The Journey North to Puerto Penasco
Saturday May 19th (Day 4)
Underway early this morning as we have a long haul sail today to Concepcion Bay. Doug and Lowell took point early allowing Paul and I to sleep in a bit, which was nice. The winds aren’t cooperating today so we are leaning heavily on the motors. Some early excitement as we caught our first fish of the voyage which Doug deftly reeled in. A pacific bonito (bonita?) which we threw back, hoping for a dorado or something a little tastier. Our line pulled again and again we had a larger bonito which we decided to keep, mostly at my behest as I’ve never filleted a fish before and if we could eat it, I wanted to keep it and start developing this life skill because, well, you just never know. Fortunately my captain and fellow crew members are veterans and so could guide me through it. First, put the animal out of it’s misery with a wooden club, then on to cleaning. 
This species of fish is known to be a bloody mess to fillet, so Lowell made a few incisions below the gills, then tied it by its tail to drag behind the boat draining some of the blood, then off to a bow. A quick YouTube video later, and I am in business. Not the prettiest filleting job you’ve every seen but…if I’m ever stuck on a desert island with nothing but a fishing pole and filleting knife at least I won’t starve. I chopped up one filet and made a quick ceviche. Not the best fish for this taste wise, but fresh and pretty decent with a dash of hot sauce on top. We’ll figure out what to do with the rest later.
Other excitement, we had another brief whale sighting, a fin whale this time. We have a light cloud cover so it’s not horribly hot. After we turn into Bahia Concepcion the wind decides to cooperate so we were able to go under full sail for a short time and turn off the motors which always is fun and amazing. Like our sailing forefathers, we harness the power of the wind…for a while at least. A pod of very large dolphins paced us for a bit, running alongside and in between our hulls. Very cool. After pulling into Coyote Bay, which has a number of other boats anchored, we cool off with a swim in perfect waters. Warmer than previous anchorages. Heading into Armando’s beachside restaurant for dinner. 
We have 2 rounds of margaritas and some very tasty simple Mexican fare from carne asada to garlic shrimp. Lowell has the diabla pescado and is feeling the burn! The table next to us is full of a larger family (or possible multiple families with kids) who are on what appears to be a prolonged voyage. We are struck by the kids playing cards instead of being on phones, and playing tag on the beach. Sad that such a sight is an oddity these days. Flags on their boat are from Canada so they are far away from home. Back to the boat for us, quick dessert of some cookies and Hostess cupcake-like creation that is AWESOME. Early to bed, off to Mulege tomorrow.
May 20th (Day 5)
First off, happy birthday to me! It doesn’t suck to be cruising the Sea of Cortes on your bday that’s for sure. We have a great breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Doug continues to demonstrate his multilayered grill skills and clean up skills as he does the initial dish wash while swimming. We see the boat with the family and note that the kids are all fishing in the early morning, having fun if nothing else, it’s nice to see. Paul and I are working on getting up the anchor an underway just the two of us, though it’s wonderful to have Lowell there for guidance as we get down the routine. After making our way into the main Bahia Concepcion, we pick up just enough wind to throw up the jib. Got very excited with a tickle on the fishing line, however false alarm, just seaweed. Still hoping we catch a super tasty fish on our voyage.
We arrive at Mulege and Lowell does his boat wizardry in the mouth of the Rio Santa de Rosalia. It’s complicated because of the tides; sometimes it’s river flow, at other times it’s ocean tide which makes for a difficult anchorage. We have to be strongly anchored not only because of this issue, but also that the mouth of the river is a ponga freeway and if they hit us, it may be their fault, but we’ll never see our boat again. So, hoping to avoid all of these mishaps, we set a stern anchor in addition to the regular anchor. This is my first experience with a stern anchor; not being an experienced sailor I didn’t even know we had one. But, we get it set, the main anchor set and we are firmly in place at anchorage and will hope for the best. It’s river water dominant at this time so we pass on a swim to cool off. Lowell calls his buddy Nacho who has a taxi service and we head into town.
I was treated to a birthday serenade by Nacho en route with the Mexican birthday song “Las Mananitas”. In town, we went to the historic Las Casitas for cerveza. What a beautiful place! Lush greenery and art everywhere with fountains made for a tranquil oasis in the middle of the pueblo. It is also a hotel. 
I didn’t see the inside of the rooms, but on the outside, though the appear small, there are great outdoor areas to enjoy. After drinks, we walk over to La tienda, a clothing/dive store run by an American named Claudia from Danville, CA originally and her husband Hector, originally from Mexico City. We found some fun souvenirs and headed on our way to lunch at Los Equipales. Very nice 2nd floor restaurant with a lovely breeze. Their margaritas were probably the best I’ve had. Lowell had garlic scallops, Doug and I had shrimp tacos and Paul had fish tacos. A large portion of papas fritas rounded out the meal. I may never have to eat again. How do you say “bloated” in Spanish? But, delicious and totally worth it. We meander a bit more through the streets, stopping by a mercado for a few items, then Nacho collects us and we journey to the Mission. So impressive, originally built in 1705 and still in use today. We didn’t see inside, but it sits on the top of a hill with a lookout point over the verdant banks of the river, winding west with a mountain backdrop. I couldn’t get enough pictures, it was magical. We then head back to the boat to unwind for an hour or so. Day ended with Lowell, Paul, and I heading into Hotel Serenidad via our dinghy. 
We tied up on a dock that reminded me of a fun house ride it was so wobbly. Thankfully, none of us went into the drink. We have to walk across a private airfield next to the hotel guarded by Federales. No issues there. The hotel earned its name being tranquil and serene. Simply but beautifully appointed with white painted brick walls, dark tiled floors and bold art on the walls. There is a poolside bar with very attentive bar staff. The whole experience was very upscale but not overdone. It was lovely through and through and if anyone is passing through Mulege NOT on a sailboat, I would wholeheartedly recommend this place. Lowell tells me it was started up by an American about 40 years ago who personally drove them into town on a Gato cruise many years past. Paul takes a quick dip in the pool to cool off, then we head back to the dinghy. The sun is setting and it’s breathtaking over the river and the mountains. A full day that was perfect. Hitting the hay, we turn on more lights than usual in our continued efforts to avoid distracted pongas. Here’s hoping for the best, good night to all. 
Check out my InstaGram feed reels below
Comments are currently closed.
It’s nice to have Kate on the blog wish I was there?Rick
It’s nice to have Kate on the blog wish I was there?Rick