Sailing Mexico’s  Forgotten Coast: West coast from San Carlos to Barra de Navidad

San Carlos to Altata




San Carlos Marina and Tetakawi in Background

This is such an unusual adventure I’ve decided to document it, letting our friends know what we experienced. This may also provide important information for anyone else contemplating sailing the little-visited west coast of mainland Mexico from Guaymas to the very popular Mazatlan.

After three years of sailing within the Sea of Cortez, I was looking for something new as well as warmer water. Last winter, 2014-2015, almost everyone was snorkeling in wetsuits.  I decided that we should explore the southern coast of Mexico below San Carlos, our starting point each winter in the Sea of Cortez. I knew that there would be a tradeoff – I would have to accept hotter air temps to get warmer water. It would remain to be seen it I could handle it. Keep in mind that I left California because it was too hot.

There is a very good reason that this area is not included in many cruisers travels. I read all I could get my salty little hands on and thought surely there would be great things to see and discover. Being an estuary junkie, I was excited to see so many estuaries along this stretch of coast.

We crossed the border at Lukeville, just south of Organ Pipe Nat Monument and east of Nogales, on the 1^st of November this year. For the first time since we purchased Gitana, our Cal 34, we were able to have her go directly from the storage yard into the marina. Since the coast from San Carlos to Mazatlán isn’t considered good for cruising, it isn’t covered in any cruising guides. The best cruising guides for the Sea of Cortez and the west coast of Mexico are published by Bansmer and Breeding and their “Pacific Mexico” guide doesn’t start until Mazatlan. So I immediately started putting out the word that I was looking for anyone that had first-hand experience sailing this section of the coast. I announced this on the morning net and Margie responded that she had done it and just happened to be visiting the boat next to us that very day and would be willing to share her knowledge with us. Margie provided us with some great insider info and I felt that we were ready to start our new adventure.

Of course everything we do hinges on the weather. A “blow” was coming in three days and we wanted to set sail before it hit. We left Marina San Carlos on Friday morning and made it about half way to Guaymas when Greg turned on the manual bilge pump. In no time, the saloon floor was awash in smelly, oily bilge water. Thinking that there might be a slight chance of sinking, we decided to head back to Martini Cove, just outside of the San Carlos Bahia.

Martini Cove. The Mexicans love to party on the water. The "bow babe" above was having a special day complete with floating orchestra. It was quite entertaining.

After an extensive search for possible sources, Greg discovered that a bilge hose that ran under the cockpit had cracked at a 90 degree turn. The water had flowed back along a ledge into the cabin and leaked out onto the floor and into the lockers under the after berth and settee. Now, we have washed the floor with a lot of unusual things such as balsamic vinegar and sour dough starter, but I have to say, the oily bilge water was the most difficult to clean up. We couldn’t replace the hose, but Greg found a piece of hose with an inner diameter that matched the outer diameter of the cracked hose. He slipped it over and tapped it in place. So far, no more leaks.

I have to point out at this point, that I do not like over-night sails so I insist on looking for a place to anchor. Early the next morning we were on our way again, under full sail, in search of our next anchorage. The wind started to build and we were making good SOG (speed over ground) on a starboard tack when Greg noticed that the starboard headsail sheet (line) wasn’t attached anymore. I quickly pulled it into the cockpit to avoid having it wrap around the prop and we continued on (a mistake).


