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Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida
These are two islands about 25 miles north of La Paz on the East coast of Baja. They are
some of the most popular cruising grounds in Mexico. No wonder, the water is clear and
warm, and the anchorage's scenic.
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The Anchorage At Caleta Partida |
I left La Paz on Thursday morning heading north to the islands. This is a 6 hour trip
directly into a 10 knot breeze. The islands are breathtaking. I anchored at Caleta
Partida. Caleta Partida is a breached crater that separates Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla
Partida. The anchorage is almost completely surrounded by high cliffs except where it opens to
the west and a small shallow straight that acts as a separator of the two islands. This is
considered to be the most protected and best anchorage on the islands. It certainly is the
most popular given the number of boats here. This is also where Sea of Cortez Race Week is
held every April.
I spend one day climbing to the top of an old cinder cone on Espiritu Santo with my
friends Steve and Magi from the boat Bailiwick. The rest of the day has been spent reading
and hanging out. I also went snorkeling. Everything is going as planned. I also spent a
few nights anchored at Ensenada Grande, an anchorage a few miles north of Caleta Partida.
 Steve and Magi above Caleta Partida |
 Scott
with Caleta Partida straight in Background |
Isla San Francisco
 The Beach at Isla San Francisco. Great for Shelling. |
The next stop was Isla San Francisco. Here was LOONITUDE! whom I first
meet in Mazatlan. It was nice to get caught up on what they are doing. Isla San
Francisco is a small island north of Isla Partida. Their was great snorkeling on the north
side of the island. I also was able to harvest a number of Scallops for dinner. |
Punta San Evaristo
My next stop was to be Los Gatos. I left Isla San Francisco in about 10 knots of wind.
The wind and seas quickly built to 15-20 knots with 3-4 foot seas. I was not having fun so
I decided to divert to Punta San Evaristo. This is a very protected anchorage. So this is
where I dropped the hook. Because of strong north winds (steady 15-20 knot winds all
day/night) I stayed in Evaristo for 3 nights.
| This is where I meet Rhonda, Gordon and Marena of Uhuru from Juneau
Alaska. Unfortunately, this picture does not show how cute Marena is (She is 2 years old). Even
though it was real windy, I still had fun. One Day, We went into the town of Evaristo
(population of 50?), There are salt flats that produce the salt for A Baja-brand table
salt. While in town, we were treated to the locals having a volleyball game. I also had
dinner on Uhuru where I was treated to homemade soup. I would meet up with Uhuru at a
number of anchorage's as we moved up the coast. |
 Gordon, Marena, Rhonda of
Uhuru |
Puerto Los Gatos
| The weather finally settled and I moved northwards once more. Puerto Los
Gatos is about 26 miles north of San Evaristo. This place is magic. On the approach to
this small cove I was greeted by a large pod of dolphins. I also spotted several Killer
Whales and a manta ray. What a greeting! I'm the only boat here at first. I feel that I
finally have gotten to see some of the 'wild' Baja coast. There are no fish camps or any
signs of people except for a small palapa off the beach. The water is so clear. I can see
the bottom easily. I'm later joined by a number of boats including Uhuru. |
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| Puerto Los Gatos (The Cats) is a very colorful anchorage with a small bay
and not a lot of protection if the weather turns bad. I anchored in the north part of the
bay in about 10 feet of water. I understand that Los Gatos got it's name because Lynx and
Bobcats used to be native of this area. |
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While anchored I meet my new friend Manuel. Manuel is a fisherman that sells lobster
and fish to the local cruisers. We shared a beer and I bought some lobster from him. He
was a nice guy so I also gave him an old bottle of Tequila I had sitting around. He was so
happy he loaded me up with even more lobster. He also told be where his special lobster
hole is (I'll never tell.) Uhuru also got loaded down with some lobster so we had a huge
feast that night.
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Besides a most beautiful landscape the snorkeling was great. Lots of
varieties of fish: Rays, Eels, Angle, trigger and needle fishes are some of the types of
fish that I encountered. This has been the best snorkeling out side of Los Frailes. I also
had a large number of puffer fish (about 100) that decided to take residence under my
boat. They are so cute. They almost have human expressions on their faces. They swarm
around so much I have to shoo them away when I get into the water to swim. |
Los Gatos is great. It's one of my favorite anchorages in Mexico. I don't want to
leave.
Bahia Agua Verde
| I'm off to Agua Verde. It's only 16 miles north of Los Gatos. The weather
is finally to the normal Baja pattern. It's a hot day with very light south winds. With
such a short hop, favorable winds it's the perfect day to sail. I even get a chance to get
pictures of Michi under sail! The day goes great. I'm even visited by a large pod of
dolphins. They were so cool, I was to stunned to take their pictures! |
 Michi heading up the coast
to Agua Verde |
Roca Solitaria. It's not white from Snow! |
Agua Verde is a very popular cruiser destination. No
wonder why, it's a beautiful bay with numerous protected anchorage's. Here I spent a
number of days hanging out on the boat, Snorkeling and playing games with my friends from
Uhuru. The best snorkeling I found was around Roca Solitaria. A small island at the mouth
of Bahia Agua Verde. |
For some reason All the boats wanted to anchor in this
bay. I was first to anchor here, by the time I left, there were 8 boats in this small bay.
