Leaving La Paz on 4/19/14 after 6
days at Marina Cortez. We enjoyed
being downtown La Paz rather than the
more upscale Costa Baja marina located a 20 minute shuttle ride from the heart
of the city. We even had another good
cruisers dinner with Dianne and Neil for Salacia (N40). They are heading home for the summer and leaving their boat in La Paz. Lots of folks do this to avoid the trip north also known as the Baja Bash.
A favorite grill in La Paz
Marina Cortez Walkway
Our destination is a group of
volcanic islands north of La Paz along
the eastern coast of the Baja peninsula.
We plan to work our way north to Loretto about 90 miles from La Paz. We don’t have an actual itinerary and most
trips will be less than 30 miles between anchorages. It’s a very popular time of year as cruisers
move north into the Sea of Cortez from the Gold Coast (Puerto Villarta
mainland) in search of cooler weather and out of the hurricane belt. These islands are a national park requiring a
permit and restrictions on fishing and overnight camping.
Each of the notations is a picture perfect anchorage in the right weather.
Other than a few fishing camps the islands are uninhabited.
Just before leaving La Paz if
caught a cold but did not think it would be too bad. It has
been very difficult to shake.
Have not felt like doing much so we anchored in a very desolate cove and
for 3 days while I slept and tried to get better.
Finally felt a little better and we moved on to very nice and more scenic spot call the Hook at Isla San Francisco. Still did not feel like hiking to the top for a picture but here is picture from the guide book.
We had our first rude encounter
since entering Mexico. We were well into
the anchorage and about to drop the hook when an older Hatteras M/Y cut across
our bow, turned and set his anchor in
the same spot we where planning. He
never made eye contact from the bridge or acknowledged we were on the
planet. In ten minutes has jet ski,
dinghy, paddle-boards and kyacks in the water for a raft of kids to use. Ran a genset all night and left the next
morning as the big Detriots carried him away.
Boat name EL DON in very big letters with an east coast hailing
port. Somehow it all fit together.
Our next stop San Evaristo is a
small fishing village on the mainland set into a very well protected natural
harbor. We anchored in 10 feet of
crystal clear water, watched the anchor set and the chain play out. This is still a trill for me to see the
bottom and still feel safe. Only a few
rocks visible and plenty of bait
fish. The town has a small water plant
and makes its own electricity. Most
homes have a generator and one or two solar collectors on the larger
homes. A resturant/palapa and a very
small teinda but no medicine for a cold.
The anchorage filled up by sunset with over a dozen boats. Two power boats and 10 sail boats. We are
the exception up here. Four fish tacos
and a fee to dump our trash and the total was 131 pesos or about $11US.
Mary gave some local kids a bunch of candy and they we all smiles. They were pretty good at approaching us w/o speaking English and polite.
Sorry about no pics but this cold
is winning. Our next stop is planned
around the potential for some meds. We
have enough medical gear on board to sew up a major laceration, IV fluids,
splints, antibiotics, AED and much more.
( even have an IV set for Keela
in case she requires emergency hydration) Common cold was not in the planning so we are
hoping to get lucky at a small tienda at the next stopover.
Made our way in very flat water to
Bahi Candeleros, (25.43.72N X 111.14.24 W) just a few miles south of Escondido. There is a very nice hotel there along with
a good anchorage for southern weather.
Dinghy
trip ashore was easy and the hotel was very welcoming to boaters. Mary found two kinds of cough medicine and
some cough drops. (Think I might be
keeping her up?) We were joined by 4
other boats for a very quiet and clear night.
A 90’ Azmuit came in late towing
two other fun boats, a 19’ ski boat and a 16’ dinghy. Guess fun comes in all shapes. Way in the back of the above phot o is a
small fishing village and a few shacks.
Their view is amazing but the property all around is part of a time
share development. Who knows if it will
take 2 or 20 years to have an impact on them.
Not feeling much better but we
moved to Escondido and Hidden Harbor in expectation of crowds getting in place
for LorettoFest. This is one of the many
cruiser sponsored charity events that usually support a local school or other
need. We had read much about the
harbor.
Puerto Escondido is one of the Baja’s
most protected anchorages, landlocked except for a 200’ wide passage
channel. Anchorages include the “Waiting
Room” the “Elispse” and the main harbor which can hold 150 boats on mooring
balls and anchor.
It really is a hidden entrance:
To say we were surprised is only
fair, in fact the place is a bit
depressing if that is possible in picture perfect weather conditions. (My cold
is not helping here). The “Elispse” has
been abondoned by the builder and the local cruisers have build a make shift
ladder for access to a few dozen boats on mooring balls. The main building is also abondoned. The last resturant closed just this week, the
local grocery store is selling out the shelves and the rest of the offices
except the marina office are vacant. The
boat yard has a few boats but did not see the travel lift move the 4 days we
were there. No one was at the fuel dock
but there was a number call for service.
The larger anchorage contains a few
slips and wonderfully engineered fuel dock, boat yard and concrete construction office and retail space.
What makes this so sad is they did
everything right. Very high end construction with lots of palm trees and features. A lap pool, clubhouse rooms and more all
built for 30 years or more of life.
There are many stories as to the downfall of the Fonatur marinas, many
linked to the overall economy pull back in the 2008 time frame just at they
were coming on line with several facilites.
Still with this much infrastructure in place there is not much effort
being made to attract clients. The
mooring balls are mostly abandoned, we took one of only a few that had a tag
line attached. The office was less than
welcoming, poor wi-fi, laundry might be open but not likely, and on and on. Fences are erected separating the Elispe
from the main harbor so you have to walk an extra 400 yards to visit the Hidden
Harbor Yacht Club.
A number of local cruisers are
hanging on here, mostly in the “Waiting Room” on private mooring balls and
anchors. The bus does not come to the
marina so a trip to Loretto is a $500 Peso cab ride and often an hour delay for
road construction.
So after 6 months in Mexico we
landed in a place we don’t like much. I’m
still fighting the cold and we plan to hang around until I’m better since this
is a very protected harbor. Maybe when I’m
feeling better Escondido will look better.
My crew is trying to stay low while I recover from this cold.
We will be headed back to La Paz in a few days.
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