Copper Canyon

We left our home, which is currently suspended rather precariously on 8 stilts in the yard in Mazatlan, and traveled to Le Fuerte at the base of the mountains to commence our journey to Copper Canyon, or Baranca de Cobre as they call it in Mexico. Le Fuerte is beautiful 16th century Spanish colonial town and was quite a surprise to us and a world apart from the coastal towns we have so far visited on our Mexican travels. The wonderful Spanish architecture and old world charm has survived. 

Even more of a surprise was the hotel we had booked, The Pasado Hidalgo a converted 17th century hacienda reputed to be the birthplace of Zorro the famous Robin Hood like bandit. The hotel has retained most of its historical features and furnishings and has a maze of courtyards, passages and secret gardens that surprise you and lose you in a maze. We had only booked one night here and we could have stayed a week and still not seen all the rooms. I can honestly say this is probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. 

The following morning we took the hotel shuttle bus to the small rural railway station on the outskirts of El Fuerte and boarded the 8am train to Creel. The Copper Canyon train is supposed to be one of the worlds great train journeys, climbing from sea level to over 8,000 feet through rugged and deep canyons, alongside and across rivers, stopping off at small and otherwise isolated mountain villages. We slowly meandered our way though and up the mountains enjoying the scenery that changed from lowland plains strewn with mescite and shrubs to high Sierra bolder littered landscape with conifers and oaks that reminded us of the mountains of Colorado. We disembarked for 20 minutes at Devisidero to buy some of the fabled Gorditas, thick, hollow  tortillas filled with a choice of delicious fillings, by gosh they were tasty. The x mile journey to Creel took x hours. We were met at the station by a man wearing a Michigan State jacket who drove us and eleven others in an 8 seater minibus the short distance to one of the local hotels where we checked in and arranged our local tours for the following day. The hotel, although not as good as the Hidalgo was adequate, if not a little cold but we were well fed and everybody was very friendly and helpful, we did however have to sleep in our clothes as the room was very cold. 

 

The following morning After a hearty and warming breakfast we borded the minibus to commence the days sightseeing which included visiting the home of the local tribe of native cave dwelling Tarahumara Indians. Apparenltly this ancient tribe have changed little over the centuries, living in wooden huts during the summer then retreating to the caves for the colder winters. There are still about 2,000 of Taramuhara living in caves today. 

We also visited a local waterfall, 16th century Catholic mission and the valley of mushrooms, named after its mushroom shaped rocks. 

The next day we took another minibus back to Devisidero, stopping off at a few sights along the way including the Otero canyon where an elderly Tarahumara woman called Caterina invited us to come and visit her cave home. The home was at the top of a very high cliff commanding an amazing view over the canyon. Her one roomed home was wonderfully cozy and warm with its wood burning stove. Caterina was a wonderful little lady and we all warmed to her cheerful and open manner immediately. 

One of the thrilling adventures offered at Copper Canyon is to take one of the zip lines across the canyon. They have two options to choose from: the short but fast 1km run that is supposed to get you to a speed of 100mph or to take the 2 hour excursion which takes you on seven different zip lines and two suspension bridges over a distance of nearly 5km, unfortunately our plan to take one of these rides before departing back to el Fuerte was scuppered as they were not operating any of the rides that afternoon so we hastily arranged some accommodation in a bungalow ( sounds exotic but it was not, just clean warm and comfortable and the right price) and went for a hike along the canyon rim and take in the beauty of this wonderful mountain region of Mexico. 

The following morning we were taken by mini bus, driven by Diego our host, to the zip where we were kitted out in hard hats, harnesses and thick leather gloves for our forthcoming adventure experience. After some valuable instruction on how to attach ourselves to the zip line and how to stop it was time to launch ourselves across a 3/4km wide canyon on the first of seven zip lines. Jude went first and her screams of joy could be heard all the way across the canyon. Katya went next and I was very impressed that there was no hesitation in proceeding. After two hours of zooming across canyons and walking across very wobbly rope bridges we arrived at the cable car for a ride back up to the start. What an amazing experience we all had. We were buzzed up on adrenalin and in awe at the beauty of the canyon. I would highly recommend the whole trip to anyone, it's well worth the effort and the journey up here is part of the experience. 

We departed Devisidero on the afternoon train back to El Fuerte where we spent another night at the wonderful hotel Pasado Hidalgo, although I was annoyed at myself for leaving our trusty well traveled camera on the train lamenting the loss of all my photos of the trip more than the loss of the camera itself, although I am sure there is a very happy person out there with my camera. Have fun with it!

