Log Book
June 2007
June 2007
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| June 2007 |
La Trinidad Cave Paintings. During our stay in Santa Rosalia, Susie arranged for us
and some of our cruising friends to take a tour of La Trinidad cave paintings with a tour
guide in Mulege. Salvador came to pick us up at 7:00 AM on Saturday morning in Santa
Rosalia at the marina and took us back into Mulege, where we had to show ID (passport or
driver license) and register with the government agency that regulates who goes out to the
caves. You have to go with a licensed tour guide. After all the paperwork, some of us
made a last-minute trip to the store and the bathrooms, then we started on our tour. First
stop: an organic fruit farm where we sampled oranges and the best grapefruit that Susie
ever remembers having. She normally does not care for grapefruit (and Sam cannot have
it because he takes the cholesterol medication Lovistatin) but she purchased three to take
back to the boat. Second stop: somewhere in the desert where Salvador showed us a
variety of plants and cactus, and described their medicinal and therapeutic uses by the
indigenous peoples (500 years before Christ). Third stop: a cattle gate but no one but
Salvador got out. Fourth stop: another cattle gate, same routine. Fifth stop: a cattle
ranch on private land, where we could use the restroom and prepare to hike back into the
hills to the caves.
Salvador said it would be about a 20 minute hike. Given the average age of our group,
with 54 being the youngest (Susie and Sandy from Wind Song) and 72 being the oldest
(Sam) it took more like 45 minutes. On the way, our guide explained about the indigenous
peoples who followed the animals on their migrations, because they were hunter-
gatherers. When they left a place, their rudimentary implements and tools were usually
left behind for the next group that might come through; for instance, grinding stones were
left to indicate that this place was a food preparation area. If the tools were very special,
they might bury them to retrieve if they came back to the same area another time. Stones
would be marked, perhaps with a deer, to indicate that in this place there was good
hunting.
We hiked over rough trails, boulders, rocks, broken dams and even stepped on rocks
across a small stream – and this according to Salvador was the easy tour! When we
arrived at the cave wall with the paintings, we all sat down in the shade and looked at the
paintings and listened to some of the history of the indigenous peoples, the Spanish
discovers, the Jesuit missionaries, the successes and failures, the Franciscans that
followed, etc. It was very interesting to hear this from a different perspective that what we
remember from our California grade school curriculum. The paintings are difficult to
carbon date because they are largely mineral (carbon dating works better with organics)
but it is estimated they are between 1500 and 500 years BC. Newer paintings cover older
paintings and are a small picture of the life of the indigenous peoples that lived in this part
of Mexico: deer, fish, children’s handprints, shamanic visions. Very interesting.
On our hike back, which seemed easier because we knew the way now and what to expect
on the trail, Sam was assisted by others in our group at various times, to help him with his
balance on the rough terrain. Susie had a little help, too, with a walking stick and
sometimes a helping hand for balance, and once she requested that Salvador push her up
the rock from behind and he obliged. No need to be shy here in the desert. When we
arrived back at the ranch, we found a simple meal prepared for us and we were hot, thirsty
and hungry. After drinks of water and washing hands, we had fresh flour tortillas, refried
beans (made only with pinto beans, water and salt – no lard), fresh cheese made on the
ranch, sliced onions and tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious – especially the cheese. It
was a Mexican panela, very soft and mild. There were beers for those who wanted them
and sodas for those who didn’t (Sam and Susie and another of our group).
On the ride back in the 14-passenger van, a few of us fell asleep. When we arrived back
at Marina Santa Rosalia it was about 4:00 in the afternoon. It was a good day but we were
tired. That night was the second of a 3-day festival with music and carnival rides, set up
right next to the marina, but unlike the previous evening, the “music” which was primarily
loud rock and roll blaring through bad speakers did NOT keep us up. We slept soundly,
awakening only for the usual nocturnal bathroom visits.
Santa Rosalia. On Sunday we went to one of the two little grocery stores in town that was
open. We should have gotten provisions before Sunday, but it didn’t work out and we
were busy Saturday with the cave painting tour. We did get wonderful fresh veggies and
fruit the Friday before, but it was too early to get fresh bread at the bakery before our
planned departure and we messed around too late on Sunday to get to the bakery before
they closed at 2 PM. They would not re-open until Monday morning and we planned to be
gone by that time, so we had to settle for Bimbo bread at the market. We did find fresh
hamburger meat and a few other things we were running low on, in particular boxed milk
and orange juice. After shopping and checking our email one last time, we went back to
the boat that evening and washed it down good, then in our bathing suits took a shower
with the hose on the dock – even used shampoo and soap!
