Aqua Verde

Aqua Verde

March 23 - 25, 2018

Here is the view as we motored out of Los Gatos prior to raising the sails.

The day was perfect for Dan to sit watching the water on the bow.

This is the approach to Aqua Verde.  

We paddled our SUP boards to a beach on the North side.  There was this shack there and a few people camping on the beach.

We hiked up the mountain at the point of Aqua Verde and had some stunning views.

Looking at the photo below, I think it is why it is called aqua verde.

We decided to carry our Paddle Boards over the beach to the opposite shore for some incredible paddling.  The water was so clear and I could see many fish below me.  The rock walls were steep with various types of rocks.

Off in the distance is a large rock outcrop that is noted to be a great dive spot.  It was still calm enough so we paddled out there.

You can see Dan is photographing the rock.

The pelicans were watching me closely as I paddled around it.

When we got back to the boat, I jumped in for a swim and to wash my hair in the salt water.  We have to conserve water, so washing is done with salt water.  (It doesn't really work that well in case you're wondering.)  Sometimes I will get a fresh water rinse with our solar shower and that is a real treat.

That's it folks!

Puerto Los Gatos

Sailing Mangle Solo to Puerto Los Gatos

March 22 - 23, 2018 

We waited for winds to arrive so we never left Mangle Solo until around noon.  The winds were light once we left Mangle Solo, so we put the Code One sail up.  It worked nicely for an hour or two, and then the wind dropped off too much, so we ended up motoring the rest of the way to Puerto Los Gatos.  The concern was not making the next anchorage during the day light hours if we wanted to wait for the wind.  So Mr. Rumbly did the trick.

Puerto Los Gatos was a charming bay.  There was one sail boat at anchor there and a kayak group staying in tents on the beach.  We flagged down our neighbors as they were heading back to their boat and invited them on board for drinks.  Mary and Doug from Canada and their S/V Indigo Star.  (Sadly, I never took a picture of them).  Eventually we joined them for dinner on their boat.  It was a fun evening.

I woke up early to the sun rise and this was the view as I enjoyed a morning cup of coffee on the deck.  It is so often now, that I sleep later in the morning and thus miss that special part of the day.

Dan and I paddled our SUP boards to the beach were we got to explore the amazing red rocks and climb a cool rock outcrop.  

These red rocks were very unique and looked like they were poured out.  The wind and waves have made them so smooth, they were stunning and fun to walk on. 

We climbed up a path and as we got to other side, I saw Indigo Star taking off from the anchorage.  

This was the view from the top of the hill as it overlooks Puerto Los Gatos.

Malo was the only boat left at the anchorage when we got done with our hike.  The kayakers had even packed up their tents and were moving out in pongas.  Dan and I packed up our boards and headed out ourselves - heading for Agua Verde.  

Mangle Solo - Isla San Jose March 21 -22 2018

Mangle Solo - Isla San Jose

March 21-22

We woke up to a dead calm harbor at Isla San Francisco.  What a change, as there was a lot of wind while we were there.   

We sailed off the anchor on a gentle breeze with a northerly destination of Mangle Solo at the northern tip of Isla San José.  The wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots and we had a delightful 26 mile sail with a good amount of tacking as we had a northerly wind.  The San José Channel was narrow and stunningly beautiful.  At certain times of the year, it is reported one can see a number of whales in this channel either heading up the sea or down.  We did not see any.   

There were a couple of pongas and small fishing shelters on the beach.  After having a nice lunch, we unloaded the SUP boards and paddled to explore the shore and the Cardón Cactus that grow on the island.  Here are some photos of that exploration.

Below Malo sits quietly on her anchor.  There were only two other sail boats anchored there.

The cardón cactus were very amazing.

The fisherman set up these temporary fishing shelters.

These beach shacks reminded me of the Coventry City Shacks we used to make out of scrap lumber and metal roof pieces that my Dad had kicking around.  It was so much fun building them.   

Another beautiful sunset was presented to us.

We woke up to a calm sea and grab the SUP boards we did.  Here we go for a great paddle. 

We waited for the wind to blow and were visited by a small pod of 5 or 6 dolphins that came within a few feet of our boat.  Our first awareness of them was to hear their breathing.  That was how calm it was. I will try to post the movie.

Isla San Francisco

Isla San Francisco

March 19 - 20th 2018

We left our cozy, sheltered anchorage of Ensenada de la Raza by 7:30 am - sailed off the hook and headed straight out to the sea for our 36 nm sail to Isla San Francisco.  The others who where anchored there, decided not to head out in this El Norte wind forecast.  But Dan thought we would be fine.  It blew 18 to 26 knots with 4 - 6 foot high swells.  Sadly I had not taken any sea sickness medication as I had not needed it for some time.  While I did not get terribly sick, I felt on edge for most of the 6 hour trip.  I took the helm some which always helps, but when conditions got difficult I gladly had Dan take over.   The few times I went below deck to get something, I came up a little blue.  

The sail was fast and fun and Malo really did a suburb job of heading into the northerly wind.  We had to tack a few times, but less than we thought we would.  The weather and views were stunning as we followed along the shores of the Sierra de la Gigantic mountain range.  The colored striations in the rock layers made me think of the painted desert.  The landscape reminded me a lot of Utah, except there was this huge sea surrounding the cliffs.  

We arrived at the anchorage about 2:30 pm and I was most ready to be there.  A beautiful crescent shaped anchorage with a nice white sandy beach.  The water was a delightful tourquoise blue. There were already about 18 sailboats anchored there being protected from the north winds.   

It was so windy, we did not go to shore until the next morning.  After a late lunch, a nap and chilling, I went to bed at 7pm and slept soundly through the night.  I think the sail here whipped me out.  

The next morning Dan and I took our SUP boards to shore even though the wind was cranking.  We brought hiking boots with the idea of exploring some of the trails.   Here are some of the photos of the ridge trail hike and the desert life.  

There was a salt pond in back of the cove. 

The ridge trail was very cool and the views were stunning.  The wind was blowing pretty good so it felt a little unsettling at the very top.

Looking out over the Sea of Cortez.

Isla San Francisco was a beautiful anchorage.  Tomorrow we head out to Isla San Jose.