Sunday, July 13, 2014

Isla Carmen

The wind of the previous day had dropped off quite quickly overnight so we launched into a calm, morning sea.  Almost immediately we were accompanied by a group of dolphins, there is always something to distract the sea kayaker in Baja.
There were several other groups of kayakers as we headed along the north coast of Isla Carmen in the morning sunshine.  Strangely we hadn't seen any other paddlers on the water, they were always on land.
The kayaking books warn of potentially hazardous conditions along the coast but whilst we were there it was pretty benign.  Punta Lobos was straightforward, although a couple of the large sea lions did become a bit more inquisitive than we were comfortable with.
The east coast of Isla Carmen was interesting with the only disappointment being the campsite at the end of the day.  We had heard that it was in a perfect location but we had seen much better ones.  After 23 nautical miles for the day though we were reluctant to head back out to sea in search of something better.  We were pleased with the days progress though so celebrated with a small tequila as we prepared the evening meal and planned the following days route.
 
 After the strong winds of the previous afternoon, the light winds and calm seas of dawn were a welcome sight
 Nicky heading east along the north coast in the early morning calm.
 Brief stop just the west of Punta Lobos, we knew that once around the point it could be a couple of hours before we could find somewhere else to land.
 Punta Lobos has a difficult reputation but it was a wonderfully calm day, with just a light swell breaking against the rocks on which the sea lions were sleeping.
 The 6 or 7 miles south from Punta Lobos was a series of impressive headlands with a few play spots.
 John paddling through one of the many arches along this stretch of coast
 It's just great to see Pelicans, either in flight or resting on the rocks.

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