The boat looks good, the weather looks good and so we dash out for a few days at anchor.

Heading north west from of La Paz — Heading north west out of La Paz

We head north west to Isla Espiritu Santo (15NM). Isla Espiritu Santo became a preserve in 2003. Reading from the‘ Sea of Cortez - A Cruiser’s Guidebook’ (3rd edition) by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer; they quote the Nature Conservancy as saying, “the Sea of Cortez is the second most diverse marine body in the world. It is home to 31 species of whales and dolphins - one-third of the world’s total. The region also serves as a breeding ground for sea lions and marine turtles, and is a migratory corridor for 210 bird species. Some 500 fish species, 4,848 known species of marine macro-invertebrates and 626 forms of macro algae live in the region.”

The nearly two mile beach of Playa Bonanza.

At sunset I snorkel to the beach and was excited to see a Mobula ray (sub species of the Manta ray) swimming over the sand and later a three foot (free swimming) Green eel. The beach is covered with shells, wood, very few foot prints and some sea turtle tracks where they have gone up the beach to lay their eggs and then return to the water. The next morning I snorkel around Punta la Bonanza and see two Green Sea turtles and many varieties of fish.

The Tervis cups come in handy on these warm nights for sunset cocktails

The view on our way north to the next anchorage

Entering the anchorage at Caleta Partida

The Independence at anchor in Caleta Partida

We set anchor at Caleta Partida in the afternoon (16NM). According to our cruising guide, Caleta Partida is a crater from an extinct volcano, which over thousands of years eventually eroded below the level of the sea, losing its western and eastern edges.

Heading in toward Ensenada del Candelero

Roca Monumento at Ensenada del Candelero

We will come back to this amazing bay in hopes of spending the day snorkeling and exploring these beautiful waters

The views of Baja’s Sierra de la Giganta from the Canal de San Jose

We cruise from Caleta Partida to San Evaristo (30NM). There is a bit of a chop today…about 3 feet. We set the hook in the afternoon and then blow up our new inflatable kayak for its maiden voyage to the beach

The palapa bar and restaurant at San Evaristo. The Independence at anchor in the distance

Heading back to the boat as the sun begins to set

The little fishing village of San Evaristo has about 20 families. The a desalination plant is the blue & white building in the picture above.

On our way south to our next anchorage Larry catches a Skipjack in the Canal de San Jose

Isla San Francisco is our last anchorage (9NM) on this trip out

We hike to the top of hill to see the views…Independence is the boat at the farthest end (north end) of the bay

A panoramic shot from the top gives you the idea of the amazing views we had

Yes, we wear goofy hats to protect us from the intense Baja sun

The plants in Baja can appear dead but they are very much alive. They protect themselves from the intense weather and predators with thorny, thick or waxy exteriors

Bursera microphylla is called the Elephant tree or ‘torote’. The thickness of the tree is for water storage.

The sculpture of the Elephant tree with the salt flats in the distance

The crusty salt flats lead us back to the beach

Today’s beautiful blue water is perfect for using the new kayak

Perhaps it might be a bit too short for Larry’s long legs…It perfect for me… — Perhaps it might be a bit too short for Larry’s long legs…It’s perfect for me…