Banderas Bay – Wildlife Central

Our first port of call on mainland Mexico was the beautiful coastal town of Mazatlan. We decided to anchor just inside the harbour entrance as we would be able to get into town much easier than if we stayed in one of the marinas over 3 miles away. The anchorage had shower and internet facilities provided by Club Nautica and was lovely, save for the fact that it was next to the sewerage works. If you can get over the intense smell of the raw sewage produced by a city of spicy burrito and chile eaters, it's great. We were even able to use the smell to our advantage, when we got a taxi and the driver didn't speak English or know where Club Nautica was, we simply held our noses and he drove us right to the doorstep. After 3 nights getting a little too used to living with the smell of waste hot in our nostrils we pushed off for our final destination Banderas Bay.

Arriving in Banderas Bay after an overnight sail dodging what must have been the whole Mexican trawler fleet and spending the next day picking our way through hundreds of miles of long lines we were a bit worried that the bay would be devoid of life due to severe raping. Thankfully we were to be pleasantly surprised by one of the most wildlife filled days we've had since starting the trip. After spending the night at anchor and filling up with fuel and water we headed out into the bay to visit Las Tres Marietas Islands. Within a few minutes we were faced with flocks of boobies and frigates dive bombing schools of fish from all directions. Minutes later they were joined by pods of dolphins and porpoises adding to the frenzy. As if this wasn't enough we then had the pleasure of watching a group of 8 humpback whales simultaneously lunge feeding less than 100m from Indian Summer. When the whales stopped feeding the rays started jumping. We must have seen hundreds of pygmy mantas, cow nose and bat rays breaching. This level of activity continued throughout the day with us being constantly strafed by boobies, followed by dolphins and having to dodge a total of about 40-50 whales before going to anchor. Our luck in catching fish was the only thing which remained less than stellar despite seeing multiple mahi mahi swimming around the boat. All in all an incredible day and a great start in what will probably be Indian Summer's home for the next few months.

Mantas a jumpin

Boobies a divin

Dolphins a frolickin

Whales a feedin

It's now time for Johnny and Emsy to leave Indian Summer after 5 months of loyal crewing and for Johnny to sign off as official blogger. All that I can say to blog readers and Mike's friends and family is that it has been an experience of a lifetime. From never sailing before I arrived I've learnt so much, travelling nearly 2000 nautical miles from San Fran to here. I've experienced the full gambit of emotions from agony to ecstasy. Seen and done some of the most amazing things ever, from diving with great whites and schooling hammerheads, to seeing sunfish while blue whales were feeding behind them, to cuddling baby sea lions, to catching the biggest fish I ever imagined...the list goes on and on. For those who are thinking about visiting Indian Summer for a couple of weeks or longer, what are you waiting for? Look at any entry in this blog for a realistic idea of what you'll experience. If you don't want sun, sea, sand, desert islands, freedom, wildlife, drinking, good food and adventure...don't come!

La Paz 4 – Leetle Pawpies

Another trip to the sea lion colony led to the most amazing interactions yet with one pup staying with us for 30 minutes just wanting to be stroked and even cuddled. That was in between gently biting our fins, Johnny's arms and even Em's bum! This was as well as a group of about 15 pups coming over to Indian Summer and frolicking around, biting and sniffing the hull, even shooting up and down having a look at the anchor! One was so taken by the keel, being stroked and sitting on Emma's lap that it stayed around for 20 minutes to get its fill.

We finished the day by having a great dive in a cave running through one of the islands where 6 sea lions of various ages played and swam all around us. FAB!

Our last day in the La Paz area was to finish on another high note when we dived the Salvatiera wreck. Despite trying and failing to catch fish around this artificial reef no less than 3 times we were astonished to see the profusion of fish life all over it. Huge schools of trevally, snapper, bait fish, loads of moray eels and more! A great way to end our days here. It was now time for Mazatlan, only 230 miles and 42 hours sailing, woohoo.

