Summer in the Sea
Who says you can’t successfully cruise the Sea of Cortez in the summer? But "successfully" is much different than "comfortably," as Wayne and Elly Smith of the Vancouver, BC-based Stan Huntingford 47 Zeppelin tell us. "As I write this, it’s the beginning of October and we are enjoying much-needed cooler temps here in San Carlos. ‘Cooler’ means not having to sleep on towels to absorb the sweat! We can now say that we’ve lived through — endured, really — the past three months in the Sea with temps ranging from the mild mid-80s to a raging 115 while trying to provision in town. We can’t say we weren’t warned but we’re happy the temps are back in the low 90s."
Wayne and Elly spent the summer exploring the Sea, enjoying the show put on by countless dolphin and whales, diving in remote spots, and doing yoga on the bow of their boat. "One morning, I (Elly) was sitting in final meditation when Wayne whispered that there was a family of coyotes on the beach. A mom and her two pups went into the water up to their chests and pounced. What were they catching? We finally saw their prey: rays! They bite and hold the head, making the ray go limp so it can’t sting them. Very clever!"
Diving is one of Wayne and Elly’s favorite pastimes so when friends on Savannah told them they might find dinner while diving in Puerto Refugio, they took along a bag. "This was our first time getting scallops on a dive. Wayne worked his magic on the BBQ, and we shared them with our friends."
After crossing the Sea to Bahia San Carlos, the Smiths took a mooring to ride out Tropical Storm Georgette — "Wow, did it rain!" — but were surprised to be awakened four nights later by quickly rising wind at Bahia Algondones. "The wind scoop started going bonkers and, by the time Wayne got up to the deck, the wind was over 20 knots. I followed a few minutes later and it was over 30 knots. Waves were rolling across the anchorage and we were over 40 knots." They rode out their first chubasco by raising anchor and motoring to a more protected spot. "The lightning was lighting up the sky around us and was followed by huge thunder. I’d never seen a storm like this before!"
Once settled at Marina San Carlos, the Smiths took a side trip to Phoenix. "But the day before we left, our fridge called it quits. One cruising couple let us use their extra freezer to store our frozen stuff till we get back, and another boat is storing our fridge stuff for us. That’s one of the best things about cruising — people you’ve just met are like lifelong friends, and everyone pitches in to help each other out."