But leave we did, right after lunch. We motored the four miles across the channel from the island over to the mainland to Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port). This is considered one of the hurricane holes in the Sea of Cortez. It is a big bay, about a mile long and three quarters of a mile wide. It has a very small entrance, sixty feet wide and is hidden down inside a ring of tall hills surrounding it. To top things off, the mountain range known as Sierra de la Giganta stands a thousand feet about a stone's throw away. I would like to know more about the history of this place but the best we can put together is that it was originally constructed as a housing area. All the streets and canals were put in, but that is as far as the project ever got. It was going to be a headquarters for Moorings Boat Charters at one time, but they are now located in La Paz. Before all that, it was home to the Mexican Navy. Now it has a small marina with an office, club house, tienda, and plenty of space for more stores. The Mexican government, through their tourist division, has put marinas in all around Mexico, this being one of them. They are all of the same design, very strong looking, well built for little maintenance, but sterile looking with all its metal. We share this bay with about a dozen other boats, option of being on the hook or grabbing a mooring (same price for either, ha) but I think it gets real crowded around here as the hurricane season proceeds, August and September being the two roughest months with over a hundred boats.
We had a little trouble getting hooked up on the mooring. They have big balls floating around the bay and we were all set up to lash on. I had pulled a couple of lines out of the locker, had my big hook tied on the bow and pole in hand. We approached perfectly but there was no line off of the big ball. I was puzzled. We headed to a second ball and it was the same. Usually there is a line with a loop floating off to the side. Finally I noticed some of the big balls had a small float next to them. I pointed one out to Sue and she headed right over. The float held up the rope I was looking for. We were hooked up in no time. This is one area of boating that is easier on a monohull than on a cat. Where the mono can simply snag the loop with their pole and if they over shoot, simply walk it down the side of the boat we have to inch up on the loop and stop right over it, hook it with the pole and latch on. I have a big clip on the end of a line I tie to the bow and clip on the loop. At that point the boat can float and I can get the two lines through the loop at a leisurely pace.
We headed into the office to do our check in and to scout out the place. Check in went smoothly but she needed more paperwork than what we brought (we will take that in today) and were checked in quickly. We then went to the tienda for a couple of bags of fresh fruit and then sat out front sipping on an ice cold beer and an ice cream bar. What a tough life.
Back on board we played another blasted card game and took in a movie. The Graduate was playing. Must I say more? Although they mixed up the University of Cal, Berkeley with the campus of UCLA, and had Hoffman going to Berkeley across the bay bridge the wrong way, oh and Katherine Ross at the San Francisco zoo in Berkeley, it was still quite entertaining…..more later..
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