Just signed up for a trip with a commercial outfitter to Baja in Februrary. (If Jackie says it is O.K. I will tell you which company) It will be a 5 day tour of Bahia De Los Angeles to look for Fin, Brye and Gray whales. (I hope to have a whale of a time) I will probably be paddling a Looksha IV. (It's plastic but the design is fantastic) Also to avoid controvrsey with the paddlewise gang I requested a boat with a rudder but that it be unfeathered. I will provide the feathers myself. This will be my first trip to Baja. Other than a gallon of sunblock anyone got any good suggestions? Bob Sitka, Alaska *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bob My wife and I took a trip with a Canadian outfitter to Baja, early Feb 97. That was our first kayaking trip and was fantastic. We camped on offshore islands (Pacific side) and went three days before we saw another person outside our group - a Mexican fisherman tending his nets. My fondest memory is waking up and hearing a momma grey whale and her calf blowing 50 feet away from our campsite. That was our last campsite and we spent three days there. When I returned to Texas, I awoke for 3-4 days hearing those whales blowing. It was great. We could watch whales and dolphins jumping from our campsite. We were prohibited from getting close to whales in our kayaks but took a trip in a fishing boat and the whales were attracted to noise/vibrations from engines and would approach boats. One calf let people pet it. We were fortunate to celebrate Mardi Gras in La Paz at the start of our trip (unplanned surprise). Days were warm (in 70s), nights were cool. One night was windy and wind chill was in 30s or low 40s. We had full moon and tides were in our favor. Stars were unbelievable - one night we got up at 3am for star gazing - one of the guides had his telescope set up for us. Dianne is into birdwatching and identified more types of birds on that trip than she had ever seen in such a short period of time. We are nature lovers and really enjoyed the trip. Kayaking was probably secondary to everything around us. We used Seaward doubles outfitted with centerboards (& rudders). Got to sail downwind one day. Nice experience. One guy on the trip brought a wet suit for snorkeling. Water is cold - about 50 degrees - probably warm for Alaska but cold for Texas. That trip got us hooked on kayaking. It is amazing how close you can get to nature in a kayak. Tim >>-----Original Message----- >>From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >>[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Rev. Bob >>Carter >>Sent: Friday, September 17, 1999 8:30 PM >>To: paddle wise >>Subject: [Paddlewise] Baja >> >> >>Just signed up for a trip with a commercial outfitter to Baja >>in Februrary. >>(If Jackie says it is O.K. I will tell you which company) >> >> >>It will be a 5 day tour of Bahia De Los Angeles to look for >>Fin, Brye and Gray >>whales. (I hope to have a whale of a time) >> >> >>I will probably be paddling a Looksha IV. (It's plastic but >>the design is >>fantastic) >> >> >>Also to avoid controvrsey with the paddlewise gang I >>requested a boat with a >>rudder but that it be unfeathered. I will provide the feathers myself. >> >> >>This will be my first trip to Baja. Other than a gallon of >>sunblock anyone got >>any good suggestions? >> >> >>Bob >> >> >>Sitka, Alaska >> >> >> >> >> >>************************************************************** >>************* >>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >>Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >>Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >>Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ >>************************************************************** >>************* >> *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Really good trip report from someone from AK going to Baja that you might find interesting. http://www.kck.org/ James Rev. Bob Carter wrote: > > Just signed up for a trip with a commercial outfitter to Baja in Februrary. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
RE Baja: You do not mention previous sea kayaking experience-beyond backpacking. Baja can be a stern teacher of sea kayaking. Inexperienced paddlers have been badly spanked, and some have been lost. Though the Sea of Cortez may not have the long distance swells of the Pacific, it can develop 10 foot seas when El Norte blows down hundreds of miles of fetch, which can last for days. Also, sudden 35 knot offshore winds can arise-like those that killed several people in Bahia de Los Angeles last year when a researcher's boat was flipped. IMHO, when paddling in Baja in big seas with heavily loaded boats-especially with beam winds, beginners will benefit from rudders. (Just MHO-please don't reopen this topic.) The surrounding