In the Sea of ​​Cortez, good internet connection is a rare commodity. Only individual sections of Baja California are blessed with connectivity. Since Pati has to go online regularly for her new job, we’ve been moving from internet to Internet anchor point so far. We have to leave the most beautiful places too early or leave them out altogether. In addition, we sometimes had to move even when weather was not ideal. As a result, instead of sailing, we have used the motor more than we would have liked. Thanks to Starlink, we can now connect to the Internet even in the farthest corners of Mexico. This opens up completely new possibilities for us.

Milagros goes online with Starlink

Just before our trip to Mexico City (which was fu***** brilliant) we ordered a Starlink satellite dish to the marina in Puerto Escondido. And guess what: upon return to the marina, a Starlink parcel was waiting for us! Milagros goes online! Installation was very easy: download the app, plug in, connect Dishy to the app – done! Pretty impressive considering we’re dealing with satellite technology. After we had provisioned ourselves with Bek from UsBEKistan (HA! HA!)  and his parents in Loreto (thanks for taking us!), we could head out again into the big blue!

Isla Carmen awaits us

Next destination was a small corner called «Bahia Cobre», where we only stayed for one night. Upon arrival, we equipped for a round of snorkeling. As soon as we were in the water, it was back to work – we noticed that a fishing line had gotten caught in our propeller. Hmph! Not the first time we caught fishing gear in our propeller. So, we sharpened our knives and started cutting underwater. The line came off easily and quickly.

Check 1,2,1,2!

Of course, we had to test the Starlink Dish. Once set up everything went as planned – a couple of minutes of waiting time and ta daaaaaa, we were connected to the world wide interweb. Starlink will be such a game changer for boaters and digital nomads like us. We’ll have unlimited internet in the most beautiful places. Unfortunately, so far, we’re only allowed to connect within the borders of Mexico. We’ll see when that will change, since we want to move on after our trip back home to Switzerland in July.

Bahia Cobre, mi amor

The anchorage was really pretty, and we were completely alone the whole time, only a few fishermen came by the beach in their panga to escape the blazing midday sun and spend the night on the beach. They had a bunch of equipment stored in containers on shore and quickly set up camp. Another day at the office! In the evening and especially at night, unpleasant waves came around the corner to bother us and mess with our sleep. Depending on the angle and the size, waves can really turn any nice corner into a rocky and rolly nightmare. Time to move!

Is this the most beautiful place in the Sea of Cortez?

Speaking of “around the corner”! That was the route for the next day. We followed the east coast of Isla Carmen north, rounded its north eastern Cape and anchored “around the corner” in a small bay called “El Refugio” at the north end of the island. And what we found there made my heart beat faster. Could this be the most beautiful place? The bay has only room for a handful of boats and is surrounded by steep cliffs that end in a small, sandy, dreamy beach. We had to anchor twice, because on the first try we felt like we were a little too close to the rock faces. But as it is on Milagros – we could have left it at the first attempt, because after the second try we were way too far out. Well, what the heck. Anchor beers.

Caving Sea of Cortez Style

We weren’t alone for long, the next day larger and smaller excursion boats arrived. A few sailboats also joined us. We passed the time snorkeling and exploring our beautiful surroundings. A dinghy ride led us to impressive caves, one of them big enough to enter by boat. Formed out of the walls over millions of years by strong, wintry north winds and masses of water, and now we were able to enjoy the result, which was beautiful and impressive. It was getting really hot in the sun, so the noticeably cooler air inside the rocky caverns was a welcome change.

Hiking straight through the desert

Oh, and we set off on a journey of discovery on foot, too! On Isla Carmen salt was mined for a long time, the salt lakes and remains of the salt mine village Las Salinas can still be admired today. Early in the morning in the “cool” we made our way across the island, over hill and dale and through the stony, barren desert. As a means of navigation, we took Pati’s tablet with navigation software including satellite images with us. The little boat on the map moving across an island, not what we ever would want to see while underway under normal circumstances.

Fancy shooting some sheep?

When we got to Las Salinas, we were astonished to see how busy it was. When asked about this, a worker said that the deserted village wasn’t that deserted anymore. It’s been converted into a wickedly expensive little resort where avid hunters can go and shoot big horn sheep for extortionate prices. To each their own, I guess. There wasn’t much to see, but I have to say that the post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the town is really cool. You don’t see that very often in our small, spruced-up country of Switzerland.

