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.