|
Top: Beachcombing can be rewarding for those who like unusual treasures. This group found and collected an eel skeleton and a sun-dried fish, as well as some man-made debris. Middle: Much-loved and pampered North Sea trawlers Ursa Major and Ocean Quest lie at anchor in Ensenada Grande. Bottom: Playa Bonanza, a sweepign, empty beach on the east shore of Ila Espiritu Santo, is a hike of more than 2 miles from an anchorage.
|
see tight, little green leaf buds waiting for moisture. Brer Rabbit would have been at home in the dense clusters of spiny bushes, but John and I had to tack to find a clear path. Even so, we ended the trip with spines through the soles of our shoes and our legs scratched by thorny seedpods.
The sea was refreshing when we finally struggled through the last of the spiny brush. There were a few footsteps in the sand, and if I stood still I could feel it creeping over my ankles.
Playa Bonanza was worth the effort. John and I were alone on a beautiful beach. In the United States, a similar beach would be crowded, but traffic seems light on the beaches of Baja. The round-trip took nearly three hours and a liter of water each. Back aboard Ursa, we both jumped in the bay.
DOING IT
Most of us don't have the time, the boat, or the inclination to make the long ocean voyage to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. There are other ways to do it.
Try a kayak tour blended with whale watching. The Internet is jammed with kayak tour vendors in the Sea of Cortez. Some include nights ashore, camping on sandy beaches, and boarding excursion boats to look for whales.
There are yacht charters such as those offered by Ursa Major (www.myursamajor.com) in the winter and spring before she heads to Alaska. She's a great old yacht with an attentive, informed crew. She carries six guests in comfort. Another yacht charterer I know, Northwest Exploratons (www.nwexplorations.com), provides similar service on the 78-foot Norther Song in the Sea of Cortez and Alaska with space for 10 passengers. The owner, Brian Pemberton, is famous for his Mother Goose fleet cruises in Southeast Alaska every summer.
A quick Internet survey shows many other charter providers, frmo vessels carrying 20 or more passengers, to huge liners with thousands aboard.
The Moorings in La Paz offers 37- and 47-foot power catamarans, as well as sailboats, for bareboat charter. We wa a 47 with two couples aboard in one of our anchorages.
However you get here, you gotta get wet, swim with the fish, explore sandy beaches, soak up vitamin D and follow trails into the hills. There's no better place for a warm-weather break in the winter.
|
