Pompano
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Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Boating Down To Baja
“FOR THE ‘BOATERS’ OUT THERE”...(surely there must be at least one or two?)
For me, there’s nothing as satisfying as simply messing about in boats.
So…Here's some Baja Boating reports and an account of one intrepid & veteran Baja boater.
Allow me to introduce Mike. He's a unique character and a very experienced skipper of the Pacific & the SOC. A Baja-lover, diver, offshore
fisherman, ex-Mulege home owner, and valued friend. Mike’s got more time running an offshore boat than any skipper I know…understandable as he spends
most of the year on the water.
For many years, Mike and his delightful wife had a riverfront home in Mulege’s Orchard (before the devastating floods) and another in Oxnard,
Ca...before moving to Oregon’s Central Coast. In that scenic area of Oregon, they built a beautiful home on the Siltez River, and keep his boat,
‘Triggerfish’, in a nearby marina.
Besides being a successful albacore offshore-troll fisherman, Mike's an ex-Marine in top shape, and that fellow you want with you when the going gets
real-time tough, but mostly shows his gentle side, with a great sense of humor and modesty. Attributes of a good shipmate to faraway places.
Like many of us here, Mike fell in love with Baja many decades ago…and is a genuine Baja Character. Of course this was back in the day when it seemed
everyone was a character and an adventurer. Guess you had to be..just to be there. Damn, does anybody else miss those times? Okay, no
ranting…and back to boating.
Now by then, I’d made a few voyages around the Cortez and around the cape up to Mag Bay in my beloved old stinkpot, ‘Pompano’, shown above.
We frequently did some 600-700 mile trips… lazily gunk-holing in beautiful coves for a few weeks....but nothing like some of the long &
grueling voyages Mike made to Baja Sur. Here’s a couple of them…
SMALL BOAT VOYAGE FROM LOS ANGELES TO CONCEPTION BAY.
He once brought his smaller 26' diesel boat called the Uni (sea urchin) all the way from the Oxnard marina in LA down the
west coast of Baja California, rounded the tip at Cabo and up the Sea Of Cortez to the excellent anchorage at mi casa in Coyote Bay, Bay of
Conception. He did the round-trip voyage of about 2600 nautical miles solo and without a mishap by way of good planning and seamanship.
(Naturally, Mike is well aware of needed paperwork, licenses, ports of entry, marinas, fuel, food, & sheltered anchorages from LA to Cabo to
Mulege…and beyond. A list of these will be included in a different thread, plus some helpful guides for a first time voyager.)
Photo below…Completing his almost 1300nm trip down from Los Angeles, Mike wades ashore after anchoring his ‘Uni’ in front of
mi casa and just outside of my fishing boat. Note his sunshade-nighttime shelter.
Well, I’m here to tell you that trip was tough duty and not exactly a Princess cruise…but an adventure one remembers forever. Now that’s just
what brought me here in the first place’, I thought. ‘I have GOT to get back out there soon.’
We relaxed on my patio with a cold one, and as Mike told me about his trip down the peninsula, I was reminded of something a longtime sailor once
said, "If you get embarrassed easily then boating's not for you."
When he's working, you will find Mike anywhere from 50 to 1000 miles offshore… way out in the Pacific and wherever the fish are...trolling for and
pulling in albacore in his larger boat. Mike catches with outrigger lures, ices prompty, and provides restaurant quality fish for top prices. A
great way to make a living and an enjoyable accounting system to pass the time….counting your pull-ins as they hit….wham!-twenty bucks…wham! -twenty
bucks….wham!-twenty bucks…and so on.
Or he could be diving for sea urchins (uni) like this nice well-kept load from Puget Sound. There are normally only 2 people aboard.
