BajaNomad - New Harbor - Punta San Antonio

New Harbor - Punta San Antonio

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 09:26 AM

My friend & I just came back from a trip to Punta Baja, just west of El Rosario, in a search of places to fish that we haven't tried as yet. And that was our primary reason for the trip that started at our homes here in Ensenada. We did go out with a local pangero from Punta Baja for the day, and although we didn't catch any pelagics we did get lots of large White Fish, Sheephead and some nice Reds. So now we know a bit more about that area and will be better prepared to fish there with our own boat when the time comes.

After the fish were cleaned we decided to take the trek of 26 miles south to Punta San Antonio (on a nasty dirt road) to see whatever happened to the man-made harbor they had started when we were 1st there 4-5 years earlier. When we were there then they had some very large earth moving equipment on site and were digging out for a harbor.

Fast forward to last week! It was done! Completed! I thought i was back in Southern California cause that's what this harbor looked like! A small channel off the ocean leading back and around a corner to this protected harbor! Pointed concrete pilings with docks that moved up/down on the pilings! Slips for approx. 30 pangas! Concrete launch area. (4) nice hoists for removing engines or boats. Solar powered lights. A concrete sidewalk up on top with a metal safety rail running along side the sidewalk. Blew our minds to say the least. Especially the fact that this was one project that was actually completed and not left half finished like so many. Hopefully I can post the shots I took.

The caretaker living there in a trailer said it was private and belonged to a man who owned the fishing cooperative there and to launch a private boat we would need written permission from the owner. Can't imaging one of us wanting to tow a boat those 26 hard miles but who knows - right!

P1040072.JPG - 159kB

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by beachbum1A]

TMW - 4-28-2016 at 09:30 AM

Interesting, thanks for the report. Looks very well done.

David K - 4-28-2016 at 09:36 AM

We were impressed when we saw it. When I get home, I can add the old photos to compare. Road must be due for grading? It was good before, just dusty!

Well, when I looked at my 2005 photos, all that was there was a concrete boat ramp (which was impressive for that location)... I was thinking I saw the harbor before the June 2014 Trail of Missions trip? Here it was in June 2014 (posted originally back then):

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by David K]

mtgoat666 - 4-28-2016 at 09:45 AM

Wow! That harbor looks like it cost quite a bit. Certainly cost more than a rural fish coop can afford. Wonder where the money came from?
Who is the owner? Doesn't sound like the coop owns it

chippy - 4-28-2016 at 09:59 AM

That reeks of narco money!

willardguy - 4-28-2016 at 10:25 AM

straight shot out, well a long straight shot out, to guadalupe!

BornFisher - 4-28-2016 at 10:33 AM

I think those beautiful hoists may be for some sort of cargo. Otherwise the`re going to be pulling engines and lifting boats all day long!!

Great find, what a surprise!!!

durrelllrobert - 4-28-2016 at 10:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by beachbum1A

My friend & I just came back from a trip to Punta Baja, just west of El Rosario, in a search of places to fish that we haven't tried as yet. And that was our primary reason for the trip that started at our homes here in Ensenada. We did go out with a local pangero from Punta Baja for the day, and although we didn't catch any pelagics we did get lots of large White Fish, Sheephead and some nice Reds. So now we know a bit more about that area and will be better prepared to fish there with our own boat when the time comes.

After the fish were cleaned we decided to take the trek of 26 miles south to Punta San Antonio (on a nasty dirt road) to see whatever happened to the man-made harbor they had started when we were 1st there 4-5 years earlier. When we were there then they had some very large earth moving equipment on site and were digging out for a harbor.

Fast forward to last week! It was done! Completed! I thought i was back in Southern California cause that's what this harbor looked like! A small channel off the ocean leading back and around a corner to this protected harbor! Pointed concrete pilings with docks that moved up/down on the pilings! Slips for approx. 30 pangas! Concrete launch area. (4) nice hoists for removing engines or boats. Solar powered lights. A concrete sidewalk up on top with a metal safety rail running along side the sidewalk. Blew our minds to say the least. Especially the fact that this was one project that was actually completed and not left half finished like so many. Hopefully I can post the shots I took.

The caretaker living there in a trailer said it was private and belonged to a man who owned the fishing cooperative there and to launch a private boat we would need written permission from the owner. Can't imaging one of us wanting to tow a boat those 26 hard miles but who knows - right!

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by beachbum1A]

...and the white fish you brought us were delicious. Thank you.

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 10:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy

straight shot out, well a long straight shot out, to guadalupe!

