Top: Drive shaft repairs completed, Ocean Quest leaves her La Paz moorage.
Above: Ursa Major, a Malahide North Sea trawler, under way in the Sea of Cortez.
water for coffee and, if in port, click on the ship's computer to compare online weather forecasts.
The coffee ritural is not threatened in the Sea of Cortez, but there is nobody talking on what we know as weather channels. There are no government forecasts or condition reports available to recreational boaters. At home, we also appreciate the presence of Coast Guard stations in the U.S. and Canada and their round-the-clock response to emergencies on VHF 16. That won't be found in Mexican waters, either. Help, if needed,
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comes from fellow boaters, fisheren, and occasionally, the Mexican navy, I'm told.
The basics for weather forecasting are available in La Paz marinas with Internet connections. U.S.-based online sources of weather forecasts and conditions for the Sea of Cortez include Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com), www.buoyweather.com, and www.intellicast.com.
For those beyond Internet connections, amateur forecasts are broadcast daily on high-frequency SSB ratio nets in the Sea of Cortez and in other Mexican waters. We listened to a similar forecast on a cruisers' net broadcast on VHF Channel 22. (Cruisers also use ratio nets to discuss a host of topics of general interest. One unusual VHF net dubbed "the paranoia channel" offers cruisers a chance to rant about things back home.)
Summing up the weather looked good for several days out, although northerly winds were forecast for later in the week. With skippers Josh and Bill satisfied by the predictions, the big trawlers motored out of the marina. Ocean Quest, her drive system working perfectly, led the way along the narrow, well-marked navigation channel fronting La Paz.
Cruising was easy in a smooth sea. Soon, Punta la Dispensa, a rocky bluff on the southwest tip of Isla Espiritu Santo, rose above the starboard bow. A group of U.S. and Mexican conservation groups works with the Mexican government to preserve and protect the Isla Espiritu Santo chain of islands and its rich population of marine life.
The Nature Conservancy describes the Sea of Cortez as the second most diverse marine body in the world, reporting it is home to 31 species of whales and dolphins and the breeding ground for sea lions and marine turtles. Hundreds of species of migratory birds visit the islands, and thousands of species of fish and other marine life are in its waters.
We found a far different sea crature about midway up the coast of Isla Espiritu Santo. Anchored in the lee of tiny Isla Ballena was the 289-foot, Maltese Falcon, a spectacular three-masted sailing yacht. Launched in Italy in 2006, she has carbon-fiber masts and yards, and her sails are computer controlled and electrically powered. For a while recently, she was for sale at a price of $237 million.
Maltese Falcon was in sight for several days. We were disappointed she did not raise her sails, but some of the Ursa Major crew on an inspection trip by dinghy were rewarded by watching the sailing vessel launch a small submersible. At night, bright lights illuninated her masts and yards. I coudn't decide if she resembled a forest of Christmas trees or a lighted big-city boulevard. |
