Turtle Bay - Should we stay or should we go???

Fastest cab in the Bay!

   The sail from Isla Cedros to Turtle Bay took us south past the mid-way point of the Baja peninsula. As we turned east around a mountainous headland with a fine breeze behind us, it was surprising to hear the sound of huge breakers hitting the rocks miles away from the Libertatia's position. The moon and sun both happened to be out during the day, and Lowell successfully took sextant sights of these two bodies to arrive at a final plotted position about 4 nautical miles from our actual GPS position at the time. What fun! 

Which one's the sun?

   Upon entering the protection of Turtle Bay around sunrise, we were greeted by El Capitan Gordo, the good natured, high spirited, diesel-hustling dock manager of this bustling desert outpost. We anchored, then invited Capitan Gordo to the Libertatia for coffee and pancakes. He filled us in on all the local happenings
including where to eat, and taught us some local slang. My favorite phrase translates as, "Go bite a goat," which is a common greeting among fishermen.
We all enjoyed making new friends, such as Antonio, who fed us grandmother-made menudo, and told us stories of old Turtle Bay. Things here have expanded from the original small fishing village to a thriving town full of expensive cars, due to the lobster industry. Despite the presence of wealth, we found that the residents of Turtle Bay have a strong spirit of resourcefulness and gratitude for everything they have, as well as being remarkably open to travelers. We were fortunate to attend a quinciniera, or 15th birthday, culturally a milestone for young women. It seemed that the entire town was in attendance, and we all danced to the great music of a live Mexican rock band until the early hours. With the party going strong, we danced our last dance at an hour near daybreak, before calling it a night and walking home with the music fading away behind us.
   After a few days of fun, we carefully considered whether we should sail to Cabo San Lucas during what was officially hurricane season, or call Turtle Bay home for the next several months. Due to low atmospheric moisture off the coast of Central America, as well as the below average sea temperatures off Cabo San Lucas, we concluded that our voyage would be just as safe in the middle of July as it would have been earlier in the season.
Our early morning departure was noted by a honk of the trumpet. Some fishermen in a panga waved heartily as our sails pulled us away.

...And then the waters parted.

Check out more photos of Turtle Bay here!