First foray into the Sea in 2025

So, after a pleasant stay at Los Frailes, I departed for La Paz.  This was a few photos from a short jaunt around a wetland (dampland) area at frailes.  

Here's a killdeer!

And a Vermillion Flycatcher


So, it was still windy from the north as I left, and it was rough.  Real tough fighting against the wind.  The seas were not huge, but big enough that it hurt, and I had the dinghy on the back, and it was moving more than I would like.  The solar panels also moved a bit.  I managed to figure out a way to secure them better, and to stiffen up the rack in general, so hopefully that will stay that way from now on.

From Frailes, I went to Bahia de los Muertos, and came sailing in real fast and dropped anchor like a madman.  I love sailing to anchor, but when its blowing 25 kts or more its hard to slow the boat down.  Anyway, coming in at 8+ kts is great.  Then it gets real calm when I furl the jib (or staysail) and point head to wind with the main up.  Then I drift gently back and drop the hook.  Lovely.  From muertos I went along the outside of Isla Cerralvo, and I had always wanted to see that area.  It was pretty calm, so a motoring along.  I went to Esperitu Santo island, and anchored in the south side, at Playa Bonanza.  In the morning there were some rays jumping!

After watching the rays for a bit I headed north up to Isla San Jose.  It was south winds, so I could use the spinnaker and it was nice.  I ended up at Punta Colorado, which I had never been to before, and I love it.

There was a night heron, and some sheep?

And the rocks are layered and full of shells.

Aquila was happy and calm

There were goats too.  Maybe the others were goats.  I can't tell the difference

The rocks are full of shells, and very nice colors

Here's the point

And nearby a bay full of great layers

In the morning it was really pretty.

From there I headed around the north end of Isla San Jose and found some dolphins and then sailed downwind (since the wind sprang up from the north) and made it to Isla San Francisco.  I stayed two nights, and got a bunch of salt and did some spearfishing

And did the hike up to the top, of course

From there Aquila was looking pretty

And there was a rock wren!

The bay is very picturesque, and the water is a nice color.  

In the morning I drove over to the south side of isla san jose and did a skiff tour into the lagoon Amortajada.  Its amazing in there, full of mangroves.

And Ibis(s)

From there it was a quick jaunt to Isla esperitu Santo again, and found this snail 

And a nice night heron

The tide was really low since it was near the new moon

And a yellowlegs

Here's some mangrove toes!

And an antelope squirrel

And a moth chrysalis, I think.  I'll go back and see if it changes when I'm working with uncruise.
 

Across the Narrow Sea

I've sailed  over to the Baja again!  I started out leaving from Punta Mita and going to Isla Isabel, to look at some birds on the way.  The anchorage in the south side was crowded, so I had to go to the east side.  After a bumpy night at anchor, the sunrise was really nice.  Here is one of the volcanic rocks gleaming in the sun...

The forested island is covered in a short tree that I don't know the name of, but the sun was shining against the trunks in a way that looked nice.

Frigate Birds nest in these trees, and were up early, soaring in the breeze...

When ashore, the frigates are looking to impress each other, and the males sometimes inflate their balloon to show off.  

The female and immature frigates will have some white on them.  This is a juvenile, since it has a white head.

There wasn't much south swell, but a nice breaking wave forms in the south cove of the island and it can make for some lively chop there.

The morning lizards were out, trying to get warm.  This one has a nice grin

And this one was trying to climb around in the grass.

Up on top of the hill the Blue-footed Boobies were dancing and getting ready to nest.  The females have the eyeballs that are crazy looking...

The males are more respectable looking in their pupils.  Also I have noticed a difference in the color around the head.  The females seem to have more brownish yellow.

When they dance they lift their feet up to show them off, then do a fancy upside-down wing thing

Which looks like this as viewed from the ladies' perspective.  The females will also dance, but not as often.  

Of course there is also a lot of calling.  The males will whistle, and the females will quack.  Then they get into bill touching and sometimes what looks like fighting.

Here is the fighting.

They often pick up bits of grass to give as nesting presents.

But they are really cute.

To the north is a nice little cinder cone crater, a half moon left from when it collapsed.  

From Isla Isabel, it was a bit of a slog across.  The wind had come up and Aquila was sailing well, but also there was a bit of chop and so it was kind of rough.  As the wind came up above 25 kts, I put in two reefs in the mainsail and used the staysail (a smaller jib).  Everything was great until the top of the staysail parted and I had to fetch the sail out of the ocean and then go up the mast to get the halyard again.  This is the second time its happened, last time was also in the middle of a crossing a year ago, and i am disappointed in the way it chafes.

On the evening of the final night at sea the sunset was very spectacular.  It began around 5 pm and kept going for several hours, with magnificent clouds lighting up everywhere.  

I think it is something to do with being downwind of the large mountains around Cabo San Lucas, and that makes for great clouds.  Also a change in the weather patterns from windy to calm.

Aquila was enjoying the sunset light too

The colors just kept on changing

There was a funny smooth spot on the underside of the clouds, as if it had been sanded off.

This photo reminds me of a song that I heard as a child.  "where the ocean meets the sky I'll be sailing"

I can't recall exactly when I heard it, but I might have been 5 or 6 or so.  Ok, I just looked it up.  I was 10.  

It is possible that at age 10, hearing Rod Stewart singing about the ocean meeting the sky, was the genesis of my love of the sea.  Previous to this time, I had been into Dinosaurs, Birds, Airplanes, rockets and the stars.  I still love the stars, of course, but its possible that I was convinced at this time that I could have a pathway to the stars through the ocean.

Since I wanted to be an astronaut I was always looking for a way to the stars....  Sailing is my way, it seems.

One last look at the water.

So after arriving in the middle of the night, I was ready to go ashore and walk around in the area.

How about a hike up to the top of the hill?

It was quite windy on the hill, and Aquila was hiding from the seas in Bahia Frailes

To the north is Cabo Pulmo, and a friend from Uncruise lives there and showed me around the area, which was nice.

Aquila was sitting pretty, but the wind from the north was unrelenting.  Hopefully by tomorrow it will calm down a bit.

In the meantime the molula rays are swimming around with their tips showing.