Our Northernmost Destination This Summer

We spent the last two weeks traveling north to the northern tip of the large island, Isla Angel de la Guarda (Guardian Angel Island). The anchorages known as Puerto Refugio(N29*32, W113*33) are beautiful, and there is a lot to do up there, but conditions don't always permit us to stay long. Look up the coordinates on Google Earth. Fishing is wonderful, as is the snorkeling, and swimming with the sea lions is a real treat. We caught and shared several good sized yellowtail, and the trigger fish and calico bass were plentiful as well. We never needed to dip into our freezer for something for dinner. It sure helps our provisions last longer when we can supplement our diet with fresh fish.

The snorkeling is diverse and the water clarity quite good. The Sea of Cortez is home to many species of filter feeders (baleen whales and whale sharks, for example) and the organisms that attract these animals are so thick in the water that the visibility is often quite poor. The good news is that there are many places to snorkel that are shallow and very accessible. The down side is that sometimes you come across a whale shark quite by accident, and that can be a shock. The whale sharks in this area are 12-20 feet long, and though that is not large by whale shark standards, it is unnerving to meet up with one unexpectedly.



One afternoon we went out to the sea lion rookery and swam with the sea lions . We just dropped off the dinghy and waited until the curious sea lions came close to take a look at us. They are so beautiful and graceful in the water. There were some very young pups, and the bull sea lion was very protective of his harem as well as the newborns. When we came too close to the colony, the bull warned us very loudly, and then entered the water, swimming between us and the females and pups. It was frightening since he was huge and annoyed, but we were able to get back to the dinghies without incident.



The scenery is very dramatic and diverse, and there are many small bays to explore. However, the anchorages are not protected from north winds, and the tides are extreme this far north in the Sea of Cortez, so when strong winds are forecast, we usually head for another anchorage.



We are now back at the small village at Bahia de los Angeles(28*57, W113*33), where we will catch up on e-mails and gather the few provisions that we need. We will spend the next few weeks at some anchorages on our way south towards the town of Santa Rosalia. This is the time of year that we would like to move south quickly, but are always mindful of the possibility of a late season hurricane. The later storms are more prone to curving back towards Baja and the Sea of Cortez. We will stay within 30-40 miles of a good hurricane hole(N28*56, W113*27) or(N28*26, W112*52) and listen faithfully to the weather forecasts.


We look forward to posting another update on our travels when we once again have Internet access. We hope that you are all well and happy and enjoying the early fall weather. Hopefully the dreadful heat in the Southwest has diminished by now -- 113 degrees in Los Angeles - YIKES!!


Love to All,


Sue & Jim


NOTE: I have included GPS coordinates for some of the anchorages and hope that you will enjoy using Google Earth or another mapping program to view the places that we have stayed.

NOTE: Sorry folks, but the Internet connection here is pretty poor today. I was unable to attach any more photos. I'll add more when I get a better connection.

Summer Cruising in the Sea of Cortez

Greetings from Bahia de Los Angeles,



We have finally arrived at Bahia de Los Angeles, the northernmost point of our summer cruise. This is where we will stay until the danger of hurricanes is over, possibly in only 6 weeks or so. It has been a light year for Pacific hurricanes, and for that we are thankful. This is a really wonderful area to cruise. The water is cleaner and clearer than other places, there is much more wildlife (whales, sea lions, whale sharks, etc.) and the fishing is great! It is never boring, as there are easily two dozen anchorages to explore, each with different qualities. We listen faithfully to the weather forecasts on our single-sideband radio, and depending upon the predicted wind direction, we usually have several anchorages that will offer us protection from the prevailing winds. We are comfortable at anchor with fairly brisk winds, as long as we have no wave action.


To get a feel for where we are, look up the Bay of Los Angeles on Google Earth. Approximate coordinates are N28*57, W113*33. You will see that there are plenty of islands and interesting bays to explore. We will stay within 40 miles of our hurricane hole so we can run there if we need to. Knock on wood that we won’t have to. Three days ago the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Right now it is in the high 80s with a nice breeze out of the north. This is the most comfortable weather we have ever had during the summer in the Sea. Usually it is so blessed hot that you can hardly think. And talk about sweating! Ick! Suffice it to say that this is a special treat.

An afternoon thunderstorm in the Bay of LA. Impressive and intimidating.

Whale sharks are pretty common in the BLA area. What a treat to get in the water with them!

 In the last blog, I mentioned briefly that we had replaced the refrigeration unit. It is still working fine and we are enjoying ice cubes every day. What a luxury! We were so very lucky that friends were willing to store our frozen food for several weeks. Otherwise we would have lost all of the food we had stocked up for the summer. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, until you realize that you can’t get some things this far north. (like decent steaks, italian sausage, thick cut pork chops, etc.)


For now, the frozen food will be a back-up for the fish we will catch. This is where we have the most luck fishing all year. Much of mainland Mexico’s waters have been all but fished out. The Sea of Cortez has been overfished as well, but it has rich ocean currents feeding it, and hopefully it will rebound. There are bait fish everywhere, and that is a good sign. We trail a line from the boat, and when at anchor, we get out almost every morning in the dinghy and troll for sierra mackeral, yellowtail, barracuda, triggerfish, and cabrilla bass. Dorado (Mahi Mahi) are a special treat, and usually caught off the big boat (though we did catch one off the dinghy last year – now that was exciting!!)


There are quite a few boats up here this year, many more than in the last two years. We had a party on shore for the people who run the daily radio “nets”, broadcasts on the single sideband radio that provide us with weather and anchorage information, as well as loosely keeping track of the boats cruising in Mexico. It was a fun party, with lots of great food and a lively dart tournament, complete with prizes. The next party will be on the day of the next full moon. We will gather at an anchorage where there is a lagoon that fills up when the tides are high. Just after high tide, we will go into the lagoon with floatation devices (cushions, floaty noodles, air mattresses, and anything else that floats) and ride the outgoing tide into the bay. Sounds corny, but it’s a lot of fun. And of course we’ll finish out the day with a potluck on the beach.

Potlucks are quite common when cruising. You always have to be ready to make something up for a crowd. Sometimes it’s just an afternoon get-together on someone’s boat, so it’s appetizers or chips and salsa, or dinner where we provide one or two dishes, and the host provides the other dishes. Then there are the big shindigs on the beach. The food is usually fantastic, and no one goes away hungry. To all of these events we bring our own plates, silverware, and beverages. It works out really well, since the effort is shared, and hosting duties are rotated. This is especially helpful since we are all moving around to different anchorages, and every boat moves at a different pace.


Well, that’s about it for our update. We should be back at BLA village in about two weeks, and will work on another update then. Just know that we are well and happy and enjoying this life. It would be wonderful to share it with you in person, so if you’d like to come visit, please contact us and we’ll figure out a way to make it work.


Much love,


Sue and Jim