Under Spinnaker

The winds have been better this fall than last spring...and we have been able to sail more than we did in May and June. Going north from San Carlos, we had 10-15 knots north-northwest winds so we could reach west, then tack back east and keep our boat speed over 5 knots. When we came back to San Carlos, we had a bit lighter north-northwest winds (8-10 knots) and a fine spinnaker run into Bahia Algodones.



Now we are on our way to Portland, Oregon, to spend a week with friends and family for Thanksgiving. The reports of a major cold wave coming down from Alaska and punching a left hook into Northern Oregon and Southern Washington are intimidating, especially since we have little in the way of winter gear with us! We may be spending a good deal of time indoors!

Poso Moreno

“Keep this beach clean. This sea is for everyone. Care for it. We are already living, but the vast majority of people have not even been born yet.”




We put into a little cove, Pozo Moreno (dark well), after a morning of clear skies, calm seas and northwest winds that filled our sails beautifully. We rowed our dinghy in, past a reef lined with pelicans on parade review and onto a shingled shore. Two fishermen were there, working on the motor for their panga (a small, open fishing boat common on the Sea). We asked about places to take a walk. One directed us south, “The road doesn’t go through, you’ll have to come back the same way, but it’s a good walk.”

The road undulated over the hills, graded at some point, but steep enough in spots to be a challenge to any vehicle. The small boulders and scraped rock faces on the inclines would prevent all but those with high suspension and four-wheel drive from getting over. On foot, it was no problem and we had spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez spread out before us, rugged coves below; dusty, cactus-dotted slopes and stark, craggy peaks behind. We passed middens of murex shells. A covey of quail scurried across our path then erupted in a burst of small thunder before resettling in the brush. Far below, just at tide’s edge, the remains of a 60-foot beached whale gave evidence of the Sea’s majestic cycle of life and death.

Bahia San Pedro

We sailed north of Bahia Algodones, enjoying 10 to 15 knot winds from the NNW. Four hours later, we tucked into the little cove of San Pedro, anchoring just inside a shrimp-fishing boat, between the shrimper and shore. It was our first time in Bahia San Pedro, and we had heard stories of insecure holding and anchors dragging. So when the weather forecast said there would be 25+ knot NNW winds during the night, we were on alert.

There was a full moon and it was easy to see the rock wall just to our west, looming very near (it definitely looked nearer at 3:00 AM than it had been at midnight! Do you realize how much BIGGER rock walls look under a full moon than in the light of day!?)

Marv set the anchor alarm to go off if we strayed more than about 200 feet from where we first anchored. With the wind and the boat action, the bridle (a rope attachment that takes pressure off the anchor chain) came loose and we had to let out another 20 feet of chain as we readjusted it. The alarm went off shortly after that, but the wind had shifted to the east and we were now stretched out on our anchor chain in the opposite direction from our original position. We clearly were not dragging anchor, but the rocks WERE closer (our swing took us closer to them) and it was still a bit nerve-wracking.

Bahia Algodones

The beach in Bahia Algodones (Cotton Bay) is named for Catch-22, the 1970 movie based on Joseph Heller’s book of the same title, which was filmed here. Remnants of the structures on the set can be found just off the highway north of Marina Real.


There can be a good bit of surf on Catch-22 Beach and it is easy to get soaked through when coming into shore in the dinghy. That may be why they named the palapa here "The Soggy Peso"?