Tuesday January 26 we crossed what i will call “Loreto Bay” in calm sailing and to the spectacle of a whale crashing and slapping about nearby for about half an hour. Wow! I mean real cavorting! The next day, during my dawn meditation, sitting at Akimbo’s swim step, i saw over a dozen trailer-able type sport fishing boats with big outboard motors gathered out in the Bay. My guess – gringos in a fishing tournament? Later, tho they were gone, i suppose i joined them as i caught my next few days’ meals. That morning, at breakfast, i cracked open my one jar of Dave’s grape jelly (thank you, Dave). This morning it was the sound of two porpoise coming up for a breath quite close that drew me out of bed and to my sit. I watched them for about ten minutes and then they left. I welcome anything on the horizon that catches my eye…or ear this morning…or taste buds yesterday. Again, beauty, in whatever form it takes, seems key. Today, Thursday, is a good day to stay at anchor. Light, if any, winds and i don’t want to motor. Yesterday i put on the wetsuit, weight belt, mask and snorkel and started scraping the bottom of the boat. Really wore myself out and only got half done. (later) I seem to suffer vertigo swimming under the boat and working upside down. Today, when i finished the job i retched again. Note to self: facial hairs make it hard for the mask to seal on my face – after shaving, today’s job went much better than yesterday’s. Gotta laugh.
(that night) Water so clear, i could see shadows and shapes on the bottom in 30’ of water - by the light of the full moon! Or maybe that was testament to the moon’s fullness? Either way, impressed.
From there we sailed north to Isla Coronados and stayed there two nights too – another of the protected park islands.
Really a lovely spot, including what must be one of the most scenic composting outhouses in the world. 
Hiked the trail maybe halfway to the peak, paddled about in the kayak, said hi to the other two boats anchored there. One of those dawns i watched the full moon set as the sun came up. A little north of there we were the only boat anchored at Punta Mangles and i went exploring a sea cave in the dinghy (testing a fix for the outboard’s propellor). The geology here really is front and center “the star of the show.” Just look at the striations, textures, colors… At the bottom of one of the photos is a sea cave.
The next night we anchored in San Juanico, where i paid our respects to the “cruiser’s shrine:” a small tree surrounded and covered by decorations from crews who have anchored here. The oldest “we were here” i could find was from a boat named "Paisano" dated 1984. I tied a banner to a limb on behalf of Akimbo and crew.
At Punta Pulpito the next day i went exploring in the kayak and paddled thru a sea arch. When i got back two more boats had anchored so i went by and said hi. One of them was a bit close to me but i didn’t ask him to move…in the middle of the night i finally re-anchored Akimbo a little further from him. During my late night re-anchoring i saw lightning flashes far away, probably on the mainland. We spent the next day sailing and motoring around and thru rain storms – no lightning – the first time i had donned my foulies in a long time. We got in just at dark to anchor in Bahia Coyote in Bahia Concepcion, where a calm night allowed me a full night’s quiet sleep. In the morning Caleb paddled over from his 26’ sailboat in his inflatable kayak to introduce himself and invited me to join a foray into nearby Mulege if i needed any supplies. I accepted and made some new acquaintances in the process. I got back to Akimbo late in the afternoon – once again dodging what i really intend: to sit down and do some creative writing.
Mary Oliver suggests that being creative is like any relationship: if your muse learns that you cannot be depended upon to show up, then your muse won’t show up either. It’s a relationship i must take better care of. The next day i kayaked all over, took a hike where the guidebook said i would find petroglyphs.
Voila! There they were. Wow. Think about that! We spent the next night in a more secluded anchorage, Stanta Barbara, and i admired a couple of women who rowed their open cruising sailboat into the shallows and then made camp on the beach. The next day we anchored at the Bahia Santa Domingo at the entrance to Bahia Concepcion, as the jump off point to head further north. 2.7.10 Mid-morning some kayakers who were camped ashore at Bahia Santo Domingo came by Akimbo at anchor and invited me in for dinner. I thanked them and said that if i didn’t set sail i would accept. There was no wind to sail on until mid-afternoon and by then it felt too late to head for Punto Chivato. So i stayed at anchor. Funny, it felt like an effort to stay put. While there i created a logbook for Akimbo, tracking her sailing to here. Next, at the back of the log book, from my file of receipts, i need to record her maintenance history. I took a bottle of wine with me when i paddled in at about 4. Went for a walk on the beach and came back to a delightful dinner with nine of my newest friends.
Outdoor dining enhances the way things taste, but these guys really do eat much better than i expected, with gourmet salad and pizza, really good brownies and chocolate. I have to pay my respects to people who take themselves out of their routines at home and put themselves “out there.” They bond with each other at some deeper level, our need for each others’ care and support made explicit by the dynamics of the outdoors and of the moment. I paddled back as it got dark and listened to music while marveling again at the starry heavens, and admiring their campfire on shore. The milky way was bright enuf to reflect off the calm sea! And the dark water was full of phosphorescence, more than i’ve ever seen several times over, and revealing lots of fish zipping by. It’s busy under the surface!
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