Agua Verde to Ensenada de los Muertos
After having our windsurfing hopes dashed in Agua Verde, we
weighed anchor and headed to Timbabiche on December 8th. The wind
was on the quarter stern but the seas seemed to come from every direction
making for a most unpleasant sail. We ended up motor-sailing because it was
just too difficult to make good forward progress in those conditions. We
considered stopping at San Marte but determined that it would not provide
enough protection from the swell so we continued south to Timbabiche. We were
able to arrive before sunset and were treated to another spectacular display of
color over the Gigantas. We love this area of Baja because the Gigantas make
the most splendid backdrop for sunsets with hues that we never get tired of
seeing. We were able to tuck up into the north side of the bay but were
afforded little protection from the swell. Within minutes of anchoring, a fisherman
approached us in his panga and sold us a fish. We cooked the fish and tried to
distract ourselves with movies thanks to Star Link, which we affectionately
call Skynet! We’ve become pretty good at dealing with most every condition but
the rolling created by the swell was just too much. We slept little that night
and were up at 04:30 to prepare for departure at sunrise.
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| Sailing to Timbabiche |
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| Sunset over the Gigantas in Timbabiche |
As the sun came up, we pulled up anchor. The boat was wildly
rolling from side to side. As Jeff went to hank on the main halyard, it got
wrapped around the radar reflector and we were unable to free it. So we turned
around, went back into the bay, dropped the hook, and set about freeing the
halyard. Jeff went up in the bosun’s chair and our fisherman amigo came to
offer help. Once the halyard was freed, we pulled up the anchor, hoisted the
main, and headed out of Timbabiche for Mangle Solo on Isla San Jose. The
conditions were just as awful as the day before so we motor-sailed for a second
day.
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| Sunrise in Timbabiche |
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| Sailing the San Jose Channel towards Mangle Solo on Isla San Jose |
We arrived in Mangle Solo on the west side of Isla San Jose around
noon and anchored in crystal clear water hoping to spot blue whales which are
known to migrate through the channel at this time of year. The anchorage was
nice and calm. On shore, we saw about 2 dozen goats that were tied to a long rope;
it seemed so odd to see goats on this remote island. The next morning as we
enjoyed coffee and waited to spy a blue whale, 3 pangas pulled up and loaded
the goats into the boats. They zipped them off in the direction of San Evaristo
on the peninsula.
We continued south on December 10th under
SPLENDID conditions. The seas were gentle and we made way at about 6kt under
Genoa alone. Our destination was Amortajada on the south end of Isla San Jose.
It was nice to be stopping at new anchorages along the way. We tucked up nice
and close to shore in Amortajada hoping that we could row the dinghy in to the
estuary the next day. One of the things the guidebooks warn about this
anchorage is the jejenes, small biting gnats that leave itchy welts. These
little monsters are relentless and they get in everywhere even if you have
screens. They are particularly nasty at sunrise and sunset. So, on the 11th,
we said adios to Amortajada. Initially we had planned to stop at Isla San
Francisco but the wind was quite the opposite of the forecast so we enjoyed
another wonderful sail all the way to Caleta Partida on Isla Partida, the
island just north of Espiritu Santo.
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| Sailing to Amortajada on the south side of Isla San Jose |
Last season we had hoped to stop in Caleta Partida on our
way north but there were too many boats anchored there so we passed it. This is
a lovely anchorage and at high tide you can dinghy between Partida and Espiritu
Santo. The anchorage is definitely a place you could enjoy for a while. Jeff
was able to repair the outboard (after weeks of diagnostics, he found that the
injector was plugged and all it took was a sewing needle and some WD40 to clear
it!) so that was a game changer! We dinghied around to the sea caves on the
east side of Espiritu Santo, we windsurfed, we played bocce ball on the beach,
and we visited with new AND old friends. A couple of friends we met last season
in La Cruz were crewing on another boat so we enjoyed an evening visiting with
them. We had planned to stay in Partida until the 17th. However,
spontaneity is a great thing! Several boats weighed anchor on the morning of
December 16th so we decided to do so, as well.
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| Sailing to Isla Partida |
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| Fixing the outboard |
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| Caleta Partida |
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| Caleta Partida |
It turned out to be a great decision because we were able to
sail a broad reach in 10-15kt. We rounded Isla Ballena on the west side, gybed,
and made haste for the San Lorenzo channel (between the southern tip of
Espiritu Santo and mainland Baja). Just as we hit the channel, the winds
dropped to 3kt! We patiently waited and considered shaking out the reef in the
main. But Jeff’s astute wind sensing abilities kicked in as he realized our
friends ahead of us were heeled to about 20 degrees! About half-way through the
channel, the winds picked up to 17kt and we were close-reached on our ears!
Jeff moved forward and put a second reef in the main and we furled in the Genoa
to 110%. As we turned south into the Cerralvo Channel, we surfed the ginormous
swell on a broad reach. What a superbly fun day of sailing! We arrived in
Ensenada de los Muertos just after sunset! We had sailed 54nm in about 8
hours…satisfying!
On December 17th, we walked up the hill to the
cute little chapel and had lunch with our friends on Bird Song. Afterwards, we
made preparations to head to Los Frailes on the 18th.
Next Post: A Comedy of Errors
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