Cruising in Mexico: La Paz to Bahia Agua Verde

by Stefan Paul Ries

This is Stefan's second story for the Insider. Having sailed from San Diego last fall, he has sailed and surfed his way through Baja. This time he takes us up sailing into the Sea of Cortez in the early days of summer. The weather is warmer and there are fewer cruisers in the anchorages and the water is an unforgettable shade of blue-green...

I left Marina CostaBaja late in the afternoon. Too many last minute boat projects, provisioning and washing down the boat and sails, I didn't get to the fuel dock in time to fill another 5 gal gasoline container, in case the winds wouldn't blow.

My first stop was the beautiful bay of Puerto Balandra 8 nm away. I arrived there just before darkness, thanks to a little help from my outboard motor. It's an old and wasteful 15hp Chrysler that left me with 11 gallons for the rest of the trip. (1 hour motoring gets me about 5 nm and burns 1 gallon). I anchored close to a couple named Blanca and Steve on "Aloha", a 38 ft Downeaster cutter. We met at the marina and decided to do some buddy boating while exploring the Lower Gulf.

Let me write one paragraph of praise about La Paz before we forget all about the city life. I really liked that European flair and the feel of this old city. You know, some cities have a kind of negative vibe (like Cabo San Lucas to me) but here I felt very welcome and immediately at ease. All the people I met were super friendly, you saw a lot of smiles and the city offered everything I was looking for. John Steinbeck wrote 1941 in his log of the Sea of Cortez: "...there is the genuine fascination of the city of La Paz.

More below...

Our next anchorage was Ensenada Grande only 5 nm away on Isla Partida. There was little and variable wind and I sailed for 2 1/2 hours to get there. Before entering the bay I saw 2 whales on my port side and took lots of pictures.

We anchored in the south bight to get the most protection from the Coromuel winds that were blowing each night in the 15-20 knot range. I have made it a routine now to dive on the anchor after arrivals and it is always relieving to see my Bruce anchor dug in the sand. Buying an additional 40 feet of chain in La Paz also helps for a good night's rest. The rock formations on the north side of this bight looked really spectacular and colorful in the soft light just before sunset. "Timoneer" a 140something feet yawl was anchored further out. We talked to the crew and she is on her way to La Paz and the only marina deep enough for her draft is Marina CostaBaja.

Another nice routine that developed is having breakfast on "Aloha" with Blanca and Steve and listening to the Amigo Net with Don's highly appreciated weather forecast. After French toast and fruit salad I tried spear fishing along the rocky shore. Great visibility in turquoise water. A 4 ft green, nasty looking, moray eel scared me a little and I swam swiftly in the opposite direction

Everyone in the area knows the greatness of La Paz...The Indians paddle hundreds of miles to be at La Paz on a feast day. It is a proud thing to have been born in La Paz, and a cloud of delight hangs over the distant city from the time when it was the great pearl center of the world."

That night the Coromuel winds blew hard and I didn't sleep too well, with gusts of 30 knots. The cliffs east from Punta Diablo protect the anchorage from any wind chop but the winds still come down hard. Steve didn't get much sleep either and said: "Oh boy, I sure don't like those Coromuels."

After breakfast on "Aloha" we took the dinghy to get the mandatory picture of the famous "resurrected" mushroom rock and snorkeled along the southern rocks of the bay. Great visibility, the water was warm and lots of fish. The water actually felt so good and inviting, I cleaned both boats hulls and I was rewarded with a fantastic dinner of scallops, linguini and white wine aboard "Aloha" and slept like a log the second night.

Next stop: Caleta Partida. It's about 14 nm NNW and an early start let me make good use of the Coromuel winds. This is a local southerly wind that usually comes up in the evening and blows into the early morning. The anchorage lies between Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. It is the largest anchorage of the two islands, offers good protection and therefore can get crowded.

We took "Aloha's" dinghy through the shoal draft passage and found an excellent snorkeling spot on the east side of Isla Espiritu Santo. There was a little pebble beach to keep the dinghy and to rest in the shade between dives. The visibility was at least 30 feet and I speared us three fish for dinner. A little further south is a pretty big sea cave we drove inside. It is right under the profile of Alfred Hitchcock!

The archipelago of Espiritu Santo is part of a natural protected area known as the "Islands of the Gulf of California". This area, which includes more than 900 islands and islets is approximately 50% of the Mexican insular territory. The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (conanp) started this year to define national parks, biosphere reserves, flora and fauna protection areas, national forest reserve and fauna shelters and national monuments. You might come across some rangers and be asked for a daily entrance fee of 20 or 40 pesos if you go ashore. A one year conservation passport costs 250 pesos.

After watching another guy hunting for the "fruits of the sea" I swam over to their boat. Roy is using a spear gun and he showed and explained it to me. When I get back to La Paz I will be looking for one to upgrade from my Hawaiin slingshot. He and his wife were chartering a catamaran with two other couples. They all have their own boats in San Diego and Canada but chose this option to be in this unique location for one week. (Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez "Aquarium to the World"). They seemed to enjoy themselves very much, with Jimmy Buffet playing over the stereo and sipping margaritas on 38 ft. "Jam". \

I departed Ensenada Grande in the dark at 5:30 in the morning to have the Coromuel winds behind me on my way to Isla San Francisco. I woke up excited and quite awake to set sail. Got the boat ready while having a cup of tea, hoisted the jib and pulled up the anchor. While the autopilot took care of the steering I had a big bowl of cereal with fresh fruits and nuts. Smooth sailing and I arrived at 9:00 with an average of a little over 5 knots/hour under jib alone. "The Hook" is a comma-shaped cove on the south side of Isla San Francisco where I anchored in 8 feet of water. There was no need to dive on the anchor, you could clearly see the chain and anchor on the bottom. Nevertheless I went for a swim to the beach and did some yoga, enjoying this spot with its white sandy beach. In the evening I went snorkeling with Blanca and we saw lots of fish around the reef by the lighthouse. I speared a clown hawkfish for dinner, that thought to be safe hiding under a rock but instead provided us with tasty white fillets.

Next morning I made hot cakes (integrales!) for our breakfast on "Aloha" and departed in light southerly winds at 10:30 for Punta Evaristo. I think this is about where the Coromuel winds come to an end. While I was getting slowly closer to Evaristo, Blanca and Steve stopped at Bahia Amortajada on Isla San Jose to check out the lagoon and mangroves. They took their dinghy through the narrow river-like channel. None of us wanted to stay there overnight because of potential mosquitos and no-see-ums.

It took me "only" 3 hours to cover those 10 nm, thanks to the effects of a flood tide; the currents gave me a good push towards the land. I was trawling two lures through the Canal de San Jose but I guess my speed was too slow to attract any fish. The bay of Evaristo is a popular anchorage with different spots to get the right protection. About a 1/4 mile south of Punta Romualdo (the southern point of the bay) you can see an arc in the cliffs. All the guidebooks mention how friendly the people are, the excellent diving, the good holding ground and an easy landing on the beach.

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