Pulling the anchor under duress!

The weather continues to be capricious. On the way to La Paz we get blown out of two anchorages. We stopped at Amortajada at the south end of Isla San Jose, this anchorage is well protected from the south and east. The first night was very quiet and calm and we had a nice day exploring the estuary, so we decided to spend another night. At 1 AM the wind started to blow from the west and by 3 AM, we decided that the anchorage was untenable and that we needed to leave. We pulled the anchor as the swells built, then threaded our way between islands, rocks and reefs in a very dark night. We had plotted a course ahead of time and used the radar to check our position. After a few a watchful moments, we were out in the open channel and heading south. We decided that rather than move around the point and re-anchor in a protected spot, it would be better to stay underway, make some distance and anchor in daylight. Watching a sunrise while under sail is always enjoyable, when you are the crew on watch you have the time to enjoy the changing colors and shifting clouds. There are few other times when a person will sit and watch a sunrise from beginning to end.

We stopped short of La Paz in a small bay called Caleta Lobos. We started getting grey skies and more rain, so after another quiet night with the anchorage to ourselves we decided another night would be good. This time the wind started at 1 PM, and by 3 PM good sense indicated that we had overstayed our welcome.  This anchorage was protected from all but the west, which was where the wind was now coming from. We figured if we could make good time we could get the La Paz anchorage just before sunset. We started out very slowly, clawing our way out of the narrow bay into head winds and large swell, but once we turned south we could make much better time. Once into the large bay of La Paz the wind and waves were much reduced and we relaxed considerably.

 

It was fun to come in and talk to several friends from boats that we had met over the last several months. We wanted to get in and out quickly, and head across to Mazatalan for Christmas, but we also wanted to meet up with friends we have not seen for a while. We also wanted to get out before we spent too much money! Everytime we get into a bigger town we end up spending much more time and money than we intended. Other cruisers refer to this as being unable to get their anchors free. 

 

For a more fun anecdote, we also had a whale shark sighting. We arrived in Agua Verde after leaving Escondido, and as we were moving around deciding where to anchor we saw a disturbance in the water ahead of us. At first we thought it might be a dolphin or a sea lion, but then I recognized the unique motion of a shark swimming. The whale shark is (one of?) the largest in the shark family and can grow to 40 feet!  However it is a filter feeder and has no teeth, people sometimes even swim with them. There were two here in the anchorage swimming together both were over 20ft with one a bit larger than the other. They like to swim right on the surface so the tip of the fin and tip of the tail are usually above the surface of the water, giving the opportunity to see their large head and wide mouth.  We stopped the boat to watch these amazing animals and try to get some photos. They were not concerned about the boat at all, and continued to make their winding paths around us. We watched for a while then headed closer to shore to drop our anchor.

Hiding in Escondido

We have been continuing to get strange weather. After a storm with southerly winds and rain came through, there was a forecast for strong northerlies (Santa Anas again). Since the winds were forecast to reach up to 40k we decided to go into Puerto Escondido, as it has the best protection in this area.

Time to put on the curmudgeon hat and complain about what is going on in Escondido. Unfortunately this great harbor has been taken over by a Singlar (a Federal government agency) marina installation, so we have to pay to be here. Puerto Escondido is one of the best hurricane holes in the Baja, and the only one in this area. They have a small dock (2 large boats or maybe 4 small ones), and they installed mooring balls throughout the harbor. Using the dock is expensive and using the mooring balls costs
about what other places charge for a dock slip. If you would rather anchor than use a mooring ball, it still costs the same. We did not want to spend the money, but thought we wanted the protected bay, and that we could splurge for the cost, because we could take advantage of the hot showers, hot tub, and internet access. After we had tied up the boat and paid for a few days we found that they hot tub was not working, and that there was no hot water for the showers. We also found out that the facilities
are all shut down and locked outside of office hours, so no bathrooms or even cold showers or internet before 9 or after 5.
We had heard stories about the poor quality of the moorings. Several boats sank here when hurricane Henriette passed nearby, because the moorings failed and the boats blew ashore. We asked around and got a recommendation for a repaired mooring, which made us feel a bit better. However this morning the boat next to us broke loose and drifted down the bay, The boat was still attached to the mooring ball but the mooring was no longer attached to it's anchor. No harm was done to the boat as other cruisers
noticed and rescued the boat. The only good thing they have done is build a fuel dock in an area of the coast where there are few; however they add a 20% surcharge to the cost of fuel to use there dock!

I know that this is a bit of a whine, but it is frustrating to see what is happening here. The facilities are so overpriced that there is over a 90% vacancy rate. In addition the facilities are not working or unavailable, and the moorings are unsafe. The bay has moorings for over a hundred boats, but even with the bad weather there are less than 10 boats here. By overcharging and creating an unsafe anchoring area, they have essentially removed the bay as a safe haven for us sailors. If they had foresight
they could probably drop the anchoring charge to a dollar or two a night, and make far more money than they are now.

We are now off and heading further south, having left the bay as soon as we could.