Katya's drawing to celebrate Mexico's Dias de los Muertos

Halloween

Unfortunately our travel from La Paz to Mazatlan got in the way of our Halloween celebrations but Katya managed to scare us at least with her "Undead Unicorn" make up. This is her second attempt at special effects, the last one being in San Diego last year where she went as an old lady and one first prize. This years make up takes it to a whole new level.

 

Katya did all the make up herself and below are some of the steps she went through 
(click image to enlarge)

 

  

5th Crossing of the Sea of Cortes

It is about 240 nautical miles from La Paz to Mazatlan where we had an appointment to do some work on the boat. The plan was to do the crossing in two stages, the first being the 60 miles from La Paz to the anchorage of Bahia Los Muertos and then leave early in the morning for an overnight crossing to Mazatlan but once we got going the winds were in a great direction and velocity that we decided to take what we had and continue the full distance in one go. We beat our way out of La Paz and then headed almost due east to Mazatlan with 15-20 knots on our port quarter. The seas were a bit confused going through the island channel but once we were in open water a steady rhythm of the swells developed and the winds lightened to 10-15kts and we were making a good speed. Darkness fell and the moon was not yet up so it was pretty dark and no other traffic about. The half moon came up at about 10pm and made for a lovely night crossing. The winds died for a few hours during the following morning and we motored before the winds came up again so that we could sail all the way to Mazatlan where we arrived at dawn, dropping the anchor off Isla Los Pajaros until the marina’s opened for business.

 

La Paz – pain pain and more pain

Don’t get me wrong we love La Paz. It has a bit of a reputation for being a place where cruisers can get stuck and there is a slightly older contingent of cruisers there but we really like the place for a number of reasons. We like the fact that you have some great destinations to sail to within a day, the wonderful island of Espirito Sancto and Isla San Francisco. We also like the city itself as its large enough to have everything you need but small enough to get around easily and find things, we also believe that the weather is better, not being quite as humid as the mainland side with its jungle and mountains. The anchorage is also very good: great holding and plenty of space when we were there and easy to get to services. 

La Paz from the anchorage on a full moon

Strange as it might seem the main reason we came to La Paz was for me to see a dentist about my rear molar. I won’t bore you with all the details but I ended up having a root canal, 2 crowns and a deep cleaning with over 10 hours in the dentist chair. The dentist we went to was the best I have ever been to: new equipment, professional and caring staff and cheap. Yes there was pain, I felt like I had done a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson.

The 4th crossing of the sea.

We departed San Carlos around midday hoping for good winds to cross the 90 odd miles to San Juanico on the Baja peninsula. As we departed the harbor the winds were sufficient for us to raise the sails. We slipped through the water for a few of hours before the winds dropped so we were going less than 1 knot so we started the engine. An hour or so later the wind picked up in a southerly direction so we trimmed the sheets tight and headed to windward doing a very pleasant 7-8 knots in relatively calm seas. Our friend Rocky and Renaye left a little while after us and we could see them in the fading light behind us, persevering in the light winds (we later found out they were almost going backwards during the time we motored). Another sail boat sped past us using their engine and soon after raised their sails. We followed them through the night pretty much all the way to San Juanico, never more than a mile or so behind them. We had one squall hit us in the early morning and we quickly reefed the sails but not before doing a 360 turn as I was disorientated in the moonless night. (Note to self: trust your instruments not your senses) 

We arrived in San Juanico and dropped the anchor in almost the same spot as we were previously and very quickly changed into our swimmers and jumped into the beautifully clear waters to cool off and have a wash. Oh how wonderful it felt.

We spent a couple of days in San Juanico before retracing our route south via Agua Verde, Los Gatos and Isla San Francisco to La Paz where my impending dental work would commence.

Before arriving in La Paz we stopped off at the very small island of Isla Islotes where you can reportedly swim with the seals. We dropped the anchor in 60 feet of water a few hundred yards from the island and swam over to the island. We could hear the seals but it was not until we got close did we see them. I have to say that this has been the highlight of my time in Mexico, swimming and watching the seals is a unique experience. What wonderful creatures they are. The young pups are not shy at all and will come up to you and allow you to touch them. Some of the adults were understandably protective of their young and charged at you if you came to close, a lesson quickly learned as it is quite intimidating seeing their jaws open as they charge. 

We made the most of the wonderful water to swim in and we languished in it to cool off as the middy temperatures rose above 30c.