A hoooot way back and Pelican shows

The way back was hot, hot and hot. We sweated our way forward across the island and drank water like cows. The thermometer rises and rises here in the Sea of ​​Cortez, with the sun burning mercilessly from the sky. Nevertheless, we hiked cross-country through the sparse, interesting vegetation of Isla Carmen. We even made it back to the boat without getting lost and dying of thirst. Once there we enjoyed a spectacular sunset, pelican show and watched fishermen at work. The days passed, and at some point, it was time to say goodbye to El Refugio.

Treating ourselves to something special

But before we continued to Isla Coronados, we treated ourselves to something special: grilling freshly caught fish on the beach! In the afternoon we went out dinghy fishing and when the fish was caught, we went scouting for a campfire site. We chose a beach with enough driftwood, made a fire and passed the time collecting garbage and plastic. It’s was sickening to see how much dirt had washed up on this small, completely isolated beach alone: ​​We filled three big garbage bags with plastic waste (#trashycruisers). Rumours say we might have burned overcooked our fish a bit, but it was still delicious. Not a bad end to a great time in a stunning place!

Then it was time to pack up again. After all, we now live a nomadic life. We would have liked to have stayed much longer, but waves and wind straight into our little paradise were predicted and nearby Isla Coronados was calling to us. We had to leave! More beaches, even more exploration, more turquoise water awaited us! Maybe there are more most beautiful places?

Temperatures are rising here in the Sea of Cortez and we fancy some drinks! Wanna help us cool down? Then feel free to offer us a drink by clicking the button below! You can also become a monthly contributor by heading over to Patreon if you want! Thanks a lot!

Click here for a beer donation!

Der Beitrag Is this the most beautiful Place? erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Our maiden voyage is forever. Once again, we made an experience that we will remember for the rest of our young lives. We started our journey on Milagros with a firework of emotions and very valuable lessons. We couldn’t even have imagined such a maiden voyage in our dreams. Chaos and panic in between, then complete calm, control and concentration and a Milagros that performed like an absolute championesse. We didn’t feel unsafe for a second on our boat, not even when she sailed us instead of us sailing her.

Time to arrive

It is no coincidence that we chose Puerto Escondido as our alternative port. We knew we had everything we needed here. A place that is protected from all wind directions, has other sailors, a well-equipped marina and a small town, Loreto, nearby. In addition, we were independently recommended the same mechanic by various sources. So many positives! But first we had to arrive in Puerto Escondido. After a good night’s sleep, we first put the dinghy (our small inflatable boat) in the water and went ashore to explore the facilities of the marina.

It’s a rich man’s world

Puerto Escondido (Hidden Harbour) is one of the best sheltered bays in all the Sea of Cortez. Completely surrounded by hills and headlands. For mariners, the site has for decades been a haven from rough weather or even hurricanes that get a little too close for comfort. Formerly an anchorage free to use for anyone, in 2003/2004 the Institution for sustainable tourism of Mexico installed mooring balls in the anchorage and started the construction of buildings. As is so often the case in Mexico, the whole idea and operation was abandoned at some point and another consortium took over the anchorage. With a little help of some deep pockets in the background, a whole Marina was built. We think it’s a pity that natural anchor bays otherwise open for anyone can just be taken over. But that’s how it is. Money makes the world go round.

Marina Puerto Escondido

The marina itself is top of the line. From a small, well-stocked supermarket, to all kinds of offers for maintenance and ship-related work, a small restaurant and a fully equipped “Captain’s Lounge”, which one could only dream of at the Cabrales Boatyard, Marina Puerto Escondido offers everything a boater’s heart desires. Of course, all of this comes at a price. While we pay just under $400 for a mooring ball in the bay, it would be a good $1,000 per month in the marina. Eeehm, no thanks. But: all the marina facilities are included in the price when you’re moored on a buoy in the bay. The internet is good, the showers are next level! Life at the mooring ball is a good compromise that doesn’t ruin our cruising kitty completely.

