Kayaking in Sea of Cortez: Gonzaga Bay Day 9

The wind from the west blew very strongly all night as I slept on the beach in front of Alfonsina’s on the shore of Gonzaga Bay.  I had a much-appreciated breakfast at Alfonsina’s, $6.00.  But the best part, I was able to use the shower at Alfonsina’s, washing all the accumulated salt off me while kayaking in Sea of Cortez. I brought a few of my salt laden clothes into the shower with me, so I did the laundry at the same time! Clothes drying on top of my tent and across my kayak was the sign of a happy camper.

I had forgotten to call home yesterday so this morning I walked with the sand blowing in my face over to the store, which is about 2 miles from the beach. I made the call to home but there was no answer and I had to leave a message.  

In the store I met a guy whose name was Ron, and he gave me a ride back to the beach in his truck.  Ron was from Belmont Shore in Long Beach, where my wife and I had lived when we were first married.  He comes down here for a month at a time.  He said that when it is blowing in Los Angeles with a Santa Ana wind, it really blows down here, and this morning his car radio reported the wind was blowing about 50 miles an hour in the Cajon Pass east of Los Angeles.  Ron’s prediction meant that I could expect even stronger winds throughout the day today.  

The wind seemed to be dying a little, so I thought I’d better move on because this place was starting to cost me. Well, $6 wasn’t that much, but I was anxious to get going and I didn’t want to pay for another night camping on the beach. I couldn’t worry about the incomplete call to home unless I wanted to spend another night.

There is a long-curved beach south of Alfonsina’s and for the first 2 or 3 miles, or so, the wind was blowing offshore, coming from my right as I went south. In order to keep from being blown offshore I stayed very close to the shore, about 10-20 yards from the sandy beach shoreline.  After about 3 miles the wind came more from my back, so I tried to set sail.  The wind was blowing about 15 or 20 miles an hour at this point, so setting the sail up was a bit of a struggle.  Even without the sail up at all, I was moving along at about two knots.  As I described before, the sail is a “V” shaped affair, with two poles that you hold in your hands, while steering using the rudder pedals.  I used the sail for about 20 minutes, then it just got too rough to be holding the sail when I should be holding the paddle, so I took the sail down.

The waves and wind kept building and it was getting scary, so I landed along the sandy beach.  Luckily the beach had curved to the east and the west wind was now blowing parallel to the beach, so the waves were not too bad.  When I landed though, the wind was howling, and the sand blasted my feet and bare legs.  I needed to pitch the tent to get out of the sandblast.  After about 15 or 20 minutes I was able to get the tent pitched, but the wind kept flattening it down and I was afraid it would break the poles.  I rigged up a set of lines with heavy rocks to hold the tent as best I could.  Inside the tent I was out of the sandblast, and I peeked out the door every hour or so to see what the wind and waves were like.  There was no let up. 

While waiting in the tent, I took the time to check out my medical condition.  I have this rash on my legs above my ankles, it may be sunburn, or something I’m allergic to.  Maybe its sand flies biting me, I didn’t know. I have bites on my legs that I’m scratching; they’re driving me crazy with itching.  My right foot has a raw spot on the ball of my big toe that was painful when I wore my sandals.  It seems that there’s always sand between my foot and the sandals and that is what was rubbing it raw. I started going without my sandals while I was in the kayak, hoping to get some relief. Actually, it was easier to work the rudder pedals with bare feet, anyway.

The clouds were high and in lines running from north to south, but the winds were from the west.  Every time I thought there was less wind, the tent started shaking again and was almost pushed over sometimes.  Only my weight kept the tent from blowing away. 

The tide peaked at about 1:00 p.m. and has since dropped about 4 ft., exposing some rocky points that go way out into the sea.  If I waited any longer, I would have to go way offshore to get around every one of these rocky points, taking me out into stronger waves.  

The winds never stopped, but I put in anyway and I went fast along the shore.  When I finally stopped again to eat the was sand blowing across the beach so hard that it stung my legs.  I had to wrap myself in canvas and I stood there for about 20 minutes while the wind blew, hoping it would let up.  Finally, I decided to have a can of fruit, which meant that I had to open the aft hatch, letting in a flood of wind-blown sand. After the quick snack, I launched the kayak through the waves.  Finally, just before sundown, I arrived about ½ mile north of a small cluster of houses in a campo call “Punta Final”. This campo was located about 8 miles north of the rugged point of land called Punta Final that marked a major change in the geology and geography of the Baja coastline. I wanted to go further but the waves grew so large I was sure to capsize.  After landing, I placed the kayak perpendicular to the wind and pitched the tent on the lee side.  I used the kayak to anchor the tent, and that seem to work well.

The sun was just about to go down, so I knew I was stuck here for the night.  I cooked my dinner in the tent over a small camp stove while the wind blew and rattled the sides of the tent. 

Next:  Day 10 – Punta Final

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