Isla San Marcos, off the inside coast of the Baja, Sea of Cortez
06/01/2003 - 06/03/2003
Is there an anchor in there? Lots of Bahia Concepción grass wrapped itself onto Whisper's anchor. It must be time to move to another anchorage.
With hurricane season approaching and our insurance requiring Whisper to be north of 27 degrees latitude by June 1, we prepared to weigh anchor and sail north from Bahia Concepción. Today's destination is Isla San Marcos - approximate latitude N 27°15' and longitude W 12°05.9'. Light winds prompted us to motor out of Bahia Concepción. Once out of the bay, the wind started to build. Dolphins escorted Whisper with the gennaker flying in the mellow 10 knots of wind.
We choose to navigate in between a set of islands and the peninsula to get a look at the resort at Punta Chivato. With less than 15 feet of water under Whisper's keel, Robin stood on the bow looking for any obstacles such as rocks or the sand floor of the sea. Punta Chivato looks like an interesting anchorage and resort, but it is quite exposed to south winds and swell.
For now, the sailing is way to good to stop anywhere. Whisper continued broad reaching north toward the channel in between the Baja peninsula and Isla San Marcos. Just as we reached the tip of Isla San Marcos, the wind shifted, we doused the gennaker, unfurled the genoa and enjoyed a fantastic close reach toward Sweet Pea Cove.
Close reaching toward Isla San Marcos.
Isla San Marcos is an island about 6 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide. The islands peaks reach 1,000 feet high. Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is surfaced mined on the island. The gypsum is shipped all over the world, but mainly to the U.S. for use in dry wall. The southern portion of Isla San Marcos is home to the gypsum mine and a small village that supports the mine. On the north end, caves and canyons abound. Our destination, Sweet Pea Cove, is located on the northwest side of the island. Fifteen knots of wind quickly glided us straight toward the anchorage.
Sun sets over the mountains on the Baja peninsula.
As we furled the sails and surveyed the anchorage, the unmistakable profile of our friend's motor yacht, Lionesse, appeared. Friends Jim and Kate from Lionesse arrived at Sweet Pea Cove earlier in the day. Excellent! We look forward to one more visit with them before they start their trip back to San Diego.
The water temperature dropped from the warm 80 degree water of Bahia Concepcion to the low 70s. Brrrr! After a really quick dip in the chilly water, we enjoyed watching another beautiful sunset. What a beautiful day of sailing.
The caves at Los Arcos are beautiful!
The next morning Kate and Jim picked us up in the "go fast" dinghy for a snorkeling trip. Around the corner from the anchorage is the snorkeling area called Los Arcos. While Jim stayed with the dinghy, the rest of us drifted through caves and arches for a great snorkeling adventure. On occasion, we practiced our best belly scoots through the really shallow, short caves. None of us managed to get stuck in any tight squeezes.
Lots of fish explored the caves with us.
Lots of colorful fish explored the caves with us. As our trio of aquatic explorers swam through one of the last caves a secret beach tucked in behind one of the arches appeared. "Secret beach" is a bit of a misnomer. Several Mexican families discovered our secret beach, too. After over an hour of snorkeling in the chilly water, we were ready for a little warmth. Jim patiently awaited with the dinghy anchored near the final cave.
Kate and Duncan inside cave.
Duncan and Robin sittin' in a cave...
Robin peers through the arch entrance to the "secret beach".
Can you see the beach behind the rock?
Check out the large flat screen TV! Lionesse has all the creature comforts including air conditioning. Thanks Jim & Kate!
With summer approaching, the temperatures are heating up. An evening with good friends and air conditioning is an ideal way to spend a hot almost summer night. Robin popped popcorn, Kate baked cookies, and Jim turned on the air conditioning. Kate picked us up in her dinghy. Let the movies begin. We watched Baz Loehman's Strictly Ballroom on the big flat screen with surround sound.
The next day we bid Jim & Kate adios until winter. Their plan is to take Lionesse back to San Diego for the summer and then return to Mexico in November.
While looking out over the channel between Isla San Marcos and the Baja Peninsula, Robin started noticing white splashes in the distance. As is turns out, whales and dolphins love this channel. The currents flow through the channel carrying lots of tasty food. Every day, we waited for the "whale show". Without fail, whales traversed the channel spouting and breaching every day of our stay at this anchorage. The dolphins did their part as well. Hundreds of dolphins snacked their way through the channel. This channel must be a dolphin & whale version of Costco.
After a few days of watching the daily whale show, the French mining town of Santa Rosalia started calling our name. With hopes of a good bakery, we prepared to depart Isla San Marcos.