- ARROYO VERDE, on a mainland, a mineral paradise.
- THE HOOK, the famous caldera on SAN FRANSISCO,
- PUNTA OSTIONES : The largest mangrove in all BAJA, south of ISLA CARMEN,
- SAN EVARISTO, back to mainland, a very isolated village, but always visited by cruisers.
- LAS SALINAS, a ghost place with saltpounds.
North wind push ALCYONE south to LA PARTIDA anchorage before BAHIA FALSA,
a very convenient bay at 11 km from LA PAZ, with internet connection, UBER relative access, and, watching for the tide table, an easy landing +dinghy storage with Salvador, friendly owner of playa Tesoros
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| Very closed to the shore, El Cerro EL MECHUDO dominate all the area where scarce unpaved roads challenge 4WD |
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| Arrival in ARROYO VERDE, with green and pink rocks...but not only... |
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| A local "mule deer"is on the place n is very excited by ALCYONE... |
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| ...but as soon as we use the dinghy to land on the beach ! |
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| ...Low tide encourage Helena to investigate the north shore... |
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| ...she find this gracious tiny moray eel |
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| The cactus garden behind the beach impress Jean Louis... |
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| ...as much as these spinny devils impress our soals... |
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| In a green natural mortar... |
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| or found on the beach...plenty of multicolor stones ! |
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| If you follow the trial and turn north side (half an hour) , ENE view: behind MECHUDO COVE: PUNTA SALINAS |
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| A pretty calm evening in the cove... |
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| ...leaving ideas of further walks... |
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| ...but a strong northern arrived: This southward motoring panga save a lot of gas ! |
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| Let's move to SAN FRANSISCO, 6 miles away to get more protection... |
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| ...The "venturi" boost the wind near35k |
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| ...providing under 3rd reef a short time of excitment n splashes to Marie Ange and Jean Louis... |
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| ...before anchoring in "the Hook", the famous bay where ALCYONE join 8 other cruisers... |
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| ...n this local fishing boat, dragging with his so tiny anchor... |
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| The Hook is a sandy caldera, offering not only good Northern protection... |
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| ... but also a popular short n easy walk giving a bit of height to shot the magical natural curve of the bay |
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| ...and an almost 360 degres view, including the mainland, |
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| ...n the island SAN FRANSISCO itself... |
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| NW wild pink side... |
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| ...south side of the bay ...prettty shallow... |
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| ...as its north side, where the yachts are anchored... How to resist to take - like all cruisers - this shot ? |
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| The Northern vanish n let ALCYONE sail a bit more north to the AMORTAJADA lagoon... |
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| ...early visit with the luck of the high tide.., |
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| In this lagoon: the largest mangrove in BAJA; one of the best place to watch birds with the dinghy in slow motion... |
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| ...classical birds in unclassical positions... |
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| ... Ospreys are very common, but this solitary guy is crazy proud ...n tall.... |
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| ...and at the north opening of the lagoon: the largest concentration of Pelican ever seen up to now... |
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| We can stay hours watching these bombers fighting in perfect formations... |
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| A light south wind push us in the afternoon toward SAN EVARISTO fishing village in the mainland... |
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| ...passing isla COYOTE, the other local inhabited place on a tiny island... |
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| SAN EVARISTO: The best anchorage around...Many cruisers stop here... |
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| ...but 4WD vehicules challenge the difficult road to buy fresh yellow tails to local active pangeros.. |
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| Collateral damage: This diodon n it is not the only one drying on the beach... |
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| BAJA's NORTH or SOUTH bound cruisers don't miss this isolated place, sometimes backpackers too...as today... |
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| ...giving a bit of work to MAGGY in his small local restaurant... |
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| ...but the friendly feeling is really shared... at least this 29th january ! |
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| LAS SALINAS: only a few miles away from SAN EVARISTO... |
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| The past activity in the salt ponds doesn't show only wrecks... |
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| ...but nice drawings on the earth, still preserved...n the Nikon enjoy... |
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| Let's use this strong NORTHERN to return south ! |
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| A general rule: Mahi Mahis always bite when the cat is rocketing: this time between 10 n 12 knots (JLD picture) |
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| Yes guys...this is not bad too in France now ! (a thought when cleaning the fish) |
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| Last island anchorage of PARTIDA cove , another safe caldera ! |
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| ...where, after 2 weeks of training, Jean Louis experiment with charism the privileges of a good skipper ! |
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| Thanks to park regulation, these PARTIDA cove fishers huts are n will remain the only constructions on the island... |
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| Tomorrow we sail to BAHIA FALSA, 11km away from LA PAZ...last anchorage for our happy friends ! |