(Kaya Bothe and Jordan Snyder)
Travel and Arrival:
It’s the third big adventure of 2011 for the Bothe/Snyder expedition party. However, this time the members of the expedition were minimized to just the hardcore. Me, Uncle Jordan aka Monkey and my niece Kaya soon to be aka Silvia as this tale will explain. The previous adventures included early April, 10 days of camping across Arizona/Utah/Colorado exploring numerous amazing National Parks then a week in August, kayaking the inside passage along the Pacific west coast of Canada chasing killer Orca whales and camping in such places as Pig Ranch, inches from the Orca’s and their rubbing and breeding grounds. While heading home after each of these adventures we were in awe of what we just accomplished and wonder what next adventure would top the previous epic experience? That’s exactly where this third adventure fits in…
It’s the third big adventure of 2011 for the Bothe/Snyder expedition party. However, this time the members of the expedition were minimized to just the hardcore. Me, Uncle Jordan aka Monkey and my niece Kaya soon to be aka Silvia as this tale will explain. The previous adventures included early April, 10 days of camping across Arizona/Utah/Colorado exploring numerous amazing National Parks then a week in August, kayaking the inside passage along the Pacific west coast of Canada chasing killer Orca whales and camping in such places as Pig Ranch, inches from the Orca’s and their rubbing and breeding grounds. While heading home after each of these adventures we were in awe of what we just accomplished and wonder what next adventure would top the previous epic experience? That’s exactly where this third adventure fits in…
Six days bareboat sailing on the Sea of Cortez started with the logistical challenge of 12 year old Kaya, flying from Portland, Oregon to meet Uncle Monkey from Washington, DC. The meet-up was in one of the busiest airports in the United States, LAX (Los Angeles International). We both arrived Friday December 16th, 2011 at LAX around 10am PST. After a slight brain lapse on my part, about 60 minutes later, I finally found Kaya after bussing to another terminal, waiting at the ticket counter for a security pass and going through security with all my luggage to meet her at her arrival gate. We had a few hours to waste before our international Flight to Loreto, Mexico and found our last US food for the week, Chinese take-out.
With carry-on bags only, we touched down at the tiny yet modern Loreto airport. In line for 45 minutes and hundreds of stamping noises later, we approached the immigration desk with passports in hand. We were quizzed on our destination and why a 45 year old man was travelling with a 12 year old girl with a different last name. The notarized consent to travel form that my sister and I filled out ahead of time came to the rescue and we were through with our stamps! Next stop was customs. It was a totally random process of pressing a button in front of the customs official at their kiosk. Green light = no bag search, red light = bag search. Kaya got green and of course I got red. Before I knew it, I was unwrapping Kaya’s Hanukkah gift in front of the official and then explaining what dehydrated backpacking food in my bag was. Eventually we made it through unscathed and on to our pre-determined meeting spot, the Fox Rental car desk to find Rudolpho the owner of the sailboat we were chartering.
Throughout my entire process of Internet emails and sending money to some random person in Mexico, I was always slightly suspicious if there would actually be a boat waiting or if this was some Internet scam. Meeting Rudolpho changed everything and from the start I could tell he was a great guy. Since he worked at Fox rental cars, he grabbed a random car key and escorted us for the 20 minute drive to our hotel in downtown Loreto.
The first conversation he started was to confirm the pronunciation of Kaya’s name. Once confirmed he giggled and told us it meant ‘Shut-Up’ in Spanish. Kaya and I looked at each other and bursted out laughing. We debated whether to use her middle name Silvia for the remainder of the trip which we sort of did, but inconsistently. I am sure the locals loved it or perhaps got offended when I yelled ‘Kaya’ in public numerous times throughout our trip.
Driving through the dusty and depressed city streets of Loreto (No rain in years), we arrived at the Iguana Inn. Although safe, it was sadly obvious that people in this town are struggling to make a living. At $40 per night, Julie the innkeeper escorted us to our simple and clean room. Kaya loved the two poured concrete queen size bed frames with mattresses on top. Rearranging the furniture would require a jackhammer.
