DOUBLE CROSSING CORTEZ AND ENCIRCILING TIBURON

Written by: Wayne Winternheimer

Experienced by: Mike Weed, John Knoll and Wayne

May 3 thru 20, 1998

We crossed the border early Sunday morning getting our tourist cards and proceeding on to Ensenada for breakfast. We drove all day reaching Guerrero Negro after dark. Highway 1has been improved but not that much and it still has many rough areas.

Monday morning we went farther south to a graded dirt road to El Arco and on to an unimproved dirt road headed for San Francisquito on the Sea of Cortez coast. The road was rough and progress was very slow. We went through some places that with very deep sand requiring four wheel drive and up and down some extremely steep hills, but we did get to our destination by early afternoon. There is a café with good Mexican food and sleeping rooms that are quite comfortable. We had time to get the kayaks and gear ready for a next morning departure.

We were loaded and on the water by dawn on Tuesday morning for our crossing of Salsipuedes Channel to Isla San Lorenzo. Per the literature this is the easiest crossing we will have and when we started the water was very calm and there was no wind. We paddled about four hours to get to the island and the wind and waves had increased as we had expected. As we approached the East Side of the island we began to search for a good place to land and camp. All of the available places were shingle beaches that consist of small rock beaches that are steep. Mike landed first through the surf and it was easy for him to land his sit on top kayak. John and I each had Teslas and it would have been very difficult for us if Mike had not been on shore to grab and hold our boats as we landed, this allowed us time to exit before being pulled back out by the next wave or having the cockpit filled with water.

We explored the area to see if there might be a better place to camp but our first choice was as good as any we saw. This island is home to most of the flies in Baja and they liked us very much. Insect spay did not appear to work very well so we used netting over our heads to keep our sanity. It was very difficult eating our food without also eating many flies. After the sun went down the flies took the night off and we had a fire to celebrate being alone.

We had all thought about the crossing of the San Lorenzo Channel, it is the most difficult of the three. After studying the available tide tables and making adjustments for all the things we could think of, it was determined that an early launch when the tide had about reached it’s maximum would be our best shot. We paddled around the south end of San Lorenzo and it was fairly calm with only a little wind for crossing the channel. We headed toward the northwest corner of Isla San Esteban. All went well until we reached about the middle if the channel. The waves began to increase in size and the wind grew stronger out of the north. The waves became very large and steep. I think they were six to eight feet high but sitting in the kayak they looked much bigger. The waves would make a popping sound as they turned to white water on the top

 John turned over and wet exited, Mike and I paddled over to help him and when Mike reached out to attach a short towline to John’s boat, Mike turned over. With the waves being so big it was difficult to help each other. John got back into his boat without help (using his paddle float). I was close to Mike and I rafted up with his boat and he climbed back on sit on top without much energy loss. Rafting up in these big waves seems to work fine. John was more worried about his passport and money in a free-floating dry bag than getting direct help from me. The only things I rescued were his dry bag and a pair of shoes. The water continued to get bigger as we paddled on but we did not think about turning back. Mike capsized again and we rafted up and he was back on his boat again without much energy loss. Mike and I are pleased with how well rafting worked in such big water.

 After a while we noticed that if we changed direction a little the water was much calmer only about one hundred yards from us. A quick dash and we were out of the rough water. We were now heading toward the southwest corner of the island. We didn’t even discuss that we were going to the northwest corner and now we were approaching the southwest corner, all we wanted to do was get to the island. There is a long low spit extending from the southwest corner that is very visible as we approached, we were not making very good progress toward the spit but we were working very hard. All of a sudden I noticed that I could no longer see the spit, we had been pushed south by the tidal flow to the point that we were looking directly into the end of the spit and therefore it had disappeared. We continued to be pushed by the tidal flow but now it was more in southeasterly direction around the corner of the island and out of the flow. Now progress was being made and soon we would be on the island.

 Isla San Esteban has a large population of sea lions and they were all along the southern shoreline. We looked for an area with no sea lions to land but could not find one. We did find an area with only a few sea lions and we approached them to see if they would give us a little space. They complained and made aggressive sounds but did give up the beach when we got close to them. In the water they continued to make aggressive sounds. We stayed on the beach about an hour and by the end the sea lion sounds changed to begging to have their beach back. We were ready to move on and paddled around to the northwest side of the island to camp at East Bay. East Bay is also a shingle beach but the rocks were mush smaller and the bay was protected from the wind. This made the landing easy, best of all there are no flies. Fish camps are also in this area.

