La Paz to San Evaristo : April 26 through May 2, 2023

Sea of Cortez La Paz to San Evaristo: 51 Nautical Miles

La Paz to Caleta Partida

April 26 through May 2, 2023

Our first anchorage out of La Paz was Caleta Partida, which was about 21 miles from La Paz on the north side of Espirtu de Santo. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop at any of the beautiful beaches and anchorages on Espirtu de Santo partly due to our schedule but also due to the Corrumels; the corrumels are westerly winds that are pretty strong this time of year and it makes western facing anchorages pretty uncomfortable.

Caleta Partida provide excellent protection from the nightly corumels; it’s actually located on the north side of Espirtu de Santo and on the south side of Isla Partida. The water, which is typical for most the anchorages in the Sea of Cortez, was various shades of turquoise blue – it’s incredible. I saw a sea turtle – one of my favorites! - swimming next to our boat shortly after anchoring.

Caleta Partida Anchorage

Island Vegetation - Note: these are Cardon cactus, not Saguaro

Skeleton of Pelican Beak & Upper Vertebrae

There’s a small fishing village on the east end of the cove that had a few structures and about 10 men with pangas and fishing gear hanging out.

Isla Partida Fishing Village

Fishing Village on Isla Partida

After staying 2 nights in Caleta Partida, we cruised about 21 miles to Isla San Francisco.

Caleta Partida to Isla San Francisco

We tried to anchor in the south side, which is the popular and prettier side of the island, but it was so crowded, we left. There were at least 10 sailboats and 10 powerboats – some with tenders almost as big as our sailboat.

We sailed around to the east side of the island and anchored there. A small spit of land separated the two anchorages but we felt miles away.

Isla San Francisco

South Anchorage of Isla San Francisco at Sunset

Isla SF East Anchorage - We had the anchorage to ourselves the first night

Walking across the Spit that separates the two anchorages

We took the dinghy out to fish and to check out the village at Coyote Island nearby.

Dinghy Route to Coyote Island

Coyote Island is a tiny island that has a small “town” with maybe a dozen structures. People have lived there for years and fished for their livelihood. When we pulled our dingy ashore, a local greeted us with a huge bag of clams that he kept in the water. I don’t eat clams but he sold them later to a few Mexicans on a tender from yacht anchored nearby.

View looking north and east

I find it really fascinating and cool that people make a living on small scale fishing like these two fishing villages do. Such a different lifestyle than what most of us are used to. What’s cool and admirable though is that they seem really content and happy.

Red Snapper

We also caught a new species of fish – new to us -so we didn’t keep it; turns out it was a snapper and would have been tasty. Next time, we’ll know 😉

Aerial View of Coyote Island

Route from Isla SF to San Evaristo

After spending 2 nights at Isla San Francisco, we sailed 8 easy miles to San Evaristo.

Aerial View of San Evaristo

San Evaristo is another fishing village but on the Baja Pennisula. Reportedly the fishing villages at Caleta Partida and Coyote Island bring fish to San Evaristo, which transport the fish to the restaurants and stores in La Paz and Cabo. San Evaristo bay was pretty crowded with sailboats. As a result, we anchored in a less protected area and had a tough night – super rolly and noisy from the waves hitting the sugar scoop, which is next to our bed. Many of the boats left in the morning so we pulled anchor to find a better spot in the bay. The second night was so much better – amazing how much a good night sleep matters.