Punta Chivato (Jan 4 - 9, 2019)

After 10 days tethered to the dock, we were pleased to be at anchor again. The biggest benefit was that our bow now pointed into the wind for the most part. At the dock, you don't swing around so those cold north winds had been blowing right down our companionway hatch - kinda like right up the kilt. It had kept us huddled below a lot instead of sitting outside in the cockpit enjoying the sights and sounds of the neighbourhood. Anyway, as noted, we were back on the hook and anchored in Bahía Inés, more commonly referred to as Punta Chivato. This area has a lot of nice looking houses, some pretty swanky, surrounded by palm trees, as well as an attractive hotel stretching out on Punta Mezquitito. A bonus for this anchorage is that we had cell phone access. The homes appear mainly to be owned by gringos who spend the winters here but down at the end of the beach there are a few shacks where the local fishers camp. The contrast is striking.

A winter escape

Fancy Hotel on Punta Mezquitito

Behind the beach is a very large area of bushes, cactus, and dirt roads; most of the houses perch on the waterfront. We figured pretty much all the residents must drive into Mulegé or Santa Rosalía for their provisions since there are no actual commercial trappings of a town. Things have obviously changed from some years ago, based on the remnants of a former restaurant, hotel and store. There is, however, a maintained airfield; we got the impression from a resident's comment that some people arrive in their private planes. Supporting this hypothesis are the storage sheds large enough to hold small planes. Hopefully, the pilots can plan the length of remaining runway better than the people labelling the sheds. We were surprised to find a golf course of sorts. One would definitely need brightly coloured balls or really good aim but we appreciated the use of the natural environment and lack of harmful chemicals needed for a more manicured course. There was a plaque memorializing a resident who had been a keen golfer and instrumental in creating this scrubby course.

Pizzeria and Chinese Food...

...but the Pantry was Bare

Running out of room?

Memorial Cactus

The 5th Hole

The weather continued to have its ups and downs. We enjoyed some calm days and some sunshine but also had a fair amount of wind, and overcast skies - the latter often spicing up the sunsets at least. We even had to call a rain day! Bailarina was to join us for breakfast but sounded very relieved when we took pity and proposed a pancake-postponement. We all stayed aboard our cozy boats and felt like we were in the Gulf Islands. On Hoku Pa'a we entertained ourselves by collecting water. The cloudy, cool, windy weather can get tiresome but sometimes all you need is another perspective. One day a powerboat zipped out of the anchorage. A woman stood at the bow, arms spread wide, repeatedly exclaiming various versions of, "Woooo hoo! Yeah! This is so awesome!!" While we were not so exuberant, we agreed she had a good point.

There is a lot of waterfront at this spot and it provided plenty to see in beachcombing wanders. The southern beach is several miles long and one area has the most impressive quantity of shells we have ever seen! Many were beat up, but as friend Ted has said, quantity has a quality all of its own. One could spend many hours searching for hidden treasures. There are a few houses for sale; one is a real fixer-upper! It appears to have been started but never finished, a sight not uncommon in Mexico. It has an unusual layout and we weren't sure if it was intended to be a restaurant, residence or something else entirely. Despite having a good view, there was little temptation to purchase it.

Incomplete Mansion?

Inside, wiring and plumbing were deteriorating

Has a great view though!

The eastern part of the point is more exposed overall but the rugged terrain offers some protected pockets. Thus, the shells we saw on this beach were of a higher quality than on the other side, although not nearly so plentiful. Some of that shelter comes from a large and bumpy coral platform which pokes out from the land in the shape of a T (from a bird's eye view). It provides a good base for a navigation light but is rather lumpy to walk on. We also found several dried triggerfish carcasses that looked like they'd been harvested. We weren't sure why they weren't tossed back into the sea. Similarly, we've noticed harvested shells in unattractive piles behind a building or near a fish camp, instead of being returned to the ocean where they could be homes for various critters. It's a mystery to us.

Coral ground reminded us a lot of Niue!

Triggerfish

As one of our favourite sayings goes: you never know what you'll find. Strolling the beach, we chatted with some folks camping in an RV and discovered they had sailed to NZ the same year we had in 2004. We didn't meet them then but they knew some of our sailing buddies. I guess it isn't too surprising to find ex-sailors living a vagabond lifestyle. They say a cruiser's life-cycle progresses this way: sailboat -> motorboat -> motorhome -> resthome. Evidence of other beach residents were found in a patch of drying mud. The footprints resembled raccoon; we had no idea raccoons were around this area, but perhaps there are. We climbed up a hill to take in the impressive view but didn't linger as it felt like we were going to be blown off.

Plenty of neat geological formations

Raccoon prints?

Oystercatchers with intense eyes

Barb bundled up in the finest of beach wear