Again we started at dawn for Isla Tiburon planning to land south of The Hulk which is the highest spot on the island figuring that we might get pushed south by the wind or current. Getting pushed south would give a lot of options for landings. The crossing of San Esteban Channel was easy and we landed by eleven o’clock on Thursday on a protected beach south of The Hulk. There was a framework built of ocotillo cactus with the thorns removed and we covered it a tarp to provide shade. We had expected to meet Ed Gilet at Dog Bay in several days but early in the afternoon he and his group paddled by on their way to the southeastern end of the island. They did not stop and looked very determined to get to their destination.

In the afternoon we paddled down the southeastern side of the island with the wind to our backs and we moved along very easily at a high speed. We stopped at Bahia de la Cruses where there are a several buildings and ponga fishermen. We found a good place to camp and have a fire.

On Friday we paddled the short distance to the southwestern corner of the island and as we turned the corner between Isla Tiuron and Isla Turner the water became very choppy. A ponga with several fishermen saw us and stopped and watched as we paddled through the roughest area. They might have thought we would not make it and were waiting to help us. After we reached smooth water they waved and went on their way. I was very considerate of them to consider our safety. On around the southeastern corner we reached Dog Bay. This is where we expected to meet Ed and his group but we could not find them. We camped north of Dog Bay. Late in the afternoon Mike and I paddled back to Dog Bay to look for Ed and John caught fish for dinner. The fresh fish dinner was excellent.

When we were ready to leave on Saturday morning, the tide was out exposing a big rock field between the water and us. We waited several hours for the tide to rise, and launched around nine. We stopped for lunch and while we were there Ed and his group came along, he stopped and told us he was stopping for lunch at a beach a little farther up the island. We were very pleased to see him and that nothing had occurred to upset his trip. His group had taken a lay day at Bahia de Las Cruces and was camped only a short distance from us in another bay. At his lunch stop the group provided us with enough water to complete our trip, so we didn’t need to paddle to a town just to get it. After leaving Ed we went around a large spit that extended far out into the water toward mainland Mexico. Rounding the end of the spit we encountered tide rips that we paddled through as fast as we could, later we thought we should have spent some time in them learning more about how to paddle in them. We camped on the north side of the spit and the Mexican military arrived by boat shortly after we landed, we were concerned that they might not allow us to stay on Tiburon. After posting guards the highest-ranking soldier came to talk to us. We are not sure why they came to check us but they didn’t ask us to leave. John knows the most Spanish so he talked to them, getting from then that there are many snakes here and we should be careful.

 Again on Sunday the tide is out and we must wait. Later we paddle over to mainland Mexico to a small Seri Indian village completing our crossing of the Sea of Cortez. To celebrate the crossing we drink cold Pepsi purchased in the village. The most interesting part of this small isolated community is the cemetery. After spending some time walking through the village we paddle back across to the island and head north. We paddled up the eastern side of the island stopping for lunch about one. It was very hot and we put up the shade tent and waited for it to get cooler before paddling on. After it cooled a little we paddled on to a beautiful crescent beach with cliffs to provide shade that Ed had recommended. The water is not very clear here and we think it is because it is shallow with high tidal flow. It is warm and we all take baths. There are many osprey and frigatebirds in the air looking for fish. It is a full moon night, which means big tide changes.

Tides in here are much more important than wind in this channel. The tide is out again on this Monday and we must carry the boats to the water and then reload all our stuff. The water is very shallow and it is not long before we become grounded on a sand spit that extends out a long way. Rather than paddle around it we get out and pull the kayaks in the shallow water. It fells strange pulling the boat through the water and not being able to ride on it. After the water gets deeper we are back in going toward another even bigger sand bar on the northeast end of the island. We land on this combination spit and sandbar and wait for the water to get higher. There are many birds resting here and as we walk toward them they fly away making beautiful airborne patterns for us to watch.

 Now the water has risen to cover the spit and we can paddle west along the north end of the island. The wind gets strong and the waves do to, making it difficult to paddle and our progress is greatly reduced. After several hours we decide we will land and wait until it gets calmer before we go on to Bahia Agua Fresca. By three thirty it is some better and we are on our way. Ed had told us about an area that was good to camp and had trees. We spotted the trees a long way off and by the time we reached them it was getting dark and the water was very shallow exposing many rocks. We landed and camped away from the trees and a small break in the rocks. We have paddled a long way today and we are tired with bedtime coming early.

