Sea of Cortez Advice

[gts1544]

I have always wanted to explore the Sea of Cortez. My plan would be to try to find an inexpensive, cruising boat ($10,000 / 30-35”) that I could use in those relatively, sheltered waters. Now to the meat of my post! I would appreciate input and advice on inexpensive boatyards / marinas, that I could use to base / store the boat between cruising episodes. I am not a “gold faucets” type of guy, obviously, but would like at least minimal amenities combined with safety and security. I should mention that the “Admiral” is Puerto Rican, speaks fluent Spanish and is Latin “street-smart”. Any input, based on experience or solid word of mouth would be most appreciated. Sorry, folks, but I can't get rid of the "BOLD"

[jeremiason]

Your comment of relatively sheltered waters makes me mention that the Sea of Cortez, offers some really great sailing, but in the winter months, is cold and very stormy... The Sea is over 700 miles long and the fetch can be enormous.

During the summer months, there is always the possiblity of a Hurricane coming up the Sea or rolling over the Baja Pennisula. In addition, during the summer months there are Chubbasco Winds (Squalls) and Elephante Winds (Pacific Wind blowing into the Baja).

With that said, we spent the summer of 2011 in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). The Sea of Cortez incredibly beautiful and after 9000 NM through Mexico, Central America and now the Western Caribbean, have found the Sea of Cortez is our favorite cruising ground... so far.

There are a number of marinas in the Sea of Cortez that should meet your needs, depending on what you intend to do.

If you want to leave the boat on the hard for the winter or hurricane season, the best bet would be San Carlos or Guaymas on the mainland side of the Sea. La Paz also has dry storage.

In addition, there are marinas in La Paz, Santa Rosalita, San Felipe, Puerto Penasco and Topolobmpo. There are also moorings in Puerto Escondito, 10 miles south of Loredo.

A good reference is the cruising guide by Shawn Breeding & Heather Bansmer "Sea of Cortez - A Cruiser's Guide". This book is the bible for cruisers in Mexico and has all the information you will like require.

Good Luck!

[susswein]

I bought a balboa 27 in San Carlos 4 years ago for $3000 and have been using it to cruise the sea for three months each winter, so this is very do-able. There are a lot of boats in san carlos that have been on the market for years and may not even be listed with the brokers anymore that you could probably pick up for your price range. If you can find a boat with a trailer (even a yard trailer) your off season storage costs will be reduced by 60% or more. Best bet would be to check on the 2 san carlos boards and put the word out that you're in the market.

Steve