 

La Paz 3 – The Galapagos of Mexico

Anchored in Ensenada Grande or “The Big Bay”, we'd had a very good sleep after one of the most active days of our trip. The next day, far from slowing down the pace, Mike decided that what the crew needed was a good walk. After spending many days sat on our butts it was agreed, we would row ashore and climb to the top of the ridge to view the bay (a spectacular view by all accounts) and then walk the mile or so to Las Cuevartis to see the blue footed booby colony. This would be a real treat as until recently we all thought the very strange and rare blue footed booby was a bird only found in the Galapagos Islands – not so.

The mission began after landing the dinghy on the shore by scrambling up a dry creek bed to gain some height. After gaining a little altitude and viewing the bay, we tried the most direct route to the boobies, a short and ill advised traverse across a very steep and loose rock laden slope. After half an hour of slow progress and rock slides, the team decided to go for the longer route along the top of the ridge. The island itself was not blessed with an abundance of wildlife, ants, small lizards and a bunny were the only animals encountered. The vegetation was interesting with more aloe vera than Estee Lauder's bathroom cabinet and cacti the size of lampposts.

After 2 hours walking, on arriving at the booby colony, hot, thirsty and slightly traumatised, we were a little put out to find there were none there! In fact we could see the guano covered cliffs where they normally are but guessed they must be out for lunch. Not a big deal though, we'd seen them at the sea lion colony and a few days later we took Indian Summer into the bay and found them perched on those same smelly white cliffs.

 

La Paz 2 – Wahoooooooo!!!!!!

Our first venture out into the bay of La Paz on Indian Summer, came a few days later when we set off North to Isla Espiritu Santo National Park. A stunning volcanic island, rich with marine life and home to dozens of shallow sheltered anchorages. After a day looking for whalesharks in the bay (unsuccessfully) and night on the hook out at the island, we decided that the conditions were right to try and repeat our success earlier in the week of diving with the hammerheads out at El Bajo. Johnny had sneaked his GPS onto the dive boat and got the location of the sea mount, now all that was needed was to get out there and hope for hammerheads. We decided to troll our lures, as has been the theme all down the Pacific coast in the hope that a fish might bite. So far, after nearly 1500 miles of trolling we had caught 2 fish and trolled 2 lures to destruction. On approaching El Bajo, Johnny joked that he'd seen a big wahoo here during the dive last week and that he looked stupid and hungry enough to take our lures. 

About 100m away from the GPS point, BANG! The drag on our big rod started screaming, we looked back to see a huge fish thrashing its tail and whole body out of the water behind the boat – it was him, it was the wahoo! Finally, the great white hunter had a chance to reel in his prize! The fight was a long one, the fish was big and powerful and had a irritating habit of swimming under the boat. Johnny was lucky that the line didn't get broken off on the prop or the keel. After about 15 minutes of running and reeling, we finally saw a flash of colour at the boat. It was huge! On seeing the hull however, the fish took off and it was another 5 minutes before it was back on the surface. An expert gaffing from Mike meant that barring a miracle the wahoo was ours. However in the past Mike has had a tendency to catch a fish, bring it aboard so enthusiastically he has flung it off the other side. Not this time though, Mike decided that this one wasn't getting away and while bringing it aboard managed to hook himself on the same lure that was in the fish's mouth. Yes that's right, we had a 20kg (44 pound) wahoo on board and it was hooked to Mike's arm!.

After performing iki jimi (a good stab in the brain with a sharp spike) on our bounty and making sure he was brown bread, the task turned to getting the hook out of Mike. Despite his best efforts, it would not simply pull out, the barb was taking it's job very seriously and would not give an inch. It was now necessary for Mike to take off his skipper's cap and put on his ship's surgeon white coat. Requesting his a stanley knife and a clean blade (hygiene comes first), Mike was triumphant in cutting the hook out of his arm with the minimum of damage. After this it was picture time with the fish of a lifetime. Very happy crew members then contemplated the myriad of potential meals in the offing. From sashimi to ceviche to fish and chips and beyond, willy the wahoo did not die in vain, in fact he sustained the Indian Summer crew for 7 days with more to spare in the freezer.

