Heading in north this time of year often makes sailing impossible but we did sneak in 15 minutes with the engines off. Overall just another motorsailing day. Two other boats shared the Salinas anchorage, Sunshine and Brandywine. Being lots of space, we choose a spot a few hundred meters away and relaxed with a cervaza. Initially we wanted to snorkel the nearby shipwreck but the wind likely limited visibility so we relaxed aboard until late afternoon when we took the dinghy in to explore the former salt mine.
During the walk to the mine town we came across a couple from Alaska who had been seakayaking around Isla Carmen for the last week. This was their final night and they were relieved to hear that the winds would be light the next day when the panga was scheduled to pick them up. Daylight was fading so goodbyes were said and we continued on. This being my third time visiting I was able to play the tour guide and show Julia all of the cool treasures like the accounting room (now roofless) where there is a metal cabinet with time cards that showed the operation shutdown in 1982. Julia found the salt ponds magical. She is a fan of salty foods and wore a huge smile looking at all the salt, taking in how much it looked like ice. Unfortunately we had to rush back to the Strikhedonia as the daylight was drifting away.
The next day we had a visit from Brandywine (Kenny and Nancy). Kenny is one of the net controllers in Puerto Escondido so I knew him from his voice, and now in person. They had not been aboard a Seawind 1160 before so a boat tour was in order. They both were extremely complimentary and gushed over all of the space. We were keeping them from a fishing trip so plans were made for dinner where we could continue our conversation.
The late morning snorkel of the shipwreck was a bit of a bust. The visibility was extremely poor with a lot of floating plant or animal life in the water. We could see some of the fish but only when they were within 5-10 feet. Still we looped the boat a bunch of times before bagging it. But not before something gave Julia a minor sting on her leg. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Nancy and Kenny have been sailing the Loreto area for 22 years after partially retiring from their careers as horse trainers in Escondido, CA. Nancy still returns a number of times per year to judge horse competitions, but her real passion – okay they share this passion – is snorkeling and fishing. And we were treated to the fruits of their labor! Fresh today grilled chocolate clams, smoked tuna with cream cheese and capers. Our contribution was “Mexican Potatoes” with the addition of squash. It was a fabulous meal and so much fun to share stories. I love this about cruising; friendly cruisers make it easy to met new, interesting people. Which leads to memorable evenings just like this one. My taste buds are already asking when we can get together with them again!
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