We met up with Lady Carolina and Resilience at La Ramada, which is a small cove around the corner North of San Juanico with better protection from south winds. There is a trail that connects La Ramada with the northern anchorage of San Juanico, so we walked over there a couple times, gathered obsidian along the way, and visited the cruisers’ shrine.
Logbook – June 10, 2013 (Isla Coronados to La Ramada)
Passage Log Highlights
0840 Depart Isla Coronados. Alex spun the speedometer
1006 Spinnaker + Port Engine
1250 Arrive La Ramada
Daily Notes
Passage to San Juanico. Tried to sail w/ spinnaker, not enough wind. Arrived at an empty San Juanico, found other kid boats (sv Resilience & sv Lady Carolina) around the corner at La Ramda
Boys swam, played Monoploy @ Lady Carolina
Drinks & socializing on Exodus w/ other kid boats and sv Shindig
(Edit: the speedometer is just a mechanical wheel that spins and gives a reading of speed through the water. It gets all mucked up and then doesn’t spin, so we’ve started trying to remember to spin it before we head out from an anchorage. This time, we forgot, so we stopped before we were out of the bay and Alex jumped in and spun it.)
We stayed the night at Isla Coronados and this is the sunrise before setting sail for La RamadaWe departed Isla Coronados at 8:40 and dropped anchor at La Ramda at 12:50.We had been in radio contact with Lady Carolina via SSB, and they had told us they were still at San Juanico. However, when we pulled into the bay it was deserted, and with winds coming in from the SE, it would have been a very uncomfortable anchorage. So, we went up and around the point to a north-facing bay called La Ramada and found Lady Carolina and Resilience tucked in up there.
Email to family and friends dated June 10, 2013
Subject: Greetings from La Ramada
We are at a little cove just north of San Juanico called La Ramada. San Juanico was totally empty and the swell was coming in pretty good which makes for an uncomfortable anchorage, so we found the other 2 kid boats up here at La Ramada. Tim is spear fishing now. After our farmer’s market trip yesterday I have all the fresh makings for ceviche so we need some fresh white fish. Boys are playing with the other kids, Alex is with the 2 older boys (12 & 13 yrs) and Brenden is with the younger boy (8 or 9 yrs, can’t remember). He wants to play legos and I can hear Brenden saying, “well, I’m not really in the mood for legos.” What!?!?
Congrats to Dylan on his high school graduation, so sorry we missed it!
We don’t have cell or wifi from here, and I’m actually not sure when we will again.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – June 11, 2013 (La Ramada)
Daily Notes
D&T kayak to shore – hike to cruisers shrine
Whole family hike up to the top of the dirt road then to cruisers shrine w/ Lady Carolina
Met Jim & Janet – power vessel Ozzy on the way back
Bonfire on beach w/ Lady Carolina & Ozzy
At anchor at La Ramada with Lady Carolina and Ozzy (a motor vessel with a nice couple, Jim & Janet, on board who joined us for one of our bonfires.)The beach at La RamadaLa RamadaExodus at anchor at La RamadaA nice running beach (if only it weren’t so HOT)The dirt road between La Ramada and San Juanico is littered with obsidianThe trail that leads from the dirt road up a hill and over to the north beach of San JuanicoWe can see San Juanico at the end of the roadSan Juanico from the top of the trailViews of San JuanicoViews of San JuanicoViews of San JuanicoThe Cruisers’ ShrineThe King is honored wherever you goPeople make their offerings out of all kinds of thingsD with the Cruisers’ ShrineThe rocky beach at San JuanicoJoel had a school science assignment they are working onOn our way back Tim climbed even higher (and eventually I followed)More views of San JuanicoWhat a view from up here!The view of La Ramada from the topTim overlooking La RamadaSunset at La RamadaLego Time
Logbook – June 12, 2013 (La Ramada)
Daily Notes
Alex searched for his lost pocket knife. No luck. Swimming w/ Joel after school, then a movie.
Joel stayed for dinner
T- spearfishing, no luck.
(Edit: Grandpa brought the boys pocket knives when they came, and Alex was SOOOO bummed that he lost his onshore at La Ramada)
Logbook – June 13, 2013 (La Ramada to San Juanico)
Passage Log Highlights
0955 Depart La Ramada
1050 Arrive San Juanico
Daily Notes
D- run on the beach
Passage around the corner to San Juanico
Alex and T spearfish – Alex got a PR
B – tough day of school
I got up early and went for a run our last morning at La RamadaI was not early enough to outrun the sunrise
Email to family and friends dated July 13, 2013
Subject: Huge anchorage all to ourselves
We have moved around the corner South to San Juanico at the same spot we anchored when G&M were here. We have the entire huge anchorage to ourselves! We’ve got pretty much the only spot in the bay without significant swell since the wind is blowing pretty good from the SE as it has been for the past few days. We will likely head back South tomorrow to catch back up with Lady Carolina. They had to go get some internet access for the boys’ school and we were enticed to follow them with the idea of another wifi fix and Loreto shopping trip, not to mention playmates for A&B. After that we will all head North up the Bahia Concepcion where there is an annual cruisers 4th of July party. Our fridge has not been staying cold enough so Tim is assessing the issue and coming up with corrective action so we can get any supplies we need for that while in Loreto again. Everything else is going pretty well.
