Gato Loco 2010-Leg 5, Banditos, Beach Bums & Weenie Roasters

---

By Lowell | May 28, 2010 | Category Baja 2010

 

.On our way to San Juanico…a pensive Owen waits patiently for the fish to bite…and he waited…and he waited…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.aaannnndddd it’s another bonito! That’s okay, now that all 3 boys have caught bonito, now it’s time for the good eatin’ fish! Here fishy, fishy…here fishy, fishy…come and get it!!!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.And they said there were no pirates? Argggg…who pillaged all the Pacifico? Yer walkin’ the plank…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.We had perfect sailing weather…we were able to put up the spinnaker for about 5 hours…gorgeous!!! 10-12 knots…broad reach…flat seas…temp about 80 degrees…no humidity…straight to our destination!!!

.

.So far we haven’t seen much sea life on our voyage. Aside from some random mantas and dolphins, they must all be in hiding. When we were in Mulege, the owner of the dive shop said that there was a recent fishing tournament with about 45 boats…only 7 fish were caught between all those boats. Not too encouraging, but we remain optimistic…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.As we got closer to San Juanico, we passed our Seawind buddies on Paradox…Bill chatted with them on the radio…they were coming from Punta Chivato and heading to Santa Rosalia.

.

.When we anchored in San Juanico we ran into more Seawind amigos…Helen and Ralph on Moondrifter. It’s a small world after all! We headed over to their beautiful boat for a tour and some nice conversation. What a sweet couple! If you get a chance to step foot on a Seawind 1160, you are in for a treat…man, that is one incredible boat…

 

 

.San Juanico is a gorgeous anchorage…we shared our evening with about 10 boats…it was a busy place. We were told that the night before there were 16 boats…as you can see, there is a reason that so many boats were in this locale…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

.CJ, Shirley, Owen and Captain Bill on our hike up the hill…there are a few houses on the hill overlooking the bay…not a shabby location…not shabby at all…

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

.You can see some of our neighbors in the background…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Leg 5 in front of the Shriner’s Tree with our offering…we found previous Gato Loco crew’s offerings as well, from this year and years’ previous.

.

.(On a sidenote, to my mateys from last year’s Leg 5, Marilyn and Sally…our shell was still there, but very faded…I made sure to spruce it up for us. Long live 3 chicks!!!)

.

.

.

 

.And to the Tegges…we hung your offering on the tree!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Here it is! Gato Loco 2010, Leg 5…Swept Away on the Sea of Cortez…Bill, Lisa, CJ, Shirley & Owen…woo hoo!!!

.

.(Not to be biased, but I think our little offering was rather cool…)

.

.

.

.

 

.We decided to have ourselves a little beach bum barbeque with our friends, Ralph and Helen…our firefighter seems to be quite the fire starter as well. We lucked out, not only did we find a firepit on the beach, but it had a brand new package of firewood inside it. Talk about perfect!

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

.Is this not a great shot? I mean, look at those happy faces and full moon…and soon to be full bellies…

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

.Ralph came prepared for the beach barbeque…he had a collapsible, rotating hotdog roaster…he was so proud…and we were so jealous. Our fearless leader, Bill, was not quite so advanced in his hotdog preparation. He found the old coat hanger wires that he had hidden in a tree on the beach from last year…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

 

.Shirley and boys roasting their weenies…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.No caption needed…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.One night away from the full moon…not sure if there is a more beautiful sight…it was like our own personal night light in the sky…can’t imagine 5 luckier people in the world right now…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.After an wonderful night of telling tales by a bunch of banditos and beach bums (although there was no sweet rum on this particular evening), we called it a night…thank you to Helen and Ralph for being wonderful company for this ragtag group of friends…twas simply fabuloso!!!

.

.

.Hasta manana, amigos…

.

.

 

 

.After we left San Juanico, Bill dropped anchor nearby so we could do some snorkeling at Tres Pilars. Snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez at 8:00 am? Pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself!

.

.

.

.Captain Bill leads his motley crew…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Thanks to CJ’s handy dandy underwater camera, we got some great pictures…the water was little hazy in some places where the current was stronger, but we saw a ton of fish!

.

.

.Cute little starfish…

.

.

.

 

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Peace to you, mis amigos…this is one happy Lisita!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.So many little fishies, so little time…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Great pics, CJ!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.Tres Pilars…superb snorkeling…great morning…thanks, Bill!!!!

.

.

.

.Next stop…Vee Cove…

.

.

.

 

Well, this crew has today and tomorrow left at sea, then we head into Loreto to switch crews on Saturday…man, this trip has flown by! Seems like just yesterday we hopped on the boat in San Carlos…now that we have gotten into the rhythm of the sailing life, it’s almost over. We are going to relish our remaining time and enjoy this fabulous adventure…signing off for Leg 5…

Captain Bill, Lisa, CJ, Shirley & Owen