We walked through the dusty streets to the Super Mercado. It was no Whole Foods, but did find some fresh produce plus most of our other needs from the menu we prepared while on the plane. Quesadillas would be our staple on the boat plus some strange looking non-refrigerated boxes of what we thought was yogurt. We later found out, not by translating the Spanish label, it was sour cream. A really Mexican dinner of quesadillas was at Rudolpho’s recommended restaurant La Palapa. Followed by a great nights sleep at the Iguana!
Launch Day:
Peurto Escondido -> Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove)
We awoke from good nights sleep, met the innkeepers dog Zoe who showed off by fetching her screeching toy rubber chicken. Then we headed back to the dusty streets in search of a coffee shop and found breakfast of decadent baked apple a la mode for Kaya and fancy coffee for Uncle. At this point we where experts in navigating the city street (there was only a few streets) with another round of grocery shopping since once on the sailboat we would have no place to get food. We stopped at a ‘hole in the wall’ place, that would barely be call a restaurant, for a quesadillas lunch and fresh squeeze orange juga (juice). It was all delicious. Then back to the Inn for our Noon pick-up and transport to Puerto Escondido about 30 minutes south of Loreto to pick up the boat.
Rudolpho was waiting at the dock with our spotlessly clean 22’ Catalina sailboat named Roxo. For one last giggle he told the driver to ask Kaya her name and then translated into Spanish. We all laughed.
We spent about 45 minutes going over the well supplied boat with Rudolpho. We looked at the sails and rigging, the little outboard motor, unboxed a brand new portable toilet and new portable cooking stove. We loaded our gear, food, water, pots and pans. Hit the bathrooms on shore then with the motor running, I uncleated the dock lines, pushed us off the dock and motored out of the harbor to the open water. We saw a seal pop its head out of the water as we motored in to the open Sea of Cortez.
Shutting off the engine and hoisting jib and mail sail, the wind was in our face so we tacked up wind toward Isla Danzante. Our first nights anchorage was 4 miles east from the harbor at Honeymoon Cove. This island and all the other we would sail to where part of a regional marine park and protected area. After the first few tacks we made very little headway but once we got a better feel for the boats sailing abilities, we began gain ground towards Honeymoon. It took a few hours to cover the short distance since the wind was in our face, but we finally rounded some rocks to see a small pristine anchorage room enough for just a single small boat just like ours. It was a beautiful and secluded spot properly named Honeymoon cove, blue water and white sand beach where the steep desert shoreline meets the sea. We dropped the hook within 10 feet of shore in just a few feet of water and able to get so close because our little 22’ boat had a swinging keel which means we could raise the keel and anchor in just a few feet of water and very close to land.
We hopped in the two seater kayak we had been towing behind our sailboat and paddle the few feet to shore for a hike on the barren sandy/rocky slopes of the island. At one point a prickly cactus jumped out onto the trail and grabbed my black nylon sweatpants. In the blink of an eye my favorite pants had enough been torn so much that I would never be able to wear them again. Kaya was very amused. All she wanted to do was take a picture of the damage, for insurance purposes I am sure. At the crest of our climb about 75’ from the sea was a perfectly situated cliff with a northerly view of the Sea of Cortez for dozens of miles. It was a preview of our direction we would be heading over the next few days.Back at our yacht we dined on a fresh veggie and noodle concoction cooked on the single burner portable stove. Kaya’s suggestion of buying a white onion at the grocery store paid off with bursting flavor and would for all the meals we used it with.
Later that evening Kaya re-opened (the customs official opened once already) my Hanaukah gift to her. It was a game called Banana-Grams that played like scrabble. As we played, Kaya thought the word Eeeeeeeek and Ummmmm were appropriate since she had a lot of e’s and m’s. I cried foul and voted myself winner.
