We said goodbye to all of our new friends and left our slip in Marina Coral, Ensenada on Monday, Dec. 11. The day was only windy as we attempted to exit our slip, then it stopped altogether as we motored into the bay. We were escorted out of the bay by a pod of 6 dolphins. They were having a great time dodging in front of our bow. What a great show! As we ventured down the coast, we became aware of just how desolate this part of Baja is. No towns, no internet, no cell service, just us, the ocean and a far away rocky shore. Ken tried his luck at fishing, but not even a nibble. The winds were minimal throughout the day and evening, and waves were 4 feet high. During our night time shifts, we saw hundreds of shooting stars. What a couple of beautiful nights! Four hour shifts throughout the night for two nights and days got us to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay). During the morning of the third day, Ken threw out the line and immediately caught a Pacific Bonito. Dale doused the fish with tequila, stunning it long enough for Ken stun it permanently. Within 30 minutes, he had caught two fish, had them filleted and in the freezer. We were so happy to drop our anchor in this bay surrounding a small fishing village. We realized a few miles outside of Turtle Bay that we had picked up some kelp on our prop, creating a swimming opportunity shortly upon setting the anchor. Soon after we anchored we were greeted by a panga boat happy to take our fuel cans ashore and fill them for a hefty fee. As the water was too rough for our dinghy, we agreed to the assistance. With a full fuel tank and spare cans, we then realized that we needed to get to shore to get some internet to determine when it was safe to leave this safe bay. Back came the panga….need a ride to shore? Why…. certainly 🙂 Once ashore, we were greeted by Pedro, who became our new best friend. He showed us where we could get internet…..Maria’s. Who also, by the way, made a mean fish taco! We ate our tacos, drank a cold beer and downloaded the latest weather. Pedro sat near the door waiting to show us to our next destination. After we had finished, Pedro showed us down the dirt road to a small market. We purchased a few items and back we went with Pedro leading the way. Down the dock to the waiting panga, all the while watching out not to step in the holes in the dock that lead many feet down into the water. Back to Slow Dancer armed with groceries and info. Although the info was not the best, we would need to wait for a couple of days for a storm to blow over. And wow, what a storm! Winds to 45knots, lightening, rain and waves of 6 feet. This caused an all night anchor watch to be sure that we didn’t drag. About 11 p.m. as we were watching the storm, we saw a medium sized fishing boat approaching us. We only had our anchor light on (top of the mast) so we decided to shine our light up onto our spreaders to be sure that they saw us. Still they came toward us, and quickly. Moving the light, making SURE that they saw us, we watched in horror as they came even closer. We could now see the fishermen and hear them laughing! They proceeded to do a circle around us….twice! Some kind of game? Not funny! Another day of huge swells and we were out of there! Down the second half of the Pacific Baja Coast.
