March 2012 Mazatlan We managed to keep a record of some of our track down Baja to Mazatlan.

Squid

March 2012 passage from Ensenada to Bahia de Magdalena Every morning meant squid patrol for the person on watch when daylight hits. This requires checking the side decks and cabin top for our little friends, tossing them back in to the water and cleaning the ink. Unfortunately none were found alive. These 3 agreed to a photo shoot first. Bryan turned his nose up at calamari for breakfast.

March 2012 Sea of Cortez Sunset, the crescent new moon is that white speck above the orange horizon, and Jupiter and Venus are the first 2 "stars" out above the moon.

March 2012 Sea of Cortez Sunset with a crescent new moon.

March 2012 Isla Santa Margarita, Pacific side of Baja California between Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.

March 2012 Isla Santa Margarita photo by Bryan http://oneeyeblink.smugmug.com/

March 2012 Puerto Magdalena in Bahia Magdalena, population 110 adults and 30 niños.

March 2012 Kepler's Duck on the beach at Puerto Magdalena. Bryan and Carey are sipping beers and munching on camarones y pescados in the village's one and only palapa.

March 2012 Bahia Magdalena is full of pelagic life; whales, fish and birds as is the Baja Coast. We encountered huge (hundreds of individuals) porpoise pods, groups of dolphins (both liked to swim our bow wake), jumping rays (4 feet wide), terns (one took a couple of rest and poop stops on our dinghy, dodger and cockpit), frigate birds, boobies, lots of other birds, pilot whales and grey whales. The bay was thick with minnows. The different size/species of fish lived in their own depth, but visiting the one above them to feed on their smaller neighbour.

March 2012 Brown Pelicans were everywhere in Bahia Magdalena. photo by Bryan http://oneeyeblink.smugmug.com/

March 2012 Very dry hills of Isla Magdalena.

March 2012 Off the coast of Baja California on our way to Bahia de Magdalena This is screen print off of the iPad using AIS on iNavx which shows the commercial traffic out there. The blue triangle with the green dot is Copernicus. This was about midnight. I think there were also non AIS registered boats out there, saw some lights that I could not ID.

March 2012 Still cold on the water between Ensenada and Bahia Magdalena photo by Byran http://oneeyeblink.smugmug.com/

March 2012 Cabo Punta Banda just SE of Ensenada. The charts say "good for kelp bass, sheephead, and baracuda on NE shore and Yellowtail, bonito, kelp bass. corina, halibut and lingcod on SW shore". All I know is it's very rocky.

March 2012 Ensenada

March 2012 Ensenada's giant flag. The pole is about 104 meters tall, the flag weighs about 250 kg and is about 30 by 50 meters. The marina in the center is Baja Naval, very nice people run it, but the location is very surgy, had a hard time standing on the boat, it was easier sailing! Could not sleep it was so noisy and rolly. The dock master helped us prep for clearing into Mexico. The CIS is a few blocks away and easy walking distance. The 6 month visitor visas for Bryan and me, boat clearance, and 10 year temporary import permit for Copernicus came to 1464 pesos.... about $115 CAD.