And around 7:30 pm we both headed for the forward V-berth and our sleeping bags for a tranquil night’s sleep. The boat rocked us gently to sleep. A few hours later I woke and had to wrestle for space on the berth as Kaya played her usual game of stretching out across the entire bed which was tiny to begin with. She usually wins this game and I end up on the floor however, this time I really had no option but to of course pin myself into the smallest area possible for the remainder of the night.
Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove) -> Isle Del Carmen (Puerto Ballandra Cove)
We woke about 8:00 am and I made Starbucks coffee and sat in the cockpit sipping away. It was calm but chilly, about 55 degrees and nothing but crystal clear blue skies and the sun streaming down. Kaya read her book in the bunk while I ignited the stove to make giant pancakes topped with fresh fruit and jam. Yum!
Pulling up anchor and motored out of our cove, we headed northwest toward the shore of the adjacent island called Isle Carmen. We set the sails and made slow progress as the wind was again in our faces. Eventually we decided to start the iron jib (for all you non-sailors, we started the engine). We motored for a few hours and Kaya took this opportunity to relax in the kayak we were towing behind us. Eventually we came to a huge (half mile in diameter) kidney bean shaped, very protected bay carved out of the slopes of the barren island of Carmen. It was a picture perfect anchorage. We saw our first humans in a small sailboat at one side of the bay. We anchored at the other side and again within feet of a white sand beach.
From deck, we could see tropical fish swimming in the water so we donned our snorkeling gear and went in after them. Kaya the smart one, had a shorty wetsuit, Uncle had nothing and froze! During our short snorkel, we did see some amazing fish including a few pretty large puffer fish and lots of star fish. Plus, I found out that Kaya likes to swim practically on top of her snorkeling partner. :-)
Afterwards, Kaya lay on the white sand beach reading her book and I hike a bit. We eventually paddled back to the boat and cooked potato stir fry for dinner. Followed with desert of fresh made popcorn.
Our evening entertainment was shining a spotlight into the pitch dark water. This attracted some sort of large fish to leap out of the water. Let me clarify, it was dozens of fish probably about 2 feet long simultaneously leaping out of the water. They would launch themselves and fly across the water all at the same time. It was entertaining and a bit scary at the same time. We were nervous that the fish would hurl themselves into the hull of the boat or worse, into the cockpit/cabin.
Another great night’s sleep from 8pm to 8am awakening to another perfectly clear day with blue skies and Starbucks coffee.
Isla Del Carmen -> Isla Coronados
We moved our boat across the inlet to be in the warmth of the sun as we prepared and ate a gourmet breakfast of veggie and cheese omelets topped with avocado before starting out for the day. We motored out of the bay and again hoisted the sails, gliding across the open waters of the Sea of Cortez sailing the entire way (about 4 hours) to Isla Carmen with perfect wind and water conditions. As we approached the island we could again see beautiful and deserted white sand beaches. Kaya said the beach looked ‘very inviting.’ We anchored so close to shore, that I walked in 2 feet of water to the beach not needing the kayak. Kaya spent the day on the beach reading and making signs in the sand out of shells. I hiked some of the trail on the island and photographing.
Back at the boat, we had a Solar Shower. Basically a heavy clear plastic bag with a hose connected to it and filled with about 2+ gallons of fresh water. The water heats up through the clear plastic bag by the suns rays. The shower had been sitting on deck our entire journey so far and the water was slightly warm. I was able to wash my hair and face using it and felt very refreshed.
We made delicious quesadillas with cheese, rice, corn, onions and mushrooms for dinner and got another great night of sleep.
Isla Coronados -> Isla Del Carmen (Bahia Marquer)
At this point in our journey we had sailed approximately 50 miles and would essentially reverse path and backtrack toward home. Can’t remember what we had for breakfast, but I am sure I drank my morning coffee. We motoring from our anchorage and quickly set sail. Just like our arrival to this spot, we had to round a long rocky sandbar before heading southeast towards our next destination. Again the wind was cooperating so we sailed back toward Carmen. According to the cruising guide we purchased in Loreto there was an anchorage a days sail away. The guide mentioned it was a large open bay though poorly protected from the north and west. However, this would be our destination for the night.