Punta Trinidad. We left early Monday morning June 4 about 6:15 with Wind Song, for
points north. This is the first time we have sailed with a “buddy boat” to common
destinations. It was our plan to make Punta Trinidad (similar name to the place where we
saw the cave paintings but about 50 miles distant) and check out the anchorage to see if
we wanted to stay or continue on to Bahia San Francisquito. This was a motor trip, we only
put up the main to help balance the boat in light winds. By the time we got to the
anchorage, however, the wind came up, but the holding was good for the anchor so we
spent the night. It is an overnight trip to Bahia San Francisquito from Santa Rosalia if you
don’t stop; we did not want such a long passage. The wind changed from southeast in the
evening to westerly off the land when the sun went down, and it blew quite merrily for
several hours. But we slept just fine anyway.
Bahia San Francisquito – West Anchorage. Tuesday morning we left a little later than
the day before, 8:00 AM, with Wind Song, to hopefully arrive in Bahia San Francisquito in
the late afternoon. They left us behind as usual (we motor slower than they do) and got
way ahead of us when Sam decided to cut the engine and sail with the asymmetrical
spinnaker. By the time he got the spinnaker and the pole set, the wind died and he had to
take it all down and start the engine. Of course, then the wind came back up a little while
later, but at that point he was too tired to put it all up again, so we just motor sailed with the
main. On the way, Susie twice saw a feeding frenzy with several kinds of water fowl, sea
lions and dolphins. And she was excited because she saw her first sea turtle today.
Although Sam had seen one the day before, it didn’t count for Susie because she was in
the head at the time. The water along this passage was subject to strange wind directions,
currents, tidal lines, large flotillas of sea grass and debris, warm and cool breezes. Of
course there was not enough wind to sail into the anchorage, but we had advance warning
from Wind Song that inside it was very windy, so we dropped the main outside and then
came in. With the strong southerly wind rolling over the hills and down the canyons into
the anchorage, the water reminded us of a normal day for sailing in San Francisco Bay.
We tried a couple of spots and wanted something more tranquil, so we moved over to
Cajeta Mujeres (Ladies Coves) just around the corner. Although the wind was not blowing
very much in the small cove, the swell was refracting around the point and rolling the boat
sideways and we decided to go back to the same anchorage at San Francisquito where
our buddy boat cruisers, Joe and Sandy, had anchored Wind Song. We set the anchor in
about 20-25 knot winds and called it a day at about 5:30 PM. We rolled most of the night
and did not sleep well. The next day we went ashore with Joe and Sandy and explored
some sandstone cliffs with fossilized sea shells, and walked the beach. We spent yet
another night here, again rolling and not sleeping well. So we decided to leave the next
day.
Bahia San Francisquito – Inner Harbor. Thursday morning we left for points north,
hoping to make Puerto Don Juan and escape some of the rolling and windy anchorages.
But we didn’t make it. The current and north winds made our passage through Canal
Salsipuedes (which in Spanish means “leave if you can”) miserable and we decided we
were not on a schedule and did not have to be miserable, so as suggested by our buddy
boat Wind Song we turned around and went back to Bahia Francisquito. But this time we
decided to try the inner harbor, where clearance at low tide is barely possible for boats
such as ours and Wind Song. We had no trouble getting in, directed by other boats
already inside this well protected sweet little inner bay, and dropped the anchor in about 7
feet of water. And suddenly, it was tranquil. Only light cool breezes. No rolling and no
pitching. We slept very well for the first time in two days. The next day – after some
excitement on Wind Song when a snake tried to get out of the water and on to their boat -
we went ashore with Wind Song and walked past a cluster of private homes (primarily
gringo fishermen) and out by the private air field to a small Mexican resort, where we had
some of the best fish tacos ever. Roberto, 4 years old and the son of our waitress, was
very excited to relate to us in Spanish what had happened earlier in the day, a story which
we had heard already in English from one of the gringo fishermen: someone had landed a
large Mako shark and brought it in to the resort. We managed to understand some of his
words – panga (boat), muertos (dead), mucho grande (very large), pescador (fish) – and
certainly the outstretched arms to indicate fish size is the same in all languages. He was
very personable and posed for at least one picture with our dinner group. One of the
resort employees drove us back across the air field to our dinghy, with Susie riding in the
front cab and the other 3 members of our group in the back of the pick-up. The tide had
come in and we had to wade knee deep to get to the beach end of the private fish boat
dock where we had received permission to tie up our dinghy. We came back to the boat
and played Mexican Train with Joe and Sandy and then called it a night. Again we had a
restful night of good sleep and left next morning.