Love and miss you all.
-D.
After leaving La Ramada we spent a day at our favorite spot in the south lobe of San Juanico. The boys went spearfishing and Alex got another PR!
We got up early and departed Puerto Ballandra at 7:35 and motored across the channel to Loreto, dropping anchor at about 9:05. It was a Sunday, so we could go to the Farmers Market, and it was fantastic. Since the weather was calm, we raised anchor under sail at 18:35 and cruised into the anchorage at Isla Coronados at 20:14.
Logbook – June 9, 2013 (Puerto Balandra to Loreto to Isla Coronados)
Passage Log Highlights
0725 Depart Puerto Ballandra
0905 Arrive Loreto
1835 Depart Loreto
2014 Isla Coronados
Daily Notes
Nice day trip to Loreto, Farmer’s market, Orlando’s for lunch, El Pescador (groceries)
Raised anchor at Loreto under sail
Motored most of the way to Coronados
Connected w/ Lady Carolina on SSB – They & Resilience are still at San Juanico
(Edit: Loreto Farmer’s Market was mostly like a swap meet, but there was actually a fresh food market and we stocked up and we were happy.)
(Edit: The SSB radio was starting to be worth the investment.)
The inReach is the GPS transponder we use to track our location. When we lose data either 1) the batteries died or 2) we forgot to turn it on.Exodus anchored off Loreto. You can see the volcano on Isla Cornados in the distanceChit Chatting while walking along the MaleconThere’s a handicap ramp but I guess you’ve got to jump the gutterStill trailing behind, I wonder what they’re talking aboutAt the plaza (again)Walk street in LoretoLunch at Orlando’s. Excellent beer on tap. Mmmmm…. IPAA photo of the Mission without the cheesy bow on the doorFarmers market spoils
Email to family and friends dated June 9, 2013
Subject: Leaving Isla Coronados
We had a great day in Loreto today. We went to the Farmers Market and they had a fantastic selection of fresh veggies. Most of it was a lot like a swap meet, though, but all we got were veggies. We are anchored tonight at Isla Coronados and we will be heading to San Juanico tomorrow. Thanks to the SSB (Single Side Band) radio nets we’ve been in contact with Lady Carolina (another kid boat that G&M met when they were here) so they are waiting for us there. Gotta love ancient technology.
Love and miss all of you.
-D.
In and out of Puerto Escondido. Got a wifi fix, did laundry, picked up some groceries, and topped off the diesel. We anchored again, even though the starboard engine is fixed and we could have picked up a mooring ball. Since we already had an anchor waypoint saved in the chart plotter, we figured that was the easiest thing to do.
Candoleros Chico was a wonderful little cove. The guidebook says it is a one boat anchorage, but we squeezed in there with another small boat. For the first time in over a month, we find ourselves alone, and the family time was welcomed.
Puerto Ballandra was also a nice spot, located on the northern end of Isla Carmen.
Logbook – June 3, 2013 (Isla Coronados to Puerto Escondido)
Passage Log Highlights
1110 Depart Isla Coronados
1212 Approaching Loreto. No Sails. P engine.
1551 Arrive Puerto Escondido
Daily Notes
Said goodbye to Fluenta for the summer
Passage to Puerto Escondido – mostly wind on the nose
Drive-by to Loreto to drop off paddleboard paddle to Resilience
Laundry, laundry, laundry – 2 washers, 1 dryer
Restaurant & wifi
After a sad good-bye with Fluenta, we departed Isla Coronados at 11:10 and motor sailed to Puerto Escondido arriving at 15:51. We did a drive-by of Loreto along the way in order to drop off a paddleboard paddle to Resilience.On the couch at the Portobello restaurant
Logbook – June 4, 2013 (Puerto Escondido to Candeleros Chico)
Passage Log Highlights
1730 Depart Puerto Escondido
1915 Arrive Candeleros Chico
Daily Notes
Checked in at Fonatur Marina office & provisioned at Pedro’s store. Pedro told us how to make English muffins
Walk to Modelorama & Tripui restaurant for lunch
Diesel at fuel dock. Filled water jugs & hosed down Exodus
Passage to Candeleros Chico. One other boat in the anchorage.