We were thinking it's only about 5 miles out (due west) to the Sacramento Reef and some nice Calico fishing! :bounce:

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by beachbum1A]

Maron - 4-28-2016 at 11:03 AM

WOW, wonder when it will start being used.

thks

4x4abc - 4-28-2016 at 11:58 AM

what's the lat/long?

chuckie - 4-28-2016 at 12:07 PM

I count FIVE cranes? Velly stlange...

Udo - 4-28-2016 at 12:12 PM

For once, it looks like they built a jetty large and long enough to trap any sand that may drift into the harbor area and block the boats from going out to sea.

A-LA-LAS SALINAS harbor, just below La Mision, BCN.

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 12:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Maron

WOW, wonder when it will start being used.

thks

IT IS being used. Belongs to the local cooperativa.

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 12:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

what's the lat/long?

29 44'38.46"N
115 40'41.45"W

MMc - 4-28-2016 at 12:35 PM

The cranes are to off load fish, urchins, lobsters and other cargo. They also need help loading too. Notice there at the end of the docks.
I have launched my kayak off the jetty and a easy shot out to the ocean.

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by MMc]

BajaGeoff - 4-28-2016 at 12:39 PM

I went through there last year and thought it was pretty surreal to come up on such a nice, modern harbor in the middle of nowhere!

mtgoat666 - 4-28-2016 at 12:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by beachbum1A

Quote: Originally posted by Maron

WOW, wonder when it will start being used.

thks

IT IS being used. Belongs to the local cooperativa.

Coops cant afford harbors like that on fish alone. Perhaps the coop branched out into hemp farming?

Ateo - 4-28-2016 at 01:01 PM

Looks like a wave out front too. Weird, I didn't see any of this last year when I was there. Must've just missed it.

MMc - 4-28-2016 at 01:06 PM

The wind is like Punta San Carlos. Good surf is hard to find out there.

Mexitron - 4-28-2016 at 01:20 PM

Odd that other larger coops like Abreojos don't have harbors like this. Pretty remote spot too. Hmmm...

BornFisher - 4-28-2016 at 01:28 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Mexitron

Odd that other larger coops like Abreojos don't have harbors like this. Pretty remote spot too. Hmmm...

Yeah, seems kind of fishy to me!!

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 01:33 PM

The caretaker told us that it was owned by the same man who owns Baja Cactus & the Pemex next door, and that he owns the coop too. Said that's who we'd have to see to get permission to launch there.
Don't know how true that might be but that's what he told us.

willardguy - 4-28-2016 at 01:33 PM

before the harbor when it was just a fish camp I thought it was unusual to have the entire area chainlinked and gated off. I guess thats what it took to protect there fleet in such a remote location.....

mtgoat666 - 4-28-2016 at 01:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by beachbum1A

The caretaker told us that it was owned by the same man who owns Baja Cactus & the Pemex next door, and that he owns the coop too. Said that's who we'd have to see to get permission to launch there.
Don't know how true that might be but that's what he told us.

If there is only one owner, i dont think it is a "coop" in the normal sense of the word. A coop by definition involves multiple controlling members.

chuckie - 4-28-2016 at 02:05 PM

Antonio!

willardguy - 4-28-2016 at 02:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie

Antonio!

owns san ANTONIO??? coincidence? I don't think so! :lol:

David K - 4-28-2016 at 04:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by beachbum1A

LOL... not a chance!

beachbum1A - 4-28-2016 at 04:06 PM

Found a few pictures from our trip down there in July 2011. It doesn't show the actual spot where the harbor is now as they were just beginning to excavate at that time. It does show the pangeros coming back in and the conditions they had to contend with before the new harbor was completed. Ugly!

P1010722.JPG - 130kB

[Edited on 4-28-2016 by beachbum1A]

David K - 4-28-2016 at 04:24 PM

Here was the concrete ramp in Dec. 2005:

shari - 4-28-2016 at 04:36 PM

Holey Whitefish....that just doesnt seem....right. I cant think of one fishing coop that could spend that kind of $ on that high end facility. Lets hear what Antonio says...sounds very very strange to me too as fishing cooperativas change directors every year or so and have no "owner" but is owned by the members the fishermen themselves. Sure looks like another financial interest may be at work there. We sure would love one of those in Asuncion!

MMc - 4-28-2016 at 05:02 PM

Maybe we should let sleeping dogs lay.

MAP

David K - 4-28-2016 at 05:06 PM

For anyone wondering where Pta. San Antonio is... see where the coastline changes direction, south of El Rosario...