Puertocitos del Enmedio. Saturday we left a little later in the morning that our last
departure from San Francisquito. The winds had died down and the current was more
favorable. Canal Salsipuedes is one of the deepest spots in the Sea of Cortez and there
are at times very strong currents and up-wellings. But today was a very good passage
and we sailed for several hours with the asymmetrical spinnaker. We anchored that
evening with Wind Song at Enmedio Cove for a restful night, with minor pitching early in
the morning but nothing to keep us up. The next day we left for Puerto Don Juan.
Puerto Don Juan. June 10, Sunday, we departed for Puerto Don Juan, which is reported
to be the best natural hurricane hole in the Sea of Cortez. The maximum tidal differences
inside this bay are 11 feet. The tides will be even greater extremes the further north we go
into the Sea of Cortez. We pulled in after a very nice day of sailing from Enmedio, and
there was only one boat already at anchor – Wind Song and ourselves made it three.
There is room for hundreds of boats here. Sandy and Joe invited us over for dinner after
we had our anchor set and we enjoyed BBQ chicken salad – it was delicious. We had a
very nice evening just chatting and visiting and a great night sleep. The next morning we
awoke to buzzing – although we have had some bees and wasps at every anchorage since
we left Santa Rosalia, this particular time they were out in force. Fortunately we were in
the habit of putting up the hatch screens and that kept out the majority of the little
buggers. Some did manage to crawl underneath the screens and get inside, and of
course immediately wanted out, but we can’t very easily let them out without lifting the
screens and then we get more inside. So we usually have to just swat the ones that are
unfortunate enough to get stuck inside the boat. About noon time, they went off to
wherever bees go in the heat of the day, and we put up our fake bee hive (as
recommended by other cruisers, this is a brown grocery sack lightly stuffed with plastic
bags to resemble a bee hive) in hopes that the bees, who are reportedly very territorial,
would see a hive that was not theirs and leave. The next morning we had a dinghy full of
bees – there was dew in the morning and of course they were after all the fresh water.
After they left, we took the dinghy out for a spin around the harbor and checked out the
topography and the wrecks on the beaches and took pictures. We spent a very nice three
days here before moving over to BLA.
Bahia de los Angeles. June 13 we motored over to the roadstead anchorage near the
village of Bahia de los Angeles. Susie contacted someone shoreside on the radio and
Sonrisa answered and directed us to some of the services we needed: laundry, fresh fruit
and veggies, internet café. We went ashore with Wind Song and found the laundry lady
gone to Ensenada for 3 days, so we found another person willing to do it a few doors
down. The fruit and veggie store had very little and she told us fresh stock would be in the
next day. We found the internet café with a fan and ice cream bars for sale. The heat of
the day was getting to us, so we found an air-conditioned restaurant and enjoyed some
local cuisine. Next day, we returned for the laundry and found fresh supplies at the
market, just as the lady told us. On June 15 we motored over to La Gringa at the north
end of BLA for one night. There were the usual “elefantes” which are locally generated
hot winds that sweep down like a blast furnace off the high mountains surrounding this
area, but that did not stop us from playing Mexican Train aboard Wind Song. When we left
their boat that night in our dinghy, in the dark, it was still very choppy and Susie fell off the
boarding ladder trying to do the splits into the dinghy, lost her shoe in the water and got
wet from the waist down. Sandy quickly retrieved the shoe and Susie managed to get half
of herself back into the dinghy and then the rest followed. Then the wind stopped – just
like it comes up suddenly – and we had a smooth row back to our boat. No injuries
reported, although the next morning Susie managed to bang her toe on the bulkhead and
either badly bruised it or broke it, but either way, the only thing to do was watch it turn blue
and purple and then tape it to the next toe. The next day we motored over to Gecko
Beach at the south end of BLA and anchored. We explored extensively the shore line in a
3 hour dinghy trip, and it sure was wet in the chop that came up in the afternoon for our
return to Catch The Wind. On Sunday – Fathers Day – we moved back over to the
anchorage off the village so we could all go ashore and call our fathers. Susie was able to
reach her dad via Skype (an internet phone service that Sandy and Joe have on their
computer). Then we went to lunch. While eating, we noticed someone walking down the
beach with a water gun that looked exactly like the one we use to bail out our dinghy and
we wondered if it was ours. Then we saw that some of the local children seemed to be
playing around our dinghy, so Sam walked down and found that one of the boys had filled
it up with water, using our own homemade bailer (a cut Listerine bottle). And our water
gun bailer was gone too. Sam, using sign language of his own invention, communicated to
this young man that he could bail all the water back out and we would be back in an hour
to check it. Then he followed the other youth that had taken our water gun and asked for
it, but it was ruined because he had obviously pulled up sandy water inside it. This is the
only time we have had any such problems with our dinghy anywhere in Mexico. That
afternoon, when we visited the local museum – which was very interesting with historical
displays and a nice sea shell collection – we mentioned to the director about our earlier
problem with the dinghy and she said she would take up the matter with the mayor, that
the local boys should not be doing things like that. Like our friend Sandy from Wind Song
says, for us cruisers the dinghy is our car; how would a young Mexican man like it if we
filled up his truck bed with sand? Sunday evening, we went to the fish taco stand and met
some of the local gringos that live in the BLA area – including Sonrisa. Monday was a day
of rest for everyone, to prepare for our departure.
