Anyway, we are finally in La Paz. We weren't exactly the slowest vessel (there are several still behind us, but many others have definitely been here for a while) and before I tell you about this place, I want to share with you some of the experiences we had getting here from Cabo. You will recall we arrived in Cabo in the middle of the night, anchored in ridiculously deep water just outside the entrance to the inner harbour, and passed out/fell asleep for 4 hours before rising to continue on. Well, it turns out that in the clarity of daylight what we had thought were condos 'n such... that had laid claim to most of the waterfront areas in Cabo bay... were in fact figments of our exhausted imaginations. The shore of the bay, further away from the inner harbour entrance, was actually a terrific place to have anchored and there were quite a few boats already there, some of whom we knew. They called us on the radio as we were leaving, asking where we were going and inviting us to join them. Given the constant passing of more time than we had, we were determined to carry on so thanked them for their invites and pressed on towards our next 'port of call', San Jose del Cabo.
San Jose del Cabo: Leaving at 0700 hrs in the morning is often a great time to weigh anchor as the morning winds are usually not as strong and don't begin to build until early afternoon. That was the case for us and we had a good motor-sail all the way to San Jose, arriving at 1130 hrs. at their beautiful, new marina. We joined friends on their new 'long dock' which is a side-tie and costs only $40 per night (instead of about triple that in their regular slips). There was no power, and (non-potable) water was provided by one very long hose... but, considering the price, that was just fine with us so we settled in with SV Desolina and SV Lorelie, and a few other boats we came to know thereafter. We spent a couple days there, enjoying the (all new and still under development) gardens, paths and art work; really quite a place and worth a trip back to spend some time. Their monthly rate is only $400 so a few boats have booked in there to spend that time now. We met up with Francine, a woman from our yacht club at home, and had a wonderful dinner and we went for a walk on the longest most beautiful beach I've ever seen. When next we visit this desolate beach will have become a world-class resort but for now it is just miles and miles of white sand and undeveloped fore-shore stretching as far as you can see, with azure blue water for waders and puppies to play in. Sophie was so excited. We'd been promising her beaches since she rejoined the boat... and finally we were able to deliver. While we lay on our towels to dry off, she proceeded to dig and spray sand in every direction possible.. and, if we weren't paying enough attention she'd just leap and deposit her sandy self onto our towels and our bellies... she was a hoot!
Bahia los Frailes: Despite a growing urge to stay longer, we headed off to our next destination (Los Frailes) on Thursday, December 8th and after a very long day (9 hours) of bashing up and down on large, square waves (some call them boxcars) and fighting wind and current that pushed us back to a mere 1 knot of speed at times... we finally arrived in the lee of a very large rock/mound and dropped our anchor in the dark (it gets dark here by 1730 hrs. so we're actually getting some experience anchoring in the dark) and settled down to catch up on our sleep. We awoke to one of the most beautiful anchorages we've been in yet. It was gorgeous. A beach with golden sand, several boats at anchor (a few left early in the morning, allowing us the opportunity to move a bit closer to the more protected snorkeling area.. which we did). We were just delighted with this place. There was an RV parking area of sorts at the far end of the beach but our end was serenely and ruggedly 'empty'. And, it turns out, not more than 10 feet from shore was the best snorkeling we've experienced in Mexico so far. It was like swimming in an aquarium with huge schools of fish who hadn't yet figured that snorkeling humans might provide food. They just let us swim with them, no demands made. The action below the water wasn't the only wildlife either. This bay is famous for, and we were treated to, the sights of small rays (about 1 to 1 1/2 feet across) leaping from the water and performing somersaults in mid-air before crashing back into the water with a very resonant splash. We'd heard the splashes the first night but didn't realize what they were. What a great sight... and then, looking into the water, we couldn't help but notice the huge schools of various types of fish circling our boat and moving through-out the bay in giant 'balls'. It was quite amazing. Whilst we were taking turns snorkeling, Miss Sophie played on the sand and I don't think we've ever seen her quite this excited. Even with her life-jacket on (which she now wears quite happily because it means she gets to go in the dinghy) she ran and ran and ran (without leash this time as there was little fear of predators) in the soft sand... She was so excited she actually, at one point, just stood there jumping up and down... This bay is definitely on our list for places to return to. But again, the calendar called and we responded, leaving Los Frailes and continuing north, up into the Sea of Cortez.
