Some Islands, and Scorpion Bay!

Since my last post, we’ve gotten to do some sailing, snorkeling and surfing – in between trips back to the marina to complete our engine repairs.  First we headed north for a week in the Sea of Cortez.  Isla San Franciso and Bahia Amortajada were highlights.  The water was cold, but we managed with our shorty wetsuits.  We finally got some crystal clear water for a day – saw the anchor at 25 feet, and had some really nice snorkeling – seeing bigger fish and more varieties, as well as some healthy corals (although I am also seeing what I think might be some coral disease). 

Isla San Francisco

At our first stop, Tim was checking the engine to see if the oil/transmission fluid leak repairs were holding up….  And he sees this big hole in the side of the transmission, and a large bolt down in the bilge.  Uh-Oh!  So we didn’t want to go further north without having the mechanic’s input.  So, back to the marina.  On the way back to the marina we had a nice day sail – catching several Bonita (a dark meat tuna which we don’t like so we let them go). 

Once back in the marina, Tim got right to work with the mechanics again, and they were able to get a longer bolt which seems to be working so far!  Fingers crossed. 

Since we were in the marina, we checked the swell report, and saw that there would be waves over on the Pacific side.  So we decided to leave the boat again, and do another road trip to a different surf spot -- ~6 hours away. We’d been hearing of Scorpion Bay (San Juanico) for years – it is world famous for its long rides – if all the points connect, it can be over 1.5 mile long ride we hear.  We were worried about crowds, and it did get a bit crowded (25 – 35 surfers at one break) – but we hear it can be much worse when better swells hit in the summer.  It was quite the surf scene – surfers camped all along the coastal cliffs, overlooking the various point breaks.  I surfed at 2^nd point, while Tim got waves at 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th points on various days. We met several folks that had surfer friends in common – it was a small world experience for sure!

We’ve been back in La Paz this week – mainly hoping to get Tim his second vaccine shot and catching up with friends.  Yesterday we tried to get Tim’s second shot – they were giving the Pfizer shot to those over 50 and pregnant women, so we were told to go and see if it would be possible.  Unfortunately, after a long wait they refused to give him the shot, since it had only been 19 days since his first shot, not 21 days.  And they don’t know when the next Pfizer shots will be distributed, so it could be up to 3 more weeks.  Given that, and with hurricane season starting up, we’ve decided to move along, and head back south and look for a good weather window to head back across to the mainland and the marina where Tim will leave the boat (most likely La Cruz) for the summer. 

Meantime, we did have fun hosting our new friend Fiona and her pooch Waka on the boat for a night. 

Summer is definitely setting in here.... 99 degrees today.  Tim and i can't wait to get back out on the water where we'll have better breezes.