BIGGER BOAT VOYAGE FROM LA TO CONCEPTION BAY
He also once brought that 52' offshore boat, Triggerfish, on the same route as his Uni. Crewed this time with his charming first mate....and a
refrigerated hold full of Golden Premium beers as gifts for a July 4th celebration in our bay. The boat was the scene of many a 'raft-up' in Coyote
Bay when we all went into party mode. Mike was a fine contributor to our local Baja Bash-In for boaters.
A while ago, when Mike was idly thinking of retiring, I pondered the idea of buying the Triggerfish and going back to commercial fishing for the pure
excitement/fun of it, plus the easy write-off. Hey, it would be trolling and something I had already done in SE Alaska for a couple seasons. Why
not? (..could it be that I was a lot younger then?) So, an upcoming albacore hunt with a different commercial fisherman in Westport, Wa. was a good
excuse to go way, way out on the Pacific. Oddly enough, this other buddy’s name was also ‘Mike’. I considered this to be a sign of good karma and
was primed. The albies were out there in numbers and it looked good to go. Done deal. We’d pull in & ice down a hold full of fine albacore.
It went well…for a while.
Most of the time, we enjoyed good fishing with good weather. But…the deal breaker was when we spent a few days in some very, very rough weather.
White knuckle times. During one particularly nasty day, this amigo’s 50-footer rolled so much that first one outrigger tip, then the other, would
bury itself into the huge seas. Back and forth…Bang-Splash, Bang-Splash! You were tied to a life-line all day and all night, wondering if the next
big wave was the last you’d ever see. Hoo-boy, I sure missed dry land right about there! I was too seasick to die. I realized first-hand that Great
Adventure is always great remembered, but never much fun when it’s happening!
Well, like I said, it was fun (most of the time) and we made good money. But the reality back in port was...it’s nice to sit under a tree.
I found I wasn’t a young bluewater sailor anymore and confessed I'd come to love coastal cruising in my smaller Pompano and fun times in some
snug anchorage in the calm Sea of Cortez much better. So, I shelved the idea of buying the Triggerfish….but sometimes, when I’ve had too much
‘courage’, and get to talking about going back out there….Co-pilot reminds me of sitting under that tree again. “You’re not a Baja buccaneer
anymore.” 
Yup, times have changed in Baja…and in me. Maybe I’ll stick closer to home and not grump too much about those speed bumps.
Then again, I do get to Newport often these days….
A final boating tip from Mike,
“When you are sailing your piece of tupperware across the bay, and the ships are coming from one way and the tugs with barges are coming from
another, just remember what a frog looks like in a blender. And Get the Hell Out of the Way!”
More Baja Boating to Come…..even though there seems to be little interest.
[Edited on 3-6-2014 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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BOATING WEST BAJA COAST
Here is some important info you should know about if you decide to make this voyage from the California coast to the Sea of Cortez.
MARINAS (ANCHORAGES), DISTANCES, & FUEL STOPS
Leaving Ensenada, there are not really any formal marinas on the way down to Cabo.
Approximate Distances in Nautical Miles
LA to San Diego: 120
San Diego to Turtle Bay: 360
Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria: 240
Bahia Santa Maria to Cabo: 180
Cabo to Los Frailes: 45
Cabo to La Paz: 148
La Paz to Puerto Escondito (Loreto): 140
Puerto Escondito to Bahia Concepcion: 105
Bahia Concepcion to San Carlos: 80
Judging your point to point distances.
This site allows you to draw way points and gives you estimated distances...
http://www.getamap.net/pedometer.html
Ports of Entry in Baja. (there are many more on the mainland)
Ensenada
San Carlos
Cedros
Cabo San Lucas
La Paz
Loreto
Santa Rosalia
Fuel stops:
Fuel is readily available (no need of a taxi and jerry jugs) in:
Ensenada
Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay)
Puerto San Carlos (Bahia Magdalena)
Cabo San Lucas
San Jose del Cabo
La Paz.
Puerto Escondido, Loreto
Also available in Mulege , and Santa Rosalia and populated places further north. (may require jugs)
Both directions, it’s a good idea to stop at Bahia Tortugas to top off. This is about the half way point between San Diego and Cabo San Lucas and is
a good protected harbor to spend a lay day or two if you feel you need it.
