We certainly did, so we set out the next morning on an early start. Bonanza is on Isla Espiritu Santo, our first Island since leaving Catalina (and we are partial to islands-love you Bowen!). We were excited to get a taste of the first of the MANY islands we intend to explore while here in the "sea". This was a notoriously pesky channel to navigate-complete with strong currents and headwinds and square waves and the occasional unmarked sand bar. One of the tricks we have learned here is to row over to any salty boats anchored nearby with our cruising guide and get the "old timers" to mark our charts with their favorite passages, anchorages and tips. This also included tips on fishing, best spots for tacos, the local Lavenderia's name, etc. Balandra came highly recommended and we had heard tales of clear waters and fine sands and good fishing. On the way, we dropped our "cedar plug" in the water and towed it behind the boat. It was a rough passage, dead on the wind but we caught plenty of fish- just none we wanted to eat. We were getting our technique down though, as soon as we heard the "Zinggggggg" of the line, we sprang to battle stations;
"Mama take the wheel"
" Hunter grab the sea bucket and the gutting knife"
"Kai, gaff hook and net!"
"It's gonna be a monster!"
We were as focused as any crew longlining on the "Deadliest Catch".
Jon manned that pole like the Old Man from the Sea and fought the fish to the boat-only to discover yet another beautiful Bonita on the end. Pretty, sure, but not as tasty as what we were hoping for. Since we are not exactly starving for food we thanked the fish and let him go with as little injury as possible, then tossed in the lure again- with fresh hopes.
Our hopes were dashed again in terms of dinner but we had a lot of fun.
The anchorage of Bonanza came into view. A huge wind-swept bay of pure white sand and crystal water, surrounded by sand dunes and flanked by cactus and red mesas-like bluffs. What a sight.
Sailors take your pick, anchor anywhere along the beach the chart said-the holding's good everywhere.
Right on, on that, brah.
We noticed two or three boats tucked up under the far point and figured that was the spot to be.
Anchoring in these parts is a breeze..the only thing to put you on notice is the notorious "Coromuel" winds of La Paz. If the breeze is consistent form the NW it's not an issue but if it gets REALLY calm and beautifully flat...You can expect a strong blow during the night. It's cool air from the Pacific Ocean flowing across the low land of the Baja towards the warmer waters here in the Sea of Cortez and it can get "breezy". Coromuel winds at anchor don't have to be dangerous but when your anchorage is exposed to them( and many of them here are) it can be uncomfortable and a night spent listening for a dragging anchor is never a party.
We found a spot near-ish the other boats and settled in for a few days of splendor.
Mornings were spent snorkeling a coral reef on the point, afternoon it was hikes through the desert, building sand castels, collecting the dried and poky skeltetons of dead Puffer fish and pretending they were dragons come to slay the army of barbies guarding the gates of the castle. There were family skinny dips at sunset in the clear water and endless, endless shell collecting and well, plenty of just...gazing at it all. Hunter and I rowed around after a huge Yellowfin Tuna in the tide-line, we could see him clear as day below our rubber boat and he seemed to know we didn't have any fishing gear so he let us oogle his yellow finned splenodor for awhile. I bet if he knew how many delectable ways I can cook him he wouldn't have been so blase.
The next morning we checked in with SSB. We heard a familiar voice.
"this is Jacaranda, we're at anchor in Bona...ZZ...crackle..zap...crackle...ZZZ"
Then he was gone.
"that was the dude!" I was jumping up and down.
Jacaranda is legendary ( to us) because he was our first contact with another boat when we were just Newbies and cold and alone and forty miles offshore (and 800 miles North). Jacaranda was the voice of experience, he let us know the weather would be warm and the water clear and there would be good people and boats full of Kids and all kinds of groovieness once we rounded the "bend"- Something that seemed very, very far away to us on that dark and windy night but he sure cheered us up and gave the burst of confidence we needed.
"Did he say....Bonanza? Is he HERE?"
The idea thrilled us.
We ran outside with our binoculars to scout the names of the boats in the bay.
Alas, the wind had died and we were all lying akimbo on our anchors and we couldn't make out anybody's boat name.
We decided to hurry though breakfast and then dingy around for a look.
We didn't have to wait.
We heard the buzz of an outboard motor followed by a knock on our hull.
It was Chuck, from Jacaranda.
"You made it!" he grinned at us from his dingy. He had just caught a pile of fish.
That afternoon Chuck and his lovely and talented wife hosted us aboard Jacaranda. I brought them an offering of four freshly made thin crust pizzas (I am bragging-I have mastered the dough, dammit and it is thin and golden and crunchy and chewy and it was a minor triumph of Nicoise with camelized onions and a Caprese and a Salami with smoked gouda and hot garlic/chili and last but not least, a barbeque chicken with bacon and sharp cheddar). Chuck marked tips on our cruising charts and gave the boys some insight into his clearly vast and superior fishing skills while his very, very cool wife showed Hunter and I the incredible neckelaces she makes from pearls and shells and beads-they sell for thousands of dollars at the MOMA in NY. These two have cruised the sea for the past few years, Chuck has sailed the world forever and they will leave Cortez in a few months to join their friends, who live on their barge on a river in France.
What a bunch of bores, hey?
We went back to our boat and marveled about how cool they were and how much of everything they know and how totally nothing we know and we laughed because it doesn't matter...we will learn, eventually.
It reminds me of when Jon and I first fell in love. We had known eachother for, like, five days.
" I completely love you"
" Me too and I don't know your middle name"
" I don't know where you grew up."
"Not knowing something isn't a problem, really. It takes care of itself eventually, right?".
" I guess." said Jon.
He had that "look" in his eye.
"So, you wanna marry me?"
"Of course".
Finding joy is easy. Don't over-think it.
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| let love be |
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