Trekking to the Modelorama, which is about 1/2 mile from the dock. There is a tienda at the dock but I always like to check out all the provisioning options. I like the Modelorama because it’s far better organized. Yes, I’m a sucker for that sort of thing.Tabor Canyon (aka Steinbeck’s Canyon) is in the distance.This very well groomed center divider seemed so out of placeThe Modelorama is in the small town of TripuiIt was a rush to get out of Puerto Escondido so we could get to Candeleros Chico before dark. We departed at 17:30 and arrived 19:15 under motor with both engines the whole way.The CandlesApproaching Candeleros ChicoThe geography of Candeleros ChicoReady to jumpFun on the boogie boards as the sun goes downSunset at Candeleros ChicoNightswimmingNightswimming
Logbook – June 5, 2013 (Candeleros Chico)
Daily Notes
Boys spearfishing – 7 fish! Sushi (yellowtail) for dinner
Boys ate popcorn & star gazed. Awesome shooting star.
Logbook – June 6, 2013 (Candeleros Chico)
Daily Notes
Mom – snorkel – better than San Juanico. School of parrot fish. Boys spearfishing
Sunset “hike” – didn’t go very far
Campfire & marshmallows. Alex roasts the most heavenly marshmallows
Good morning Candeleros ChicoThis is the other boat in the anchorage with us with the sunrise reflecting off the cliff behind it.
Email to family and friends dated June 6, 2013
Subject: Still at Candeleros Chico
Hi, we are still at Candeleros Chico and we are loving it. It’s a very small cove, just us and one other boat here. The boys have been hugely successful spearfishing, and the snorkeling is amazing. Today we are going to have an early dinner (fish tacos, what else) and then go for a sunset hike. We will likely be here a couple more days and then another provisioning trip into Loreto then back up to San Juanico.
Yummy beer-battered fishFogbank getting closerThe rugged terrain, we tried to go for a hike but the spiderwebs deterred us. While looking for the trailhead, we found a huge spider and the boys fed it horse fliesAlex doing some exploringExodus at anchor at Candeleros ChicoLooking for seashellsFound someGathering wood for a campfireThey were not disappointed the hike was abortedThe rocky beach at Candeleros ChicoCandeleros ChicoWonderful evening. Marshmallows and everything.
Logbook – June 7, 2013 (Candeleros Chico)
Daily Notes
Wettest night yet. 81% humidity
A&T spearfishing, B swimming
Stargazing and movie night
Morning fog rolling inBiscuits for breakfastRinsing some dishesTim doin some boat work. I took this picture out the porthole from our cabin.
Logbook – June 8, 2013 (Candeleros Chico to Puerto Ballandra)
Passage Log Highlights
1137 Depart Candeleros Chico
1221 Spinnaker, no engines
1617 Arrive Puerto Ballandra
Daily Notes
Passage from Candeleros Chico –> Puerto Ballandra (Isla Carmen). Sailed most of the way with good wind from SE. used spinnaker for the first leg between Danzante & Carmen
caught a 20 lb fish – we were very excited thinking it was a tuna, turned out to be a toro (very dark red meat)
Boys swam at Puerto Ballandra. New favorite game is stand up on a boogie board holding the anchor chain
Radio contact with Lady Carolina Southbound Net
Email to family and friends dated June 8, 2013
Subject: Leaving Candeleros Chico
We will be leaving this wonderful little cove later this morning and heading to one of the anchorages closer to Loreto. We are going to go to Loreto tomorrow to provision before heading North. There’s a farmers market that everyone raves about in Loreto on Sunday mornings, so we are going to try to hit that. After being with all the kid boats we’ve been enjoying time on our own. Two nights ago we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows on the beach and last night we made hot chocolate and stargazed on the deck of Exodus. Good times. There are two other kid boats still here and we are going to head north to catch up with them.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Making sure the solar shower bags are in a nice sunny spotCleaning out some boat lockersA very successful day spearfishingRelaxingWe departed Candeleros Chico at 11:37 and arrived at Puerto Ballandra at 16:17.
At Isla Coronados we caught back up with Sweet Dreams and Fluenta, but it was bittersweet because we also said good-bye to them for the summer. But on the bright side, we also made some new friends on SV Resilience.
