BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO -- Sure, sailing the Caribbean is nice but how many crystal clear coves can you anchor in before you’ve had enough? As the Corona beer ads say," it's time to change your latitude.”

La Paz in Baja California, Mexico is just the place to begin.

Step aboard as the three amigos (Maury Barth, Dick Gross and I) take you on a three day cruise on the Sea of Cortez.

We arrive in La Paz Wednesday evening and grab our pre-arranged taxi to Marina Palmira, home base for The Moorings charter service. Technically our three-day trip isn't scheduled to start until the following morning, but we are able to board the Moorings 3800 Catamaran the night before to go over the craft, take stock of the provisions provided by the Moorings' staff, and get a good nights rest before shoving off.

I’ve been sailing regularly for about ten years, but nearly all my sea time has been three to six hour day sails or buoy racing. The sailing organization I belong to in Marina del Rey, California, Fairwind Yacht Club, has several 27 to 30 foot monohull sloops for this type of sailing. However, pulling up to the marina in La Paz and seeing our home for the next three days was a bit intimidating. These 38-foot “Cats” are nearly as wide as they are long and it reminds me of those giant motor homes seen crisscrossing the roads of America. My shipmates, both Moorings veterans, assured me sailing and maneuvering these “RV’s of the Seas” is a piece of cake.

We Begin

The three of us awake bright and early the next morning to meet The Moorings representative and finish up necessary paperwork as well as the final checkout on the boat. If you’ve never driven a boat with twin screws (2 props), getting used to how they operate takes a little practice but it’s is not too tough. Maury quickly relearns his lessons and by 10 AM we are negotiating our way out of the marina towards the calm waters of the Sea of Cortez.

As part of our pre-cruise preparation, my duty was to come up with an itinerary for our trip. I researched the area by checking charts and reading a cruising book (something every sailor should do before sailing in unfamiliar waters). Based upon the amount of time we have and the type of boat chartered, I decided we would first head to Isla San Francisco located about 42 miles north-west of the marina. On our way we pass by 15 mile long Isla Esperito Santo and Isla Partida -- really a single island, separated by a volcanic crater. While Maury and Dick take a siesta, I decide to cut in close to get a better look at the numerous anchorages and coves that scallop the eastern side of this deserted place. This also allows me to take a good look at Caleta Partida, the cove we will come back to anchor at the following night. At this point my watch is over, a well-rested Maury is ready to take the wheel.

About half way to Isla San Francisco we settle into a sailing groove. The winds pick up to about 10 knots and we’re doing about 6 -- not the speed I expected. I had always heard that cruising cats are fast boats but an experienced cat cruiser later told me that our cat is a dog. I’ll take his word for it as he had just finished delivering a brand new Moorings 4200 to Marina Palmira from South Africa where they’re made. Of course he also had to rub it in that his boat was quite a bit faster due to better hull designs.

But I digress.

Dick and I start messing with the sails to try and eek out a few more tenths of a knot. Dick’s extensive racing and cruising experience pays off as he shows me some new sail trim techniques to get our big boat moving along briskly.

As we sail along the smooth waters of the Sea of Cortez I couldn’t help but tke in the beauty of our surroundings. To the east there’s nothing but water for hundreds of miles until you reach the mainland of Mexico. To the west we could easily see the rugged coast of the Baja Peninsula. The horizontally striped cliffs remind me of a road trip I took through Arizona. The shades of red and brown separated by layers upon layers of sedimentary rock made it clear we were in a desert - a desert that turned to sea.

The big difference between this desert and the Arizona desert is that we had a natural air conditioner. While the sun beat down on us at a skin scorching 95 degrees, the air, as it blows over the cooler water dropped the apparent temperature enough to keep us as comfortable as Goldilocks: not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Arriving at Isla San Francisco before sunset we head around the south hook and into the protected cove to anchor in the soft sand. After a full day of sailing Dick, Maury and I take a dip in the 70-degree water to cool off. We snorkel down to the anchor to check that it's set, then head towards the small island.

As we wade in, we shuffle our feet along the sand to scare up any stingrays that may have burrowed under for a rest. Shuffling along will allow the ray to swim away because if you accidentally step on one, it will reflexively whip its stinger around and most certainly nail your ankle. You most likely won’t die from this but it will sure hurt. There’s not really too much here on the island so we swim back to the boat to and eat dinner.

Food at Sea

A little about our food on this trip. One difference between chartering with the larger sailboat charter companies, like Moorings or Sunsail, and many of the numerous smaller outfits is service. Prior to leaving the U.S. we filled out a form detailing the food we’d like to eat while sailing. When we arrived the night before, everything ordered was on board. All we had to do was stow it away. At first I thought, “why do we need someone to shop for us?” Well, let me tell you, while shopping in a foreign country can be a fun and exciting adventure, we simply didn’t have enough time. Also, Baja California is quite a desolate place. It’s not likely that while at sea you can simply pop into any port and pick up provisions. There simply aren't many ports.

