Bahía Magdalena
After a gloriously smooth northward passage, we awoke this morning to pink light over the Pacific, and common dolphins riding our bow. We were offshore of Isla Margarita, one of the two barrier islands that separate Magdalena Bay from the Pacific, bound for La Entrada. Shortly after breakfast, we entered the bay, watching local fishermen working from their pangas, and gangs of pelicans fishing on the wing. We slowed to pass the dozen, or so, gray whales in our vicinity, watching one breach in the distance and two surface nearby.
Later in the morning, Larry Hobbs invited us to the lounge to share slides and stories of his early research on the gray whales of these Pacific desert lagoons. We arrived at our anchorage just as Larry finished his talk, and made preparations to go ashore on Isla Magdalena. This 45-mile long island is marked by two rocky promontories, separated by miles of sand; pristine, never-ending beach on the Pacific side, and sinuously sculpted dunes in the interior. We hiked both the dunes and the beach today, learning about the unique flora and fauna, and just plain having fun. In between discussions of primitive shell middens and delicate green spiders living on the shrubby milkweeds, we held dune jumping competitions and ran laughing into the Pacific waves.
Sandy and salty, we returned to the Sea Lion for lunch. Local pilot Alejandro Camacho came aboard, and guided us northward through the narrow shallows of Hull Canal. From the bow we spotted countless wading birds, including a shy green heron and a tri-colored heron in full breeding plumage. Two young coyotes loped through the dune vegetation, stopping just once to catch our scent.
We arrived at Boca de Soledad, the northern entrance to Magdalena Bay, late in the afternoon. Another beautiful Baja sunset and dreams of gray whales ended our near-perfect day.
After a gloriously smooth northward passage, we awoke this morning to pink light over the Pacific, and common dolphins riding our bow. We were offshore of Isla Margarita, one of the two barrier islands that separate Magdalena Bay from the Pacific, bound for La Entrada. Shortly after breakfast, we entered the bay, watching local fishermen working from their pangas, and gangs of pelicans fishing on the wing. We slowed to pass the dozen, or so, gray whales in our vicinity, watching one breach in the distance and two surface nearby.
Later in the morning, Larry Hobbs invited us to the lounge to share slides and stories of his early research on the gray whales of these Pacific desert lagoons. We arrived at our anchorage just as Larry finished his talk, and made preparations to go ashore on Isla Magdalena. This 45-mile long island is marked by two rocky promontories, separated by miles of sand; pristine, never-ending beach on the Pacific side, and sinuously sculpted dunes in the interior. We hiked both the dunes and the beach today, learning about the unique flora and fauna, and just plain having fun. In between discussions of primitive shell middens and delicate green spiders living on the shrubby milkweeds, we held dune jumping competitions and ran laughing into the Pacific waves.
Sandy and salty, we returned to the Sea Lion for lunch. Local pilot Alejandro Camacho came aboard, and guided us northward through the narrow shallows of Hull Canal. From the bow we spotted countless wading birds, including a shy green heron and a tri-colored heron in full breeding plumage. Two young coyotes loped through the dune vegetation, stopping just once to catch our scent.
We arrived at Boca de Soledad, the northern entrance to Magdalena Bay, late in the afternoon. Another beautiful Baja sunset and dreams of gray whales ended our near-perfect day.
