On to Agua Verde

The next morning, 4/9/2013, we got under way fairly early, leaving Isla San Francisco for an anchorage on the bay of Aqua Verde, about 52 miles away.  (25 deg – 32.150’N, by 111 deg – 01.000’W)  The beautiful, protected waters of Bahia Agua Verde, together with the dramatic backdrop of the Sierra de la Giganta range have long been a popular destination for boaters.  The bay has good snorkeling and diving as well as excellent hiking along the various goat trails and dirt roads leading out to the main highway.  This area is  known for its superior goat cheese and Cave Paintings.

The weather was cold and the wind was blowing at about 12 knots from the NE.  We motored until the wind built to about 17 knots from a direction that allowed us to put out some canvas.  We arrived late in the afternoon, and while touring through the bay starting from the south we received a call on the VHF radio from “Voyager” Bill and Julie, friends that we had known for sometime in La Paz.  I could not even see their boat yet they recognized us across the bay.  These folks have really good eyes.   We told them that we had run out of beer and needed to go into the village to the tienda, and would they join us later over a cold one.  They agreed, and we anchored beside them in about 30 feet of water.

We took the dingy off the davits and cranked up the engine.  The temperature had gotten so cold that the inflation of the dingy was below margin, in fact it was almost flat, but rather than pumping it up now and having to let air out of it when it got hot again, I decided to leave the dingy a little to a lot soft and we struck out for the small fishing village, which I guess is the village of Agua Verde.  The beach was crowded with pangas all tied to lines that were run out to moorings from the beach, and I did my first ever surf landing of a dingy.  I thought we would just ride the surf into the shore and get out and pull the dingy up on the beach.  Didn’t work just like that.  As I approached the beach the outboard dug into the sand and stopped the boat right in the surf line.  There we were stuck in the breaking surf with the engine down.  Sharon had the good sense to go over the side, but I thought I should stay on board to hoist the outboard.  The surf was tossing us about and I lost my balance and fell, taking out the two seats from their straps of the under-inflated dingy. With water coming over the stern I managed to regain my footing and raise the engine though with great effort.Then in the same form as a wounded Walrus went over the side and together Sharon and I pulled the dingy up on the beach.  All of our clothes were wet and I felt miserable.  But my mood had not bottomed out yet, for I discovered that I had left my wallet on the boat, and had to go back to get it.   A more optimistic soul would have welcomed the opportunity to improve on his dingy surf landing skills but that’s not exactly how I felt about it.  It did give me a chance to drain some of the 2 -3 inches of water that now covered the bottom of the dingy.  I had left Sharon at the village, and I was determined to improve on my next dingy surf landing.  I guess it was a little better; I did manage to get the engine up such that it didn’t dig into the sand, but the whole episode could well be described as ungraceful at best.

The little village of Agua Verde was indeed a delightful place.  The whole village was spread out, and there were cattle grazing next to the unpaved main street and village dogs coming up to us to welcome us to their home.  It was all quite picturesque.  We found the community center where there was a paved soccer field and two teams were doing battle.  During a lull in the action, I asked one of the players where we could buy some beer and the entire two teams came over to help with the instructions.  I don’t think these guys saw gringos every day, and they wanted to see some close up.  Sharon with her long blonde hair receive a great deal of very respectful attention.  After a whole lot of hand gestures, each of us trying to find common words that the other party would understand, we learned that there were three tiendas (small convenience or grocery stores) in the village, one with a hand painted sign on the front.  The soccer teams went to a lot of trouble to direct us, and we showed our appreciation with big smiles and warm handshakes.  They went back to their game, and we followed the pasture toward a small grouping of buildings that we could see.  We found all three tienda, and discovered that only one sold beer and of course that would be the last one.  We were told to look for a goat that would be tied up next to the end of the pasture, and turn left, and we should see it straight ahead.  We found the goat, turned left and sure enough, there was the little store, sitting back under a growth of old trees, very shady and comfortable looking.

