Although you may be tired of seeing pictures of us in beautiful places, we can honestly say that we are not tired of being in beautiful places. The area north of Santa Rosalia has not been a disappointment in that respect. We've had a glorious month of sailing in the northern Sea (click on the map below to link to our googlemap page where we have descriptions of the places we visited).
Actually, northern is a bit of a misnomer, as there is quite a lot of the sea north of where we sailed. We made it as far north as Refugio, an anchorage on the northern tip of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Tomorrow we being our journey south to La Paz where we will cross over to the mainland and continue south to Zihuatanejo.
As fate and the winds would have it (there was a potential hurricane on the horizon), the crew of Isis decided to head to Refugio with us and Limerick instead of beginning their own southern sojourn. So we got to spend an additional couple of weeks hanging out with Burke, Kacey and Quinn, which, of course, we loved.
Prior to reaching Refugio we spent some time in Puerto Don Juan, where we did some hiking and sought protection from some stiff westerly winds.
Then we stopped off at Isla Smith (a.k.a. Coronado) to climb the island's 1500-foot volcano with the crews from Isis and Limerick. It was a very steep hike, but we all made it to the top - including 4-year-old Quinn, who hiked most of the way up and down by himself (occasionally getting a ride on dad's shoulders).
Refugio was definitely a highlight of the past month (despite a few swarms of no-see-ums). We had an exciting entry into the West Bay of Refugio, as our en
gine died about two hours before we arrived at the anchorage. With dusk setting in we sailed into the West Bay and had no option but to set the anchor and try to get a good bite using sail power instead of engine power. Isis has been anchoring under sail for months now, but this was our first time ever doing it. It was a bit stressful, but our anchor held us through the night. We did get up several times during the night, however, to make sure that we weren't being dragged off by the current.
Both the hiking and snorkeling at Refugio were top rate. Lisa did a hike on the Isla Angel de la Guarda with the crew of Isis while Dan was repairing the engine. It was a slightly eerie hike through a beautiful valley of dead things. The place was littered with desiccated iguanas, pelican carcasses, scorpion skeletons, sun-bleached crab shells and one very live (but very sleepy) rattlesnake.
On another day Lisa and Dan pretty much circumnavigated Isla Mejia, a stunningly gorgeous island with razor-sharp ridges, cacti-filled canyons, and incredible viewscapes.
Parts of Mejia reminded us of the canyons of the southwestern U.S. In some places sandstone caves and crevices extended well below water level so that when we were snorkeling we felt as if we were floating/flying through canyonlands.
In Refugio we also had the opportunity to swim with sea lions again. We anchored off of Isla Granito and swam with dozens of baby sea lions, under the unconcerned but watchful eye of momma. The young'uns appeared to be having as much fun playing as we did, and seemed to especially enjoy when we mimicked them (popping our heads above water when they did, diving and swirling and curving our bodies to try to match their motions). Burke took a video of the crew from Isis with the sea lions. It does a good job of showing what it's like to be in the water with these gentle, playful creatures. Check it out here.
There were several other amazing anchorages before and after Refugio, but we won't bore you with the details. Except for one story. On our way from Refugio to the mainland we anchored in a beautiful bay on Isla San Esteban. The rocks and caves on the island were some of the most spectacular we've seen in the Sea. We thought about snorkeling in the caves, but instead we went ashore with the crew from Isis because we had read that there were some rare large lizards called "chuckwallas" on the island. Instead of chuckwallas, however, we found that the island was infested with tawny-colored bobos - small flies that don't bite but are incredibly irritating because they crawl over and into any exposed body part.
There was no relief from the relentless insects. They got in our eyes, mouths, noses and ears, and as soon as you swiped a batch from your skin there were others to replace them. It was one of the most mentally challenging hikes we've ever done. As soon as we got back to our dinghies we fled to the middle of the bay to try to ditch the bobos. Eventually they left us alone, and we were able to return to our boats.
On to other matters:
In addition to enjoying this lifestyle and the amazing things that we are seeing and doing, we are becoming more competent sailors. We now have about four months of sailing under our belts (June, July, September, October). We have sailed overnight on three occasions, we've sailed in 25+-knot winds with 8-to-10-foot waves (tip to trough), we've sailed at night with
waves big enough to crash over our stern and into the cockpit and cabin, we've anchored under sail power when our engine failed, we've sat up all night when 50-knot winds blew through our anchorage at Bahia de Los Angeles, we've wrestled the spinnaker down in winds greater than 15 knots. . .
Yes, many of these experiences were nerve-wracking, but we learned something from each one. We know we have much yet to learn, but we're happy to report that we're feeling more and more comfortable and confident sailing Rumiko.
We are now in Guaymas, which is in the state of Sonora on the mainland side of the Baja. We came here for a few days to provision, clean the boat, do a few small repairs and, of course, do another blog posting. We've enjoyed our few days in Guaymas, which is the second largest port in western Mexico, home to commercial fishing fleets, mining, and other industrial activities. There is nothing touristy about it, which holds a lot of appeal for us. But as much as we like this town, we're itching to get back out into the Sea.
So tomorrow we will start heading back across the Sea to Santa Rosalia - another night crossing - then make our way back down to La Paz, visiting places that we failed to see when we sailed up the peninsula in the summer. We expect to be in La Paz by late November. In early December we will cross back over to the mainland - to Puerto Vallarta, where we will meet up with Isis and begin a trek down the coast of Mexico to Zihuatanejo.
