Anchorages from Puerto Escondido to Caleta Lobos

On October 26, we left one of our favorite marina/anchorages, Puerto Escondido. We sailed out into the soft breeze toward the anchorage at Agua Verde. As we were approaching the anchorage, we saw a pod of more than 20 dolphins. They were amazing! As we were watching them swimming together, we noticed a float in the water. OK, probably a lobster trap. As we got closer, we suddenly noticed a green net stretching across in front of us….yikes! No way to avoid it, we held our breath hoping that it did not get tangled in our prop, rudder or keel.
Whew…..we made it over without mishap. As we looked out into the Sea, we noticed another set of floats, at least 1/4 mile off in the distance, the end of the net. Wow……long net and how do these fishermen think that all boats will be as lucky as we were!

We dropped the anchor in the quiet bay of Agua Verde. Only one other boat in the entire bay. The water is indeed green and clear here as we jumped in. No winds, but some pretty distinct surge, which we rocked with all night.

The next morning we headed toward the anchorage of Puerto Los Gatos. We were able to sail most of the day, although still had some pretty large swells. As we entered the anchorage, we saw the red rocks for which this area is famous. No other boats in this anchorage. We dropped the hook and enjoyed snorkeling to the beach and climbing on the rocks. Another boat joined us, but we still enjoyed our solitude and a lovely evening.

The following day, October 28, we headed out for Isla San Francisco. We enjoyed a brisk sail and set the anchor about 4:00pm.

None of these anchorages gave us phone service, so we were not able to update our weather reports. The previous reports were for good weather for our crossing. However, things can change quickly and we knew that we would need to get closer to LaPaz for phone service and accurate weather information. We motored in the calm winds and seas to Caleta Lobos, just outside LaPaz, and anchored for the last night on Baja. We were alone in the anchorage and enjoying a nice swim when another sailboat joined us. OK, no problem, plenty of room. As we were enjoying dinner, a large power boat (85+ feet) came in and anchored right behind us…..hmmm. Just after this, a catamaran came in. We were almost boxed in! Not a good feeling if the winds picked up…..which they did! We kept a close eye on our position throughout the night and squeezed our way out in the morning. The winds were blowing around 18k, which made for a brisk sail and passage through the San Lorenzo Channel. This is a narrow passage between Isla Espiritu Santo and Baja. There is also a lot of commercial traffic through this narrow cut. We waited for a ferry to complete it’s passage and off we went! We were on our way to Mazatlan!