We asked for an 8 pack of Modela Especial, but after searching, the tienda lady only had 6 Modelas and 2 Pacificos, would that be OK?  Sure!  We bought the beer at a most reasonable price along with a few other supplies, and headed back to the dingy.  The dingy launch was a little more dignified than had been the landing, and we headed back toward Voyager.

We sat with Bill and Julie and tipped several beers, catching up of their travels and our plans, and sharing our knowledge on where our common friends were and what they were doing.  They planned to stay in Aqua Verde for another couple of days before heading up to Puerto Escondido themselves.  We told them that we hoped to see them there.  We then retired to Milagro for some well earned sleep.

During the night....

At about 2:00 in the morning I was awakened from a really good sleep by a rather loud and jolting thump.  As I lay in the bed trying to figure if I were dreaming or not, another bump shook the entire boat and I was up and in the cockpit in a flash.  I leave the GPS system running at night so that I can check my position whenever I need to at a moments notice...and with only a moments notice. I saw on the depth finder that we only had 18 inches of water under our keel.  As the boat bounced with the wave action we were hitting the bottom.  Holy cow: this is unacceptable.  As I began to process the scene I also noticed that the wind was blowing very hard, 25 knots on the wind speed indicator.  Sharon had arrived in the cockpit about the same time I did as the bump had awakened her also.  I fired up the engine, immediately put it in gear, and eased our way in the direction of where I thought the anchor might be;  I knew that deeper water would also be there.  I asked Sharon to take the wheel and to hold the heading as I worked my way forward to the windless and began to take in the anchor chain.  I noticed immediately that the snubber had come loose from the anchor chain and with the force of the wind had pulled a great amount of chain from the locker. We had drifted back on the anchor until we were in very shallow water.  As we took up the chain and Sharon eased us forward with the engine we soon returned to a proper depth; we both breathed a little easier.  I had originally thought that we had dragged our anchor and slipped along into shallow water  But after it was all over with I did not find that to be true.  The anchor seemed to be in close proximity to where we placed it which made me feel a little better.  I needed to look a little more closely as to why the snubber came loose.  This was totally unacceptable.

As we were busy dealing with our own problems we had not noticed how close the big sailboat had moved toward us.  As we got ourselves all sorted out and felt secure it became obvious that the big sailboat had dragged it's anchor and was now not more than 150 feet away.  The wind continued to build and we could see the whole underside of the big blue underwater lights of the sailboat as it bucked and pounded up and down in the churning water.  The wind seemed to be coming from all points of the compass. At one moment the wind would be from the North and we would swing to go head into the wind. The boat actually does that by itself; I don’t really participate in the boat's turning on the anchor, but I watch it very carefully.  Then the wind would shift by 90 or 120 degrees, and suddenly we were facing in a whole different direction.  When the wind blew in just the right direction Milagro and this big sailboat lined up with one another...way too close together to be comfortable.  I kept thinking that if he dragged anchor before, then he would likely drag anchor again, and there were no tolerances left for that.  I called the captain of the big sailboat on the VHF radio and I received an answer from another boat located in San Evaristo.  He said that he was on anchor watch also and was experiencing winds of 46 knots in Evaristo.  Wow, was I glad that we did not anchor up there.  Finally the captain of the big sailboat answered on the radio, and I voiced my concern to him.  He said he was aware that we were much closer now than we had been, and that he was watching it closely.  We agreed to watch one another and for the rest of the night I was on full time anchor watch.  I watched the wind build to 36 knots, and I watched the big sailboat as it pitched and pulled and looked ever threatening to my little Milagro.  But near dawn the wind began to diminish, and by the time the sun was up over the mountains the wind was calm, the water flattened, and I went to bed and slept like the dead.
 When I woke up near midday, the big sailboat was gone.

Salt flats, Isla San Francisco

We took that whole day, and explored Isla San Francisco.  We hiked all the way across the island to see the bay on the opposite side.  It was quite rugged and beautiful.  We crossed the flats where the accumulation of salt is cultivated in salt pits.  The fishermen cultivate these pits, and harvest the salt to cure the fish that they catch.  We had heard that people collect this salt and give it as gifts back home.  It is an unusual salt with a pinkish color.  I don’t know how my family would take to getting salt for a Christmas present.  I need to think about it some more.

