Discovering La Paz (Sea of Cortez) Mexico

I’d been told the Sea of Cortez was gorgeous but I wasn’t expecting what I found. Pictures below.

We flew down to Cabo on the southern tip of the Baha Peninsula, drove 2.5 hours north to the water front town of La Paz and picked up our boat that would become our home for the rest of the week. The town of La Paz had everything we needed to provision and feel fully prepared. The marina was clean, beautifully landscaped and secure. Plus it was fun to be back on a Lagoon 380, the same boat I lived on with my wife and five kids for a year back in 2014.

This trip was a scouting trip with 6 friends to discover a place that was new to all of us. My sailing mentors Totem and Bumfuzzle both raved about sailing this area, so I’ve been eager to check it out for years. I was not disappointed.

We sailed north out of Marina Costa Baja and anchored our first night in the nearby Islet de Lobos. Quiet still waters. Fireball of a sunset. Clear view of the stars. Meteor showers all night long. Gorgeous.

We found white sandy beaches tucked into each of the numerous and well protected coves. We snorkeled multiple times a day, paddled out in our sea kayak and toodled around in our dingy. We saw amazing sea life: whales breaching, rays jumping out of the water in pairs, thousands of fish, crabs, pelicans and other sea birds. One of my favorites was Ensenada Balandra. There were 8 beautiful beaches in this one bay that was mostly waist deep, warm water for a couple square miles. Incredible!

We sailed up along the west edges of Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. Both are almost barren of building and lights, creating a truly beautiful remote feeling of purity and isolation. We swam, snorkeled, hiked, made delicious food and night played games, made music, and enjoyed the evening breezes from the deck and hammock. It was tough to leave, but I look forward to going back again soon.

Thanks to my amazing crew for being game for such a fun adventure. I’d sail with any of you again anywhere. 😀

Other favorite bits:

• The Cabo airport was clean, modern and efficient.
• Customs was a breeze.
• Rental cars were easy and convenient.
• Groceries were plentiful and affordable.
• Everyone was polite accommodating with their English and understood our Spanish.
• US dollars and Mexican pesos were both accepted.
• VISA and Mastercard were accepted everywhere and AMEX was accepted in most places.
• I enjoyed continuous phone and data connection via AT&T

Picking up our Lagoon 380. A true classic.

Checking out the local resorts.

First day underway.

Working hard.

Getting the gents oriented on the boat.

Sunset at anchor.

Making our way across Balandra Bay.

I can't get enough of this water.

Almost all of the crew.

Looking for shells.

Working the sails.

Hand signals while anchoring.

Having way too much fun.

An evening paddle in the kayak.

The beach to ourselves.

This water...

Butter sunsets.

Evening reading in the hammock.

Short hike across Isla Partida to look over the Sea of Cortez toward mainland Mexico.

Back to the big boat.

Headed back home.