San Francisquito to Puerto Don Juan

Sailing north from Bahia San Francisquito put us in the Canal Salsipuedes (leave if you can channel). This fourteen mile wide passage between the Baja coast and Isla San Lorenzo often creates challenges for sailors.  The tide flow from the entire northern half of the Sea of Cortez must pass through this and the other channels created by the Midriff Islands. Paying attention to the tide chart is a must. We timed our thirty five mile passage up the coast to the Animas Slot so that the current would push us the whole way.

The Animas Slot is a breathtaking anchorage tucked into a canyon in the Agua Soda Mountains. It's a tiny cove with barely enough room for two boats. Once again we had the anchorage to ourselves. The full moon tide range was an impressive nine feet. We left the next morning on a flood tide that would help carry us fifteen miles to our next stop at Puerto Don Juan. The push from the current was remarkable as Solera made over six knots over ground in a very light wind.

All was well until we entered the channel into Puerto Don Juan. With sails stowed we had motored about a mile toward the protected bay when Solera's diesel suddenly quit. We dropped anchor and quickly determined that the repair would not be a simple one. The work would have to be done back in San Carlos one hundred seventy miles away. Thank goodness we are on a sailboat! Cyn and I changed our mindset a bit and started getting psyched up for a long passage under sail back to home port.

We stayed at the anchorage a few days waiting for the tides to moderate. It was fun hanging out with the crews from the two other boats anchored there, Pochteca and Siempre Sabado. Eventually they all moved on and we had Puerto Don Juan to ourselves.