Still tired from the previous night's excitement, I went back to the boat to rest and take a nap while Sharon hiked virtually every trail on the whole island, climbing every mountain, and taking great pictures of the bay and Milagro at anchor.

Captain Cruising - More Ramblings

The next day we dinghyed ashore and explored around.  We crossed the island to the other side, then back, where I waited on the beach, enjoying the water while Sharon hiked up on the hill.  She did see a jack rabbit, and she was impressed with its incredibly big ears. With my bad ankle I am not much of a hiker, and the rocks would make it all the worse for me.

Los Islotes...

We left Cardonal before midday on 4/7/2013 with the intention of visiting the fishing village of San Evaristo with a population of about 20 families about 45 miles away.  We of course went by Los Islotes (24 deg – 35.822’N by 110 deg – 24.200’W) to visit the sea lion colony.  We always enjoy the barking and the threats that the big bulls make as we circle their little island home.  If the winds are just right you can smell Los Islotes before you can hear the sea lions, and you can hear them a long time before you can see them.  Los Islotes is also a bird sanctuary and all sorts of birds including Boobies nest there.  The island is totally white in color from one end to the other and is constantly noisy with the chattering of the many types and breeds of birds and the barking and growling of the sea lions, all competing for the same rock. It is quite beautiful with a big tunnel that goes all the way through the island, and after taking several pictures we swung back to the North and started in the direction of Evaristo.

The wind had stared blowing at about 20 knots at a convenient angle with our course and we put out our canvas.  We were able to sail for the full distance from Los Islotes to San Evaristo.  This was a real treat for this part of the world, at this time of the year, and we made the most of it.

We knew of a couple on a small boat in La Paz called “Willful Simplicity” who had taken up the cause of helping to support the school at San Evaristo, as well as assisting in starting a restaurant there.  For several months each year they spend time in Marina Palmira, taking up collections of money and donations of clothing, books, school supplies, kitchen equipment, and especially coats, blankets and mattresses when the weather is cold.  We heard them on the morning net many times talking about their efforts, and they had a lot of support from other cruisers; since I had never been there, I thought this would be a good place to stop and visit and see what San Evaristo was all about.

It was a journey of about 45 miles and we arrived in late afternoon.  (24 deg – 54.616’N by 110 deg – 42.362’W)  The bay was small and compact and had several boats already anchored there.  This is a fishing village and most of the bay was consumed by pangas on moorings, and small trawlers, and even a sport fisher anchored with a couple or three sailboats.  We drove through the bay and searched for any nook or cranny that we might fit into, but I like a lot of chain out when I anchor, especially if I am not sure of the bottom, and we did not find a place where I felt comfortable anchoring.  We did get a good look at the village, and the restaurant, but we did not see Willful Simplicity; they may have been in La Paz.  Since it was still relatively early, we decided to go back about 10 miles to Isla San Francisco, which I was sure would have a good place room for us.

Isla San Franacisco

Isla San Francisco (24 deg – 49.289’N by 110 deg – 34.276’W) is one of the southern Sea of Cortez’s most popular anchorages due to its proximity to La Paz and its beautiful crescent shaped bay.  Fine, white sand beaches accentuate the crystal blue waters and the burnt-red rocky cliffs.  The picture perfect cove is excellent for hiking, snorkeling, fishing, shelling or just lounging on the beach.

We arrived in Isla San Francisco late in the afternoon and found a really good spot in about 18 feet of water to drop our hook.  There was still a party boat there, and Seados, and kayaks were going all over, but before dark they pulled up their hooks left. As dusk approached a very  large,  truly unusual sailboat approached the anchorage.  We could see from very far away that the rig was extremely tall, with 3 levels of spreaders, and as it approached it kept getting bigger and bigger, and finally we had about an 85 foot boat anchored fairly close by.  That boat was elaborate, shiny red, and was all lit up and even had these blue glowing underwater lights across the stern.  I only saw the captain and one other person on board, which is a lot of boat to handle, if they were only people on board.  

