March 26 - Ensenada del Candelero
I explored the whole cove and beyond in my kayak and there’s this camp of big and small tents stretched across the beach. Motor boats come and go all day long ferrying people places so it feels like Grand Central Station. I have no idea what the camp is about as I couldn’t get anyone to come talk to me when I paddled by. We left around noon to sail with just the jib out for 3+ hours so we could make water, then came in to anchor at Caleta Partida. It’s one of the largest anchorages on the island, a crater from an extinct volcano with the western and eastern sides eroded away. The bay has strong coromuel winds that whip through at all times of the day (but mostly at night) so the boat is constantly turning in a circle on the anchor. From my hammock I get a 360 view without moving my head. First night we were kept awake with a line banging against the boom and boat rubbing against the anchor chain. The next morning, sleep-deprived as I was, I kayaked over to El Cardoncito, just north into the next cove, where I saw lots of fish in the clear reefs along the cliffs. So many snorkeling spots to chose from. I’ve been averaging 5 hours a day kayaking and can’t seem to get enough. When the winds are down the water is thick and slick and the kayak glides over the surface. When the wind kicks up it’s exhausting.
March 27
Another day of paradise with a lot of unpredictable wind. I decided to kayak over to the cove we passed coming in here, El Mezteño. Had to fight against the wind to get alongside the shore in our cove, then around the corner more head wind. I was exhausted when I got near El Mezteño and decided to try a landing on a huge flat rock. When the nose of my kayak touched stone and dragged on the sandpaper surface the rest of the kayak swung round and I started getting swamped with water. It was a tense moment or two before I got out and managed to pull myself and kayak onto higher rock away from the water without losing the contents of the kayak. Now I had to figure out how to get off the rock. I studied the wave action against the rock and realized there was a deep trough about 10” wide with less wave action, a perfect place to set the rudder of my kayak and slip out. I was proud of myself for not panicking and staying calm and figuring it out by myself. Soon as I was launched I saw Jim coming in the dinghy, heading over to attempt the hike. I headed back toward the boat and met two kayakers, Stu and Ann on Walkabout, heading over to hike and we chatted about kayaking in the area. They joined us for sunset later in the day and she shared her photos from the crest (the guys didn’t quite make it). Note to self: Don’t kayak along shorelines with waves or whitecaps. Don’t kayak on an empty stomach with little sleep, and pay attention to my energy level.
March 28, 2009
I did my first book swap with Ann. We met yesterday when I was kayaking back from to El Mezteño and they were just kayaking over to walk the trail to the top of the hill. Later they came over for sunset drinks & snacks and I visited her today on her boat. So it turns out we’ve read some of the same books but since I’ve not read any Alexander McCall Smith or his popular No. 1 Ladies Detective series she’s given me The World According to Bertie and I gave her Three Junes by Julia Glass. I was restless after reading for several hours and finally convinced Jim to kayak through the passage between Partida and Espíritu Santo to the eastern side of Espíritu Santo to see the sea caves. Should have gone at high tide but I have no idea when that is and since we had to pull our kayaks through some of it we hit low tide. Once we made it all that way the waves were too big to attempt anything on the eastern side. Drat. That was the extent of my kayaking for the day. We started reviewing the rules and playing Canasta until sunset. End of the day, light winds, chilly, and no bugs. Horray for small gifts.
March 29
Left Caleta Partida and motored for 3 hours to make water. Arrived at Ensenada el Cardonal 3pm. Windy but when it died down I kayaked about an hour to the beach. Lots of dead puffer fish and a few pelican bones, gave the beach a morbid feeling. As the wind began to build I came back to the boat and soon we had 20+ knots wind swinging us all over the place on the hook. Read and played cards but by dark winds scary and we stayed on anchor alert all night bouncing continuously. Felt like we were in a vacuum funnel.
March 30
Jim and I kayaked to the beach and hiked up a well-worn trail. After reading “Into a Desert Place” I was terrified of encountering a rattlesnake so it was a rare time when Jim was faster on the trail. Lots of photo ops with the cactus. Then we motored over to the next cove up, Ensenada el Grande. What an amazing place. Large anchorage ringed by sculptural sandstone in various stages of erosion. No sooner was the anchor set I was out in my kayak exploring the southern side. Breathtaking landscape and water so clear I could see all kinds of fish beneath me. Several snorkeling spots await exploration. Wind was lighter than night before but still lots of rocking and rolling.
