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