It was actually quite a luxury to board our boat and find fruit, vegetables, cereals, yogurt, sandwich fixings, fresh fish, shrimp, scallops, seasonings, water, beer, soda and everything else we needed to make real meals like seafood fajitas, Cobb salads and gourmet hamburgers. The boat was so well stocked, we could have stayed out for two more days and still have had plenty to eat and drink. But, one again, I digress.

Day 2

The next morning, after sleeping like babies, we haul up anchor and head out for the tiny Isla Coyote. It can’t be more then several hundred feet across, however, this little islet houses one of the many small fishing villages that pepper the coasts of several islands here. I'm told that some days you could stop in and pick up fresh lobster. Today was not to be one of those days. The fishermen were cleaning and preparing for market several of the morning's catches, but no lobster.

A string of rocks peaks out of the water just west of Isla Coyote. We anchor south of the visible formation, well clear of any submerged obstructions, and once again don our snorkel gear. We join colorful schools of tiger and parrot fish darting in and out from between the rocks. Don’t forget your underwater camera in this location.

A few hours later we sail south towards our last anchorage back at Isla Espiritu Santo's Partida Cove. The winds are light yet steady and we we're able to sail around 6 knots most of the way. The three hour trip gives us plenty of time to relax, catch up on reading, play with the sail trim, and do what you’re supposed to do on vacation -- nothing!

We motor into Partida Cove, the largest and most popular anchorage in the area. Shoals run from the north end to the east and then south, so venturing too far in can be problematic for deeper draft vessels. We anchor in 15 feet of water near the middle of the cove about 200 feet off shore and settle in for our last dinner at sea.

As the sun sets and our burgers sizzle on the grill, a half dozen pelicans swoop and dive into the water to scoop up their own dinner. The graceful aerial ballet these agile birds perform is something to behold. In formation, they skim the water line looking for a meal, then quickly one will soar into the air, getting a bird’s eye view, then turn back towards the water for a dive bomb type splash down in order to gobble up the prey.

As with every night on this cruise, the sky over flows with stars. We settle back, playsome cards and solve all the troubles in the world. Life is good.

As usual when we wake there's a northerly breeze to send us on our way.

Just outside Partida Cove to the north is an outcropping of rocks called Los Islotes. While this is one of the better diving and snorkeling spots in the area is can also be quite dangerous to the uninitiated. Be careful not to venture in too close as there are numerous unexposed hazards within 25 or so feet of Los Islotes. The Moorings captain advised us not to anchor here but to snorkel in teams. One stays on the boat and circles around while the others have fun looking at the tropical fish and playing with the ever present sea lion pups.

After about half an hour of frolicking with the local wildlife, we head the cat around the east side of Isla Espiritu Santo -- a geologist's dream with shear cliffs and unique rock formations. Unlike the west side, there are not many protected anchorages here.

As we press onward towards the marina, I prepare our final meal at sea -- Cajun fish fajitas. These cruising cats are great for cooking while off shore. Their supreme stability and flat sailing make it simple to make most any meal.

The winds are light once again, so we motor-sailed past several puntas (points) making sure not to veer to close to the south-east tip of the island past Punta Bonanza, as we did not want to end up on the San Lorenzo Shoal that extends several hundred yards off shore.

As the winds pick up up again later in the day, the motors go off and we beam reach towards the Marina.

The conversation turns from reminiscing about our trip to trying to find the marina entrance. I thought it was one buoy and the others thought is was another. We keep checking the charts for landmarks and visual indications of where we are. As we navigate strange waters for the first time, we take our time and double check our location before making decisions. Finally, we spot the yellow entrance buoy and turn the boat towards its home.

Once we are safely at the docks and are chowing down on some of the provisions leftover in our well stocked refrigerator, we come to the conclusion that sailing the Caribbean certainly has its charms but, if you are looking to really get away from it all, sailing the beautiful southern desert of the Sea of Cortez cannot be beat. I know I’ll be sailing there again.

Getting There

Two airlines fly to La Paz:

Aero California -- (800) 237-6225
Aero Mexico -- (800) 237-6639
For flying to Cabo San Lucas try Alaska Airlines (800) 426-0333 or Aero California at the above number .

Boat Charters:

The Moorings -- (888) 952-8420.

In The Nearby Area

• Kayaking and Whale Watching on Magdalena Bay
• Family Fun in Cabo San Lucas
• Hiking to a High-Mountain Lake Bed in Cabo San Lucas

 

Mitch Mandell, an avid sailor, is the publisher of FabulousTravel.com and it's sister site FabulousFoods.com . He lives in Los Angeles, Califnornia. Click here to learn more about Mitch.