Maybe I should stop showering on deck. |
South Anchorage Agua Verde. |
Puerto Escondido
 "Hidden
Harbor" |
Puerto Escondido (Hidden Harbor) is a well protected anchorage and
hurricane hole making this a popular cruiser handout. My goal in stopping here was to get
fresh water and food. I also needed to go into Loreto 15 miles north to check in with
immigration and the port captain. Luckily me, and my friends Dave and Ellie from Sea
Squirt got a ride from Smitty Smith from the Vagabond Lover. Smitty is a long-time Mexico
cruiser who was able to show us around Loreto. He even bought us ice cream. |
| Escondido was very beautiful but I only stayed for a short time. Getting
most of my provisioning done in one day I spent the next day hiking around the hills and
looking for whales (which I did not find.) Even though other cruisers I talked with
reported many whales in the area. |
 Looking
towards Loreto |
Caleta De San Juanico
| Caleta De San Juanico is the furthest north into the Gulf of California I
will travel. Caleta De San Juanico is a large bay 35 miles north of Puerto Escondido.
Famous for the Cruiser Shrine. This where cruisers passing
through leave a 'boat' thing. The snorkeling around the reefs pictured here was
excellent. While swimming around I encountered three different types of rays. Just
amazing! |
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Isla Carmen
It was a great day to sail to Isla Carmen from San Juanico (35 nautical miles). With a
north wind from 5-10 knots I was able to sail with the gennaker the whole way. It was a
great sail. In the morning I was visited by 3 pods of Dolphins! I tried to get a picture,
but the gods were against me. First, there were no batteries in the Digital camera or film
in the 35. (thus I missed the first pod). For the second, I tried to put film into the
35mm camera but I was getting an error, so I missed the perfect shot of the 4 dolphins off
my bow. Later, I was putting up the gennaker when I looked at my feet and two dolphins
were ridding the bow wave! Oh well, at least I hooked a Sierra which made a fine dinner.
| I anchored in Bahia Salinas located on the East side of the island. Bahia
Salinas is a large bay with an abandoned town and salt mine (the largest salt deposit in
Mexico). This is a great anchorage. In the evening, I was visited by numerous Manta Rays.
Several even swam under the boat (One was at least 6-8 feet across!). I jumped into the
water to follow. I glimpsed one briefly underwater but did not see others. Back on the
boat, I was able to watch 6-8 mantas swim around and do back-flips (They jump out of the
water and do flips - I don't know why) |
The beach in Bahia Salinas |
The next day I went ashore to take a look at the abandoned town. It was founded 120
years ago and was primarily a salt mining operation (closed in 1960). When I landed ashore
I found out that I needed a permit to tour the island. But luckily, One of the care takers
of the island was willing to show me around the town. It turns out that Isla Carmen is
part of the National Marine Park Bay of Loreto. This national park was founded on July
19th, 1996 with the goal of preserving the natural resources of this area. To visit the
Island, you can get a permit from Secretary of Environment, Natural Resources and Fishery
(SEMARNAP) in Loreto.
A Day In The Life
So Scott, what do you do all day? It turns out that I'm very busy and the days do go by
very fast. While cruising in the Sea of Cortez I have three types of days. One, where I'm
sailing to the next anchorage gets me up early when I up anchor and head out (usually by 8
or 9). The day sailing or motoring which is more the norm, is spent fishing, reading a
book, navigating, looking over the water for Whales, Rays or Dolphins. Another day has me
in a port (like La Paz or Puerto Escondido) where I can get things done. This includes
major boat projects, provisioning, calling home, updating the web, etc. I try to save up
all of 'business-end' activities to do them all at once so the rest of the time I can
relax.
When I'm at anchor, my days seem to fall into a regular routine. In the morning while
having breakfast, I listen to the Ham Radio to get the day's weather. Sometimes I will
also download a Weather Fax (a weather map transmitted from San Francisco). The rest of
the morning is spent snorkeling. Mid-day, I like to read, have a light lunch (Yogurt and
Fruit) and take a siesta. Afternoons are saved for going ashore where I walk the beaches,
visit town or climb the hills. I also try to get some kind of exercise, usually swimming
for 30 minutes. Sometimes I will do light boat projects which there are always an
abundance. Evenings have me making dinner and talking on the Single side band with other
cruisers. Late evenings I make plans for the next port, update my web pages or read.
Through all of this is the social side. Many days are spent with fellow cruisers having
dinner or playing games. Everywhere there are interesting people to meet or just running
into 'old' friends. It's this aspect that makes cruising the most enjoyable. |