Logbook – June 1, 2013 (Isla Coronados)
Daily Notes
Algae bloom – pea-green water @ Isla Coronados
Science school on the beach with Jim & Beth (Marine Biologists sv Resilience)
Boys skurfing & swimming on Exodus
Fluenta kids here for movies, no-bake cookies, & minecraft
My favorite beach at Isla Coronados is at the SW end where the island makes a kind of hook and looks back at itself. This is the view from that beach looking at the anchorage and the volcano.The beach at the SW tip of the islandLooking south across the islandAnother look back at the anchorageNice running beach, except for the aggressive sea gull who would dive bomb me everytime I was at the East end of the beach. Too near the rookery, I guess.There was a seagull rookery along this shore
Email to family and friends dated June 1, 2013
Subject: Hi
We sadly said goodbye to Gary and Marsha yesterday but fortunately we caught up with 3 other kid boats up at Isla Coronados so that eased the boys’ melancholy moods. The parents on one of the boats that we hadn’t seen since La Paz are both Marine Biologists and this morning they are conducting “school” for all the kids exploring and discussing the diversity of life in the water here. Brenden was super excited. We also met a new kid boat down in Agua Verde with 2 boys aboard 8 and 12 yrs old and they will also be staying in the sea this summer so we won’t be the only kid boat! (Most people don’t stay here during the summer, they leave their boat somewhere and go home and then come back in the fall. That’s what most of the kid boats are doing.)
Love and miss you all.
-D.
Logbook – June 2, 2013 (Isla Coronados)
Daily Notes
Said goodbye to Sweet Dreams
Beach excursion to SW beach w/ Fluenta kids. D- run
Dinner on Exodus w/ Resilience & Fluenta
The crew of Sweet DreamsPlaying with FluentaPlaying with FluentaBrenden and Jonathon, facing offThere’s actually a hike up to the top of the dormant volcano, but it was way too hot to try itPlaying with FluentaTim Checking out the seagull rookeryThe kids built a hot tubThe kids built a hot tubAnother look south across the tip of the islandWith the Fluenta Kids, Victoria and JonathonWith the Fluenta Kids, Victoria and JonathonWrestling with AlexThere’s a stack of plates on the counter, so it looks like we’ve had another potluck on Exodus. With Glen (Resilience) and Victoria (Fluenta).More silliness
Email to family and friends dated June 3, 2013
Subject: Headed to PE
We are heading into Puerto Escondido for a couple days for laundry and wifi. Should be new photos going up on Facebook today or tomorrow. Our kid boat gang has totally disbanded since they are all leaving their boats and going home for the summer. We said good-bye to the last one this morning. But we have recently met 2 other kid boats… one is staying until the end of June and the other is staying for the summer like us, so we won’t be the only kid boat in the sea this summer.
We were so sad to say good-bye to Gary and Marsha. Honeymoon Cove is on Isla Danzante just south of Loreto. We only stayed there one night and we got chased out in the morning by hundreds of bees enjoying the dew that had collected on Exodus. Then we went to Loreto and said our good-byes.
We departed Agua Verde at 12:50 on May 30 and arrived at Honeymoon Cove on Isla Danzante at 17:39 sailing under Main and Genoa the whole way. We stayed one night at Honeymoon Cove and then motored to Loreto the next morning.
Logbook – May 30, 2013 (Agua Verde to Honeymoon Cove)
Passage Log Highlights
1250 Depart Agua Verde
1317 Engines off. Main + Genoa.
1739 Arrive Honeymoon Cove
Daily Notes
Spearfishing at Roca Solitaria at Agua Verde – Tim got a great Cabrilla – fish tacos for lunch while on passage to Honeymoon Cove
Dad came home with a cabrillaPlaying on the kayak – No Paddles!Wrestling in the salonThe geography of Honeymoon Cove. We anchored in the south lobe.Looking back at Honeymoon CoveUnderway, headed for LoretoA pod of dolphins played with us for a while on our way to Loreto
Email to family and friends dated May 30, 2013
Subject: On the move again
We will be leaving Agua Verde this afternoon to head closer to Loreto so we have a short trip tomorrow to take Gary & Marsha to the airport. 😦 Boys are out spear fishing now… last night we had fish for dinner caught by Alex and Brenden. They are becoming quite the hunters. Love and miss you all. -D.
Logbook – May 31, 2013 (Honeymoon Cove to Loreto to Isla Coronados)
Passage Log Highlights
1750 Depart Honeymoon Cove. Mucho Bees!
1035 Arrive Loreto
1627 Depart Loreto
1748 Arrive Isla Coronados. 82 ft chain in 22 ft
Daily Notes
Drop off Gary and Marsha in Loreto
Fruteria, HW store, Ferre Mar, Tortilleria, El Pescador
Back to Isla Coronados (& the other kid boats)
Boys – Risk & movie on Sweet Dreams
D/T – Drinks on Fluenta
Edit: Oh my god the bees! Our first bad encounter was back at Bahia San Gabriel on Isla Espiritu Santo, when Tim got the bright idea to put a bucket of water up on the port bow so that way they wouldn’t bother us in the cockpit. This time we woke up to thousands of bees all over the deck drinking the dew. Raising anchor was a precarious situation but somehow we got out of there with no bee stings.