We had a terrific sail back across the sea on a broad reach though the wind eventually died down and waters became calm. There were no other boats in sight and it seemed we had the entire Sea of Cortez to ourselves. We motored into our anchorage and dropped the hook with peaceful seas. Tonight we had yummy pancakes for dinner and settled in for another quiet night.
About an hour after lights out is when the excitement started and would continue for the entire night. As our luck would have it, the winds began to pick up out of the west. This was the wind direction that anchorage would provide no protection. The seas got a little choppy as well. It was about 9:30pm and I crawled from the V-berth to confirm that the anchor was holding. The westerly wind was blowing us and our boat toward shore which was only about 30 yards away. If the anchor dragged, it would not be long before we would hit the beach. Needless to say, I was a bit concerned.After crawling in and out of the V-berth a few more times during the next few hours to check the anchor, I relocated to a narrow bench right next to the cockpit for the remainder of the night.
Our little 22’ boat was rocking from the increase in waves. At about 1 am, I got up yet again to check on things. This is when I decided to put down a second anchor for added holding. Kaya came on deck as I started the motor. She moved the boat a bit forward as I stood on the bow and drop the second anchor near the first. We then drift back into a hopefully more secure position as I cleated the second anchor line. The remainder of the night continued with me going on deck about every 30 minutes with spotlight in hand to make sure that both anchors at this point were not dragging from the wind and waves. Each time I looked I found everything was solid.
I lost track of the time, but eventually the wind and waves calmed enough for Kaya and me to get a few hours of quality sleep early in the morning. We woke tired, our boat unscathed and knew this would be one of the more detailed entries in our log.
Isla Del Carmen -> Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove)
We motored out of Bahia Marquer and back to toward our favorite picture postcard anchorage, Honeymoon cove for the last night on Roxo. It was an amazing day at sea. Once again the entire Cortez was ours with no other boats in site. We sailed all the way to Danzante figuring this beautiful day made up for the previous nights fiasco. It was only a few hour sail, we arrived into the cove in the early afternoon. With the air temps again close to 80 degrees, we had a relaxing afternoon on the beach. Kaya again made a beeline for the white sand with book, camera and towel in hand. I hike the hills of the island. At one point I came over a ridge to find a huge bay with a few boats anchored in it. Later we both watched a pelican dive within feet of our boat for fish. The pelican continued fishing for hours, successfully catching fish every few minutes and gulping them down his enormous mouth and throat. Kaya and I wondered if a wild animal like a pelican can over eat and get fat like us humans. This pelican seemed like he was on his way to obesity.Our food supply had been slowly dwindling. At one point a few days into our sail, I was concerned we would run out of food, but also knew that we had some backup freeze dried camping food if we needed it. However, this was the last night and plenty of food was still left with a special treat to top things off. First we had rice, veggies and cheese plates for lunch and later followed by pancakes for dinner. I think that being outdoors on a boat rocking in the Sea makes just about any food taste great.
For the grand finally, I did break out a dessert treat. It was a freeze dried, good old fashion ice cream sandwich. Although it wasn’t cold, it tasted amazing. Kaya and I slowly savored it sharing lick by lick.
Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove) Puerto Escondido
The next morning we got up a little late, took one last hike on the island of Danzante and then hoisted the sail for a final run back to Puerto Escondido. Kaya expertly sailed our boat the entire way back. We fired up the engine just outside the harbor, dosed the sails and motored slowly back to the dock to tie up at our exact starting point. We unloaded and organized our gear, empty water jugs and much of the other gear that came with the boat. Aside from washing my hair a few days earlier, we both looked forward to getting back to the Iguana Inn for a long hot shower. Kaya’s hair was wirey like a Barbie doll and needed a few rounds of shampoo and conditioner.
Rudolpho showed up about 1pm. Did a basic check out of the boat and drove us back to the Iguana. We told him the highlights of our voyage, the one challenging night, and how much we enjoyed all of the islands, beaches and beautiful water. He was very happy to hear about our raving successful trip.
