LEAVING PUERTO ESCONDIDO TO NAUTILUS COVE

Cool marine layer on leaving mooring field/ Pre-IFR conditions

Thank you Mr. Cabria and Mr. Trigger for your delicious bounty:)

April 10th we left PE around 9am and arrived in Nautilus Cove, adjacent to Agua Verde around 2pm. We spent A LOT of time here last cruising season and this place is quite sentimental to us. It was like coming to a HOME on water. 

It was a foggy start with a dynamic marine layer and stayed that way for several hours. We had to pull out the navigation cheat sheet to remind ourselves how to communicate with other vessels via sound signals and use instrument navigation only because visibility was only 2/10th  of a mile. The channel of Candeleros which is right outside the exit channel of Puerto Escondido was littered with small islands, fishing nets, and strong currents. Also, fancy charter boats going 15-20 knots and not receptive on the hailing channel of VHF 16 when head-on! 

On a better note… It was beautiful really seeing the heavy, white condensation billowing over islands and land masses and sitting on the water like a surreal entrance to heaven. Some of the views looked like a waterfall of clouds. 

The wind was not in our favor, initially none, then being South, which was forecasted and the direction we were headed. It wasn’t quite 30 degrees off the bow, so not enough to be a close haul even. We decided to tow our dinghy which we rarely do but our destination was only 30 nm away.  Because the dinghy was on a tow leash behind us, we didn’t want to do long tacks with the building fetch to avoid any chances of swamping the dinghy. It was a motor fest. 

It has been a challenging cruising season emotionally for us. We are so excited to make a big passage but we are on a timeline which is the antithesis of cruising! We could have had an extra week to get South from Puerto Penasco if weather would have cooperated and then we would have a little more time to enjoy the anchorages but that is how it goes with weather dependent activities. But… this upcoming sailing adventure ( going to Hawaii) demands we move in a more timely fashion due to our late return to Mexico on March 1. June is when possible storms could arise so you do need to scoot and boogie and ideally March/April is the the recommended time to depart from Mexico. 

Mexico is SO enjoyable to cruise ( I think I have "rain-manned" this feeling) and it is hard to quickly pass by… for a destination. It is about the journey right? So, we have had some hijacking of our emotions on leaving the Sea of Cortez and scurrying down the Baja coast. 

As I mentioned with the weather hurdles, very windy days have had us hunkered down in anchorages at times as well.  Too windy to paddle board with inflatables or leave the boat. Remember ALL our rescues in other anchorages!!!???!!! And the water temp has primarily been COLD. Today, even as we are farther South with a latitude of 25 degrees vs the 31 degrees latitude of Penasco,  the temp in the water today registered 64-66 degrees!  BURR!!! I have been swimming with a shorty wetsuit when 68 or above regardless to help get the ants out my pants.

Regardless, we have a magical afternoon in Nautilus Cove with some troll fishing in the dinghy. Cabria and Trigger quickly hit our lines and it was like OLD times. My new Euro 110 Riffe Speargun still remains unused this season. Bummer! I am cranky about it missing out on amazing opportunities in places like La Lancha ad here but the visibility, wind or water temp prevented both us from the underwater hunt. 

We came back from our successful trolling session, even throwing back some smaller fish, very excited for our FIRST personally acquired fish tacos of the season.  We did have the chore of putting the dinghy away in BIG winds but our new system with a 4:1 mechanical advantage has made a huge difference. We always pouted about taking the dinghy out or putting her away but this new system we devised has made it much easier and quicker. We have to move again in the am farther south and a longer distance with wind against us, so the dinghy needed to be nestled up on the deck. 

The anchorage initially was our little paradise as most people like to go to Agua Verde next door. It has a tienda, protection from more wind ranges and internet ( poor) from the tienda. And then a single hander arrived about an hour after we did. Bienvenidos to Nautilus Cove!   We gave big hand waves gesturing welcoming him to this amazing place. It is funny, we feel like the hosts of Nautilus Cove. Similar to the camp hosts at a campground. It is hard to explain but the amount of time we have spent here, especially during the early days of the COVID pandemic, it has provided us with comfort and safety. We were able to obtain food here, swim here like it was glass swimming pool, see amazing night skies and the most artistic displays of phosphorescence with a paddleboard paddles after a beach side campfire with friends and returning to Soulstice. Phosphorescence snow angels listening to Benny Goodman on the Blue Tooth stereo on paddleboards returning to Soulstice were common. 

I know everyone out there has that memorable place or places and we do have more then Nautilus Cove but the common theme is that your soul can breathe with a rhythm synchronous with our Mother…. Nature … and it is such a blessing and called GRACE!