Edit: About this time I started recording anchor chain we let out along with the depth. We tried to shoot for at least 5 to 1 scope most of the time. We hadn’t dragged since getting the new anchor, but we were a lot more mindful about it.
Exodus anchored off of LoretoThe sun’s in my eyesThe sun’s still in my eyesWith Grandpa and DadWe will miss Grandma and Grandpa! So glad they got to come visit!BrothersAfter Gary and Marsha headed to the airport, we did some provisioning. This is typically how we transport our groceries from the store to the dock… on our packmulesWe love the walk street in LoretoBack to Isla Coronados
We returned to Agua Verde with Gary and Marsha for spearfishing at Roca Solitaria. This time we anchored at the other side of the bay in the northernmost anchorage.
Logbook – May 28, 2013 (Agua Verde)
Daily Notes
More spearfishing. Brenden caught his Cabrilla!
D- hike and swim
More spearfishingBrenden told me he was going to come home with a Cabrilla, and he deliveredNo bake cookiesNo bake cookiesI kayaked to shoreCheck out our new sun shade (Thanks Marsha!)I hiked to the ridge to get this one.A view of the anchorageRoca SolitariaA view of Exodus
Logbook – May 29, 2013 (Agua Verde)
Daily Notes
Trip to the tienda with Brenden, thought we were out of gas
Snorkel/spearfishing w/ sv Lady Carolina then drinks & snacks on Exodus
False alarm emergency search party “Plane Crash”
(Edit: The “plane crash” was a radio-controlled airplane, but that didn’t stop the entire anchorage from getting spun up to help.)
Good morning Agua VerdePreparing to go up the mast (primarily to check the VHF antenna connector)Ready to goViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mastViews from atop the mast
We had only a short stay (one night) at Bahia Salinas and our main objective, which we achieved, was to dive on the wreck in the middle of the bay. Bahia Salinas is a large south-facing bay on the east side of Isla Carmen.
Logbook – May 26, 2013 (San Juanico to Bahia Salinas)
Passage Log Highlights
0920 Depart San Juanico
1052 Fog
1109 Dolphins
1207 Fish on
1716 Arrive Bahia Salinas (Isla Carmen)
Daily Notes
Fixed B macerator Pump
Passage to Bahia Salinas. Caught a long fish (TBD) + 3 Bonita (kept 1)
Boys boogie board w/ Grandma
It was a long day of motor sailing. We departed San Juanico at 9:20 and arrived at Bahia Salinas at 17:16.The geography of Bahia SalinasDolphins on passage from San Juanico to Bahia SalinasPlaying with dolphinsAlex caught an interesting fish. We did not eat this one.Grandpa hauling in a fishAlex reels in another one. According to the logbook we caught 4 fish on this passage: “Longfish (TBD) + 3 Bonita (kept 1)The Bonita we keptThe dramatic shoreline of Bahia SalinasA couple other boats in the large bay
Logbook – May 27, 2013 (Bahia Salinas to Agua Verde)
Passage Log Highlights
1023 Raised anchor – move to tuna boat wreck
1235 Depart Bahia Salinas
1421 Macerator leak from B’s tank into port bilge. ran bilge pump. will fix leak at anchor. dumped all 3 heads. watermaker running. no sails, under sb engine only. P engine hours = 855.1
1829 Arrive Agua Verde
Daily Notes
Snorkel on sunken tuna boat at Bahia Salinas
Passage to Agua Verde
Alex and Grandma relaxingFun with Grandma and GrandpaThis is a tuna boat that sunk in the early 80s. Excellent snorkeling!Departed Bahia Salinas at 12:35 and arrived Agua Verde at 18:29. Motored the whole wayEntering the bay past Roca SolitariaThis time we anchored on the north side of Agua VerdeGames with Grandma, yay!
Email to family and friends dated May 27, 2013
Subject: Headed to Agua Verde
We snorkeled on a 120 ft tuna boat wreck in ~30 ft of water today. Amazing! Now we are headed to Agua Verde so the spearfishing quest can continue.
This was one of our favorite anchorages so far (and we will be revisiting). It had fantastic snorkeling and a nice, long, soft yet hardpacked sand beach for running. Maybe Grandma and Granpa being with us made it fun too! San Juanico is a large bay with several spots to anchor. We chose the southernmost cove since the prevailing winds were from the SW. Someone actually made the comment that we were crazy to anchor in that tight, but I mean, I’m pretty conservative and I didn’t think there was any issue.
