Magdalena Bay
Navigation, n 1; the act or practice of navigating
The Sea Lion approached La Entrada, the entrance to Magdalena Bay, led by a small pod of common dolphin. We’d enjoyed a serene night’s sail in the Pacific and many of us were on deck near sunrise. Once inside the broad expanse of Magdalena Bay we headed north with Isla Magdalena on our port side. Our Zodiacs went into the water after lunch and with binoculars at the ready we idled our way through twisting mangrove channels discovering a variety of bird life along the way. Pelicans, cormorants, ibis, a variety of herons and shore birds were found in a short time.
Once back on board the Sea Lion our pilot was ready to take command of the ship for our transit up the Hull Canal. This very narrow and winding body of water separates the mainland of Baja from Isla Magdalena. In places it is quite shallow and strong tidal currents complicate the navigation. Ours is probably the largest vessel to ply this stretch of Magdalena Bay. There are no navigational aids other than those rudimentary ones placed by our pilot at the beginning of our whale watching season. He has what all pilots have, local knowledge. He is intimately familiar with the miles of waterway and quite at ease sitting at the helm through the afternoon. Devil’s Bend marks the midpoint in our transit and here we encounter a sardine fishing boat on her way out to sea. Only a few yards of water separate our two vessels and the same water defines what we share this day. Everyone waves on both boats as we pass.
Navigation, n 1; the act or practice of navigating
The Sea Lion approached La Entrada, the entrance to Magdalena Bay, led by a small pod of common dolphin. We’d enjoyed a serene night’s sail in the Pacific and many of us were on deck near sunrise. Once inside the broad expanse of Magdalena Bay we headed north with Isla Magdalena on our port side. Our Zodiacs went into the water after lunch and with binoculars at the ready we idled our way through twisting mangrove channels discovering a variety of bird life along the way. Pelicans, cormorants, ibis, a variety of herons and shore birds were found in a short time.
Once back on board the Sea Lion our pilot was ready to take command of the ship for our transit up the Hull Canal. This very narrow and winding body of water separates the mainland of Baja from Isla Magdalena. In places it is quite shallow and strong tidal currents complicate the navigation. Ours is probably the largest vessel to ply this stretch of Magdalena Bay. There are no navigational aids other than those rudimentary ones placed by our pilot at the beginning of our whale watching season. He has what all pilots have, local knowledge. He is intimately familiar with the miles of waterway and quite at ease sitting at the helm through the afternoon. Devil’s Bend marks the midpoint in our transit and here we encounter a sardine fishing boat on her way out to sea. Only a few yards of water separate our two vessels and the same water defines what we share this day. Everyone waves on both boats as we pass.
