IT'S A WRAP

Some how the universe knew that our last trip in the Sea of Cortez was happening as Mother Earth showed us an unbelievable time. We left La Paz and headed out to meet the Women Who Sail  (WWS) Rendez Vous. WWS is a closed FB group that I have been a part of for years as a space for women to share information related to sailing. About 60 women from around the world came and it was great to meet so many people "in the flesh". There were also about 6 BYOB'ers that participated. We spent 4 days with the group, enjoying camaraderie, giving tours of our boat and chatting about cruising life while visiting amazing anchorages. We swam with the sea lions of Isla Islotes, enjoyed a sunset hike at Isla San Francisco, and enjoyed group dinners. We said goodbye to the group as they made their way back to La Paz and we were headed North, into the Sea.
Highlights:
1. Turning the boat around as we passed 2 other cruising friends heading south that we hadn't seen in a while to reconnect in Agua Verde. We topped the evening off with a beach bonfire with about 6 cruising boats.
2. Discovering the beautiful anchorage of San Juanico. Majestic rock spires jut out from the Sea providing homes to amazing sea life. We also were able to attend the annual Ship Wreck Party at the "Big House" which as Journey describes it as "The Mexican Gatsby Party."
3. Watching schools of Mantas jump out of the water and swim under the dinghy.
4. Watching a Dorado swim/hunt around our boat in Agua Verde for hours. He/She was so beautiful to watch. Dorado's mate for life so if you kill one, the remaining mate will remain solo for life.
5. Watching a Sea lion hunt the school of fish for hours around the boat.
6. Watching a 7 foot Striped Marlin fly 10 feet out of the water 3x as we sailed by-we were screaming  our heads off at such a magnificent spectacle.
6. Dinghy ride down the mangroves and into the lagoon at Bahia Amortajada-we saw sea turtles, sharks, and countless fish.
7. Stopping at Isla Coyote, a settlement of about a dozen homes on a small rocky island, off the grid, in the middle of the Sea. The people sell jewelry and fish.
8.Connecting with so many new and old cruising friends in the Sea.
9. Beautiful starry nights and shooting stars
10. Minke whales in Caleta Partida
11. A Blue Whale as we entered La Paz bay.
12. Countless dolphins playing in our bow wake, entertaining us with their graceful acrobatics.
13.Shell hunting on deserted beaches.
14. Priceless family time.
So there it is. We were going to be out for a few weeks and instead we were cruising for a month as the lure of the Sea beckoned us. We are back in La Paz, decommissioning the boat as the ship is scheduled to arrive on 5/22. Bittersweet. We are ready to leave and start our new adventure but we also know that this adventure has been an amazing opportunity for us. So the reality is starting to hit us as we say goodbye to friends, La Paz, Mexico as our sailing adventure closes.

Hiking the ridge at Isla San Francisco for the sunset

Cue Sunset..

Women Who Sail Rendez Vous, San Evaristo

Cruising kids playing with fire because they are not supervised by responsible adults...JK!

Nanuq is a salty dawg!

A view of Namaste at anchor off Isla Coyote

The settlement at Isla Coyote

Namaste at anchor at Bahia Amortajada, Isla San Jose. One of our favorite spots as you dinghy through mangroves into a huge lagoon where we saw sharks, turtles, and beautiful fish.

San Juanico is one of our favorite anchorages-great beaches, great snorkeling, and good wind/wave protection.