Logbook – May 22, 2013 (Isla Coronados to San Juanico)
Passage Log Highlights
1305 Depart Isla Coronados
1700 Arrive San Juanico
Daily Notes
T, Gary, boys hookah on the other side of Isla Coronados
D – running, snorkeling, kayak
Passage to San Juanico
T, Gary, AG – Spearfishing, M-Swimming, D-hiking/kayaking
Fresh fish for dinner
(Edit: That night Alex did. not. want. to. quit. He finally had to because the sun went down. But he wasn’t deterred, the next day he was in the water.)
Early morningI kayaked from Exodus down to the Southern beach, it looks like a hook at the tip of the islandThe southern beach on Isla CoronadosThe southern beach on Isla CoronadosThe southern beach on Isla CoronadosThe southern beach on Isla CoronadosLooking back up to the anchorage from the southern beach on Isla CoronadosOur friends on s/v Star Passage (Peter, Sophia, Harlen, and Kim)Star PassageWe departed Isla Coronados at 13:05 and arrived at San Juanico at 17:00, motor-sailing the whole wayThe geography of San JuanicoOur tight little anchorageStudying the fish field guideLooking west. That’s the direction of the “super secret spearfishing spot”Looking south towards the small beach at the head of our anchorage to the cove just on the other side.Our tiny anchorageSunset behind ExodusSunset at San JuanicoSunset at San JuanicoSunset at San JuanicoThis is a hog fish, and we didn’t catch any more of these. Not too tasty.Grandpa showing the kids how its doneMondo sunscreen. Necesitamos.Brenden (and Alex) enjoyed the brain teaser books Grandma brought.
Logbook – May 23, 2013 (San Juanico)
Daily Notes
Morning snorkel. Awesome.
Spearfishing – Alex got his first kill (6 in red snapper?)
Potluck/bocce ball on the beach – met Mark and Wendy on Windaway
More fish from the super secret spear fishing spot
Email to family and friends dated May 23, 2013
Subject: Hi from San Juanico
Gary and Marsha made it here safely on Tues, and we are currently at Caleta San Juanico, north of Loreto. Absolutely wonderful snorkeling! Gary and Tim caught dinner last night spearfishing. Alex and Brenden have the spearfishing bug now too. They went this morning and are dying to go again this afternoon after they finish their school work.
Love you all.
-D.
Bocce ball on the beachAs usual, Brenden adds a little fabulous to whatever he does, including Bocce ballMomma’s boysFather-son fishesScaryAlex’s first spear fishing victims
Logbook – May 24, 2013 (San Juanico)
Daily Notes
More spearfishing. Brenden got his first kill. Alex got his first “meal”
D – kayak to the sea caves and back
Fish tacos on Exodus w/ Star Passage. Parrotfish and grouper.
(in Alex’s handwriting) ran water maker today.
This is the landscape on the west side of our anchorageBrenden’s firstIt didn’t take long before they were catching meal size fishA family of spear-fishermen
Logbook – May 25, 2013 (San Juanico)
Daily Notes
D – kayak/run
Snorkeling/spearfishing (Alex & Gary ea. got a fish)
Dinner @ Star Passage
The fog rolling inAlex got anotherAlex caught lunchI kayaked to shoreThe view from aboveThe landscapeAmazing viewsI kayaked a little further away to a nice running beachThe running trackThe sewing projectFather and son, Captain and crewExodus at San Juanico
Email to family and friends dated May 26, 2013
Subject: Headed a little south
Hi all, San Juanico was fantastic, but today we are heading to Bahia Salinas which is on Isla Carmen. Having a great time enjoying Gary and Marsha’s visit. No cell signal or wifi.
Happy Birthday Ben, from all of us!!!
-D.
Isla Coronados is the closest anchorage to Loreto at about 6 nmi to the North. There is a dormant volcano there, a beautiful running beach, nice snorkeling, and several dive sights on the Eastside. And Alex and Brenden were very happy we caught back up to the kid boats.
Logbook – May 19, 2013 (Isla Corondados)
Daily Notes
Boys – skurfing, skim boarding, swimming @ Exodus. Movie night (Wreck it Ralph) on Star Passage
T – snorkeling w/ Jim & Gina (Sweet Dreams)
D/T – Walk on beach at sunset. Drinks on Exodus w/ Peter & Kim (Star Passage)
A view of the beach from the bow of ExodusTim and I went for a walk along the beachThe walk didn’t last long, Tim needed to sit and drink a beerSunset from the shore
Email to family and friends dated May 19, 2013
Subject: Isla Coronados
We are at Isla Coronados, which is about 6 miles away from Loreto, so we will stay here until Tues when we go pick up Gary and Marsha. We don’t have wifi but we do have a full cell signal (for text and voice) and 3G (for email) if you need to reach us. We are with the other kid boats again, so the boys are happy. BBQ on the beach last night just as we pulled into the anchorage
Logbook – May 20, 2013 (Isla Coronados)
Daily Notes
Ran watermaker 4 hours
T – Tank dive w/ Jim (Sweet Dreams) & Max (Fluenta0 @ Piedras Blancas on Isla Coronados. 35 min, 67 ft max. Excellent dive, good clarity, lots of fish. Used Jim’s dive gear.