 Tuesday is going to be an easy day, we must wait for the tide to come in and we are only going to paddle over to the trees and camp there. We see many kinds of birds including Heermann gulls, California gulls, Fosters turns, brown pelicans, frigatebirds, brown boobys, cormorant, egrets, herons, osprey and oystercatchers. We load up and paddle over to the trees that are about fifty feet above the water line on a bluff. The area had been a fish camp that is not now used but still has many of leaving of a fish camp. This is a great place to camp with many trees, a good view of the ocean and a lot of clear area to camp in. The Tamarisk trees (salt cedar) were planted in neat rows many years ago. This is one of the best places to camp that I have seen in Baja and we are going to spend a second day here to enjoy it. Several old deserted building are in an area not far from our camp and off on another trail is an old well with a windmill. We did get some very dirty water from the well using a bucket but it would have needed filtering and purification before we could use it. We took three gallons just in case we might need it.

 On Wednesday we completely emptied our boats and rearranged everything. We also made some repairs to equipment and boats. We studied all our available information to determine why the crossing of San Lorenzo channel was so difficult. Our best guess is that the shape of the ocean floor that gets shallow about where we crossed caused part of our problem. Since this is a lazy lay day we take naps and shave off some of the whiskers that are gray and itch. After the hard stuff we just sat under the trees and watched the day slide by in the cool shade.

We load the boats after a long carry to the water and are on our way around the north corner of the island on this Thursday morning. As we proceeded down the northwestern side of the island at each small point we reached the water was quite lumpy caused by the incoming tide out of the south and the wind waves out of the west. Also the wind caused whitecaps. All this added up to some big holes in the water and choppy waves. We did not find any good places to land for about eleven miles. We did find a small shingle beach that was covered with several feet of seaweed to land on. It made for an easy landing sliding on the seaweed. The tide continued to rise and we kept sliding the boats up on the seaweed. We did not intend spending the night here but the surf continued to increase in size. It is John’s birthday but we have nothing in our boats to eat or drink that is special.

Friday morning and all of the thirty feet of seaweed is gone leaving bare rocks between the boats and the beach. We are on the water by six and there is no wind or swell but we are moving at a high speed caused, we think, by a tide swirl around Punta Willard. We stopped at a fish camp for a break and several fishermen came in with ice for the sea slugs they were going to harvest in the next several days. We move on to Punta Willard and find a shingle beach in a cove with fish camps in different coves on each side of us. Saturday is another lay day and John and I walk into the interior of the island and scale a high hill overlooking the ocean. Early in the evening as we looked to the south we could see on optical illusion of Isla San Pedro Matir, the island appears to be inverted. Tonight the bioluminescence is very strong; it looks like a very strong flashlight is shining up through the surface of the water all along the beach. The beach is covered with sparks of light after each wave recedes.

 Sunday at six and it is time for another crossing of San Esteban channel. We are all watching the water very closely and not saying much to each other. The water is very calm and all is going well. John sees a large sea turtle and as he paddles toward it slips under the water. The water remains calm for the complete crossing. We land on the northwest side of Isla Esteban driving the seals into the water. The smell of the sea lions causes us to remain only a short time before moving on toward the northeast corner of the island. This corner has high cliffs and the brown boobys nest in this area.

 It was very bouncy coming around the northeast corner but soon calmed as we moved on. A very short distance later we found two excellent coves on the northwest side, we selected the best one and it is an excellent place. It is only ten in the morning. Easy landing with no surf or large rocks and a cave for shade and another shade area under a big over hanging cliff face. The rock on this beach is pebble size making camping the best. There are no sea lions here but we are in a nesting area for gulls and they are very protective of their young that can’t fly very well. John catches fish so we have an excellent dinner.

 Monday and it is time for the dreaded crossing of San Lorenzo Channel but first we must deal with the rats that are around our camp. Since it is still dark we only see the eyes and an outline of them. They did not get into any of our gear and don’t appear to be very aggressive. Now onto the crossing before five in the morning. The water looks good as we move out of the cove. It stays flat for the complete crossing and there was no wind or waves. Large fin back whales make an appearance to interrupt our eventless crossing we landed at a large shingle spit on the southeast corner of Isla San Lorenzo. We were tired from the crossing but the flies made us change our minds so we moved on toward Baja and San Fancisquito by noon. This crossing was also smooth and eventless. When we landed there was some surf and before I could get completely our of my boat a wave dumped me into the water. After moving gear and boats up to our cabana Mike had some repairs made to his truck. The showers felt good, the food was good and sleeping on a bed was very good.

After breakfast and a stop at the gas pumps we headed for Bahia de Los Angeles on a graded road. We had lunch in Bay of LA and headed for San Quintin. When we arrived in San Quintin it was after dark and all of the motels were full. We backtracked to Lazaro Cardenals and took the road toward the beach. There are hotel signs to La Pinta hotel and we were told to go past there to Cielito Lindo motel where we had a very large crab dinner for less than ten dollars.

With a short stop in Ensenada for lunch and a little shopping we were on our way for the smooth part of the journey. By late afternoon we were all home again.