March 31
Just missed the sunrise but watched the sky get lighter. No breeze and after a few minutes in the hammock I ate my last pan tosta w/cheese and launched the kayak for a spin around the north side of the anchorage. Must remember to take the recorder for those deep gurgling sounds. Drifted easily over the reefs watching fishes below and cliffs above. Feels like I’m in a sacred place. The balance of the day was spent reading and watching the kayakers with their guide. Allegro (Marlo and Scott) came by to introduce themselves from the other boat here. I suggested we meet on the beach at sunset to burn our respective trash. Trash is problematic and I refuse to just dump it overboard in the ocean as has been suggested from other cruisers. Filling bottles and cans with seawater and dropping them overboard appears to be okay as they sink and make houses for various creatures, old food can be tossed for consumption by gulls, but everything else needs to be dealt with. So an hour before sunset we loaded the dinghy with our trash bag and headed to a small beach with a big rock cave and plenty of driftwood. Marlo and Scott joined us and voila, everything burned to ash as I celebrated the toilet gods for continuing to work and we watched the sun set on another day in paradise.
April 1, 2009
I’ve been sitting in the cockpit all morning monitoring the wind waiting for an opportunity to kayak over to the cliffs so I can try out my new digital recorder. The various slurping sounds made around the cliffs is so unusual, along with the echoing of the birds flying overhead that I want to see if I can record it. I’m still waiting as the wind periodically gusts to 15+ knots which is too annoying to paddle against. Waiting paid off and I spent the afternoon with Marlo in our kayaks drifting along both shores of the bay. My recording of the gurgling among the rocks worked and we enjoyed a spectacular view of crystal clear water into the depths of the reefs watching fishes and listening to the birds overhead. Sunset was shared with Marlo and Scott on our boat with talk of what to see as we head north tomorrow.
I explored the whole cove and beyond in my kayak and there’s this camp of big and small tents stretched across the beach. Motor boats come and go all day long ferrying people places so it feels like Grand Central Station. I have no idea what the camp is about as I couldn’t get anyone to come talk to me when I paddled by. We left around noon to sail with just the jib out for 3+ hours so we could make water, then came in to anchor at Caleta Partida. It’s one of the largest anchorages on the island, a crater from an extinct volcano with the western and eastern sides eroded away. The bay has strong coromuel winds that whip through at all times of the day (but mostly at night) so the boat is constantly turning in a circle on the anchor. From my hammock I get a 360 view without moving my head. First night we were kept awake with a line banging against the boom and boat rubbing against the anchor chain. The next morning, sleep-deprived as I was, I kayaked over to El Cardoncito, just north into the next cove, where I saw lots of fish in the clear reefs along the cliffs. So many snorkeling spots to chose from. I’ve been averaging 5 hours a day kayaking and can’t seem to get enough. When the winds are down the water is thick and slick and the kayak glides over the surface. When the wind kicks up it’s exhausting.
March 27
Another day of paradise with a lot of unpredictable wind. I decided to kayak over to the cove we passed coming in here, El Mezteño. Had to fight against the wind to get alongside the shore in our cove, then around the corner more head wind. I was exhausted when I got near El Mezteño and decided to try a landing on a huge flat rock. When the nose of my kayak touched stone and dragged on the sandpaper surface the rest of the kayak swung round and I started getting swamped with water. It was a tense moment or two before I got out and managed to pull myself and kayak onto higher rock away from the water without losing the contents of the kayak. Now I had to figure out how to get off the rock. I studied the wave action against the rock and realized there was a deep trough about 10” wide with less wave action, a perfect place to set the rudder of my kayak and slip out. I was proud of myself for not panicking and staying calm and figuring it out by myself. Soon as I was launched I saw Jim coming in the dinghy, heading over to attempt the hike. I headed back toward the boat and met two kayakers, Stu and Ann on Walkabout, heading over to hike and we chatted about kayaking in the area. They joined us for sunset later in the day and she shared her photos from the crest (the guys didn’t quite make it). Note to self: Don’t kayak along shorelines with waves or whitecaps. Don’t kayak on an empty stomach with little sleep, and pay attention to my energy level.