B – playdate on Fluenta. T/A – surfing
(Edit: A rare log entry by Tim about his dive with Jim and Max.)
Punta El Carrizalito was a day stop after leaving Agua Verde. There were hot springs, which aren’t quite so relaxing in 90 deg weather.
After a day stop at Punta El Carrizalito we arrived at Bahia Candeleros where the only highlight was Mother’s day at a resort. That’s really all there is to say about this anchorage. OK, I’ll say a little bit more about it… we will be back. Not to the resort, but to the anchorage.
We only stayed in Bahia Chuenque one night, but it is a popular anchorage because its near Puerto Escondido for convenience, but not IN Puerto Escondido. It’s a north-facing bay just to the north of Puerto Escondido. I did kayak to shore and walk around a bit, and that’s when I snapped these photos. In the guidebook, the bay is called Bahia Chuenque, but I never heard it called that. Usually, it is called Juncalitoville, because the beach where there are some residences is called Playa Juncalito.
We temporarily left the kid boat flotilla in order to go to Puerto Escondido for a couple of days. We didn’t stay long here, because, well there’s not much here. We basically provisioned, got fuel, did laundry, and got our wifi fix. Puerto Escondido is a huge natural hurricane hole, so it was also good to go in and check it out should we ever need to retreat there for protection from the weather.
Isla Carmen is a large island off of Loreto, and Puerto Ballandra is a west-facing anchorage due East from Loreto. We caught back up with the kid boats but then stayed an extra night after they all left, because after the rush of Puerto Escondido we weren’t in a hurry to move on.
Loreto has a fair amount of tourist traffic, but there isn’t a protected anchorage there. It’s basically open roadstead anchoring with protection only from due west. So, we stopped in for the day for some provisioning.
Logbook – May 11, 2013 (Agua Verde to Punta El Corrizalito to Bahia Candeleros)
Passage Log Highlights
1017 Depart Agua Verde
1112 SB Engine slipping – turned off
1217 Arrive Punta El Carrizalito
1620 Depart Punta El Carrizalito
1819 Arrive Bahia Candeleros
Daily Notes:
Ran watermaker for 2-3 hours
Stop @ “hot springs”
Boys played “diaper”, D-snorkel, T-spearfished
T, boys soaked in hot springs
Edit: “Diaper” is a game the boys played with the Bellini kids when we used to charter for long weekends at Catalina Island. The “diaper” is a life vest worn upside down so you can float seated right side up.
Punta El Carrizalito was a day stop between Agua Verde and Bahia CandelerosMotoring with just the port engine between Agua Verde and Punta el CorrizalitoIsla San Cosme (left) and Isla San Damien (right)The geography of Punta El CarrizalitoThe container in the water is a waterproof pet food container. The previous owners of Exodus left it on the boat, and we kept it even though we didn’t really have a use for it. Well, we found a use for it as a washing machine. We put our dirty boat rags in it with some detergent, threw it in the water, and told the boys to play with it. It worked OK, but we haven’t used it to wash our clothes in it yet.Anchored off Punta El Carrizalito, looking South.The boys sitting in the “hot tub”Tim relaxingLooks like chocolate mountainsThe geography of Bahia Candeleros
Logbook – May 12, 2013 (Bahia Candeleros)
Daily Notes
Mother’s Day! Day passes at the resort. Food & drinks included. Very slow wifi, too much food, and good company (sv Star Passage)
The resort is the only thing in this bay, but it really doesn’t have very good water front views. There is a protected wildlife sanctuary there, so the resort is built behind that. It’s a beautiful resort though with several pools, and if you look down on the pools from one of the rooms on an upper floor you can see they are arranged in the shape of a turtle.The resortMy view at the pool, enjoying wifi and bloody marysExodus and Star Passage. The tiny sailboat to the right of Exodus is probably Fluenta’s sailing dinghy. It’s great, the kids can sail it around the anchorage
Logbook – May 13, 2013 (Bahia Candeleros to Bahia Chuenque)
Passage Log Highlights
1545 Depart Bahia Candeleros
1640 Whale and manta ray sighting
1830 Arrive Bahia Chuenque
Daily Notes
Watermaker is the SSB noise source!!! Listened to Sonrisa & Amigo nets.