Unfortunately our dive on El Bajo afterwards did not produce hammerheads. Despite this we were still all on a high from our fishing success and decided to end the day with a dive at the sea lion colony. It has to be one of the most enjoyable dives we've all ever done. Literally hundreds of sea lions, flying all around you. From the big 3m bulls to tiny pups only about 2 or 3 months old. The babies are amazing, even though they're young they can swim circles around any diver and will shoot all around you, bite your fins, bark, loop the loop. They just have so much fun investigating you and as divers there's nothing else like it, you can literally touch and stroke these little wild animals and they love it and will come back for more! We had an hour of mayhem and chaos in with these guys and loved every minute of it. Like playing with 100 puppies :)

La Paz 1 – Hammerheads Baby!

La Paz you might say, gave us a change of luck, with most things Indian Summer related going right. After a few days in the Marina Palmeira stocking up and cleaning the boat, Johnny and Emsy decided to take a chance and go diving with a local company to try and see the hammerhead sharks at El Bajo (a seamount 30 miles north of La Paz that rises from over 3000ft deep to just 50 ft). Johnny had previously tried to dive here in 2006 but was thwarted by hurricane Juan (or John in English, would you believe it!). This time the weather was fine and we were lucky enough to see about 30 hammerheads in the 2 dives we did, including a small school of 10 together. The dives were great in that every 2 or 3 minutes 2 or 3 hammerheads would pop into view. 

Some were deep, some came close and they were much bigger than we expected despite the fact we've seen the odd one before. A thoroughly successful day was topped off by a dive at the sea lion colony at Los Islotes. Something that the Mexican divemaster described as diving with “leetle pawpies” and was so good we came back and did it 3 times on Indian Summer!

The Road to La Paz – The Promised Land

For virtually the whole time we've been on Indian Summer thoughts had been focussed on getting to La Paz and experiencing the diving, fishing, food and natural beauty it's so famous for. As it was our next port of call we were all very excited. After leaving Cabo behind we had a three, one night stopovers before we got there. The first was in Los Frailes near the only hard coral reef on the Pacific side of Mexico, Cabo Pulmo. Whether we actually found the best place to snorkel, we don't know. The bits we did see however did not live up to the billing of one of the finest coral reefs in the world. Green water and very little in the way of coral and fish life meant we did not stay another night. The second stop on the way to La Paz was Ensenada de los Muertos, “The Bay of the Dead”. A very pleasant little bay that is the gateway to reputedly one of the best fishing areas in the sea of Cortez. As usual though, we didn't catch anything :( Our 3^rd and final stop was in a bay just north of La Paz called Ballandro Bay. A gorgeous little spot, perfect for the steak BBQ we had that evening in anticipation and celebration of arriving in the promised land the next day.

Cabo at last...Woohoo!!!

A big push was needed to beat the Baja Haha flotilla to Cabo from Turtle Bay but after 435 miles, an overnight stop in Bahia Santa Maria and seeing yet another blue whale and sun fish in the same day, we did it! We were in Cabo and ahead of the crowd. Beautiful white sandy beaches, nice bars, good food and diving were all on the menu for the next few days. Anchoring about 50m from the beach near the bars we were in prime position to get into town and avoid the extortionate marina fees.

Cabo was really beautiful and for the first time we had warm clear water to swim in. Our first attempt to dive however began with a hiccup as the wind started blowing 30 knots out of the South East just when we wanted to go. This wind was strong enough to sink a couple of water taxis and get the harbour master to close the port so it was probably for the best we waited it out! The next day it was calm and we had a fantastic dive around “The Point”. The highlight being some awesome sea lion encounters.

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Although we really liked Cabo the number of boats was steadily increasing day by day (including 2 huge cruise ships) and the touristy feeling was beginning to get old. Our big achievement was that we had finally arrived at the gateway to the Sea of Cortez and at least from now on the water would be warm and hopefully the fish would be biting. We decided to press on and get to La Paz where the fishing and diving would be even better than in Cabo and hopefully there would be a few less people.