What horrors await us?

The decision as to where to leave Sarita for the hot summer months, during which we would be in the UK, was one fraught with potential problems that could occur while we would be away. There were several options and each had its merits. 

La Cruz / Puerto Vallarta. We know and like La Cruz and are familiar with all the services around in case we need anything doing but we would be leaving the boat in the water and The marina is in the hurricane belt, albeit none have ever hit. The area is very humid in the summer and gets a lot of rain and thunder and lightning storms. We have heard of stories of people coming back to their boats and they had been struck by lightning and all their electronics were fried and other people coming back and the boat was destroyed inside due to mildew. I am sure there is a little bit of a cruiser myth element but there is also some truth to the stories. So we ruled La Cruz out for storing the boat.

La Paz, in the Sea of Cortez was another option. Again it’s just a marina rather than taking the boat out of the water, which I prefer if I am going to be away for a long time, but it is a great place to be. I think the climate is better, less humidity and rain and less lightening but it is in the hurricane belt as well and got hammered a few years ago with a few boats lost and a few lives as well.

San Carlos / Guaymas are both in the northern part of the sea of Cortez on the mainland side. San Carlos is not the prettiest or busiest place we have been to and having to spend a few months there would not be my cup of tea but they have both in the water and dry storage and are outside the hurricane belt, not that it is a guarantee that it will not get hit. San Carlos does have the reputation for having a very dry climate with intense heat which is supposed to produce wood cracking temperatures inside the boat if left on the hard (out of the water). People also talked of a big insect problem along with mice that destroy your upholstery. There is always something and like most things in boating the decision is always a compromise. 

We decided on San Carlos because it sounded the safest being away from hurricanes. Yes our boat is insured but with a 10% excess. San Carlos is also an easy bus ride from Phoenix.

So when we returned to our beautiful home we wondered what horrors awaited us.

We had booked ourselves into the prestigious Holiday Inn express in Guaymas, a bargain at $62 a night, and enjoyed the last of the air conditioning we would be having for sometime. We met up with our friends from Coastal Drifter and Pesto, going to the movies and getting a real soaking in a tropical storm that passed through (see Katya’s Corner). The following morning I went to have a look at Sarita and see what damage had been done and was very pleasantly surprised. No cracked wood, no infestation of mice or cockroaches (we had left traps and poison) and our full covers were still intact except for a small tear near the mast. There appeared to be no damage and the rain the previous evening had given Sarita a great wash down. I was curious to see what temperatures the inside would reach so I had left two temperature gauges in the boat which would record the maximum temp during our absence and both read 37c, much lower that we had expected. I put this down to having the full covers on the boat which kept the direct sun off the boat but allowed wind to travel under covers. 

I reconnected the batteries and was pleased to see that they still held a full charge. We would not be able to start the engine until Sarita was back in the water so we hoped that all would be good on that front.

The following day Sarita was taken down the road and back to the marina where she was launched. The engine started perfectly so we motored over to our slip and started to prepare for heading back across the sea. 

Replacing the sink tap

A couple of problems came to light – firstly the bilge pump test failed and it appeared that the bilge had a gallon or two of fresh oil in it. After much panic I found that it had come from a ruptured container of spare engine oil that was stored below decks. It had ruptured when the boat tilted on being put back in the water and was crushed by a few other containers. The heat contributed to the rupture as the plastic container became quite soft. A lesson learnt is that contrary to most advice the bilge is the hottest part of the boat not the coolest as it is closest to the outside of the hull and is painted black. The second problem that we found was that we had a leaking kitchen sink tap (faucet) and needed to be replaced as the unit is not capable of having the seal replaced. We could not turn the water on in the boat until the tap was replaced so with much frantic searching and going backwards and forwards to Guaymas on the bus I found a new tap and struggled and swore as I installed it. A very big thank you to Alex on Pesto who ferried me about in his car to get some parts to install the tap. I also had to strip down the bilge pump and repair it using parts from an old motor and clear the awful oily mess in the bilge.

Our plan was to be out of San Carlos in a couple of days and head across the sea of Cortes again and work our way south to La Paz to get my tooth sorted out. The sooner we could get out the sooner we would stop paying marina fees and enjoy swimming in the beautifully clear water. As is the way out plan took longer to execute and it was not for another 4 days until we departed.  We frantically cleaned the boat, tested systems including the water maker and bought provisions for the 3 week journey to La Paz.

All in all there were not horrors except my foul language when trying to install the new tap.