Recap: Bahia Los Frailes to Topolobampo

We finally departed Cabo San Lucas on 3 December and spent that day motoring around the south tip of the Baha peninsula. About 14 miles from San Jose del Cabo, as we were rounding the corner from going east to going north, the wind and waves picked up so that we were suddenly beating upwind with very frequent square waves causing the hull to pound. We continued on this terrible upwind motor sail past dark, and didn’t anchor in Bahia Los Frailes until around 8:30PM. After talking to some other cruisers anchored in the bay, we found out that the winds in that area around the bay are typically 5-10 kts higher than what is forecast, and when there is a norther blowing through the Sea of Cortez, the chop is pretty terrible – exactly what we experienced. 

We spent 4 nights anchored in Bahia Los Frailes, which was a lovely first Sea of Cortez anchorage. A nice breeze was continually blowing over the headlands, so that the temperature inside of the boat was comfortable. We hiked up the peak overlooking the bay, and took a video of the amazing view. 

We had a relaxing few days reading, resting, and cooking. Another cruiser, Guy from aboard the catamaran Elan, graciously gave us some fresh sierra (fish) that he had caught but wasn’t able to finish. Matt was able to unearth his fish filleting skills and we had the tastiest fish we’ve had so far. We also made puri (an Indian bread that puffs when it cooks, thanks to Smitha and Divya for introducing us to this!) for the first time. We got to enjoy our first visit (and a great one!) with fellow cruisers Mac and Catherine aboard the immaculate S/V Indigo.

Schools of small fish around the boat at anchor

We departed from Bahia Los Frailes 7 December for an overnight passage to Topolobampo. The Sea of Cortez had completely calmed, so we motored the entire 150 nm. A few hours into the journey, we had to slow and detour the boat to avoid running into a whole pod of whales crossing the boat. Whales frequent the Sea of Cortez around this time of year to breed.

We arrived at the Topolobampo marina (Marina Palmira) around 4PM 8 December, and found that the marina was definitely overly-advertised on its website (the boats and buildings appear to be cartoon renditions on the website because they don't actually exist!):

Topolobampo Marina Palmira

The channel is 12 miles long and pretty clearly marked with navigational aids, even though there is currently no information about this marina in the guidebooks. There are only about 40 slips (the website advertises over 100) and the facilities are lacking. There’s no laundry and the one shower bathroom is pretty terrible. The website also advertises a marina hotel which flat-out does not exist. It unfortunately took a significant amount of negotiating to come to agreement on paying the special moorage rate posted on the marina website ($10/ft/mo). The ability to leave the boat in Topolobampo gives us the opportunity to see some of the mountains of the mainland. However, do not be misled by the false advertising and be prepared for a primitive marina. The shrimp dinners at the Pelicanos restaurant at the end of the dock were fantastic.

Bahia Los Frailes to Topolobampo Album