The wind continued to build and it became clear that we had too much sail up, as usual. Gitana jibed and with a loud crack the boom came across. It happened with so much force that it knocked the stop off of the port side of the traveler track and the main sheet tackle flew free of the boat. The boom swung from side to side with the triple block flying past our heads and smacking the tops of the solar panels. I eventually managed to grab the main sheet assemble as it flew by (without injury) and miraculously, the solar panels weren't damaged. After securing it, I turned the boat into the wind and Greg attempted to furl the headsail. The wind wrapped it in the wrong direction and the sail and lines became hopelessly tangled. The waves had grown to 6 feet and controlling the boat became very difficult for me. Gitana has a tiller that is not well balanced and it is hard to control it, see the bow and watch the wind indicator at the top of the mast at the same time. Gitana also has very low freeboard, meaning I have very little distance between me and the water. The waves were not in line with the wind and they were slapping at the sides of the boat. Cinnamon, our 19-year-old cat, has started getting sea sick in his old age and he was in bad shape. At the worst time possible, he came out of the cabin. A large wave swamped the boat and he was drenched along with me. I was afraid that he might get washed overboard and there was no chance of recovering him. I had no choice but to grab him by the scruff of the neck and fling him back into the cabin, soaking wet and scared.

Time and again, Greg tried to untangle the sail and lines. By the time he gave up I was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, wind and stress. Sailing with the headsail puckered up allowed the wind to get a grasp and cause it to start snapping; a situation that we have seen often in our marina when boat owners don’t secure their headsails. It always led to damage and it did again this time.  First one rip, than two and finally three rips spread from the leach in the top third of the sail. There was nothing we could do about it. Fortunately we had the Sailrite sewing machine with us and Greg might be able to repair it.





 

We were totally exhausted at this point and all I wanted to do was anchor. All those great estuaries? You can’t get near them. The shore is so shallow that you're miles away in only 10 feet of water. We ended up anchoring in a roadstead off of El Tanque and spent a very restless night in the rolly anchorage. Anchoring anywhere along the Pacific coast, other than a very protected anchorage, will expose you to the constant swells of the Pacific Ocean. When the winds finally die at night your boat turns parallel to the waves and you get rolled from gunnel to gunnel. Having a stern anchor to align the boat will be on our list.


The next morning as Greg was putting the main sheet back on the traveler, the top triple block dropped to the floor of the cockpit. Upon examination, the through bolt had developed crevice corrosion and the head had broken off. Fortunately, we had a replacement.

We motored to our next anchorage next to the Topolobampo Marina, which is reached via a long circuitous route. Using the coordinates that Margie had provided, we worked our way in, only touching bottom once briefly.  We relocated to the marina so that Greg could refill our fuel jerry cans. During our brief stay in this very minimalist marina, Greg replaced our damaged head sail with a used spinnaker he had purchased in San Diego.

Topolobampo with Marina at far left.

 
No one spoke English at the marina and no one responded to our calls about a slip. Our new friends on s/v Hooroo, home port Australia, hailed us and told us to come on in. The gal in the office was full of smiles regardless of what was said. I had just enough Spanish to handle the check-in procedure and get directions to the banos and ducha (shower).

The shower was an experience in itself. It was in the general restroom that the yard staff used. After locking the door I looked for a way to hang my bag and clothes - nothing. As I tried to adjust the water temp, the hot water faucet fell off in my hand. As I showered I noticed the water rising; when I opened the door the whole room was flooded and my bag was wet! When I tried to explain this to the “smiling lady” she just wasn’t getting it. She turned her computer screen around and offered me a translation program which worked quite nicely. She smiled as she read what it had translated and said “yes, we have no hot water”. It wasn’t clear that anything was going to be done about the drain, but later we saw someone working on it.

Shrimp boat at anchor outside of Topolobampo

The marinas in this area of Mexico are much cheaper than in the US, and WAY less than we paid in Canada. Topolobampo wasn’t the greatest value. This marina is scheduled for expansion, but anchor out if you can.We did have a cerveza store across the highway and the music from the adjacent high school band though (which I enjoyed). We walked over to the cerveza store and asked for an 8 pac of Pacifico. The very nice young Mexican fellow told us in English 2,000 pesos. That’s $125. When I started pulling out 500 peso notes, I hadn’t stopped to figure the conversion, his eyes got big and he apologized. It was 200 pesos – he was struggling with his English. We all had a good laugh over that.

Gray whale and future fountain in public area outside of marina.

The colorful fishing fleet adjacent to the marina.

