Los Gatos to Agua Verde (Take 2)

We awoke in the morning after rolling around in the swell most of the night. While we love the beauty of Los Gatos, we just haven't found a night there where we've not had an uncomfortable roll. The wind had shifted from the prior evening, and we were closer to the rocks that morning than I personally felt comfortable with. Already awake after a restless sleep, and with the proximity of the rocks, we just decided to weigh anchor and leave at that time. SV Mapache and SV Catspaw decided to follow suit, and we convoyed out of the anchorage, straight into about 15 knots of wind. Excited for the opportunity to sail, we all pulled our sails up and quickly started moving north along the coastline…right until the wind completely died. Noting what felt like a wind line in the distance (where the water looked darker due to wind over its surface, instead of the lighter colours flat-calm water where we were. We were rewarded by a katabatic wind, flowing from west to east from the land, and we shot off like a bullet. Before long we saw some gusts over 27 knots per hour, and Stu was able to try his hand at reefing the mainsail in stronger wind. Sadly, the excitement didn’t last, and before long we were becalmed again, bobbing along. Stu took advantage and launched the drone and was able to get some fun views of the three boats moving along in tandem.

Skookum V making way with just her mainsail up for a bit, in next to no wind.

Our friends, Rick and Cynthia on SV Catspaw, attempting to overtake us while motor-sailing...as we bobbed there without our engines hoping the wind would pick up.

Soon we were passed by SV Mapache as well... maybe it was time to turn on the engines!

We only had 18 nautical miles to go to get to Agua Verde, so we all had fun with our respective boats, goading each other on over the radio, and enjoying the opportunity to sail when we could.

Back in Agua Verde, we dropped our anchor in the northern 'lobe' of the anchorage, nearly on top of where we had previously anchored. As there were several boats around us, Mapache and Catspaw anchored further over in front of the main beach. We all dinghied ashore for dinner at the tiny palapa restaurant on the beach.

Rob and Stu, excited about fish tacos and beer.

Truthfully, there's nothing much better than home-cooked Mexican food, while sipping a Mexican beer while wriggling one's toes in the sand. The girls entertained everyone as they played with the proprietor's granddaughter, and we all enjoyed watching the sunset continually change the colour of the sky.

There's nothing quite like the Baja light on the hills surrounding us.

Being able to show our new friends the girls' favourite 'swimming beach' was a highlight, as were hikes to a nearby arroyo and Stu free-diving for an urchin I spotted from the paddle board.

The view from our favourite 'swimming beach' with the fleet of dinghies.

Ever seen a hammerhead shark’s head up close?

How about a Fiddler Crab and his gang sign?

My cherished urchin.

Agua Verde has definitely been a favourite anchorage of ours, now having spent fourteen days total there over the last couple months. It is really interesting to see an anchorage over a stretch of time, as it can change so much from day to day and evening to evening. I suspect we'll be back.

Interesting finds on the beach. I believe it is from a ‘Devil’s Claw’ plant.

Such a beautiful setting.