land is Sonoran desert with little or no available water on the more remote stretches. Water must be carried-up to 13 days supply _at_ 1 gal/person/day. You must protect water bags in kayak hard hatches from coyotes, who will dig in the bottoms of arroyos, often near palm trees to find a meager supply of water. I saw a grown man nearly cry last winter when a coyote got into a 5-liter bag of wine on the first night out on a San Felipe to Loreto trip with some friends last winter. Kayak rentals around Loreto can be hard to come by. Villas de Loreto will rent some boats if one bundles the deal with lodging there before and after at around $70 + per night. By comparison, going rates at a small hotel facing the church square run 25-35 per night. Paddling South has been reluctant to rent their kayaks-especially to inexperienced paddlers. One can see the advantage to taking guests out with the boats _at_ $1000/trip. Ecomundo on Bahia Conception south of Mulege will rent kayaks, including double Tangos. Bahia Conception is a slightly more forgiving place to learn kayaking. Also, Ecomundo has some reasonable palapas to rent for a stay before and after paddling. You can get there by bus from Loreto, by giving the driver a small tip for an unscheduled stop. The Marine Park surrounding Loreto, has wrought some protection for both the marine environment and also for some of the outfitters doing business from Loreto. The biggest manifestation I've seen of the park, are the shiny new Dodge pickups that park employees drive around Loreto. You must register with both the Port Captain's office and the Marine Park office, and reserve campsites on the islands- and even register for campsites on the coast-if you are to follow the regs. There have been reports of outfitters turning in private parties that did not have proper permits for camping on the islands. Per regs, groovers are required, as well as radios. Practice may vary; we avoided contact last year. Most commercial trips carry the Boombox toilets on the back deck of doubles. A good starting point would be one of Ed Gillet's trips or classes. They are not catered like the higher cost ones, but you will learn a lot from Ed. He has forgotten more about Baja and kayaking than some of the "guides" elsewhere presently know, IMHO. I've heard rumors that Ed and Katie may be changing their operations. Call them (619) 222-3616 or check the site http://www.swkayak.com They have posted lots of good info there. Lest you think by the tone of this post that I'm down on Baja, I'm not. I've paddled over 1000 miles there, and will go back soon. With each trip one can see changes-more development, increased regulation, etc. Matt's comments re LaPaz and in general re Baja are excellent. It's still an amazing place. Regards, Jay -Alma,CO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
You will need a tourist card for which you will pay $20. You should not go into Mexico without insurance. You can go anytime of year since there are two coasts. Bahia de los Angeles is a lovely place on the Cortez 10 hours south of San Diego. Islas Encantadas in the Bahia Gonzaga area include Miramar, San Luis and various other islands near shore that are not consistantly named in charts and maps. They are the breeding grounds for pelicans and gulls. Try to land where you will not disturb them. Bahia de los Angeles has many near shore islands as well. Although the sea can be calm beyond imagination the winds can be fierce in the afternoon, though seldom a gale. Hurricane season is over mid October but the pattern is sometimes broken. The hurricanes do not often continue as far north as this area. If you have skills and can pack a week of water you can circumnavigate Isla Angel de la Guarda (about 135 miles). I've been around twice and will probably go again in April. The entire coast of Baja both east and west are still magical. It is wise to take care to avoid eating unwashed (or peeled) produce before a paddling trip to avoid dysentery. Gasoline is about 1.5 times what is cost here. You will be stopped every 50-100 miles by military looking for drugs and guns. Consider avoiding weekend traffic returning to the US. The wait is long and you will be bothered much by hawkers. You may wish to bring unwanted clothing, blankets and other items with you to donate. Always paddle very early in the morning, take water, tell someone where you are going and when you will return. If you are out for a day paddle try to go north in the morning and return with the wind at your back. I have been down Baja California countless times always to paddle. Bring shade. There are always more bugs near the water. Tiene usted un buen viaje! Sid Taylor *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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