We had dinner, and turned in fairly early, having had a good day at sea, sailing more than motoring.  That’s enough to judge a good day on the Sea of Cortez this time of year.

Ramblings Part V

On April 6, 2013 we left our dock in La Paz, and started our adventure.  The first stop was the fuel dock, where I made a perfect landing without tearing out the piers, the docks, or marking up my boat or causing 3 strong fuel attendants to wrestle her into place.  I was pretty proud of myself, since I have not always been able to do that.  Milagro is a very heavy boat, with a full keel, and hydraulic steering.  Underway, and certainly undersail, she handles like a gazelle, but in tight corners she handles more like a rhinoceros, and has been known to be difficult when it comes to dockings, or landings as I call them.  It comes from my old flying days.  The saying then was “any landing that you could walk away from was a good landing”.  I think that saying was made up by a student pilot.  Since this is only the second time I had ever put fuel into Milagro, I couldn’t remember which deck fill went to which tank.  I really ought to try to remember these little things.

With the fuel tanks full of diesel, the water tanks full of water, the refrigerator full of food, and me full of myself, we headed out the islands.  I had tried to describe the islands to Sharon, and had shown her pictures and charts on where we were going, but as we began to approach the islands she was still taken by their beauty and magnitude.  This always happens, because they are really spectacular.  We went by Balandra, with its brilliant white sands and sparkling blue and green water, and she saw the famous mushroom shaped rock.  For those who might want to follow us on Google Maps, this would be 24 deg – 19.573’N, by 110 deg – 19.971’W. 

With a quick sweep through Balandra, we made our way across the Lorenzo Channel, and as predicted the only wind that we had all day blew briefly and lamely as we crossed the channel.  Staying in close to the island and just following the shoreline we moved on to Isla Espiritu Santo, heading north.  The weather cooperated totally; it was a clear day with very little wind, and we motored slowly along with Sharon snapping pictures of the geology and beautiful colors of the islands which increase in intensity as we go north.       

Our intention was to anchor at Ensenado del Candelero for our first night out.  As far as I’m concerned this is the prettiest anchorage on Espiritu Santo. (24 deg – 30.410’N by 110 deg – 23.370’W)  It is very protected from wind and surge from every direction except the west.  There is a huge pinnacle rock that separates the anchorage into two parts.  The big rock is a sanctuary to birds, and it is fun to sit there at anchor with a beer in your hand and listen to the gulls on top of the big rock arguing, as they so comically do, and watch the pelicans dive and fish all around the boat.  There is a beautiful long white sand beach with a very flat approach for dingy landings You can almost beach the dingy without getting your feet wet.  The big rocks that back the beach are deeply red and orange in color, and hiking trails go straight up the little mountain that centers the island where you can take see the entire bay and look down on Milagro at anchor.  You can walk across the island and see the Sea of Cortez on the other side.  There is a fishing camp there, and most of the time it is occupied with tours by kayakers, divers, fishermen, or just people out for a camping trip.  We saw a group once that were artist-kayakers, and they would sit out in their kayaks with their little easels and paint pictures of Roca Monumento, dipping their brushes into the seawater to wash them and change colors.

I was telling Sharon all about the anchorage as we were beginning to pull in, how beautiful it was, and how much she was going to like it: get your camera ready, your really going to love this! when we both realized that we were suddenly covered with Bobos.  Bobos are little fruit fly looking bugs and they were everywhere.  They don’t bite or sting, but I may have had 300 on one leg, and they are very annoying.  We looked around, there was no body else in the anchorage, and now I knew why.  The anchorage is so protected, that there was not even a breeze blowing through.  I decided to find another place that would have an opening across the island which would allow and even encourage the wind to blow, and maybe that would keep the BoBos away.  What a disappointment. 

It was still early enough in the day that we moved further north to Caleta Partida well before nightfall. (24 deg – 31.962’N, 110 deg – 22.836’W)  Caleta Partida is an anchorage between the island of Espiritu Santo and the island of Partida, and is probably the most popular anchorage in the islands, and it was full of boats.  I’m sure we could have gotten in, but it would have been a tight squeeze, so we elected to continue on north.

