The first thing we did after breakfast was go fishing. We loaded the dinghy and headed out to troll. Jack handled the rod while I ran the engine. Right away, we caught our first cabrilla, and we landed another fish shortly after. Then, what we think was a needlefish or barracuda bit the hook and cut our line. That was frustrating since lures aren’t cheap or easy to find out here. Over the next hour and a half, we kept five cabrilla and four small yellowtail. We also threw back about six more fish, including needlefish, barracuda, and smaller cabrilla.
After cleaning our catch, we finally had breakfast and took some downtime. I even took a nap and finally started to feel caught up on sleep, though I still was in need of a bit more. As the afternoon progressed, the only downside was that the wind picked up and made the anchorage pretty rolly. Oh well, we were safe and in a beautiful place.
The wind continued overnight and into the next day. Yuck. We didn’t let it stop us from installing the repaired bowsprit brackets, though. I worked from the dinghy while Jack worked from the boat. As usual, it took much longer than expected, a few hours. After that, we ate a big breakfast and paddled to shore for a hike.
We wanted to explore two small bays to the north, one of which works as an anchorage during west winds. After walking along the beach, we headed up an arroyo and climbed the edge onto a plateau. The green plants really stood out, and patches of flowers carpeted the ground. Being in Baja right after the fall rains is great. We hiked down to the first beach and found some shade to sit, look at the ocean, and relax. While we rested, a few barracuda kept us entertained by endlessly chasing baitfish and splashing out of the water.
Next, we hiked down and around a higher spit of land before dropping into the anchorage bay. The beach and bay were both gorgeous. It is definitely on our list to visit another time when the weather improves. With our exploring done, we started the trek back to the kayaks. All told, we spent nearly three hours on solid ground with much less wind noise. It was a much-needed break.
Back aboard, we moved the boat to try and get out of the swell, but it ended up being basically the same. Oh well. A nap was calling, along with some reading time. Near sunset, another boat came in to anchor near us. When they turned sideways to the waves to set their anchor, the boat rolled way over to one side and then back to the other. Oops. I called them on the radio to suggest the protected slot anchorage nearby, but they were worried their boat was too deep for it. They anchored a bit further out instead. Fortunately, conditions mellowed out an hour later. I was relieved for them, otherwise it could have been a rough night.
We chatted a bit more on the radio. They had a great sail south from Don Juan, until they neared the anchorage and had a big scare. The wind and current had created huge breaking waves that rolled them hard to one side, and their boat barely righted itself before the next wave broke. They were a bit shaken up, but relieved to be anchored and safe.
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