Actually, northern is a bit of a misnomer, as there is quite a lot of the sea north of where we sailed. We made it as far north as Refugio, an anchorage on the northern tip of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Tomorrow we being our journey south to La Paz where we will cross over to the mainland and continue south to Zihuatanejo.As fate and the winds would have it (there was a potential hurricane on the horizon), the crew of Isis decided to head to Refugio with us and Limerick instead of beginning their own southern sojourn. So we got to spend an additional couple of weeks hanging out with Burke, Kacey and Quinn, which, of course, we loved.
Prior to reaching Refugio we spent some time in Puerto Don Juan, where we did some hiking and sought protection from some stiff westerly winds.
Then we stopped off at Isla Smith (a.k.a. Coronado) to climb the island's 1500-foot volcano with the crews from Isis and Limerick. It was a very steep hike, but we all made it to the top - including 4-year-old Quinn, who hiked most of the way up and down by himself (occasionally getting a ride on dad's shoulders).
Refugio was definitely a highlight of the past month (despite a few swarms of no-see-ums). We had an exciting entry into the West Bay of Refugio, as our en
gine died about two hours before we arrived at the anchorage. With dusk setting in we sailed into the West Bay and had no option but to set the anchor and try to get a good bite using sail power instead of engine power. Isis has been anchoring under sail for months now, but this was our first time ever doing it. It was a bit stressful, but our anchor held us through the night. We did get up several times during the night, however, to make sure that we weren't being dragged off by the current.
Both the hiking and snorkeling at Refugio were top rate. Lisa did a hike on the Isla Angel de la Guarda with the crew of Isis while Dan was repairing the engine. It was a slightly eerie hike through a beautiful valley of dead things. The place was littered with desiccated iguanas, pelican carcasses, scorpion skeletons, sun-bleached crab shells and one very live (but very sleepy) rattlesnake.On another day Lisa and Dan pretty much circumnavigated Isla Mejia, a stunningly gorgeous island with razor-sharp ridges, cacti-filled canyons, and incredible viewscapes.
Parts of Mejia reminded us of the canyons of the southwestern U.S. In some places sandstone caves and crevices extended well below water level so that when we were snorkeling we felt as if we were floating/flying through canyonlands.In Refugio we also had the opportunity to swim with sea lions again. We anchored off of Isla Granito and swam with dozens of baby sea lions, under the unconcerned but watchful eye of momma. The young'uns appeared to be having as much fun playing as we did, and seemed to especially enjoy when we mimicked them (popping our heads above water when they did, diving and swirling and curving our bodies to try to match their motions). Burke took a video of the crew from Isis with the sea lions. It does a good job of showing what it's like to be in the water with these gentle, playful creatures. Check it out here.
There were several other amazing anchorages before and after Refugio, but we won't bore you with the details. Except for one story. On our way from Refugio to the mainland we anchored in a beautiful bay on Isla San Esteban. The rocks and caves on the island were some of the most spectacular we've seen in the Sea. We thought about snorkeling in the caves, but instead we went ashore with the crew from Isis because we had read that there were some rare large lizards called "chuckwallas" on the island. Instead of chuckwallas, however, we found that the island was infested with tawny-colored bobos - small flies that don't bite but are incredibly irritating because they crawl over and into any exposed body part.
There was no relief from the relentless insects. They got in our eyes, mouths, noses and ears, and as soon as you swiped a batch from your skin there were others to replace them. It was one of the most mentally challenging hikes we've ever done. As soon as we got back to our dinghies we fled to the middle of the bay to try to ditch the bobos. Eventually they left us alone, and we were able to return to our boats.On to other matters:
In addition to enjoying this lifestyle and the amazing things that we are seeing and doing, we are becoming more competent sailors. We now have about four months of sailing under our belts (June, July, September, October). We have sailed overnight on three occasions, we've sailed in 25+-knot winds with 8-to-10-foot waves (tip to trough), we've sailed at night with
waves big enough to crash over our stern and into the cockpit and cabin, we've anchored under sail power when our engine failed, we've sat up all night when 50-knot winds blew through our anchorage at Bahia de Los Angeles, we've wrestled the spinnaker down in winds greater than 15 knots. . .Yes, many of these experiences were nerve-wracking, but we learned something from each one. We know we have much yet to learn, but we're happy to report that we're feeling more and more comfortable and confident sailing Rumiko.
We are now in Guaymas, which is in the state of Sonora on the mainland side of the Baja. We came here for a few days to provision, clean the boat, do a few small repairs and, of course, do another blog posting. We've enjoyed our few days in Guaymas, which is the second largest port in western Mexico, home to commercial fishing fleets, mining, and other industrial activities. There is nothing touristy about it, which holds a lot of appeal for us. But as much as we like this town, we're itching to get back out into the Sea.So tomorrow we will start heading back across the Sea to Santa Rosalia - another night crossing - then make our way back down to La Paz, visiting places that we failed to see when we sailed up the peninsula in the summer. We expect to be in La Paz by late November. In early December we will cross back over to the mainland - to Puerto Vallarta, where we will meet up with Isis and begin a trek down the coast of Mexico to Zihuatanejo.
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