Turtle Bay – Home of the original Mexican one arm bandit

After all the action of Guadalupe everyone was looking forward to a relax and a bit of peace and tranquillity. Where better to find this than the most popular anchorage on the Baja peninsula, Turtle Bay (now without turtles). We arrived in the dark after a 36 hour crossing from Guadalupe to a disorienting light show that looked like stars low to the horizon, stretching for about 2 miles along the shore. Trying to work out what we were seeing took a little while as we knew the town was only small. As it turned out we were looking at the anchored armada of the dreaded Baja Haha – 200 yachties/locusts/dollar signs that annually cruise down the peninsula using all the resources the Mexican population can provide and paying through the nose for them. We picked a spot away from the rabble and were very happy to have a good sleep and just hoped there was still some food and fuel left in town.

On waking up we took the dinghy and docked it at the pier next to town. It was at this point we met Pedro the original Mexican one armed bandit. At around 400lbs, cross eyed and with only one arm, Pedro was not who you might expect would be at the dinghy dock to help you tie up. What he lacked in depth perception and hand-eye coordination he made up for in entrepreneurship, in that the only phrases he would use were “Soy Pedro” and “One dollar”. That is “I am Pedro”, so give me $1 to dock the dinghy, $1 for each bag of rubbish you want to put in the public bin and $1 for untying the dinghy when you go. Working on this formula we estimated that Pedro, could be earning upwards of $1000 a day as a result of the Baja Haja being in town, making him the richest man in Turtle Bay. Not bad for someone who would surely be a ward of the state in any other country.

As for the town itself it was not all that it was cracked up to be, with the charm and cleanliness of a Mumbai slum and the prices of Harrods it wasn't exactly paradise. After stepping into the beach side bar we were greeted by about 8 stray dogs, a cat playing with a half dead mouse and some dried out turtle shells (possibly explaining the lack of turtles in the bay). After fuelling up and getting the last fresh water in town we decided the best idea would be to get down to Cabo ASAP and hopefully beat the Haha!

Isla Guadalupe – Home of the Great White Shark

Around 180 nautical miles west of mainland Baja lies the isolated volcanic island of Guadalupe. Rising from the depths of the Pacific ocean, surrounded by waters over 5000m deep, it is a well kept secret not many cruisers get to. Basically, to say this place is off the beaten track is an understatement in the same league as “the Welsh quite like rugby and singing”. Known as one of the best sport fishing areas for tuna in the world only recently has it's other secret been revealed...that it is home to some of the largest great white sharks on the planet and has the clearest water to see them in!

For as long as he can remember it has always been Johnny's dream to see great whites in the wild and Guadalupe is without question the best place on earth to do it. So the mission was on and from the first day aboard Indian Summer plans were being laid to get there. His first task to persuade Mike to sail his boat and his daughter nearly 200 miles into the open ocean on the chance of seeing a big fish with pointy teeth that eats people. Mike's initial reaction – “Ok then, when we get there, how will we see the sharks?”. A very good question to which Johnny went away and found 2 alternative solutions. The first was to contact the liveaboards that go out to Guadalupe doing the cage diving and see if it was possible to come aboard for a day. The second was a revolutionary home made aluminium cage designed from fencing material found at Home Depot and having faith that “if we build it they will come”. As it turned out he found a liveaboard who would have us on for $150 a day (instead of the $3000 they charge for the 3 day trip?!). The home made cage took a back seat. Mike was on-board and all systems were go. Now all that was required was to apply for the permits to enter the marine reserve and we were golden. After a very paperwork filled few days in Ensenada we were all stamped, approved and ready to go.

The Journey over was one of the best sails we've had so far. A steady 15 knot North-Westerly wind pushed Indian Summer towards Guadalupe virtually non stop for the 30 hour crossing getting us there basically for free! The freshly painted smooth hull slipping through the water at around 7 knots for most of the way. Once there our luck only got better and before bed we decided to go for a quick troll near our anchorage and after about 2 minutes Johnny caught his first big fish of the trip! A nice yellow tail that went very well sashimi and on the barbie. Not only that but a local fisherman came by and traded us 4 lobsters for 2 cans of beer (this being currency on Guadalupe)! A feast was had and the Indian Summer crew went to bed celebrating a pretty special day, with the best yet to come.