Plan ahead for your cruise to Mexico. That's a prudent first step. Do get the 'First Timers Guide to Cruising Mexico' from Downwind Marine in Shelter
Island if you find yourself in San Diego.
Underway:
Remember….you need to have a mexican fishing license for everyone on board if you have ANY fishing gear on board.
Have at least 2 reliable VHF radios and know how to use them for contacting ports of call and other vessels.
You should remain a few miles offshore as sometimes it’s a lee shore with lots of rocks and such. But no need to get too far west. The peninsula
curves towards the east. Cabo is on the same longitude as Salt Lake City.
Anchorages:
While there are several places to duck in along the west coast of Baja, you'll want a good description of what to expect before making refuge, since
some have rock hazards off the headlands that define the anchorages. Some like Mag Bay have numerous sandbars where you might need a panguero guide.
Charlies Charts are good, as is the Mexico cruising guide put out by Pat Rains. For the west coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, I'd recommend you
looking at the two guides published by Heather Bansmer and Shawn Breeding; they're both excellent. The Mexican Navy has also just recently resurveyed
the west coast of Mexico and has published new charts based on these surveys. Look into getting copies of these for your chart collection.
Other Boating Option:
COMING FROM MID-WEST OR EAST?
Just a suggestion. If you have a trailered camping boat, and no need for your tow vehicle in Baja, then why bother going down the narrow Baja Road?
Trailer the boat to San Carlos Sonora, only 330 miles from Tucson, Az. Fill up with gasoline and water at one of the full service marinas there. Run
to Puerto Escondido (Loreto), 130 nautical. Dockside gasoline and water are available. La Paz is another 200 further south. Two marinas have
everything there. Then it is only 130 miles more to Cabo..where you'll find more than you'll ever want or need.
If your boat is not a camper and/or you need your tow vehicle, then you can bring both it and your boat across on a car ferry from San Carlos to Santa
Rosalia...and take Hwy 1 from there to anywhere on the peninsula with ease.
That is all for now. Over and out.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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bajario
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This report is awesome. I'm going to save it for future info, motivation and inspiration.
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dorado50
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Good stuff Pompano.....very good!
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Bob53
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Location: Fallbrook, CA & Bahia de los Angeles
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Great story! Will read again.
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JZ
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In June it will be 10 years from when we made a long run. Trailered down to San Felipe to launch and made it to San Carlos, Sonora. Stopped at
Gonzaga Bay, Puerto Refugio on Isla Dngel de la Guarda, Bahia de Los Angeles, San Francisquito, across to Isla Tiburon off of Kino Bay, and then on to
San Carlos.
The day we crossed near the midriffs was perfectly flat, hardly a ripple. We were flying about 55mph in the middle of the Sea of Cortez.
We tried to do the trip once before this and made it down to Santa Rosalia before wicked winds came up. To this day, rounding the point just north of
Santa Rosalia is the roughest stuff I've ever been in. It went from perfectly flat to 8 foot short period waves. After being holed up in the tiny
marina for 3 days I called the trip off realizing we weren't prepared for this.
Got a ride up to the border in an old Datsun pickup. Drove the truck and 35 foot trailer back down, pulled it out, and had an absolute b-tch of a
time taking it back up. The sun was setting just as we were crossing the mountains over to San Quintn. Couldn't see a damn thing.
But we came back 6 months later a lot more prepared and picked a much better weather window.
Around San Felipe:
Sunrise BOLA:
[Edited on 3-15-2014 by JZ]
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Pompano
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Posts: 8194
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Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Great trip and I'm sure some fun times, JZ.
Been there and done that, too. There is nothing quite like an adventure with a boat. I can still see those huge 'buffalos' coming at us from the
NNW. Gets the adrenalin flowing for sure!
