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Old 28-07-2016, 13:46   #46
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

Fly to Belize, airfare is pretty low. You can sail one direction then another behind a reef. Good pizza, ice cream, snorkeling.
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Old 28-07-2016, 13:48   #47
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

In case my earlier posts were not clear, Banderas Bay is considered to be the 3rd best sailing in the world; this from some world famous publication I can't specifically recall.

I have spent nearly a year in Puerto Vallarta, refitting a sailing yacht. My preference is the old Marina Vallarta, with the boatyard. South from there, by boat, Tenacatita is a nice stop for crab rollos, on the way to Barra de Navidad or other anchorages. But there is lots to see and do around Puerto Vallarta, including many fabulous restaurants.
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Old 28-07-2016, 14:22   #48
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

Having sailed extensively in most of Mexico, I'm with Tacoma Sailor on this one. Some of the best sailing I've ever done is from Partida to Francisquito in December with 30-40 knots close reaching. A complete blast, secure in the knowledge that there is beautiful, secure anchorage ahead at the end of the day.

And, on the same route in tamer conditions you can drop a lunch hook at Islas Lobos and jump in with the snorkels. Just as good as the Marietas, and you don't have to get a permit or pay a fee or swim with 200 other people who just ran out on one of the tours.

If you want a beer on the beach at the end of the sail then SoC is probably not the right place, but if you like the big empty spaces in the world, well...
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Old 29-07-2016, 14:34   #49
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

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i have to agree with terra nova.
banderas bay is a world class sailing ground with world class regattas to prove this.
la paz and the rest of baja is a gringos ex pat paradice. with wlwvated pricing to accompany this.
and there is chartering in pv. same alcaputo. yup big cities often have boat chartering, especially if they are turista zones without big shipping.
sea of cortez, aka gulf of california, is a lovely place to see sea life and have anchorages really really close, just for turistas. awesome. many gringos trying to escape the nasty weather that san diego often presents with in december until january.
whenye wanna see mexico, leave soc. start with banderas bay and head south east. you will be amazed at how many anchorages so close together and so beautiful there are.
it is kinda like floridas forgotten coast--forgotten. beautiful and forgotten.
but those who never sail south of banderas bay donot learn this. knowing a little spanish is helpful.
start in yelapa, which is inside banderas bay. mexico is not all about anchorages as it is the places the anchorages are near.
i disliked the openness of la cruz anchorage, enjoyed mazatlans old harbor, really enjoyed barras lagoon, zihuat is so very beautiful, and i have not even begun this -- south west of zihuat is alcaputo, and then puerto escondido, huatulco and many other anchoring locations of merit.
UNLESS you are all about the bars and cantinas and your non local friends
and why are you sitting inside your boat in an anchorage instead of exploring the interior of mexico--so many volcanos and pyramids and ruins of the cultures the spanish and others decimated. (oh, yeah, i forgot. there are no bars filled with gringos in the interior of mexico haha ha ha ha )

oh yeah jamhass---you have forgotten i watch weather for others and have been here in mexico since april 2011. as you have not been in my boat nor in my shoes, i think your dissing is a lil uncalled for, especially as you have no idea what my history in mexico has been , even since before my sailing here.
owning a car in san diego does not mean sitting on ass in a parking lot not making adventures. h aha h aha ha ha ha. same for owning a boat in specific locales in mexico.

Wow, that's a lot of scorn directed at someone trying to help out the OP.
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Old 29-07-2016, 15:13   #50
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

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Wow, that's a lot of scorn directed at someone trying to help out the OP.
one problem with this planet is folks who NEED to interpret honesty as anything other than what it is. scorn is only from you, hombre, no one else. before you diss, try sailing down here. might open your eyes some.

what this thread is is an expose of mexican sailing--it is all good. desert is in gulf of california--to mazatlan. tropic of cancer runs thru mazatlan.
something for everyone, including those who love sailing with same gringos every season.
sayulita(beautiful beach town just north of banderas bay) and south are green and very tropical, greener as you head south. the temperatures also level out around cabo corrientes so year round is all same temp. just changes in humidity. so much different from soc and mazatlan and even la cruz area. in zihuat, year round temps are 90/ barra--80-85. only difference summer to winter is humidity. mucho in summer and very comfortable in winter.
that is why winter is high season. good sailing winds and beautiful places. winter starts nov 30. ends may 15.
chartering boats is possible in la paz and alcaputo. not sure about banderas bay for chartering. day charters out of la cruz on party trimarans.
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Old 29-07-2016, 15:17   #51
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

We were in La Paz twice in 2010 and 2011... It is a wonderful town.

We also spent the summer of 2011 in the Sea of Cortez and it is really beautiful and well worth sailing.

BUT as a sailing vacation, I won't do it in December. The weather is just to iffy during that time and you could have a wonderful time or be miserable and forced to sit on the anchor for days at a time.

Most fulltime Mexico Cruisers head south by December and spend the winter in Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta or other cities south of there for the warmer water and mild weather. We went down to Zihuatanejo the first year we were in Mexico.

Also I noticed nobody mentioned that the Sea of Cortez is cold during the winter months, so no swimming without wetsuits.