March 28, 2009
I did my first book swap with Ann. We met yesterday when I was kayaking back from to El Mezteño and they were just kayaking over to walk the trail to the top of the hill. Later they came over for sunset drinks & snacks and I visited her today on her boat. So it turns out we’ve read some of the same books but since I’ve not read any Alexander McCall Smith or his popular No. 1 Ladies Detective series she’s given me The World According to Bertie and I gave her Three Junes by Julia Glass. I was restless after reading for several hours and finally convinced Jim to kayak through the passage between Partida and Espíritu Santo to the eastern side of Espíritu Santo to see the sea caves. Should have gone at high tide but I have no idea when that is and since we had to pull our kayaks through some of it we hit low tide. Once we made it all that way the waves were too big to attempt anything on the eastern side. Drat. That was the extent of my kayaking for the day. We started reviewing the rules and playing Canasta until sunset. End of the day, light winds, chilly, and no bugs. Horray for small gifts.
March 29
Left Caleta Partida and motored for 3 hours to make water. Arrived at Ensenada el Cardonal 3pm. Windy but when it died down I kayaked about an hour to the beach. Lots of dead puffer fish and a few pelican bones, gave the beach a morbid feeling. As the wind began to build I came back to the boat and soon we had 20+ knots wind swinging us all over the place on the hook. Read and played cards but by dark winds scary and we stayed on anchor alert all night bouncing continuously. Felt like we were in a vacuum funnel.
March 30
Jim and I kayaked to the beach and hiked up a well-worn trail. After reading “Into a Desert Place” I was terrified of encountering a rattlesnake so it was a rare time when Jim was faster on the trail. Lots of photo ops with the cactus. Then we motored over to the next cove up, Ensenada el Grande. What an amazing place. Large anchorage ringed by sculptural sandstone in various stages of erosion. No sooner was the anchor set I was out in my kayak exploring the southern side. Breathtaking landscape and water so clear I could see all kinds of fish beneath me. Several snorkeling spots await exploration. Wind was lighter than night before but still lots of rocking and rolling.
March 31
Just missed the sunrise but watched the sky get lighter. No breeze and after a few minutes in the hammock I ate my last pan tosta w/cheese and launched the kayak for a spin around the north side of the anchorage. Must remember to take the recorder for those deep gurgling sounds. Drifted easily over the reefs watching fishes below and cliffs above. Feels like I’m in a sacred place. The balance of the day was spent reading and watching the kayakers with their guide. Allegro (Marlo and Scott) came by to introduce themselves from the other boat here. I suggested we meet on the beach at sunset to burn our respective trash. Trash is problematic and I refuse to just dump it overboard in the ocean as has been suggested from other cruisers. Filling bottles and cans with seawater and dropping them overboard appears to be okay as they sink and make houses for various creatures, old food can be tossed for consumption by gulls, but everything else needs to be dealt with. So an hour before sunset we loaded the dinghy with our trash bag and headed to a small beach with a big rock cave and plenty of driftwood. Marlo and Scott joined us and voila, everything burned to ash as I celebrated the toilet gods for continuing to work and we watched the sun set on another day in paradise.
April 1, 2009
I’ve been sitting in the cockpit all morning monitoring the wind waiting for an opportunity to kayak over to the cliffs so I can try out my new digital recorder. The various slurping sounds made around the cliffs is so unusual, along with the echoing of the birds flying overhead that I want to see if I can record it. I’m still waiting as the wind periodically gusts to 15+ knots which is too annoying to paddle against. Waiting paid off and I spent the afternoon with Marlo in our kayaks drifting along both shores of the bay. My recording of the gurgling among the rocks worked and we enjoyed a spectacular view of crystal clear water into the depths of the reefs watching fishes and listening to the birds overhead. Sunset was shared with Marlo and Scott on our boat with talk of what to see as we head north tomorrow.
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