We left Marina Topolobampo at high tide and carefully watched for the entrance buoys. We got a little off course and got firmly stuck! I managed to flag down an API boat (official agency) and they very kindly diligently worked to free us. We waved as they departed and then discovered that the transmission cable had broken and we were at the mercy of the current and wind. I was very concerned but Greg calmly verified the problem, and removed the companionway steps to access the lever. Forward and reverse would take more planning now since he would have to go below and adjust the switch.

By this point we had decided that we were going to try to reach Zihuatanejo by December 17 and rendezvous with friends that would be staying there. Deadlines are always the downfall of sailors; they cause you to make stupid mistakes.

We studied the maps and decided that if we were really careful we could anchor in the estuary to Altata. I found an aerial photo of the entrance to the estuary and it showed extensive shoaling at the northern edge. Shoals aren’t stationary and the recent storms had most likely rearranged them. We approached the opening way after dark and we were exhausted. One important rule in sailing is never enter an unknown anchorage after dark. I wanted to anchor and get some sleep and we figured we were experienced and we would be very careful, so we decided to give it a try. We were way off shore and couldn’t see exactly where it was so we cautiously approached the shore. It got shallow very quickly and before we knew it we were right where we knew we shouldn’t be – in the shoaling area. Within seconds we were in less than 6 ft of water in pitch black conditions. The breakers began pounding the boat, rocking us violently from side to side and we couldn’t tell which way to go. We hit bottom hard but had enough speed to plow through it. Then we grounded and came to a dead stop. Gitana began to move a little each time a breaker crashed into us. I had no idea which way to steer and kept asking Greg where he thought we should go. Somehow, the boat turned, began to float and we started retracing our track in. We were incredibly lucky. There may have been a little skill involved, but it was mostly luck. Within a few minutes we were back in deep water and couldn’t get away from Altata fast enough. We sailed through the night on adrenalin to our next anchorage.

Boats that ground and battered by waves frequently end up being torn apart. Later we learned that a 65’ Beneteau yacht had entered the shoals outside the entrance to the Altata estuary. The boat’s keel was shoved up into the hull and it was a total loss. Someone also told us that they entered during day light and had to have a pilot boat guide them in. We have definitely learned our lesson. We will NEVER do that again. We may never visit Altata.


Cinnamon on the night watch.

Topolobampo Sunset

On to Mazatlan....

Codville Lagoon Marine Provincial Park

Entrance to Codville Lagoon Marine Provincial Park 

 

The Codville Lagoon Marine Provincial Park was established in 1965 and  is a significant place for the cultural heritage of the Heiltsuk People. There was only one other boat in the park besides us and Let Freedom Ring.

We anchored in Codville on the 4th of July. It was weeks later that I learned that there is a short trail that leads to Sagar Lake, which is noted for its red sand beach and warm water swimming. Had we known, we would have definitely checked it out.

It rained all afternoon once we got there. We joined the LFR gang for a spaghetti dinner and afterwards Johnny introduced us to the "Kings in the Corner" card game. We played past  midnight - till Johnny was either so inebriated or so sleepy that he couldn't see the cards in front of him. He had seen his move and then when it came to his turn he couldn't see it any more. We dissolved into laughter watching the poor guy hopelessly searching the table top for his move.

We tried prawning here and were rewarded with 5 prawns out of the whole catch of 12 (not worth the effort!). Fortunately, we were able to use Wayne's crab puller and didn't have to pull the thing up by hand. The next day it rained until 1 pm and then off and on for the rest of the day. We couldn't find our prawn trap; it was probably underwater.

On Saturday the 6th Wayne hailed us on the VHF and told us that he had recovered our trap and pulled it for us. LFR was heading to Evan's Inlet, about 8 miles away, to fish for halibut.

 Before leaving Codville we motored around the central island and started searching for the well-concealed exit.

The exit revealed itself and we were on our way to Evans Inlet.

