On Monday we headed into a lovely anchorage on Isla Carmen across from Loreto. The water was clear and felt wonderful. Unfortunately we were quickly joined by a large number of honey bees. They were not aggressive. They were only interested in the freshwater on our back deck, but they were so numerous that we did not feel comfortable sharing space with them. So we headed south to Isla Danzante and lovely Honeymoon Cove.
There were a couple of other boats there but it was not crowded. We were on the south side of the anchorage and some distance from the others. Around sundown, a panga with three men on it came in and landed on the shore behind us. They poked around on the shore as if looking for something and then sat down on the beach in the dark. I have to admit that they spooked us a bit. We hauled up our dingy just in case they were planning on taking it. The next day we saw a big 80-90 foot blacked hull Mexican sport fishing yacht anchored in the bay below us. Earl thinks that perhaps the men in the panga were some type of security since it was probable that there was someone important on the boat. And of course, there are always drugs... Who knows.
The weather which has been incredibly humid seems suddenly to have changed for drier. While it is still hot, it is now quite pleasant. We are now enjoying sitting on the top in late afternoon.
Friday, October 21, 2011 Looking for fish around Isla Coronado
We are staying in the area of Loreto since our friends will be arriving there on the 25th. It is a nice cruising area, with Loreto somewhat protected by Isla Carmen and lovely anchorages from which to choose. An additional bonus is internet and telephone service is available over much of the area. I am stunned by the clarity of the water. We have seen the bottom as deep as forty feet below us.
Yesterday we cruised in the anchorage on the west side of Isla Coronado. After a wonderful swim, we took Daisy for a boat ride. She perches on the bow like a hood ornament and obviously loves it. There were a number of pelicans on the beach and as we approached she became increasingly excited. Finally when we were about 20 feet from shore in about 2 feet of water, she could stand it no longer and leaped off the boat. In the past she has only jumped off when she could hit the beach or very shallow water - about 6 feet. This time she had to swim for it. When she came up, she was off heading for shore, apparently untroubled, and intent on running off the pelicans. It was her first real swim. I hope we have not created a monster!
There were two sail boats anchored near us, the Juniata and the Windward Bound. We had met the Juniata up in Santa Rosalia and taken a great sunset photo of her. It is nice to meet old friends. Marsha and Dave from Juniata and their friends from the Windward Bound, Jim and Susan, came over for drinks. Both couples live aboard their boats and were on their way south after spending the summer in the Northern Sea. The Juniata will spend the winter in La Paz and then, after 4 years in the sea, will head back up the coast to the Northwest. They will miss the warm water but they are hungering for the shrimp and crab of the Northern Pacific. They are looking into marinas in Washington so we hope we will see them again up north.
Jim and Susan are also getting itchy feet. They have now spent four years here as well and Susan wants to explore further south. They will probably not go until next winter. It sounds as if there is a four year itch. It will probably hit us next winter.
We left Coronado around 10 am. We have circled the island and are headed down to the east side of Isla Carmen. Earl is putting his fishing gear to work, but so far we have had no luck since catching the two dorado a week ago.
Well, speak of the devil - I had no sooner written the above when Earl had a fish on. It was a good sized dorado. He fought like crazy and when Earl finally had him up to the boat, he slipped the hook. As they say, we had everything except the eating of him!
Saturday, October 22, 2011 - fishing off the east side of Carmen
By the time we anchored yesterday in front of Salinas, Earl had caught 3 dorado and was satisfied with his fishing. We anchored on the east side of Carmen in Bahia Salinas. Years past, there was a commercial salt operation there. The workers came over from Loreto and anchorage on the north side of the island at Bahia la Lancha. There are said to be giant salt crystals in the salt evaporation ponds and I was hoping to explore the ruins and see the salt crystals. As it happened, there was too much swell for us to take the dingy into the beach. I had a lovely swim and we had a pleasant evening on the deck listening to the radio and looking at stars. My exploration will have to wait for another visit.
1 comment:
You all look well. El tiburon is headed south and should be in La Paz by Nov 6. We are planning on spending Thanksgiving in Los Gatos. Then we will cross to La Cruz for Christmas. Hope to catch up with Serenity somewhere along the way.
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