Fast Track Back to La Paz. On June 19 we left BLA at 7 AM for points south. We
generally stayed one night at each anchorage, with a few exceptions. Wind if we had it
was “noserly” as Sandy from Wind Song says, meaning, on the nose whichever direction
we were heading, and sometimes up to 35 knots. We were heading south, and the swell
and wind were southerly and sometimes easterly. Stops along the way were the same as
on the way north: El Enmedio, San Francisquito, Punta Trinidad, Santa Rosalia (2 ½
nights here), Santa Domingo at Concepcion (2 nights here), San Antonio, Isla Coronado
(a new stop for us), Agua Verde, San Evaristo, and Lobos. We finally arrived in La Paz
July 2. The trip to Santa Rosalia was extremely sloppy with winds and swell, and we could
not power into it, so we sailed a 17 hours passage and got into Santa Rosalia at 12:40
AM. We re-provisioned and rested here and went on. We spent 2 days at Santa
Domingo, where it was extremely humid, but the water temp was great for swimming. Met
up with 2 Pieces of Eight in San Francisquito where they were experiencing problems with
their charging system, so we loaned them our back-up one-wire alternator and hope they
were able to resolve their problems. At Isla Coronado we met up again with Sailsoon and
Imagine and all of us got together with old cruising friends of Wind Song – Reflections -
and we made some new cruising friends. At most of the anchorages there were bees and
wasps. Sam had some trouble here: He was stung once on the right hand at Domngo and
twice on the upper inner thigh by one particular annoying bee that flew up his shorts in
Coronados. Although Sam is not allergic to them, the stings sites got red, hard, swollen
and very irritating, and they took about a week to clear up. One little boat mishap during
this trip –the line holding the jib clew broke while we were sailing one day in moderate
winds, but we were able to quickly furl the jib and Sam fixed it that night at the anchorage.
Some of the anchorages – Trinidad and San Antonio in particular – were rolly with swell
during the night which afforded us little rest. Along the way we saw lots of jumping manta
rays, dolphins, boobies, and a whole school of pilot whales – a new experience for us.
Except for the night we got in after midnight to Santa Rosalia, the passages were long
daytime trips; our average speed was about 3 knots, we left 7 AM most mornings and
arrived about 10 to 12 hours later most of the time, fighting swell and wind most of the day
and hand-steering without an autopilot. The Autohelm 3000 served us long and well and
we are surprised it lasted over 20 years, but it is time to replace it, and as someone at
West Marine told us, “enter into this century,” which means most likely a below decks unit
instead of the belt-driven type we were using.
Plans for the Summer. It was a great time in May and June sailing in the Sea of Cortez
and getting as far north as Bahia de Los Angeles this year. While we rest from the 13 day
return passage from BLA to La Paz of approximately 335 straight line nautical miles (about
385 statute miles), our time here will also be spent getting ready physically and mentally to
bash back up to California in mid-July. John Paul Watts, who crewed for us in March when
we came down to Mexico, will be joining us July 10 in La Paz, and hopefully be able to
bring with him a new auto pilot and some snacking favorites from Trader Joe’s (good
chocolate and peanut butter pretzels) to enjoy on the trip back up. Susie’s 5-year old
grandson Hunter will join us in August as we cruise around Southern California. As some
of you may remember, Hunter sailed with us from San Diego to Cabo in 2005 when he was
only 4 years old, so we are both looking forward to having him with us on the boat again.
We anticipate a great summer in Southern California and welcome anyone for a visit on
Catch The Wind.
| Photos for June 2007 |