We arrived in Cabo San Lucas yesterday afternoon (Sat 7th Nov) after a generally pleasant and rare downwind sail from Turtle Bay.
We were able to do 3 day sails and then 1 overnight passage to cover the 395 nautical miles.
Anchored in Bahia Ascuncion the 1st night arriving just on dusk.
As we were approaching Bahia Ballena the 2nd night we started to encounter more and more fishing pots and marker buoys as the water got shallower. The small markers are hard to see and we heard a number of yachts in the Baja Rally get entangled so we were wary and trying to avoid them. We wew sailing dead downwind with our new whisker pole on the genoa. I saw a line of buoys which appeared to be connected. Unfortunately ther was no time to get the genoa furled and so the ensuing jibe promptly bent and then broke our new whisker pole ! By the time we had sorted out this mess it was getting dark so we had to wend our way through the shoals hoping their positions were accurate on the chart as we found our way in using GPS and radar. Not the recommended approach in these parts. The moon had not come up yet so were were keeping our fingers crossed we didn't foul any lobster pot lines. Mike's night vision goggles would have been handy ! We heard a few knock against the hull and when we woke up in the morning we were surrounded !
We had another nice downwind passage to the next major bay - Bahia Magdalena known amongst cruisers as Mag Bay. We had heard that it was a very sheltered and pleasant anchorage and although it is protected from the pacific swell we were a bit disappointed to find it very windy and being such a big bay surrounded by low lying land the seas became quite rough and the anchorage (Punta Belcher) quite uncomfortable. So instead of having a relaxing day their and going ashore we decided to head onto Cabo the next morning. Also as our outboard motor has died again (after I rebuilt it only a few months earlier in San Francisco) rowing an inflatable ashore in 20kt winds is not much fun so limits our shore going activities quite a bit. Oh well another thing to go back onto the never ending jobs list !
One highlight of the passage was to catch a good sized fish - see the photo. A wahoo we think and the biggest we have ever caught. Guess what we will be eating for the next month !
We have been watching the water temperature steadily climb as we head south - it is up to 30°C now so it's nice to be back in the tropics but the climate is still nice and dry here in Baja California with pleasantly cool nights.Rounding Cabo San Lucas is quite impressive with the rocks and arches just off the point. It is not quite what you expect to see in Mexico with all the houses and condominiums lining the surrounding hills. It feels more like somewhere in the Mediterranean. The marina berths are priced likewise - $150 per night ! So it is anchoring for us. With all the Baja HaHa Rally yachts taking up so much room we were well down the beach from the harbor.
The anchorage is abuzz with the usual resort activities with jet skis banana boats para sails etc. We didn't have much trouble getting a water taxi to take us ashore so it was good to escape from the boat and stretch our legs.
The next post should be from La Paz which is north of here in the Sea of Cortez. Once again we will make it in few short hops anchoring at Los Frailes and Ensenada de Los Muertos (Cove of the Dead !). Promises to be some nice snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez.
The internet connection here at the anchorage is a bit flaky so will add the photos for this and the previous posts when we get to La Paz.
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