After having sailed north all night long, we started a new day in the San Lorenzo channel, which separates the peninsula from the second southernmost island in the Sea of Cortez, Espiritu Santo. Espiritu Santo Island is also the eastern boundary of the large La Paz Bay, and together with Partida Sur Island and Los Islotes, forms the Espiritu Santo Island-complex Biosphere Reserve, part of the Mexican network of federal protected areas. We sailed along its western side and dropped the anchor at a beautiful cove named Ensenada Grande. There, we all prepared to enjoy a great morning of water sports and hiking. Several adventurous souls went hiking up the canyon and were rewarded with an astonishing view of the Sea of Cortez from the top of the island, whereas those that explored the lower elevations closer to shore had the chance to watch numerous interesting creatures, including the endemic black jackrabbit and the Espiritu Santo antelope squirrel—and some even found a young rattlesnake. Others opted to spend their time kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding around the quiet bay; many went snorkeling and all had a great time in Ensenada Grande.
During lunch National Geographic Sea Bird sailed north to San Francisco Island, where she anchored shortly before 3 p.m. at a wonderful place facing to the southwest called Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is protected from the winds and the perfect to do some more kayaking. It is also a great place for snorkeling and many people decided to explore the underwater world for the second time today. They watched numerous colorful and interesting species of fish, including king angelfish, scissortail damselfish, reef cornet fish, Mexican goatfish, balloon fish, and guineafowl puffer; they also watched the rare golden puffer, which belong to the same species as the guineafowl puffer, but for some unknown reason, about 1% of the population change color and turns bright golden.
San Francisco Island offers some great hikes and those who went up the side of the mountain into a ridge facing the ocean had an amazing view of Half Moon Bay and fully appreciated why it received its name. All hikers saw a small pond that local fishermen from the neighboring islet of El Pardito use to evaporate seawater and get salt. Then, after having had so much exercise, we enjoyed a truly delicious dinner on the beach, followed by storytelling in front of a bonfire, s’mores and lots of fun, putting an end to another beautiful day in Baja California.