Desolation Sound: Octopus Islands to Home Bay

 

BC Mainland, Forward Harbour
 

On Monday June 30th we left the Octopus Islands, taking the Okisollo Channel, reaching Johnstone Straight at 9am. The wind was 14kn on our nose but we were making 9-10kn over ground on the ebb tide. It was sunny all day. We passed by two large barges and a few sailboats.

 

Cinnamon sleeps through the whale encounter.

I was at the helm that morning, as we passed Port Neville, heading towards Port McNeil. I happened to look to my left and saw a large whale blow along the shore several miles off. Before I knew it, the whale was right off my port side and then directly in front of me. It was huge. My guess is that it was a humpback. I pulled back on the throttle and Greg came topside cursing because he was running the water maker and the drop could have resulted in awful water in our tanks. Cinnamon, who was asleep on his $3,000 spinnaker kitty bed, slept throw the whole thing.

We passed Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, a sanctuary for killer whales, but didn't see any more whales. After arriving in Port McNeil marina that afternoon, we didn't visit the grocery store but we did check out the liquor store and restocked our wine cellar with some fine boxed wine.

 

Tuesday morning, as we prepared to leave Port McNeil, we spotted Let Freedom Ring at the fuel dock. We joined them and filled our tanks. This is one of the perks of living on a sailboat. Even though we didn't sail much, our fuel bill came to $189 while Let Freedom Ring's was over $1,000 for the same distance. After fueling we headed north to Port Alexander on Negei Island.

 

Relaxing in Port Alexander

 

There is nothing at Port Alexander.  We continually wonder about these names; something must have been there at one time.

 

The next morning we set out for Cape Caution, 24 NM away.

 

Cap Caution Light House

 

Cape Caution should be given a wide berth. Being close off  is a particularly bad place for sea against tide effects. West and SW swells are reflected back to sea by the cape and interact with the incoming swells, creating confused seas and standing waves.

 

http://bcmarina.com/Pages/About/Hazards/thumbnails.html gives this advice for rounding Cape Caution:

The solution to transiting this area is "to be there when conditions are right. For example: The 50 mile crossing of Queen Charlotte Strait from Port Hardy to Calvert Island, in summer northwesterly conditions, should generally be made in the early morning and while the tide is flooding to avoid running into ebb currents from Smith and Rivers inlet meeting the westerly swell. The common mistake people make on this crossing is to leave Port Hardy on a big ebb tide figuring to take advantage of the following current on the way north. They then arrive at Egg Island in worse case sea against tide conditions with the westerly swell piling up on a huge ebb current out of Smith Inlet and scare the crap out of everybody on board."

We sailed easily past Cape Caution and arrived in Home Bay, on the BC mainland, at 3:30 that afternoon.  Just another day on Comocean. Winching - but not disturbing Cinnamon, We just work around each other. Approaching Home Bay At anchor in Home Bay, BC Trees in Home Bay draped in Spanish Moss   Home bay was obviously a busy place at one time but I couldn't find any information on line about its history. After we anchored, as the tide went out, we noticed something large coming out of the water. At first we thought it was a reef. A few minutes later I began to think it was a wall, but it sloped at the ends. Eventually we could see that it was a vessel; Greg thought it had masts and I was certain it was a barge. Whatever it was, it was over 60' long.

 

 

 

At the head of Home Bay was a derelict boat and a large tank, possibly for fuel. Along the shore there was a sign saying "Slow" in English and German and a tidal grid.

 



 

 

Once we had anchored and explored we turned the AIS on to watch for Let Freedom Ring's arrival. Our TV viewing on this trip is extremely limited. There isn't much action but the suspense is a killer.



AIS list from the Chart Plotter
 

 

It was just too, too much for Cinnamon.

 

 

Home Bay Panarama

 





 

 

Nanaimo and the Octopus Islands

DODD NARROWS

 

We left Let Freedom Ring (LFR)and Silent Waters in Montaque Harbor Wednesday morning and headed towards Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. There wasn't any wind and LFR caught up to us as we approached Dodd Narrows, just south of Nanaimo.

