Another cruising season at an end...sigh...

Seals pretending to be sharks.

The last leg of this season was a little melancholy for yours truly. We stayed in Puerto Escondido for a week after the end of Loreto Fest so the majority of the boats would be gone (and the weather calmer) in hopes of finding the anchorages to the north a bit less crowded. As we scooted up to Isla Coronados we were blessed (?) with flat seas and no wind so no sailing happened. The Log (and Chris) insisted that we had stayed there last year but neither Patty nor I could recall the anchorage. As soon as we began closing on the stunningly colored water and the long, sandy beach it all came back to us. Last year we’d only spent one night here and never left the boat…hence the memory lapse.

Pretty water at Isla Coronados

This time we took the dinghy to shore for a bit of exploration. Patty & I wandered the beach looking for shells but the only ones we found were fossils that were imbedded in rock. Chris did a little fishing but was only able to catch the occasional Puffer Fish which always presents a bit of a prickly problem when returning it to the sea.

Chris catchin' Puffer Fish

Still, he seems to enjoy the fishing almost more than the catching. Poor Abby was relegated to guard duty on the boat. All the islands in the Sea of Cortez are protected national park and dogs are not allowed on the land.

Abby "on watch"

Next morning we were up early and off to San Juanico…a breathtaking anchorage where I could happily spend weeks just hanging out. It is about a 4 hour sail…and sail we did! For once we had a nice breeze from a useable direction and we averaged 6-7 knots most of the trip.

Sails up! It doesn't get better than this!

I wish there had been another boat around to take a picture of us with both sails up but, as is normal, the only time you have an audience is when things go bad (think docking). Arriving in San Juanico we found that there were quite a few boats already there but we had no trouble finding a suitable spot to “park” in 20’ of gorgeous clear water.

Beautiful San Juanico

It was especially nice to see quite a few old and new friends in residence. Since this is on the Baja and not one of the islands, Abby got to go ashore to do some quality running, sniffing, digging and crab chasing. Chris & I made a foray to the Cruiser’s Shrine to up-date our contribution.

"Faith's" Cruiser's Shrine contribution

This is a bush on the beach that is covered with odd mementos from the many cruisers who have been here. Wine bottles with notes, flags of all sorts, hand painted shells and driftwood, and, my favorite, a single black shoe with no ID hung with fishing line grace the tree and the surrounding beach. It is somewhat reminiscent of a Christmas tree only much more fun.

The Cruiser's Shrine

Another windy front was expected from the north so most everyone stayed a couple days longer than planned but that is what cruising is about. No schedules. No timelines. No deadlines. People just used the extra time to do some hiking, read a good book or share a meal with another boat. One morning a radio announcement was made that there would be a potluck and bonfire on the beach that evening. Everyone attended and, even though most of us were low on food (using it up before we go home) there was plenty to eat and all of it was tasty.

Too soon, it was time to leave for a night in Santo Domingo, and then to Chivato and our last passage. What a nice surprise to arrive in Chivato and discover we were the only boat there…at least for a few hours. Our friends on Nautilas arrived in the afternoon and that evening the 5 of us had dinner at a restaurant we had discovered the year before. Chivato’s beach is a shell lover’s paradise and while we were waiting for Nautilas, Patty & I searched for something unique and unbroken while Chris took Abby for a run.

All alone at Punta Chivato

All of us had planned a 4am departure for the crossing but when Chris & I got up to raise anchor Nautilas was already on their way through the pass. OK…here’s the “rule”: Whenever any two sailboats are going in the same direction it is a race. Dang! They got the jump on us!

The day began with flat seas and no wind so we employed the iron Genny (Genoa: the sail that is on the front of the boat) to get us going. Chris was generous enough to take the first watch so I could get a couple more hours sleep and by the time I was up again he already had the fishing lines out. After the sun came up a bit of wind and some swell began to build in from the northwest. Up went some sail and we trucked along at 6-7 knots. We could see Nautilas had gone farther south and Chris thought they were making a tactical error that would allow us to catch or pass them. The weather came ‘round more northerly and the wind and seas built to the point where your safety-conscious Capitana required all on deck to don their life vest and tethers. It turned into a bit of a rolly ride with waves slapping the port side of the boat and causing things below to fly out of their normal cubby holes but it was a beautiful day and a fast ride. We caught 5 Dorado (Mahi Mahi) on the way but only kept three. One was too small and we lost one because it was too rough to go aft to pull it in, but the ones we kept were deee-licious!

As we closed in on the mainland we could see that Nautilas was way south and would have to beat back north to get into the anchorage so we thought we had a shot at getting there first. Alas…they are a faster boat and beat us by about 30 minutes. All having decided we had to have one more night at anchor Bahia Algodones (aka Catch 22 Beach) was our destination. The original “plan” was to dinghy to the beach for cerveza and dinner at the Soggy Peso but everyone was dog tired so we just BBQ’d on the boats and were rewarded with a beautiful sunset, full moon and calm night for sleeping. First thing the next morning…before the wind came up…we hustled around the corner and into our slip at Marina San Carlos where we would get the boat ready for another summer out of the water. Ken and Linde, from “Rosebud”, were waiting to catch docklines, Jeff & Janey on “Adagio” were already in the workyard and “Nautilas” came in right behind us so the whole gang was in town. It always takes the edge off all that hard work when friends are nearby to share the moans & groans, a cold beer at the end of the day or a dinner filled with laughs and sea stories.

It was the end of another wonderful winter in Mexico. We are happy/sad.