Hi Judy and Brian, We spent close to a year in the Sea of Cortez. A very
nice place to be. Water and ice are not much of a problem. Paperwork is!
Most of the places you will anchoring at have fisherman. They need ice and
water also. the Baja side of the Sea is well supplied with fresh water from
a huge aquifier. Good water too. We never got sick from it. We also had a
PUR watermaker and used it a lot. Getting water from shore can be a hassle.
Tourista from the water can be a problem on the mainland though. If buying
ice on that side of the sea make sure it is made with "aqua purificada". The
fisherman need to ice their catch so there are a number of plants that
deliver ice to various locations. It's cheap. We had refridgeration so we
never bought any except while in the major ports when we wanted cocktails.
Lots of friends did though. Sailing isn't the best in the world during the
colder months as the winds tend to be light. Bring a 150 and or a drifter.
Spinniker could be nice too. Exception to this can be the sunset winds
(Corumels) which will frequently find you at anchor. Better than good ground
tackle is required. Stories of boats dragging down there are common. If you
want to trailer down consider putting in at San Carlos in the upper part of
the sea. You can get there from Arizona on an excellent highway. You could
also consider putting in San Diego and sailing down the coast. Problem with
that is you have to get it back. Lyric is still down in La Paz and I don't
know if I should get a trailer and bring her back from San Carlos, hire a
truck to bring her back or bash (motor)back up the coast. Fuel is scarce and
I'd have to carry a lot more than the tank holds. If you sail down the coast
you will have hundreds of miles between poor facilities. Be prepared to deal
with your own problems because finding help is difficult. Another option is
to go down with a group. The Baja Haha sponsored by Lattitude 38 leaves San
Diego every fall. Brian, wasn't it you that we met in Banderas Bay a couple
of years ago? Walt, Lyric 120
nice place to be. Water and ice are not much of a problem. Paperwork is!
Most of the places you will anchoring at have fisherman. They need ice and
water also. the Baja side of the Sea is well supplied with fresh water from
a huge aquifier. Good water too. We never got sick from it. We also had a
PUR watermaker and used it a lot. Getting water from shore can be a hassle.
Tourista from the water can be a problem on the mainland though. If buying
ice on that side of the sea make sure it is made with "aqua purificada". The
fisherman need to ice their catch so there are a number of plants that
deliver ice to various locations. It's cheap. We had refridgeration so we
never bought any except while in the major ports when we wanted cocktails.
Lots of friends did though. Sailing isn't the best in the world during the
colder months as the winds tend to be light. Bring a 150 and or a drifter.
Spinniker could be nice too. Exception to this can be the sunset winds
(Corumels) which will frequently find you at anchor. Better than good ground
tackle is required. Stories of boats dragging down there are common. If you
want to trailer down consider putting in at San Carlos in the upper part of
the sea. You can get there from Arizona on an excellent highway. You could
also consider putting in San Diego and sailing down the coast. Problem with
that is you have to get it back. Lyric is still down in La Paz and I don't
know if I should get a trailer and bring her back from San Carlos, hire a
truck to bring her back or bash (motor)back up the coast. Fuel is scarce and
I'd have to carry a lot more than the tank holds. If you sail down the coast
you will have hundreds of miles between poor facilities. Be prepared to deal
with your own problems because finding help is difficult. Another option is
to go down with a group. The Baja Haha sponsored by Lattitude 38 leaves San
Diego every fall. Brian, wasn't it you that we met in Banderas Bay a couple
of years ago? Walt, Lyric 120