Radio contact w/ Moontide & a 2nd boat that was a ketch w/ “Peter” aboard @ Bahia Candeleros
Short passage to Bahia Chuenque to catch up with other kid boat
Cocktails on Northern Passage. Kid fun & games on Sweet Dreams
Amazing bioluminescence
It was a 2 hour 45 minute gennaker run from Bahia Candeleros to Bahia Chuenque. Whale and Manta Ray sightings en route.Bahia Chuenque is a North facing bay near Puerto Escondido
Logbook – May 14, 2013 (Bahia Chuenque to Puerto Escondido)
Passage Log Highlights
1350 Depart Bahia Chuenque
1515 Arrive Puerto Escondido
Daily Notes
Dolphins in the bay
The desert mountains of Central Baja CaliforniaFluenta and ExodusExodus and Sweet DreamsThe kid boat flotilla at Bahia Chuenque
Logbook – May 15, 2013 (Puerto Escondido)
Daily Notes
Tim fixed SB engine
Laundry, groceries
(Edit: Seriously??? A single bullet about fixing the starboard engine? Listed alongside laundry and groceries? This was a huge deal. It goes WAY back… probably the first symptom was when we first took possession of Exodus and were on transit between San Diego and Marina del Rey and we noticed that the wake of the SB engine was different than the Port engine. It started really slipping when we were in La Paz, in fact, when we went to the fuel dock at Costa Baja Marina when we were rushing out of La Paz to catch the other kid boats Tim had to pull up to the dock with only one engine! Basically, the cone clutch was slipping so the engine didn’t always engage the sail drive. And Tim fixed it himself after watching a youtube video and after several visits to the marine shop at Puerto Escondido. This was a big deal.)
The geography of Puerto Escondido. It’s a huge hurricane hole. There are tons of moorings, but we chose to anchor due to our issues with the starboard engine.Gettin our wifi fix on at the Portobello restaurant at the marina. They actually made excellent super huge margaritas.Speaking of Giant Margaritas, this one came in an Iron Man cup
Logbook – May 16, 2013 (Puerto Escondido to Puerto Ballandra)
Passage Log Highlights
0820 Raised anchor – hosed off at the dock
0855 Depart Puerto Escondido
1220 Arrive Puerto Ballandra
Daily Notes
D/T snorkeling
B/A surfing
(Edit: It was always nice to give Exodus a nice freshwater washdown.)
Looking at the harbor entranceSteinbeck Canyon in the distanceWe anchored in the SW corner of the very large anchorage and this photo is looking NE at the two “windows” looking out into the Sea of CortezWe departed Puerto Escondido at 8:55 in the morning and arrived at Puerto Ballandra at 12:20, motoring the whole way.Brenden reeling in a catchBack with Star Passage!
Logbook – May 17, 2013 (Puerto Ballandra)
Daily Notes
Family snorkel
Met Bill and Sue form Sun Baby Too, told us about “Just a Minute” blog – Lagoon 380, 2008 Sea of Cortez. Lots of info not in the guidebook
Get together on beach with drinks and snacks. Met 3 Hour Tour & other boats. Including another former NG employee.
(Edit: I don’t think we ever did look up that blog. The “former NG employee” was a boat that later became famous from boat catastrophe crossing eastward from the Marquesas back to
Exodus at anchor at Puerto Ballandra on Isla CarmenA small lagoon on shoreAlex found the perfect walking stickOur kid boat friends had moved on but we stayed an additional night here, and glad we did because we met some new people at an appetizer and drinks pot luck on the beachBrothers at Puerto BallandraBrothers at Puerto Ballandra
Logbook – May 18, 2013 (Puerto Ballandra to Loreto to Isla Coronados)
Passage Log Highlights
0835 Depart Puerto Ballandra
1105 Arrive Loreto
1730 Depart Loreto
1850 Arrive Isla Coronados
Daily Notes
Day trip to Loreto
Ran watermaker for 3 hours
Lunch @ Cafe Ole in Loreto, bought a directional wifi antenna. Ferre Mar. Groceries.
(Edit: That directional antenna was a blessing and a curse! We could pick up wifi signals from shore, but as Exodus moved around the anchor we were constantly having to repoint it. Why didn’t we just get data plans???)
We departed Puerto Ballandra at 0835 and arrived at Isla Corondados at 1850 after a 6 hour 25 minute stop at Loreto for major provisioning.There is a small harbor for the fishing pangasView of the lighthouse behind the harborThe pier at LoretoDon’t they look ready for provisioning?It’s no La Paz Malecon, but it’s nice, nonethelessA nice shady walk street to the grocery storeLoreto does boast the oldest California missionThe geography of Isla CoronadosHappy to be back with the other kids – we arrived at Isla Coronados and rushed ashore for the BBQJust the boysJust the moms (Deanne, Liz, Kim)Playing on the beach at Isla Coronados
Gresham Family Exodus 