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<\/a>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.\u00a0 A quick YouTube video later, and I am in business.\u00a0 Not the prettiest filleting job you\u2019ve every seen but\u2026if I\u2019m ever stuck on a desert island with nothing but a fishing pole and filleting knife at least I won\u2019t starve.\u00a0 I chopped up one filet and made a quick ceviche.\u00a0 Not the best fish for this taste wise, but fresh and pretty decent with a dash of hot sauce on top.\u00a0 We\u2019ll figure out what to do with the rest later.<\/p>\nOther excitement, we had another brief whale sighting, a fin whale this time.\u00a0\u00a0 We have a light cloud cover so it\u2019s not horribly hot.\u00a0 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\u2026for a while at least.\u00a0 A pod of very large dolphins paced us for a bit, running alongside and in between our hulls.\u00a0 Very cool.\u00a0\u00a0 After pulling into Coyote Bay, which has a number of other boats anchored, we cool off with a swim in perfect waters.\u00a0 Warmer than previous anchorages. Heading into Armando\u2019s beachside restaurant for dinner.\u00a0 <\/p>\n May 20th (Day 5)<\/p>\n First off, happy birthday to me! It doesn\u2019t suck to be cruising the Sea of Cortes on your bday that\u2019s for sure.\u00a0 We have a great breakfast of pancakes and bacon.\u00a0 Doug continues to demonstrate his multilayered grill skills and clean up skills as he\u00a0 does the initial dish wash while swimming.\u00a0 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\u2019s nice to see.\u00a0\u00a0 Paul and I are working on getting up the anchor an underway just the two of us, though it\u2019s wonderful to have Lowell there for guidance as we get down the routine.\u00a0 After making our way into the main Bahia Concepcion, we pick up just enough wind to throw up the jib.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n We arrive at Mulege and Lowell does his boat wizardry in the mouth of the Rio Santa de Rosalia.\u00a0 It\u2019s complicated because of the tides; sometimes it\u2019s river flow, at other times it\u2019s ocean tide which makes for a difficult anchorage.\u00a0 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\u2019ll 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0 It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n I was treated to a birthday serenade by Nacho en route with the Mexican birthday song \u201cLas Mananitas\u201d.\u00a0 In town, we went to the historic Las Casitas for cerveza.\u00a0 What a beautiful place!\u00a0 Lush greenery and art everywhere with fountains made for a tranquil oasis in the middle of the pueblo. It is also a hotel. Check out my InstaGram feed reels below<\/p>\n\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>We have 2 rounds of margaritas and some very tasty simple Mexican fare from carne asada to garlic shrimp.\u00a0 Lowell has the diabla pescado and is feeling the burn!\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We are struck by the kids playing cards instead of being on phones, and playing tag on the beach.\u00a0 Sad that such a sight is an oddity these days.\u00a0 Flags on their boat are from\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0 Early to bed, off to Mulege tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a> I didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 We found some fun souvenirs and headed on our way to lunch at Los Equipales.\u00a0 Very nice 2nd floor restaurant with a lovely breeze.\u00a0 Their margaritas were probably the best I\u2019ve had.\u00a0 Lowell had garlic scallops, Doug and I had shrimp tacos and\u00a0 Paul had fish tacos.\u00a0 A large portion of papas fritas rounded out the meal.\u00a0 I may never have to eat again. How do you say \u201cbloated\u201d in Spanish?\u00a0 But, delicious and totally worth it.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 So impressive, originally built in 1705 and still in use today.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t get enough pictures, it was magical.\u00a0 We then head back to the boat to unwind for an hour or so.\u00a0 Day ended with Lowell, Paul, and I heading into Hotel Serenidad via our dinghy.\u00a0 <\/a>We tied up on a dock that reminded me of a fun house ride it was so wobbly.\u00a0 Thankfully, none of us went into the drink.\u00a0 We have to walk across a private airfield next to the hotel guarded by Federales.\u00a0 No issues there.\u00a0 The hotel earned its name being tranquil and serene.\u00a0 Simply but beautifully appointed with white painted brick walls, dark tiled floors and bold art on the walls.\u00a0 There is a poolside bar with very attentive bar staff.\u00a0 The whole experience was very upscale but not overdone.\u00a0 It was lovely through and through and if anyone is passing through Mulege NOT on a sailboat, I would wholeheartedly recommend this place.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Paul takes a quick dip in the pool to cool off, then we head back to the dinghy.\u00a0 The sun is setting and it\u2019s breathtaking over the river and the mountains.\u00a0 A full day that was perfect. Hitting the hay, we turn on more lights than usual in our continued efforts to avoid distracted pongas.\u00a0 Here\u2019s hoping for the best, good night to all. <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n