BajaNomad

Mooring Boat in Gonzaga Bay Question?

Lobsterman - 5-9-2017 at 05:12 PM

Six of us old farts with three 17-18' aluminum boats are heading to GB soon. We are staying at Alfonsina's. None of the boats are mine. They plan on beach launching their boats in front of the hotel. They are seasoned baja fishermen and assured me that they will not have a big problem launching their boats. They just do not want to do it twice a day.

So they plan on keeping their boats in the water in front of the hotel. What do you guys think or suggest about keeping a boat in the water there over night?

They also do not want to launch from the suggested launch ramp. I'm just along for the ride to a place I've never fished before. I'm bringing the squid.

[Edited on 5-11-2017 by Lobsterman]

ehall - 5-9-2017 at 05:35 PM

I have pictures of what usually happens. I will try to put them on photobucket and post them soon.

woody with a view - 5-9-2017 at 06:12 PM

Sailflow.com

willardguy - 5-9-2017 at 06:13 PM

pull em out at night...and sleep soundly

SDROB - 5-9-2017 at 06:23 PM

x2... What Willardguy said

BajaRat - 5-9-2017 at 06:30 PM

Launch where the locals put in behind Alphonsina's, in the estero next to the airstrip. The beach in front can be deep and steep, making for a hell of a haul out. You can anchor on either side of the sand spit weather permitting.
Like Woody said watch sailflow.com so your boats don't end up in San Carlos :cool:

ehall - 5-9-2017 at 06:34 PM

ehall - 5-9-2017 at 06:36 PM

David K - 5-9-2017 at 06:52 PM

Using the back bay/ estuary will be waveless at ALFONSINA'S (no ph in Spanish) during low tide.

BajaRat - 5-9-2017 at 06:58 PM

That depends on the phwind direction D.
Refer back to the sailflow.com plan

Barry A. - 5-9-2017 at 09:46 PM

During 50+ years of going to the Sea of Cortez, we ALWAYS anchored our boats (14' tin-boats---Gregor's) at sea off the beaches in front of our camp, about 200 feet out, with one anchor seaward, and the other on the beach and secured well. Never had a problem even during wind storms. We used very long reaches with our anchor lines, however, and they were 3/8ths nylon.

If you got lots of manpower, I would pull them up above the tide-line, I suppose, but never did that.

mtgoat666 - 5-9-2017 at 10:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Lobsterman  
Six of us old farts with three 17-18' aluminum boats are heading to GB soon. We are staying at Alphonsina's. None of the boats are mine (oh joy). They plan on beach launching their boats in front of the hotel. They are seasoned baja fishermen and assured me that they will not have a big problem launching their boats. They just do not want to do it twice a day.

So they plan on keeping their boats in the water in front of the hotel. What do you guys think or suggest about keeping a boat in the water there over night?

They also do not want to launch from the suggested launch ramp. It's their boats. I'm just along for the ride to a place I've never fished before. I'm bringing the squid.


Anchor your boats in the estero. Or pull them up beach. Just be aware that the estero may be challenging route finding to get in/out at low tide.
You could anchor them on open shore, but why when the estero is fairly sheltered?

ehall - 5-10-2017 at 07:03 AM

If you anchor them in the estero you are going to have to get up pretty early. Look at the tide chart.

woody with a view - 5-10-2017 at 07:10 AM

Just a reminder on sailfow. Last Oct i left my gregor anchored in BdeLA with not a thought of wind. Sailflow said so! About 9pm the wind came up hard! All of a sudden the radio traffic was non stop. Two large boats and a tin boat pulled anchor and were drifting acroos the bay. I got in my truck and drove over to the beach, flipped on the KCs and there was my baby, sitting on the hook!

You just never know about the wind.

[Edited on 5-10-2017 by woody with a view]

BOLA blows

willardguy - 5-10-2017 at 09:30 AM

I don't know if its cool to reprint this so here's the link http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/threads/bola-hurricane.1281...

this during the NORRA race a few weeks ago......pull your boats out ;)

StuckSucks - 5-10-2017 at 10:47 AM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
I don't know if its cool to reprint this so here's the link http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/threads/bola-hurricane.1281...

this during the NORRA race a few weeks ago......pull your boats out ;)


A fun read, cause we had an almost identical experience. We were in a palapa with thin walls which shook violently - kind of like sleeping in a paint shaker. No one on our team got much sleep that night.

dizzyspots - 5-10-2017 at 04:23 PM

When we 1st went to GB, we were in a 12' Valco...beach launched it (with midship Baja wheels) and retrieved it above the tide line each night...when we graduated to a 19ft Wellcraft, we started launching in the estuary ..with a mixture of success , mostly dependent on tides.
We camp at Rancho Grande and have a friend with a great mooring bouy...but nights are still a bit ansty...sleeping light and peeking out at the anchor light...is it still there??? good luck...we did meet a gent that thought his 5 gal bucket of sand would do the job...on a 24ft sailboat (not joking)...it didnt make it to San Carlos, but did wash up near Sacrificio!!!

fishin_pol - 8-14-2017 at 10:49 AM

Never leave a boat untethered to the shore. Bola has wicked winds coming off the mountain, which puts your craft heading out to sea. I don't know if GB has that problem. I'm planning a trip to Cabo from San Felipe sometime next year and making plans as we speak. I will never leave boat unattended even if I have to tie the boat to my waist at night.

Bob and Susan - 8-15-2017 at 11:37 AM

you don't need to teather...

use a HEAVY chain at least the length of the boat and an anchor.
the chain is actually the anchor

Danforth is the best all round