 

Let Freedom Ring

 

 





Nanaimo is a busy port; we share the water way with tankers and cruise ships. LFR chose to take a slip at one of the yacht clubs while we took a slip at the Newcastle Island Park across the harbour. Newcastle has a wonderful forest and is home to "blond raccoons".

 

 

After a short stroll on the island to get ice cream cones we settled down to a pleasant afternoon on Comocean. That night I awoke to horrible animal screams and a ruckus on the dock. I thought a racoon must be killing some poor bird; it was horrible to listen to. Then I heard a racket in our cockpit. I grabbed a flash light and found a raccoon staring at me through the companion way windows. A rap on the door scared him and he abandoned ship.

 

The next morning Greg discovered that the varmint had crawled thru the tiny aft stateroom port light in the cockpit. There he had dined, making quite a mess in the process, on crackers, cereal and tortilla chips. He sampled the shredded coconut but apparently didn't care for it much. 

The next day we provisioned in Nanaimo in record time and headed back to Newcastle. Gale force winds were forecast for that night so we sat tight. The following afternoon the sails went up in 14 K and we were making 7-8 knots over ground. By 16:30 we were going over 9K as we surfed down the rollers.

A mayday was announced by the BC Coast Guard and we listened as the drama unfolded. The Howe Sound Queen ferry had come upon a catamaran (headed to Salt Spring Island) that had capsized and they were searching for crew. Eventually another boat found the sole crew member and rescued him.







Clam Bay on the east side of Thetis Island



Just North of Thetis Island

We got as far as Jedidiah Island and anchored in Long Bay just before 8pm.

We were underway by 6am the next day with 24K winds from the SE and heavy rain which cleared by 8am. At 8:05 I was hailed by the Island Voyager. The captain, who was towing a barge, informed me that .3 nm was "too close" and he wanted me to move farther away. This guy, I thought, is really cautious. I don't know what he was towing but he thought it might move around a lot.

The winds died and we motored all the way to Savory Island while dreaming of crabs. It rained off and on through out the day (so much for being called the "Sunshine Coast") but we did have our crab dinner.

We awoke the next day to a beautiful morning and after a leisurely breakfast we prepared the sails, retrieved the crab trap and departed at 11:00 heading to Rebbecca Spit, one of our favorite places.

Winds built to 20-23 k, then 25 k and our speed over ground grew to 9 k. We struggled with the sails and after five accidental gibes we gave up on Rebbecca Spit and continued on to Beasley Passage and eventually the Octopus Islands.

An important aspect of sailing in British Columbia is understanding tides and currents and knowing when to attempt going thru narrow passages. You plan to arrive just before slack tide and wait around for the current to drop and then go like hell to get through. You can go through with a little current if its going in the same direction that you are. If it isn't, well....

Some power boaters don't give much thought to passage currents (Wayne for example) and rely on their huge engines to push them through. Sailboats don't have the luxury. Now I don't know if Greg has just spent too much time around power boats lately or if he had a temporary lapse of some kind. We had made a mistake in calculating the tidal change at Beasley and the current was running 8 k against us. I was willing to float around and wait it out but Greg got impatient and sped into the passage. Our progress slowed to a halt and we started drifting backwards. Greg revved the engine higher. We held our ground - for 30 minutes, with the engine screaming, we sat in the middle of the passage - drop offs and whirlpools on each side of us. I worried about blowing the engine to pieces. Since Greg has done that with a few Porche engines when he raced at Sears Pt, I thought it was a valid concern. "I want to see what the engine can do." He forcefully told me that NO, you can not just let the current push you back out. Once you are in you are committed (I thought I might soon be committed to the cemetery). After the thirty minutes the tide dropped slightly and Greg revved the engine once more. Slowly, very slowly, we crawled through. There was very little conversation between us for the rest of the day.

