Sept. 2007
We left Santa Rosalia on Aug. 23rd and headed north, arriving in Bahia San Franscisquito the next day, our 5th wedding anniversary. The trip was calm and
uneventful, the way I always like them.
a
We left Santa Rosalia on Aug. 23rd and headed north, arriving in Bahia San Franscisquito the next day, our 5th wedding anniversary. The trip was calm and
uneventful, the way I always like them.
a
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Bridgie's Babble - Sept. 2007
| John's not blowing a tune, he's trying to keep the booby birds from taking his fishing lure. |
| Mr. Pelican's perch gives him a "birds eye view" of dinner. |
| We were lucky enough to have the anchorage to ourselves for a day or two. |
At the end of August we made our way east to Isla Salsipuedes and promptly anchored in the North Slot. It had been a beautiful day, we sailed on a beam reach and
had thousands of dolphin escorts along the whole passage.
had thousands of dolphin escorts along the whole passage.
| A dolphin escort makes the day! |
| Sailsoon at the opening of the anchorage, with a "do not cross" banner! |
| A view of the South Slot |
| This pair of birds decided to keep us company for many days,often visiting the cabin to munch on flies! |
| A Leopard grouper for dinner! |
| View of the hunting grounds at the North Slot. No shortage of food here...... |
In Early Sept. we were paying serious attention to the tropical storm warnings that were being broadcast on the
SSB radio and transmitted via weather fax info. The weather system quickly turned into "Hurricane Henriette",
forcing us to leave beautiful Isla Salsipuedes and we headed for Puerto Don Juan, the northernmost hurricane
hole in the Sea of Cortez. We arrived on Sept. 3 to join about 12 other boats. Over the next day or so, the
anchorage contained 27 boats. All mariners listened intently to reports on Henriette's development and
anticipated route. Meanwhile, most cruisers were busy securing things on deck, removing sails and dodgers, as
well as stowing anything that might become a moving target in high winds. A few days later, Henriette took a
more southerly route and we were spared. What a relief!
SSB radio and transmitted via weather fax info. The weather system quickly turned into "Hurricane Henriette",
forcing us to leave beautiful Isla Salsipuedes and we headed for Puerto Don Juan, the northernmost hurricane
hole in the Sea of Cortez. We arrived on Sept. 3 to join about 12 other boats. Over the next day or so, the
anchorage contained 27 boats. All mariners listened intently to reports on Henriette's development and
anticipated route. Meanwhile, most cruisers were busy securing things on deck, removing sails and dodgers, as
well as stowing anything that might become a moving target in high winds. A few days later, Henriette took a
more southerly route and we were spared. What a relief!
Once the threat of Henriette passed, we decided to spend some time off the Village of Bahia de Los Angeles, and did a few short day sails to overnight at anchorages
such as La Mona (where the coyotes live among the rocks), Quemada (beautiful hiking with views and lots of rocks..again) and La Ventana. We were really just trying
to explore the local area and pass some time while in the height of hurricane season. We continued to explore until the end of Sept., when we decided to start heading
south for the season. The highlights of this area, without a doubt, are the whales! There are so many fin backs, some blue whales and others we weren't able to identify.
This area is clearly their home. They can be heard and seen at all times of the day and night. There were also whale sharks in the bay; large, friendly ones. Reports are
that some people actually got to swim with them but we were not as lucky !We also visited a marine turtle sanctuary. This facility takes in injured turtles and nurses them
back to health, which can often take up to 10 years.
such as La Mona (where the coyotes live among the rocks), Quemada (beautiful hiking with views and lots of rocks..again) and La Ventana. We were really just trying
to explore the local area and pass some time while in the height of hurricane season. We continued to explore until the end of Sept., when we decided to start heading
south for the season. The highlights of this area, without a doubt, are the whales! There are so many fin backs, some blue whales and others we weren't able to identify.
This area is clearly their home. They can be heard and seen at all times of the day and night. There were also whale sharks in the bay; large, friendly ones. Reports are
that some people actually got to swim with them but we were not as lucky !We also visited a marine turtle sanctuary. This facility takes in injured turtles and nurses them
back to health, which can often take up to 10 years.
| The community store on the north side of town has some produce and basic provisions |
| John visits with the owner while I do all the hard work......shopping! |
| Bimbo bread NEVER goes bad, no matter how old it is! Fresh eggs were not available; the hens said it was too hot to lay them??? |
| Can you spot the coyote? They camouflage quite well! (click for a close-up) |
| John enjoys a stroll along the beach at La Mona. Notice the S.S. Minnow that ran aground? |
| Sailsoon at rest as the sun sets |
| Our first trip to the Turtle Sanctuary included: Jill and Greg of s/v Guenevere, Ilene, Jamie and Adrien of s/v Flying Cloud and George, Melinda and Josh of s/v Southern Belle. Unfortunately, the facility was closed but the morning trip was fun anyway. |
| Turtles are endangered and protected but this doesn't stop some of the local fishermen from trying to provide dinner for their families |
| Dave and Kellie of s/v Sweet Lorraine joined us on the second trip. Knowledgeable guides answer questions and offer explanations. |
| FACT: By natural habit, turtles eat whatever floats on the sea surface and in the water. When they eat pieces of plastic that have been discarded, their stomachs fill and they die from starvation due to lack of nutrients. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISPOSE OF PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. PLEASE HELP BY NOT DOING SO. THANKS! |
| Josh, Melinda and George attempting to play with a whale shark in Bahia de Los Angeles |
| Whales are frequent sights |
| And we never tire of seeing them! |
AND NOW FOR AN OVERVIEW OF BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES VILLAGE :
| Breakfast was excellent at Costa del Sol with friends from s/v Panoya and s/v Guenevere |
| Burgers and fries all around at Palapa Reyna for those on s/v Hooligan and s/v Sweet Lorraine! |
| The shoreline of the bay is a welcome sight. |
| Provisioning can also be done at the "yellow market" named Xitlali, if you're looking for "gringo food" |
| Greg of s/v Guenevere seems to be in need of deodorant...hum..better buy extra..it's hot here! |
| Adrien of s/v Flying Cloud tries not to step on the thousands of small crabs that run along the beach. |
| View of El Pescador from mountaintop of Punta Quemada |
| The beach of Punta Quemada |
| The hike up the mountain looks worse than it is and you'll be rewarded with a stiff breeze. |
| On the 2nd Saturday of every month, the Flying Samaritans come to the aid of people in need of medical care. |
| In my case, a cap fell off my tooth and needed some new cement. I was in and out in an hour and am very satisfied with the results. : ) |
| We had burgers and fries here, too! It's one of the few places to eat in Bahia de Los Angeles (besides the boat) |
click to enlarge images