

The hiking on the islands has been excellent, especially in the morning, before things really begin to bake.  Though Adam has been nursing a pulled back for the past couple of days, Cindi did a fun hike up to the 1000' high top of Isla Coronados yesterday with friends Mark and Ann from boat Blue Rodeo.


Fishing report:  Remains pretty slow.  We've had good luck catching skipjack tuna, but due to their funky blood red meat, they always get a "catch and release" aboard 'Bravo'.  Had a small dorado on the line, but he threw the hook just as he was coming over the rail...Otherwise, a small baracuda caught while dinghy fishing is about it.  The water is warming up, so hopefully so will the fishing!!! 

Some tasty new tidbits!!!

We did get several new lures in Loreto, so stay tuned!!!  (though some say that "lures are designed to catch fishermen, not fish".....hope springs eternal!!!



Will weigh anchor today, and continue to work our way north in the Sea.

Northward in the Sea

We've been continuing our exploration of the Sea of Cortez, working our way north to one spectacular anchorage after another.  One advantage of being a bit later in the season for this northward migration is that it seems as though most boats have already passed through, leaving the anchorages deserted or nearly so.  The mountain range on the Baja, the Sierra Giganta, continues to amaze, providing us with constantly changing views of this remote, harshly beautiful desert landscape.  Recent stops have included Timbabiche, San Evaristo, Agua Verde, San Marte, and now Puerto Escondido.

Part of the San Evaristo herd, ready for action!

Curious kids at the old "Casa Grande" at Timbabiche

Town square, Agua Verde style

All kids love to see themselves in the digital cameras

Agua Verde market.

The refrigerated food aisle...old coolers on their sides, filled w/ ice and various cold food

Not sure of the exact translation, but we figured a "vampire steak" couldn't be TOO bad!!!  (we were right!!!)

On the hike above the Isla San Francisco anchorage

Start of Steinbeck Canyon hike

The hiking has been fun, both on the islands as well as the main peninsula.  Yesterday we joined fellow cruisers Steve and Ian for a hike up "Steinbeck Canyon", a narrow boulder filled canyon described by John Steinbeck in his writings on the area.  Although the canyon was nearly dry, and we saw no waterfalls, there was a bit of water remaining in some of the deeper pools and small, oasis like areas with palm trees and other green vegetation. 

We continue to work on repair projects, confirming the reality that "cruising is getting to fix your boat in distant places".  Yesterday the raw water pump in the refrigeration system packed it in.  Happily we had a spare pump, and the repair went smoothly on this rather critical system!!!  The anchor washdown pump also quit recently.  Not as serious as refrigeration, but it's nice to be able to clean the mud and muck off the anchor and chain as it comes aboard.  We also use it when cleaning fish on the aft deck.  Happily it turns out to be just a bad pressure switch, but by jury rigging it to keep it on we can use the pump (carefully, so as not to blow up any hose connections down below!)  It really is amazing how the wear and tear of constant use takes its toll on systems and gear, compared to using a boat intermittently on weekends and vacations.  But its really just part of the challenge, and so far all has been manageable.

Catch of the day...needlefish!

Scallop feast

Fishing report:  The fishing continues to be spotty at best.  Folks still complaining about the cold water (now about 76 deg), but it is warming up, and hopefully the fish locker will soon be better stocked.  A few boats report getting nice dorados lately, so fingers crossed that our luck will improve.  We're had our best luck trolling with the dinghy at anchorages, and collected a nice bag of scallops a few days ago while snorkeling.  Tasty business!!!

We've been here in Puerto Escondido for the past few days, catching up with friends, using the internet, kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling.  This part of the Sea has so many beautiful islands to explore, we indeed have our work cut out for us as we continue to journey north toware the Bahia de Los Angeles, where we plan to spend the heat of the summer during the hurricane season.