Review of Anchorages & A New Video
Hi Everyone! We are back with a filmed version of our time in San Jose del Cabo. -In case you didn’t want to read the blog a few weeks back about it. Hey, we know. Reading, it’s not for everyone.
We have also included reviews of the anchorages & of our Ensenada Marina Coral stay on the west coast of Baja. Hopefully we have inspired some of you to consider doing this voyage in years to come. Although we can’t blame anyone for being scared off. It’s not travel for those who want to…. relax. -Ever! 😂
Hooray! It’s time for another video. -Another video without drama. Here’s another one that just includes fun! -Which is what we prefer when cruising.
Click on pic above to watch!
Ensenada:
Marina Cortez:
Cost- It was $75 per night. That’s $2.50 per foot.
Convenience- Not around any useful place in Ensenada.
Service- Office friendly, responsive & helpful.
Facilities/Amenities- Showers -decent condition but a bit of a walk to get to, water &
electricity at dock. Fuel dock close.
Comfort- Well sheltered.
Pros- Responsive staff, cell reception, well maintained marina, 2 restaurants, hotel there
in case you want a night in a room instead of your boat.
Cons- Nothing very close. A little bit pricey.
Marina Coral in Ensenada.
San Quintin:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Nice to break up sail from Ensenada to Bahia de Tortugas.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be calm & can be rolly.
Pros- Plenty of room for lots of boats.
Cons- Not much there.
San Quintin. -When you don’t want to sail for 3 days straight.
Bahia de Tortugas:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Need to dinghy to shore. Not too bad of a landing. Small markets fairly
close. Water not so close. Most people wary of fuel bought there.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- It depends if there is a swell or not. Pretty protected unless winds & swell are
coming from the west.
Pros- Extremely nice people. Welder, Gonsalvo, is super talented, affordable & efficient.
Cons- No restaurants. At least I don’t remember any. But I think some may have shut
down after hosting the Baja Ha-Ha. Local markets very limited in what they carry.
Filtered water a bit of a walk to get to.
Bahia de Tortugas. A sanctuary after a long sail.
Bahia Asuncion:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- A bit tricky to land dinghy here. Shore is rocky & there is almost always a
bit of wave action. Markets close by but limited on what they stock. Diesel & water
still a bit of a walk.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be a bit rolly. Just depends on swell & wind. A bit open so not the most
protected anchorage.
Pros- Friendly town. Helpful people. Sunset Mary’s is a great place to hang out to eat,
drink & get some Wi-Fi; although it is slow. Town is small enough that everywhere is
pretty walkable.
Cons- Challenging shore landing from a dinghy.
Bahia Asuncion. Lovely little town. I’d definitely go back!
Punta Abreojos:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Not.
Service- N/A
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Not protected. Super rolly & windy.
Pros- Ummm…..
Cons- Super rolly & windy. Town a bit gloomy.
Punta Abreojos. These photos are all you need.
San Juanico:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- A little on the desolate side. Not much in the way of markets or
restaurants. In fact. The only restaurant that we noticed that was close to the landing
point was just on the cliff overlooking the anchorage. Good food but not an extensive
menu. I think their hours are hit & miss at this point too. There is a purified water
place though. And it’s fairly close by.
Service- N/A
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Somewhat open. Very open to the west. Slightly rolly.
Pros- Kind of empty now but it’s slowly being built up so there is hope for it in the
upcoming years.
Cons- Not much available there now.
San Juanico. -An up & coming Baja town.
Santa Maria:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Next logical place to stop from Bahia Asuncion, Punta Abreojos or San
Juanico.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- We were only there one night but it seemed pretty well protected.
Pros- Pleasant scenery.
Cons- Not much there.
Bahia Santa Maria moonset.
Man of War Cove:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- As far as getting there from Santa Maria, it’s not the most convenient. It’s
like taking the longest U-turn of your life. But worth it if the weather is going to be
gnarly outside of Magdalena Bay. There are supossedly 3 restaurants. I don’t think
there’s a market. No fuel or water.
Service- N/A
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be rolly.
Pros- Very pretty. Nice people. The restaurant that we ate at just up from the beach
was delicious & had a view of the bay.
Cons- Nowhere to get supplies.
Man of War Cove. -Which is actually pretty peaceful.
San Carlos:
Cost- You will probably drag anchor or run aground here & that is costly enough.
Convenience- Absolutely not!
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- None.
Pros- None.
Cons- Where do I start?….
San Carlos. Don’t visit via the water. Visit only by land!
As I’m looking back at all of these places, it reminds me of how difficult that part of our trip was. Wow! Grateful to have the experiences & to have gotten through them all but relieved we survived. We met some wonderful people though. -Both locals & other cruisers. I can see why people might choose to drive down through Baja & stop at these towns if they aren’t inclined to sail. I think it’s probably more convenient to drive than sail. -However, we do travel with our own house that includes a bathroom. -And that, my friends, is priceless!
Pure sweetness.
Thanks for reading! Join us next week as we continue to venture up the Sea of Cortez! We explore new islands & new shores of Baja. In the meantime, enjoy celebrating Juanito Juarez’s Birthday &/or St. Patrick’s Day!