Octopus Islands Marine Park

It rained throughout our first night at anchor in Octopus Islands Marine Park. The next day there were sprinkles off and on but it was nice and warm. I enjoyed watching the Eagles, kingfishers and crows. I saw a very unusual fish that looked like a very small, delicate oarfish. It actually looked like a delicate brown and gold 3-ft ribbon as it swam by the side of our dinghy.

 

Comocean at anchor in the Octopus Islands

We only stayed one night at Octopus and were on our way again to our next anchorage.

 

Panoramic view of the Octopus Islands

 

"When are they going to bring me some crab?"

 

Rivers Inlet, BC - Here We Come

 

 

"Rivers Inlet is a fjord located on the central coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is in the heart of one of the world's largest remaining tracts of temperate rainforest, and it is the traditional territory of the Wuikinuxv (Oweekeno) First Nations. Rivers Inlet epitomises a unique coastal environment, with rich and diverse marine resources that have sustained First Nations people for thousands of years, and that continues to sustain high value commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, transportation and tourism ..."

source:  http://riversinlet.eos.ubc.ca/about_rivers_inlet.html

 

We first learned of Rivers Inlet three years ago from our friends Marilyn and Wayne, the exceptional photographer and "rabid fisherman". His photos and tales of BIG salmon, halibut and lingcod had us ready to follow him north. Our plans to sail to Rivers Inlet in the summer of 2013 got derailed. This year, despite medical issues, we were determined to go.

 

Wayne and Marilyn, on Let Freedom Ring, planned to leave on Monday, June 23rd. Greg worked like the devil readying Comocean and installing our new water maker. We cast off our lines and finally headed north on the afternoon of Tuesday the 24th.

 

 Semiahmoo Marina, Washington

 

Semiahmoo Resort at the end of Semiahmoo Spit

Good bye to the Great Blue Herons fishing off Birch Bay Point

 

 It rained off and on throughout the day as we motored to Active Pass in the Gulf Islands. Thanks to my beloved AIS, I could see the ferry traffic clear through this very busy, tight passage.  I was hailed  twice on VHF while transiting. First by a ship that was concerned about my position in the channel and wanted to know my intentions and then asked that I stay to his starboard. Then as we exited, I was contacted by the communications officer of a BC ferry that requested that we pass "green to green". Being a little green myself in this business of dancing with the "big boats", it tool me a minute to realize that she wasn't talking about a location but wanted to pass "starboard (green) to starboard" so that she was sure I wouldn't try to run across her bow.

 

Safely through Active Pass once again, we turned NW to Montaque Harbour. Montague is my favorite place to check into Canada. As Nexus card holders we can call Canadian Customs just as we cross the invisible line in the water that marks the Canadian border (making sure we still have a cell signal), making our declarations and telling them where we plan to check in. Our chart plotter told us that we would arrive at Montaque Harbour at approx. 18:20. Here's the deal if you haven't done this: Customs agrees to the location and if there isn't an agent there by 5 minutes after our appt. time you are free to go. Montaque is on Galiano Island in the Gulf Islands and I have never seen a Customs agent there - hence the reason it is my favorite place to check in.

Montique Harbour Marina with Customs check in point at the far left.

As we entered Montaque Harbour we had seen Let Freedom Ring on our AIS and we headed over to them after clearing. LFR was rafted to their friends on Silent Waters PS23 and everyone was in the party mood - celebrating Wayne's 70th birthday. After joining them for smoked ribs and Nanaimo Bars with ice cream we were ferried back to our boat for a nice quiet evening.



Let Freedom Ring on the left with their "dinghy" the Proline

I mentioned that Wayne is a "rabid" fisherman and that he was going after the BIG fish. LFR actually has two dinghies - note the little dinghy on top of the Proline fishing boat. In the beginning Wayne had a hell of a time getting the fish into the little dinghy - they were just too big, so he purchased the Proline. It not only is better suited to fishing, it makes a great vehicle for heading off to resupply.

Comocean and LFR said good bye to Silent Waters the next morning and continued on to the big city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. That little adventure is a whole 'nother story.