Trip to New Zealand is off

Circumstances have changed and we will no longer be going to New Zealand on Raven. Kurt has decided he is not ready to do the trip at this time and we are in San Carlos, Sonora, waiting to have Raven hauled out. She will be stored in a boatyard for the summer. Here are some pictures from our passage up to San Carlos in the Sea of Cortez. We swam with the sea lions at the Islotes just north of Partida island as one of our first stops.

Junior sea lion playing

Rani and sea lion - this one kept trying to bite our flippers

Sea lions playing

More frolicking

Close up

And even closer up

One juveniile was quite aggressive 

Chris got bitten through his wet suite

Sea lion love bites

We next visited Isla San Francisco where we did one of our favorite ridge walks.

San Francisco ridge walk and bay

Rani and Kurt on the ridge at Isla San Francisco

Turkey vulture and pelican pal

We also stopped in at El Gato where we had some lovely snorkeling and walks on the stunning red rocks.

Cross overlooking El Gato anchorage

Splendid rocks at El Gato

Humpbacks Breaching

La Paz

We are in La Paz and Raven is safely tucked into a slip at Marina Palmira. The remainder of the passage from Bahia Santa Maria was relatively uneventful. We stopped off in the harbour at Cabo San Lucas and enjoyed a placid anchorage after the bars shut down their sound systems. The next day we motored in calms along the south end of the Baja peninsula and got quite close to a humpback mother and her calf whom she appeared to be teaching how to spy hop. We arrived late at night at Los Muertos after turning the corner and heading north into the Sea of Cortez. It was a tense entry into the anchorage, what with trying to find a good place to anchor close into the beach but away from reefs and other boats.

Los Arcos at entrance to Cabo San Lucas harbour

Our neighbour

Humpback mother and calf. We were quite close to them as they leapt out of the water

The next day we motored and sailed up the Cerralvo Channel to Espiritu Santo island where we anchored off Bonanza Beach near 2 sailing yachts and the small Un-Cruise cruise ship 'Safari Endeavour'. We went ashore for a beach walk the next morning and then set sail for our final leg into La Paz. It felt a bit like coming home to arrive here because La Paz was our primary base for a few years while we cruised in the Sea of Cortez on Ladybug II.

Glassy waters, stunning sunset and lots of motoring

Beautiful Bonanza Beach

Doug walks the beach

Happy captain and crew arriving in La Paz

A Carnival was on when we arrived in La Paz

Hundreds of vendors line the malecon including these blanket sellers. Everyone has impressive sound systems and ear plugs are recommended