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 4-28-2016 at 05:27 PM

WOW !

what a great looking facility ! so much better than san quintin without the long boat ride to get to the outside.

are they going to be hiring out pangas and if so, how much. doesn't look like much else is there.

if they're hiring out for fishing, would we have to stay in el rosario and drive back and forth for a few days fishing IF we don't have an rv or travel trailer ?

i like it BUT...don't like cartels and am allergic to bullets & machetes.

please keep us posted.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

woody with a view - 4-28-2016 at 06:05 PM

do any of you really think an operation this size (now that Nomad has photos) could have ever got to this point if it wasn't legit? someone has their eyes on a part of the coast that's been forgotten. big money thinks generations ahead, unlike the rest of us!

4x4abc - 4-28-2016 at 07:01 PM

could be FONATUR money. They had proposed a port right about there in their Escalera Nautica program.

BornFisher - 4-28-2016 at 07:50 PM

All it needs is a few XOOXs, a condo tower (Condo de Antonio?), resort (Baja Cactus Plus), Pemex, and I am SO there!!!

Seriously, I don`t get the hoists. When a panga guy wants to launch his boat, he won`t use no stinking hoist. And when a panga guy wants to pull his motor, he will recover his panga on a trailer and go to work. 5 hoists?

In La Salina there are commercial guys going for clams, lobster, and urchins. They load and unload their boats with manpower. They don`t need a hoist!!

mjs - 4-28-2016 at 09:41 PM

I've was there a few years ago when they were unloading lobster. Steady stream of trucks hauling butt back and forth from ER with barrels of ice / catch.

mtgoat666 - 4-28-2016 at 09:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher

Seriously, I don`t get the hoists. When a panga guy wants to launch his boat, he won`t use no stinking hoist. And when a panga guy wants to pull his motor, he will recover his panga on a trailer and go to work. 5 hoists?

In La Salina there are commercial guys going for clams, lobster, and urchins. They load and unload their boats with manpower. They don`t need a hoist!!

Many people eat with their fingers. They don't need a fork!

desertcpl - 4-29-2016 at 02:56 PM

what Shari said

Mexitron - 4-29-2016 at 03:05 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

could be FONATUR money. They had proposed a port right about there in their Escalera Nautica program.

I had that thought too, that Escalara Nautica was starting back up on a smaller scale.

mjs - 4-30-2016 at 01:15 PM

When I was there I sat and watched them unload while I ate some lunch. Pick-up backs up on the cement, panga next to it and the hoist lifts the load right from the panga into the truck. Very quick, efficient o[peration.

Chupacabra - 5-2-2016 at 08:11 AM

Quote: Originally posted by shari

I cant think of one fishing coop that could spend that kind of $ on that high end facility. Lets hear what Antonio says...sounds very very strange to me too as fishing cooperativas change directors every year or so and have no "owner" but is owned by the members the fishermen themselves. Sure looks like another financial interest may be at work there. We sure would love one of those in Asuncion!

I've passed through here a number of times and the Mexican army seems to maintain a presence. They are well aware of this place and keep an eye on it.

The reason for building this is that it provides easy access to the rich fishing grounds of the Sacramento reef.

Beyond that, the construction and quarrying has rendered the place ugly and desolate. There is no wind protection and it is usually straight onshore and whitecapping here by midmorning...not at the top of my destination list.

durrelllrobert - 5-2-2016 at 11:56 AM

Can someone ask Antonio how much it would cost to birth my 36 ft power boat there or ask the Cartel how much the would be willing to pay for a stolen 36 ft.yacht? :lol:

BajaGringo - 5-2-2016 at 12:52 PM

I have been to that harbor many times as we have some parcels down that way. It is owned by the coop and they are very well connected politically. They were able to build it through a series of government grants. No narco money that I have heard of...

motoged - 5-2-2016 at 01:15 PM

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Can someone ask Antonio how much it would cost to birth my 36 ft power boat there or ask the Cartel how much the would be willing to pay for a stolen 36 ft.yacht? :lol:

I think you mean "berth"....the thought of birthing 36 feet of anything makes me queasy...

Cliffy - 6-11-2016 at 09:03 AM

How much fish biomass is there out there because it seems someone is planning on moving a lot of tonnage through this harbor. With all the slips filled and all fishing the coop will be hauling in a lot of fish. Where will it go? How will it get there? Is there an ice house in ER big enough to supply it? Or will ice come down coast?