Someone already suggested Shawn and Heather's Cruising Guide to the Sea of Cortez, which is an excellent reference.

If I were you, I would look for a Caribbean Sail for December or wait to sail the Sea of Cortez in April or May when the weather is great!

Whatever you do.. Have fun!


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Old 29-07-2016, 16:43   #52
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

All this nonsense about PV being the 3rd best sailing in the world is crazy. There is just light air sailing, if that. If you said SF Bay was the 3rd best spot, how could you argue but Banderas Bay? Many places in the Caribbean are way better.
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Old 29-07-2016, 16:46   #53
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

My sailing area's better than yours...yeah, yeah.
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Old 29-07-2016, 17:01   #54
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

Quote:
Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
one problem with this planet is folks who NEED to interpret honesty as anything other than what it is. scorn is only from you, hombre, no one else. before you diss, try sailing down here. might open your eyes some.

what this thread is is an expose of mexican sailing--it is all good. desert is in gulf of california--to mazatlan. tropic of cancer runs thru mazatlan.
something for everyone, including those who love sailing with same gringos every season.
sayulita(beautiful beach town just north of banderas bay) and south are green and very tropical, greener as you head south. the temperatures also level out around cabo corrientes so year round is all same temp. just changes in humidity. so much different from soc and mazatlan and even la cruz area. in zihuat, year round temps are 90/ barra--80-85. only difference summer to winter is humidity. mucho in summer and very comfortable in winter.
that is why winter is high season. good sailing winds and beautiful places. winter starts nov 30. ends may 15.
chartering boats is possible in la paz and alcaputo. not sure about banderas bay for chartering. day charters out of la cruz on party trimarans.
I have not problem with honest opinions, and I will respect your opinions. Just not the way you choose to express them.

And Bandaras Bay may be some of the best sailing but is the bay the best cruising?

Cruising means different things to different people. Some people want to cruise from bar to bar, some want a quieter experience. Neither is wrong, just different.
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Old 29-07-2016, 17:16   #55
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

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My sailing area's better than yours...yeah, yeah.

You think the wind blows there? You must have really been around. There is no decent wind from PV to Panama. If you hung out in Huatulco waiting for a Tehuantepecer, that might fun but otherwise it's fluky. A sailing vacation could do with dependable wind not something you get once a week.
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Old 29-07-2016, 20:45   #56
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

Wow, some crazy misinformation in this thread.

You'll never see 12' swells in the soc. You will see short square waves that come at short interval, and are really unpleasant, when wind and tide oppose each other.

A norther can blow for a few days, which on a short trip might be a problem. Ideally if you could spend your whole time on a boat, if a norther was blowing you can dine out in la paz, and if it's not you can go sailing.

There are plenty of anchorages that are very close together and offer protection from northers... if one comes up one afternoon, by the next morning you can typically relocate. Sure some blow for multiple days, but not all, not even most.

The water is gin clear, and warm compared to southern California waters. Don't expect any shore life at any of the anchorages, there's Maggie's at Evaristo, but it's not what I would be going for. Go for the gin clear water, where you can watch your hook set in the white sand below the boat. You can sail at 3 knots because there's no swell. You also sleep good because there's no swell.

PV is horribly touristy, and if you anchor out at La Cruz or Pta Mita you may have swell, but probably not in winter. You'd be hard pressed to get to Tenacatita and back in a week.

If you want bars at every anchorage you should go to the BVI's, not baja. Once you get about half way up Espiritu Santos you won't even have cell service anymore. The only social life will be with other boats in the anchorages. There will be lots of Canadians around. Fishing is pretty much wiped out, you should eat your fish tacos in La Paz.

We are currently in San Carlos, MX. We were in La Paz off and on since winter 2015. We did Thanksgiving in La Paz, and Christmas and New Years at San Evaristo. We were last in La Paz two months ago.

I'd post some pics but our internet is intermittent, I'll probably spend at least 5-10 minutes trying to get this to post.

A lot of the northers aren't that bad, we were able to beat to weather in them a few times. A lot of them are 15-20 kts, as long as you get out at the beginning of a blow you're fine. If it's a 3 day blow you won't want to be going north on day 2 or 3, the SoC will have those short square waves. But they are typically gone 12 hours after the wind stops blowing. Of course, if you're as far north as you want to be, then you'll welcome a norther to blow you back to la paz!

As we sit here stewing in our sweat in the 75% humidity of San Carlos, we can't wait until the northers start to blow and we can ride them back to La Paz! We're hoping Bay of LA will give us a little break on the humidity scale.

If you wait until spring, you might have to deal with Corumels, a south wind that blows right into all those anchorages with great north protection. Also more bo-bo's in spring, little gnats that try to land on your eyeballs, nose, ears, and mouth. Annoying as hell.

Better sign off, the wind is picking up, we're in for a blow.
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Old 29-07-2016, 21:04   #57
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Re: Sailing in La Paz

Autumnbreeze77 sounds like he's got it dead on correct.

And Bahia de Los Angeles is one of the neatest places anywhere. At least it was in 1993 when I was last there. Not much changes in the Baja (except Cabo, which all people from LA).


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