{"id":469,"date":"2007-05-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/?p=469"},"modified":"2009-04-15T08:56:07","modified_gmt":"2009-04-15T13:56:07","slug":"s_logs-dashew-dashew348","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/s_logs-dashew-dashew348\/","title":{"rendered":"Magdelena Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"
Magdelena Bay: A paradise most cruisers pass by. Plus, a rare daylight sighting of a giant squid!<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n

What if we told you there was a magical bay, almost as large as San Francisco, filled with wildlife, miles of untouched beaches, and protected anchorages surrounded with mangroves – and that most cruisers pass this paradise by?<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

This is Magdelena Bay, a little over 500 miles from Ensenada, Mexico. <\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Here’s a chart outline of the area we are talking about. You could easily spend a month exploring here.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The entrance is wide open and easy to negotiate (there are reefs at both edges, but staying in the middle keeps you well clear).<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

And if it happens that you are here between late January and March, you will be treated to a large concentration of gray whales during their winter rendezvous.<\/p>\n

This is our third time inside Mag Bay, and having just spent a quick five weeks of recon inside the Sea of Cortez, if we were doing this again we’d stop here and just hang until it was time to return to the "real world".<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The concentration of bird life is amazing. Look at the beach in the foreground of the photo above. <\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

There must be a thousand pelicans waiting for the word to start the day’s hunt.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

We’d see these guys flying by at first light. Sometimes they would be in small groups.<\/p>\n

\"birdwatching<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

At other times there would be huge flocks. They returned in late afternoon to congregate on the beach and probably tell tales about the ones that got away.<\/p>\n

\"pelican<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

These pelicans would fly so close to the boat we were occasionally able to catch them full frame in the camera.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The scenery varies from jagged cliffs at the entrance of Mag Bay…<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

…to lovely white beaches made of from a soft, powdery sand.<\/p>\n

\"giant<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

We’ve been hearing about the giant squid now common in this part of the world. We found this chap in shallow water at the edge of the beach.<\/p>\n

\"giant<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

It seemed to be OK. The tentacles were digging under the sand, perhaps chasing a meal. Oh, and it was about five feet (1.5m) long.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The beaches and rolling sand dunes beg for exploration. You never know what you are going to find.<\/p>\n

\"porpoise<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Here’s a mystery for you. This porpoise skeleton is a half mile inland from the bay, at an elevation of about 30 feet (9m) above sea level.<\/p>\n

\"dolphin<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

We’re not sure if it was blown ashore in a hurricane in recent times, or dates back to prehistoric times.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Did we mention we like white sand beaches?<\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

This is also a great place to get those photos to remind you of life’s priorities when you start to get caught up in the rat race.<\/p>\n

If the preceding photos are not enough, you can follow channels through the mangroves 30 miles north to Boca Soledad. <\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The chart above is from the north end of Mag Bay to Boca Soledad. This is one of the major whale watching spots in Baja. You’ll be sharing the experience with a lot of tourists, but the trip itself is fascinating, and the whales are very accustomed to being viewed by boats close by.<\/p>\n

We took Sundeer<\/em> up here fifteen years ago, with 6.5 foot (2m) of draft. We recently chatted with some cruisers who made it up with 8 foot (2.4m) of draft. It is a question of watching the water and depth finder, and keeping a close eye on the tides. It also helps to have a kedge handy. And, of course, you can go ahead with the dinghy and sound out the channel. Once you’ve got the channel figured, the return trip is easy.<\/p>\n

The port of San Carlos is at the head of the Magdelana Bay. This is a commercial operation, but you can anchor nearby and take your dink ashore to explore the town. There is also bus and taxi service to La Paz – a short ride across the peninsula (as opposed to a long boat ride around the bottom of Baja).<\/p>\n

Mag bay is a three-day sail southeast for most boats after clearing into Mexico at Ensenada. Our advice is to make this in a single hop, saving the anchorages along the route for the return trip.<\/p>\n

If you are in Southern California, wanting to experience some wonderful cruising, and are short on time, Magdelena Bay should be high on your list of possibilities.<\/p>\n

\"Magdelena<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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