Maybe for once a coop might be able to move up the economic ladder a little.
I hope the first big storm doesn't close the harbor entrance

woody with a view - 6-12-2016 at 09:34 AM

ER is the site of the local Co-op, so yes, they have the facilities to move tonnage to SQ or Ens.

BornFisher - 6-11-2017 at 01:20 PM

Anything new to report here?

Also--- can you drive from Punta Baja to San Carlos?

[Edited on 6-11-2017 by BornFisher]

David K - 6-11-2017 at 01:42 PM

Yes. See roads on Google Earth.

I made a road log from El Rosario to Punta Baja to Punta San Antonio to the Punta San Carlos road just a few miles north San Carlos. It was a dozen years ago but probably not a whole lot changed. http://vivabaja.com/1205

Arrows along roads traveled.

I also traveled the road all the way to Solosports, Pta. San Carlos from El Rosario via the coast in 2014 with Cameron Steele's Trail of Missions group.

[Edited on 6-11-2017 by David K]

Chupacabra - 6-13-2017 at 03:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher

Anything new to report here?

Also--- can you drive from Punta Baja to San Carlos?

[Edited on 6-11-2017 by BornFisher]

Technically, yes. As a practical matter, no. There is a nice graded road from El Rosario de Abajo that runs all the way past Punta San Antonio and then rapidly degrades to a unmaintained nightmare. Max speed 0.5 MPH at best.

From Punta Baja I would just head back to the highway then take the regular Punta San Carlos road. You will save yourself many hours, possibly a broken axle, and you get to pass through beautiful cardon groves on the way.

David K - 6-13-2017 at 06:44 AM

Chupacabra, what were you driving and when? If just after a storm, odds are the ejido has re-graded it.
Born Fisher, what are you driving?
I was on the coast road all the way into Punta San Carlos' Solosports Resort via the San Antonio road just 3 years ago and most of it less than 12 years ago and neither time were there any 4WD challenges either time. Fishermen use these roads all the time in their (typically) 2WD pickups. However, if you don't need to follow the coastline south of El Rosario, then take Hwy. 1 to Km. 80 and use the 36-mile graded road to Punta San Carlos for a no thrills drive.

willardguy - 6-13-2017 at 07:28 AM

except for the dust we found it an easy ride.....sounds like its changed!

BornFisher - 6-13-2017 at 08:15 AM

Be in a FJ cruiser, good rig but don`t like deep dust or breaking axles!!

David K - 6-13-2017 at 08:41 AM

Normal off-road driving, even some fun bursts of speed do not break axles... at least on a Toyota. Deep dust (silt) is part of the backcountry of many parts of Baja. That being said, the typical dust beds of the Seven Sisters roads (near Punta Canoas and Punta Cono) this year were greatly reduced from my previous trip in 2007. Perhaps the heavy rains this past winter helped? Bring along an extra air filter for once you are back on dust free roads. Remember, lowering the air pressure in your tires has the greatest improvement over traction and comfort when off the pavement.
Pick up a quick air pump, like the MV50, for when you are back on the highway or to fix flats (bring a tire plug kit).

Chupacabra - 6-14-2017 at 03:12 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Chupacabra, what were you driving and when?

Tacoma 4X4, I did the short stretch from Campo Nuevo at Punta San Fernando to the graded Punta San Carlos road. Maybe a year or two ago? It took a couple painful hours to do the small stretch.

It's the dotted-line road on the map you posted above. It clearly hadn't been graded in years; there were ruts 1-2 feet deep. I'm in that area a few times a year and I've never seen cars venture there, and there are no ranches I saw between PSF and the PSC road.

Maybe it's been graded since but I don't see why they would spend the money since there's no commercial activity.

Tomas Tierra - 8-3-2017 at 11:42 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

. the 36-mile graded road to Punta San Carlos for a no thrills drive.

Shoot, that is one of the coolest drives in Baja! GIANT cardon forests, many geological wonders, wide open spaces with undisturbed vistas for a hundred miles!!.For many, it will be the biggest dirt road they have ever/ or will ever do..

TT

nbentley1 - 8-3-2017 at 01:21 PM

We camped at that harbor a couple of years ago and they were great hosts, let us use the restrooms etc. We fished the inlet for halibut and the occasional bone fish. The hoists were used for unloading the pangas, lots of crustations, lobster etc. We jumped on a panga and fished sac reef for the biggest whitefish I've ever seen and good sized halibut. When we were there there were a group of guys bused in every day from el rosario to fish the calicos, there was one guy who was the rod and line fishing guy, the rest were more used to setting traps.

David K - 8-3-2017 at 03:54 PM

Sounds epic!