I had stayed at the anchorage of Ensenada Grande once before and knew that it laid out well for our purposes, and decided to head there, but as we passed the inlet of Ensenada el Cardonal we looked in, and there were no other boats, there was a good breeze, and from the Cruising Guide we decided that this is where we would spend our first night out.

We anchored in about 20 feet of water and from the depth finder, it appeared that the bottom was sandy, and would therefore be secure holding for the anchor.  The island at the end of the anchorage had a big gap that led across to the Sea of Cortez which allowed just enough breeze to flow through, that only an occasional BoBo was seen.  We grilled hamburgers on the barbeque, had a beer, and retired to our cabins, for a very comfortable sleep.

Ramblings Part IV

Ramblings Part IV

I enjoyed showing Sharon around La Paz.  She was truly amazed by the place.  The image of Mexico in South Africa is of drug lords wielding violence over a subdued population, with bodies hanging from bridges and mass graves.  She is of the opinion that South Africa goes to a lot of effort to publicize horror stories in other countries in an attempt to divert attention away from the corruption and mass violence that has become a part of the South African way of life.  Since Mandela, the country has sunken into being the murder, terror, and rape capital of the world.  Reverse discrimination is so rampant, corruption at every level of government is so common, crime is so vicious, and uncontrolled, that people live in fear all the time.  Anyone who has the capacity and the wherewithal to do it is leaving South Africa.  The problem with that is, there has been so much corruption in the South African passports and important documents, that most countries will not allow travelers from South Africa, and immigrants are not accepted almost anywhere in the world.  Sharon had to obtain a US Visa in order to travel to Mexico.  That is really strange to me;she understands the logic, but I do not. South Africa sounds like an awful place to be trapped in.

As far as Mexico goes, I think that the US has done the same thing to Mexico that Sharon said was being done in SA, only reporting the crime, corruption and dangers in Mexico, and none of the good stuff.  Even in the US, the image of Mexico is one of poverty, deprived people, greasy little wetbacks trying to pick your pocket, of violence; bodies hanging from bridges is a good example.  I think most Americans fear being in Mexico, at least the ones I know, and they think how brave, courageous, or stupid that we are for going and living there.  If everyone knew Mexico like I know Mexico, there would be a migration of retired people who would come  and never go back.  But because I love the way it is, and don’t want it to change, let’s just between us: keep Mexico our little secret. 

I took Sharon to Buffalito’s where they have outdoor dining only, in fact there is no roof over this enclosed compound.  The walls have been tastefully decorated with lights and small sculptures and the floor is concrete.  It is open to the stars, and tables are spread all around to accommodate the guests.  The tables are nicely dressed with table cloths, silverware, and candles, which give a nice warm feel to the whole place.   In the winter when it is cold, they bring out pole heaters and place them close to your table to keep you warm.  And of course when it rains, which is not often, they close down.  Their grill is an open fire pit, where they burn pure mesquite wood.  This wood does not come from a bag, it is in logs and piled up by the door.  Mesquite is a local wood and men sell it off trucks that go around town.  The Buffalito Burger is the best hamburger in the world, bar none.  Mexican beef is typically free range cattle.  This could be changing with all the modernization going on here, but the beef is very, very tasty.  In steaks and unprocessed meats, it seems that the meat is a little tougher that what I’m used to, but significantly better tasting. 

Sharon, not being a big beef eater, ordered the tuna steak, and was asked how she wanted it cooked, rare, medium, well done, etc.  She was taken back by the question, because she had never been asked that about cooking fish before, but ordered it medium rare.  She said later that that was the best fish she had ever eaten in her entire life, and it was cooked to perfection.  I don’t think I have to tell you how I felt about my hamburger. I think you already know.

