Isla Carmen South

After a rather disappointing campsite we were eager to head south, completing the circumnavigation of Isla Carmen in less than two and a half days.  A quick stop at Punta Baja, where had camped a couple of nights earlier was followed by a crossing to Isla Danazante in perfect sea conditions.
We stopped for a morning break on Isla Danzante and were paid a visit by another group of sea kayakers.  We were talking to the group when suddenly the guide, Santiago, said "you know Axel".  The Axel he was referring to is Axel Schoevers, the well known Dutch sea kayaker.  The give away was the chart case on my front deck, made by Axel, they are without doubt the best available.  Who would have thought that a waterproof case could provide a link between 3 different nationalities on a Mexican beach.
That afternoon we made steady progress south along the coast of mainland Baja before setting up camp on a pebble beach.  The scenery was memorable, the campsite comfortable and the wine pleasant.  Little did we realize what was about to unfold as darkness fell.

Tracy heading south along the eastern shore of Isla Carmen.

Eric approaching Punta Baja, the campsite we had left just over 48 hours earlier.

Crossing the channel towards Isla Danzante, we were aiming for the dip in the ridge just to left of the bow of the kayak

Perfect conditions for the crossing.  The mountains in the background are on the Baja Peninsula.

 Morning break on Isla Danzante.  The visiting group of kayakers are just visible on the next small beach

Playa la Ballena, tents up, food on, wine poured and not a clue about what was about to hit us later in the evening

Isla Carmen just catching the evening light to the north.  This was our last view of the island we had spent the last few days circumnavigating.

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.