Once the gateway to California when it was founded by Spanish missionaries over 3 centuries ago, Loreto is now the gateway to the largest marine and island park in the Sea of Cortez, as well as adjacent destinations stretching from San Basilio Turtle Reserve to the Solitario Pinnacle at Agua Verde. Twelve hours drive from the border of the US state of California, which it once also governed, the enchanting town has become a popular tourist town visited by Americans and Mexicans alike.
For us the attraction was of course the underwater life. So our not so rigorous routine became to move when the winds came up by mid-morning, sail a few hours to a new anchorage and then for the three of us to explore nearby reefs before the sun would set again.
Most of the time we’d snorkel, but sometimes we would get the air buddy out to have more time on the bottom. And we were not disappointed by the sometimes stunning water clarity reaching 30 metres which revealed a transition zone from temperate to tropical reefs, with scattered coral among receding algae, colourful fish swarms and sightings of turtles and rays.
Thanks to Facebook and WhatsApp, we frequently sought out other kids boats for Nico to have some social time. Sometimes we’d hang out together a few days, follow each other to new anchorages or say good bye expecting to meet up again when the remaining cruisers would congregate in the in the North of the Sea of Cortez for the summer.
Or we would go on adventures together, like we did near Agua Verde when we walked cross country for 2 hours to reach a cave with ancient handprints going back 5 to 7,000 years.
When a friend passed by, Marea and Nico caught a ride to La Paz, to spend time with friends stuck in a boatyard there. It’s the main port city of Baja California, and lay several days sail south.
Of course Nico loved the change of scenery and made new friends whom we would meet again soon as they headed north.
When after a little over a week Marea and Nico returned by bus, we headed South to explore more. After few day we reached Agua Verde meeting up with a number of new and old friends. After a week there we turned back north to discover more idyllic anchorages in the Loreto Park, and then retraced Rendt’s circumnavigation of Carmen Island with a visit to the abandoned salt mine at Las Salinas.
Boat life is of course not all sailing and diving, but includes chores, shopping and educating young Nico who will soon turn 6 and has to learn more about the world, starting right here.
Now it’s time to head north to escape the worst of the heat and potential hurricanes over the next two or three months. We are the last straggles as the anchorages have emptied out but we know of many friends already in the Bahia Los Angeles. We look forward to catching up, diving with whale sharks again, and celebrating Nico’s birthday together with other boat kids on a beach, when we get up there, maybe 2 weeks from now.
Just gotta watch out for those sudden Chubasco winds likely from now on, and keep everything tied down. 😮
