We motored overnight from Cabo San Lucas to LaPaz, the capital of Baja California Sur. The entrance to the harbor is a long narrow dredged channel fairly close to land. The day after our arrival, the Port Captain closed the harbor for two days because of winds. I’m sure that many of Washington port directors would love to be able to close their ports instead of having to deal with boaters who get themselves in trouble. We enjoyed walks on the malecon (a broad seaside sidewalk) and had some nice dinners out. Because of the wind, the dinghy ride back to the boat was fairly wet.

LaPaz is the narrowest part of Baja and got hit by Hurricane Norma in October 2023. I suspect that the hurricane and Covid caused hardship for many businesses. Off the main drag, many of the buildings were vacant and damaged. Several boats were washed ashore.

When the port reopened we headed north towards Loreto. The Sierra de la Giganta mountain range begins outside of LaPaz displaying miles and miles of striation. Our first stop was the lovely fishing village of San Evaristo. We shared our anchorage with a few sailboats and many pelicans. The bay so clear that the anchor chain was visible on the bottom. We awoke at dawn to continue our northbound journey.

We knew that “the northerlies” would be blowing and we’ve now developed a healthy respect for them. In the Puget Sound, 25 knot winds aren’t a problem for us. In Baja, the northerlies are strong winds that come off the Arizona desert and whip down the Sea of Cortez, creating waves and choppy seas. With the boat at full speed, we usually make about 7 nautical miles (NM) per hour, and with the northerlies, we made about 1.5 NM. It was the most miserable weather we’ve had the entire trip. We decided to divert to Timbabiche where we spent a rocky night at anchor. The next day we continued north towards Puerto Escondido, a sheltered bay near Loreto. Fortunately, the winds died down a little. We arrived four hours after my sister Janet and her husband Rich.

We spent a delightful few days on a mooring ball in Puerto Escondido then headed out to Isla Carmen where we’ll stay for the remainder of their visit.