1.19.2013 21:00pm
As we headed deeper north into the Sea of Cortez, 3G signal became sparser. Finally we got some connection outside of Puerto Escondido. So a quick update on last week.
We had another experience with the cruelty of the winter northernly blow in the sea. For three days, we have been trapped in Marina Cortez at La Paz due to the continuous N wind. They even closed the whole port. Worse of all, Marina Cortez, being a nice and new marina, does not have any break walls. Big swells rolled right into the marina, and all boats were rocking madly, just as the docks that they tied to! One of our dock lines broke off after bearing too much tension.
Witness “La Paz Waltz”, a well-known phenomenon where boats swing into each other at anchor inside La Paz harbor.
Other than the brutal wind, La Paz is a sweet city. Long walkway along sandy beaches with rugged mountains in the background. Lots of good choices for provisioning.
We walked into a nearby beach bar for cocktail — turned out to be a nice italian restaurant, with good margaritas.
After three-day rock&roll at dock, the wind finally turned down a notch. We did waste any time and launched off as soon as the port opened. The sea were rough with head winds and swells. We had enough after two hours and tucked back into Isla Espiritu Santo. This time, we anchored at the north portion, at Ensenada Grande.
Fisherman’s cross at Ensenada Grande.
Signature redrock formation.
Another beautiful sunset over Baja peninsula.
Weather continued to improve the next day. Forecast predicted calmer and warmer condition in the north. Not intuitive, but we will give it a shot. With the wind and cold in the last few days, we are ready for some change. As we headed north, we encountered a series of familiar names, Isla San Francisco, Isla San Jose (10 times bigger than San Francisco), Isla San diego, Isla Santa Cruze, etc, and landed at a popular anchorage, Puerto Los Gatos.
Painted cliffs on Baja Peninsula.
Los Gatos is known for its unique red rock formation.
Another fisherman’s cross.
Miles of desert with mountain ranges ensure some spectacular ADV riding.
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