We spent a couple of days getting ready to start the trip.  I had thought that we should start out easy, and spend a few days out at the local islands around La Paz, sort of a shakedown cruise, first to test the boat out, and make sure everything was working, and to get Sharon used to the boat and the area,  then coming back to the Marina. When we left for good, we would first go north to Loreta because it was such a beautiful trip, then across the Sea of Cortez to the mainland, and then South.  But Sharon was ready to go and suggested that we go to the islands, from there to Loreta, since we were already in that direction, visit a few days, then back to the marina, reprovision, check out and head south.  With that plan, we may be able to start south a little earlier than with my plan, but she was eager to get started so we agreed.

Ramlings, Part III

Sharon Marina Jordan @ the helm of Milagro

Edie and I were both of the opinion that I needed someone to accompany me on this trip. We went over a list all the people we knew in La Paz who might have potential for joining me. There were some candidates, such as Hector, an upholstery and canvas artist who would have loved to go and would have been great crew and travel companion. But he is a busy young entrepreneur who is  making his mark with his business, and the difficulties around him going were rather large.  Even though his wife supported the idea, in the end, Hector chose to be a grownup..  Dang his little sense of responsibility when there is so much fun to be had.

Finally Edie and I began to search the internet to see what we could find.  There are many websites that deal with the subject of vessels needing crew, or crew needing vessels.  I chose not to enter an ad for myself, but answered several ads for persons looking for crew positions.  I probably had responses from eight or ten candidates, each with a different idea of what a trip to Panama would entail.

One of the return emails was from a lady from South Africa who had intensive sailing experience and loved the idea of sailing in Mexico, and especially going to Panama.  After several emails discussing expectations and requirements, this lady began to look like the one, and we set a time to Skype.  She turned out to be charming, delightful, articulate, and genuine.  Edie thought so too. 

Sharon Marina Jordan was her name and she had just published a book; in fact she was limited as to when she could go sailing by the fact that there was a book launching scheduled for the end of March.  The name of the book is “One Woman’s Journey” and  Edie bought a copy for her Kindle;  since I recently purchased an IPAD, actually a mini pad, I was able to download a Kindle App and  read the book on my reader too.  The book was very good and I enjoyed it very much.  It seems that Sharon is big time into motorcycles, has raced motorcycles, and traveled extensively throughout southern Africa on her motorcycle.  The book chronicles these trips, one with her daughter and her daughter’s fiancé, which lasted more than 6 weeks took them through countries where wild animals, in particular, big cats could jump out of the bushes, run you down, and eat you.  They camped out in wild country, and forded rivers, and on and on.  But she also did a major trip solo, and went to wild places, and I thought where she was very vulnerable to serious dangers and severe hardships. 

Besides all that, she has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, and to the base camp of Mount McKinley in Nepal.  She owned a business and with her partner gave backpacking, mountain climbing guided tours in an area in Africa called the Wild Coast.

Back in the 1980’s Sharon and her then husband Rob left South Africa, and went to Canada where they built their own boat, taking a couple of years, then set off to sail it around the world. Incredible concept in my mind.  During their travels they spent a great deal of time on an island called Palmyra, located way out in the Pacific Ocean.  They had been there for months, living off the land, drinking coconut water, eating local plants, and fishing.  There had been a big storm with a lot of rain and Sharon was out exploring as she did regularly, when she saw something glittering in the bushes.  Upon close inspection it turned out to be a human skull with a gold tooth that caught her attention.  In addition there was a wooden box full of a human skeleton; it is thought that this box had been on the bottom of the bay until the storm dislodged it and washed it up on the beach where Sharon stumbled upon it.  It turns out that this was the first clue that had been found to a murder mystery that had taken place on Palmyra years before, and Sharon became quite famous; there were two movies made about the mystery and its solving, and Sharon was portrayed by Hollywood actresses. You’ll have to read the book to get all the details, but it was pretty exciting.

Sharon has continued with her sailing career in South Africa by racing and participating very actively in a Yacht Club.  She has also made two major cruises in China by answering ads on the internet.

You can see that this is a pretty intimidating woman, with all that experience and credentials, but after emailing several times and talking to her on Skype, I made an offer for her to join me and she accepted.

On April 2, 2013 I picked Sharon up at the Cabo San Lucas airport, and drove her back to La Paz, and introduced her to Milagro.  The adventure was ON.