Our next stop on our way to La Paz was Bahia los Frailes which is not
too far from the Tropic of Cancer at 23° 27’ N. The trip north was well
planned (actually it was more luck) because we had an amazingly speedy
motor sail with south winds and south swells, which is highly unusual
for this time of year. We were enjoying trying to best each other’s
fastest speeds while surfing Deep Playa down
the large swells. We arrived in Bahia los Frailes and were yet again
taken aback by the lack of protection from the Sea of Cortez. Patrick
and I had become so accustomed to well-protected Puget Sound anchorages
where we rarely were exposed to anything except tidal changes and swift
currents. But we quickly got over our concern and dropped anchor close
to the beach in 5 fathoms of crystal blue 83° water in good holding sand
tucked behind the large headland of Cabo los Frailes. Cabo los Frailes
juts out into the Sea topped by Cerro los Frailes (the Hill of the
Friars) which rises 775’ above sea level and provides some good
protection from north winds and swell. I had big plans of climbing that
bad boy the very next day in hopes of taking some pictures of the
breath-taking panoramic views. According to one of the guidebooks you
could scramble to the top even though there were no trails.

Bahia los Frailes Anchorage – Deep Playa in the background
I was so excited to wake up early the next day to go exploring the very
long white sand beach and hike up that hill. Patrick, on the other
hand, was let’s just say, less than enthusiastic about the idea. As we
set out early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day we hiked
closer and closer to the foot of the hill. Patrick was growing
concerned as it did not look as if it offered good holding on its steep
scree-covered hillside.

Cerro los Frailes on Cabo los Frailes
Patrick, being an experienced climber, vetoed the whole plan as there
were fairly large areas of recent rockslides and not to mention the
loads of really good hiding places for snakes.
I understood the
logic but I was extremely disappointed anyway. So instead we hiked a little
while over the dunes and went into the village in search of a
restaurant that, according to the guide book, offered cervezas fria. We stumbled
into the little fishing village and RV park where we ran into some Americans and
Canadians that made this place their home for 6 months out of the year
for the past 15-20 years! We asked about the restaurant and learned
that the old guy who ran the place just passed, in some unusual
circumstances, three weeks prior and that no one had come forward to
take it over.

No cerveza fria…it’s closed.
As luck would have it, the little village was host to a couple locals
who had brought fresh organic produce from the farm a few hours away.
Oh I had been craving fresh lettuce and other veggies to make a huge
salad. We had used up our last stalk of celery and carrot just a few
days earlier for a rice and beans dinner. They were also patient enough
to allow me to practice my Spanish and helped me with pronunciation.
“Lechuga” (holding up lettuce) “Si Senorita!” “Ajo” (holding up garlic)
“AH hoh Senorita”, stressing the A and H syllable, and so it went
back and forth until my veggies and fruit were packed in una balso (bag)
and taken back to Deep Playa. That night I made a huge taco salad
complete with fresh avocados, chilies, tomatoes, peppers and black
beans.
Muy bueno!

Fresh produce from local organic farmers helping me with my Español!
Since we were planning on leaving early the next morning to head further
north 50 NM to Ensenada de los Muertos we went to bed early. We will
be back again soon enough to explore further and to enjoy the long
beautiful white sand beach.