April 1, 2010 - Santa Rosalia

Santa Rosalia has a small harbor, with a ferry dock, a commercial dock and two very small marinas. We decided to go the newer one, Singular, which has room for 15 boats. We tried to hail the marina on the radio several times and finally just went in a tied at the end of the dock. Earl trooped up to the office and while he was gone I chatted with Sally and Dave from the Sally G which was tied across the way. When Earl came back we moved a couple of slips down from the Sally G on the other side of Blue. It was a mini Nordhavn Rendezvous. Blue is hull 9 of the Nordhavn 46s– the model that made the company famous and that we first fell in love with. Sally G is a Nordhavn 50 is also one of the earlier models. She was previously owned by Alaskans and called the Ice Dancer. We, of course, are a 43, one of the more recent models. The first 46s were made in 1989, the 50s were first made in 1996, and the 43s were started in 2004. We had a wonderful mini rendezvous, with drinks and munchies on the Serenity and enjoyed hearing everyone’s stories. Dave and Sally have been boating around the world for the better part of 20 years, first on a sail boat, then on a Nordhavn 46 which they took to Alaska, down the West Coast, through the Panama Canal, through the Caribbean, up the Atlantic Coast to Newfoundland, over to Norway and eventually the Med before returning to the Caribbean and the West Coast via the Panama Canal, putting some 34,000 miles on the boat. They then bought the 50 which they have used around the Sea of Cortez for a number of years, summering over the boat at San Carlos. Blue’s owners are on their first trip away from the US and came down here about the same time as we did. Their long range plans are a three year trip ending in South Africa which is where they are from, although they both have lived in the US for years.

The town of Santa Rosalia has 18,000 inhabitants and little foreign tourism. Copper was found here in the 1860’s. A French company, El Boleo, purchased the mine in 1885, greatly expanded it and built the company town. Wood for construction was shipped from the Pacific Northwest, and unlike any other town we have seen in Baja, the houses are built of wood with porches and ornate balconies. The town looks like a cross between New Orleans and old Key West. The streets are lined with dense fica trees. One of the landmarks here is the Church of Santa Barbara which was built by Gustav Eifel out of steel for the 1889 Paris Exposition and dismantled and eventually reassembled here. It is quite charming. The structure is very simple inside, quiet and serene. I loved it. The mine has long since closed but the town seems thriving.

We wandered through the town and bought some groceries. At the fruteria where we bought vegetables we kept hearing roosters crowing loudly. In the yard behind the store we discovered cages of fighting cocks. That was something new for us. We then went to the bread store which is quite well known. I bought baguettes. Then I explained that my husband loved sweets and asked them to give me a selection of sweet breads. I don’t know the names, but they are good. I had something that was like an apple turnover. (Earl is not the only one who can eat sweet breads.) As we have found everywhere in Baja, the people are lovely. My little bit of Spanish serves me well and the fruit and vegetable sales lady and I had a good time making fun of Earl having to carry the heavy bags of all that I bought.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is promising and I expect we will take off and start wandering south. We need to be in Loreto on the 13^th. In between we plan on cruising Baja Conception which everyone loves. Were we to spend another day here, I would not be unhappy. There is much to explore – an old hotel, the mining museum, the city cemetery high on the hill and a hike following the old copper mine railroad tracks up the hill. We will need to return.