The next day we travelled 20 miles up the coast to the area where the shark boat, Sea Escape, was to meet us. On the way we managed to spot our usual fair share of wildlife including some unidentifiable whales (possibly melon headed whales), one of which was white and then later a brown/grey shadow that looked to us like a great white swimming on the surface. Signs were good that we were in for a show. On arriving in the Northern bay where Sea Escape was anchored we were excited to learn that they had seen 3 sharks that day and conditions were perfect. The plan was then to be picked up by their tender at 8am the next morning and ferried to the main boat for a day of cage diving – awesome! That night we anchored just off the beach where elephant seals congregate and were both pleased and saddened to see evidence of large great whites in the area, when we saw a 3m bull with 2 huge bites out of his sides. The poor thing was definitely not long for this world and had most of its insides hanging out!

The next morning riding on a wave of awesome good luck we were all geared up for the adventure of a lifetime. Unfortunately the Mexican government had different ideas and sent one of their inspection boats to prevent the shark boats from chumming and baiting! Unbelievable. The day was a bust. The trip coordinator with Sea Escape came and told us there was no point us coming over because the sharks wouldn't come with no bait in the water. He said this happens once a year with the government and that tomorrow they would be gone and the sharks would be back. What a nerve racking day and night wait. The next day would be our last and only chance to see the sharks as Sea Escape would leave for Ensenada that night. We consoled ourselves with a day of all you can eat lobster when another fisherman gave us 12 lobsters for 4 cans of beer.

Finally the day had come, we were on the shark boat, blood was in the water and the crew of Indian Summer were ready to come face to face with the apex predator of the ocean. What an experience. Firstly it was a nervy wait before the first shark was spotted. Visions of sailing back having come all that way for nothing were swirling in our heads. The gods were kind to us though and before we knew it we were the first ones in the cage with great whites all around us, it was amazing. Such clear water (25m visibilty) and such huge sharks (over 4m). We could see them coming for miles, sometimes 2 at a time. It was worth every effort to get here and it is something none of us will ever forget experiencing. The sharks stayed around for one and a half hours before disappearing to the deep leaving us to go back to Indian Summer and relive the thrill over yet more lobster :)

We left the next morning to avoid the strong winds that kicked up in the evening. Guadalupe's parting shot was to give Johnny a hook up on one of the biggest fish he's ever tried to pull in. Unfortunately the fish managed to unhook itself before we got it in but what an end to an amazing 4 days! Truly one of the adventures of a lifetime.

Ensenada – The whole enchilada

Well we finally said goodbye to the United States and buenos dias to Mexico. In our 2 months of cruising so far we had learned that there are no fish in American waters, however there are more dolphins, whales and seals than you can shake a stick at. We'd met some genuine, warm, friendly people and seen some of the most amazing sights – it would be a hard act to follow. Happily enough Mexico started with a bang and within an hour of being in it's waters we had seen 2 huge blue whales feeding up close and personal (nearly a boat strike). On top of that we had a sun fish on the surface at the same time, then another later in the day. One of the most amazing things any of the crew had ever seen!

We arrived at the Baja Naval marina, Ensenada in the dark (and fog of course). Finding entrance lights was tricky to say the least and we were about 100m from the breakwater before we could see them! Our fab new charts/GPS were actually so accurate we could have just looked at the screen on the plotter and steered (we didn't though). Once docked after a 14 hour day it was not long until everyone was cabin bound and down. The next morning Indian Summer was in for a long overdue treat – a good bottom scrub, a sand and 3 coats of paint. It was awesome to see the boat being lifted out of the water and so weird to be living on board on stilts out of the water! The workers at Baja Naval were really great and professional and helped us immeasurably with the ridiculous amount of paperwork you have to do to get into Mexico as well as doing a fantastic paint job.

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