I've had similar difficulties in trailering a 31' Bertram down Hwy 1. All I could say at the end of that trip was....."Whew, finally."
Glad you made it to do it again.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Whale-ista
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Posts: 2009
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Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Thank you for the memories and photos Pompano. Great stuff!
Good reminder that a bad day on the water still trumps most days on land...within limits
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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willardguy
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im still trying to wrap my head around 55mph!
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David K
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nice post Roger... That is something that I would like to do... just need a boat! 
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JZ
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| Quote: | Originally posted by willardguy
im still trying to wrap my head around 55mph! |
Twin V8's. Top speed about 58mph. One mile to the gallon though. 
[Edited on 3-15-2014 by JZ]
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Pompano
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Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Talking about 'faster' boats, this Silverline performance tri-hull with a 350 chev engine turned out to be the fastest fishing boat I ever owned. It
would easily do 60+, but only on pretty flat water.
Here it is on it's maiden trip to a remote Canadian lake with my amigo and fellow nomad, 'aguaholic'.
I hauled it down to Baja for one season of fishing (1979) and almost lost it due to the speed and a bad choice of waves.
We were out on one of those flat calm days on the Cortez...the surface was like a mirror..and we were at max speed. A huge San
Marcos gypsum tanker was underway offshore from us and throwing up a huge wake...must have been at least 8-10 foot waves close to the stern.
So, hey, that looked like a nice jump to make and away I went, racing at about 55mph, and hit that wake.....whoa!
This is a borrowed photo below, but I swear to God that gypsum tanker was this big….totally gigantic.
Opps! Not my best boating decision. We went airborne and must have flown 50 feet before SLAMMING back down on the water. I was in awe as
we sailed thru the air…and then stunned when we hit. That was quite a shocker!
But not as shocking as when I found out the bilge pump was soon pumping at full bore...showing a strong surge of water thru the port. Hmm...I
thought..'Something seems to be leaking'...duh.
Found out back at shore that I had cracked the hull by doing that stupid stunt. I ended up hauling the boat all the way home before getting it
repaired.
If there is any moral of this story, it's this....you can’t fix stupid.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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basautter
Senior Nomad
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if anyone could use help from a somewhat inexperienced deck hand, let me know! I am very good with electronics, engines and communication equipment!
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ZoeyR
Newbie
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This is fabulous info, we are 'boaters' at home, have a sailboat, haven't ventured out around here yet!
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Hook
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What make was that old "stinkpot" Pompano?
Sounds like a name a co-pilot would give it. 
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cliffh
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Roger can't thank you enough for your reports, reminds me of great trips up and down the highway since 1975,made several trips up and down in sail
boats and power boats, in Lake Havasu seeing the kids can't wait to get back to the east cape home for the last 18 years. Naturally stop at The
Jungle for 1 or 4 cuba's on our way home. thanks again CliffH
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Pompano
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Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Thanks for the replys to boating and welcome. Can always use a good water yarn or two.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
What make was that old "stinkpot" Pompano?
Sounds like a name a co-pilot would give it. |
Hook, my boat, Pompano, was custom-made in La Paz by a few amigos in 1969. When making plans I said I wanted a boat that could fish 8, seat and feed
4, and sleep 2. It was a flybridge cabin cruiser with a huge aft deck..fishwells, complete awning, 18hp kicker on stern bracket..powered by a
never-fail Chrysler/Nissan diesel with a straight shaft. 12knots cruising speed with about a 500 mile range from the main tank. A great gal who
brought us great fishing and gunk-holing for many years.
On the stink pot thing, Co-pilot might smile at that...she's a boater through and through...plus a real grin & 'bare' it type.
'Stink pot' is just an old endearing term for a plain diesel boat...used with affection for my grand girl.
Hi Cliff, please post some pics and stories of your boating adventures in the Cortez. Would make great reading I know.
Ciao
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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JZ
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 10-3-2003
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Carrying tacos out to the boat in Bay of LA.
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