After departing Topolobampo on 27 December, we had a crappy overnight upwind sail back to the Baja, due to some choppy weather and waves. The Sea of Cortez is supposed to be a fantastic cruising ground, but so far we have been moving north against the wind and short wavelength, steep waves (...lots of bow digging), so it has been the least pleasant sailing so far. Arriving at the Baja on 28 December, we decided to anchor in Bahia Aqua Verde for a night to give us a break from all the beating. It ended up being a good choice, as we had a much more pleasant time covering the 20 miles north to Honeymoon Cove on 29 December.
Honeymoon Cove turned out to be a lovely and secluded anchorage, until the National Geographic cruise from La Paz showed up on 30 December! We had a great time tagging along with the group for a hike around the island guided by their knowledgeable and enthusiastic naturalist. They were even nice enough to give us a lift from AEOLI to shore in their skiffs!
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| Avocados the size of your head!! |
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| Pork tostadas on the boat!! |
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| Honeymoon Cove |
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| Sally lightfoot crab |
We made the short hop over to Puerto Escondido on 31 December so that we could spend New Year's Eve in Loreto. We stayed at La Mision and went to a very nice party at the hotel, complete with dinner and dancing!!
On 1 January, we rented a truck and drove to the San Javier Mission, about 30 km away from Loreto. It's the second oldest mission in Baha California, nestled in the very picturesque Sierra Giganta Mountains.
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| 300 year old olive tree |
Sea of Cortez - I Album
We are planning on departing Puerto Escondido tomorrow to drift south through the islands on route to La Paz. We expect to be offline for a few weeks while doing so.