Ensenada de los Muertos: Sunday, Dec. 11th we weighed anchor at 0044 hrs. (that's right, just after midnight). We worked out the math and determined that, to arrive in daylight, we needed to leave in the middle of the night. Actually we've become quite fond of this plan as it allows us to sail away from a port we know, travelling along and into the oncoming day, and... with luck, arriving at the new destination in time to anchor in daylight. On this occasion we had a great passage with light winds and much calmer seas. We arrived mid-day and had our anchor set by 1230 hrs. This anchorage is also well known for snorkeling and Kathy did some with the crew from SV Sea Moore. Several other boats also joined us in this anchorage, including SV Navigo, friends from BCA who arrived with a gift of fresh caught fish for us (and a recipe). It was delicious. We had a group dinner at the one restaurant on the shore a
nd hit the sack early as we had another early departure planned. This time it was 0200 hrs., at which time ourselves and Navigo departed. They headed south on their way to Mazatlan and we headed north, continuing our quest to arrive at La Paz in time to catch up with friends on SV Eagle and in time for Christmas. Turned out, we'd planned well and, with the tide and breeze in our favour as we transited the infamous Cerralvo Channel and it's neighbour San Lorenzo Channel, we had a very comfortable journey up, around, and down to the port town of La Paz.La Paz: We had reservations at Marina Palmira in La Paz. It's a lovely marina with great services (laundromat, showers, small store, garbage, water) and we were lucky to get their last slip (everyone is super busy as it's Christmas). We were well received by several vessels, all great folks. The only downside with this marina is that it's 2 miles out of town and, although there's a free shuttle it only runs three times a day... and, the boats and friends that we do know are all in town spread between the various anchorages and marinas. Although we really don't want to anchor (with dog aboard, etc.) we would like to be closer to the activities of the town harbour. La Paz is set up well for cruisers. There's a Cruisers Club with morning net and a coffee get together each day. Many activities get organized as well. For instance there's a swap meet this Sunday.. a great opportunity to off-load some of the extra 'stuff' we've been carrying around. There's a great malecon for walking and lots of things to do.. if only you're close enough to take advantage of it.
We've been here a few days now.. checked a few things out. Our friends Tom and Jeanne (SV Eagle) are here, in the harbour, tied up to a brand new dock/marina. They don't have power or water yet but are right down-town and, it turns out, we may be able to join them (the moorage cost will be much less than we're paying and we'll be right in the heart of things). Fortunately a near-by marina (Marina de La Paz - for which we're on the waiting list) allows boats (for a small fee) to tie up their dinghies, use their showers, and acquire water... So, we will be checking out this possibility... That's the news for now. We're safe, working on the boat (what else ? :-), enjoying learning about La Paz (still no Spanish lessons yet, but I'm trying)... and looking forward to spending time with friends.
The latest project? There I was at the helm one day, having just left an anchorage, and Kath was on the bow washing down the anchor chain (with buckets of water into the anchor locker). I couldn't help but notice a pattern. About 2-3 minutes after each bucket of water into the chain locker... the bilge pump kicked on and spewed out about a bucket of water from our bilge. Hmmmm..... I quickly deduced we had a problem. Yup, you guessed it. The drain hose (37 years old) had finally separated from the bottom of the well..... onto the project list it goes.
Well, my friends.... that's it for now. More news later... I expect you're all very busy getting ready for Christmas... can't say we're used to even thinking about Christmas when it's 75 degrees out... but we're trying. Please know you're in our thoughts... and we hope your preps for the festive season are going well. We'll write again before the 25th... Bye for now... CJ