The best shower in years

The showers in the marina are the highlight for us and many other boaters. We can really only let the pictures speak for themselves. We smell like flower gardens because of the L’Occitane shower gel provided by the marina. In addition to the showers, we also benefit from the internet in the lounge every day. For example, while Pati is putting hours into her new part-time job, I made a website for our friends on the catamaran «Charly». This way, we not only throw money at Milagors, but also earn some of it back. And then we take showers. For hours and days.

Burrito is still broken

Finally, we got to enjoy life on and by the water. A whole new feeling. We went on dinghy tours, explored the area on the various hiking trails in the area or even caught our own food. What a great way to recharge the batteries. Nevertheless, we mustn’t forget one thing: our engine was acting up again! So, we contacted Lauro, the local diesel engine whisperer, and asked if he had time for our Burrito (we christened our engine “little donkey”). A few days later he was our (very expensive) guest on Milagros and quickly identified the issue.

In the engine room. again.

Something was wrong with Burrito’s diesel pressure, as already suspected by the other mechanic in Puerto Peñasco. He identified our injection pump as the source of our engine problems, quickly removed it and took it into his care to have it examined. While we were there, we informed him about our defective lift pump. We wanted to have that one replaced, too. So, a few days passed, during which we continued to explore our surroundings. When Simon on SV Kudra, a former resident of Cabrales Boatyard, also showed up in Puerto Escondido, we set out to explore a nearby canyon.

A true Milagros adventure

Since it was time to fill up our fridge and stock up on water supplies anyway (our watermaker wasn’t working yet), we rented a car and headed out into the wilderness. The description for the drive to the start of the canyon hike sounded pretty straight forward. But nothing about it was straight forward. And so, we ended up with our rental car on a loose gravel road, in which we almost got stuck. With a little pushing, painful scratching around the undersides of the car and a few drops of sweat, we made it back. Once again lucky after all, Milagros style.

Our merry little hiking group

By chance, we met an American couple and their dog who were also on their way to the canyon in their 4×4 campervan. Without further ado we were allowed to hop on and so we all set off together. “Follow a river bed before you head off sideways into the canyon.” said the directions. Easier said than done. The river bed itself was fairly easy to identify, the only problem was that there were all sorts of small junctions heading into little valleys to the left and right. Long story short, we were unsuccessful in finding the described canyon, but still had a beautiful little hike in the desert. After all the scratching and banging, Weirdly, our rental car lost a bit of (brake?) fluid after its trip and also made a few other strange noises. Of course, we know We have no idea how that could have happened.

Repairing Burrito

Shortly afterwards we received word from Lauro, the mechanic. His diesel pump specialist had actually found a few defective parts on the injection pump that were responsible for the low pressure. She had to be rebuilt. We had no other choice anyway, and a day or two later Lauro was back in the engine room at Milagros working on Burrito. In addition to the injection pump, which looked like new, he also had a brand new lift pump with him. All our injectors had also been checked and serviced. After the installation we tried to start the engine. Vrooooooom! Burrito woke up from his sleep. In fact, with less vibrations and a much better sound than before. Burrito is back! A big thank you goes to Lauro from Lauro’s Diesel Services. A good, competent man who was warmly recommended to us by a number of people.

Low tolerances

What we can say (with a bit of pride that is) is that the problems with the injection pump have nothing to do with our change of the pump cover. The problems lay deeper. As a hobby mechanic, you should only dare to service the injection pump of a diesel engine in an emergency. The injection pump is the heart of an engine’s diesel system and consists of many small parts that only have smallest tolerances. Tiny particles of dirt or even minimal wear on certain parts can affect fuel pressure. Lauro brought us the “defective” parts to show us how little it takes for an injection pump to cause problems. The discoloration on the parts in the following pictures was enough to seriously affect the diesel pressure on Burrito. Crazy!

Out for a ride

To make sure everything was as it should be, we took Lauro on yet another test ride on Milagros. This was associated with a bit of nervousness on our part, because we have never undocked and docked with Milagros from a mooring ball. We read up on the matter a bit and got started on a nice, quiet morning. And what can we say: it’s not as difficult as we thought. At least when there is no wind. The test run was completely uneventful in a positive way, we just did a few laps in the bay outside of the harbour basin and put Burrito through its paces together with Lauro. Burrito did a good job, but we still had a leak in the transmission that needed patching. No big deal, said Lauro, just a small seal needed replacing.

We’re ready again!

Said and done. And now we’re ready to head out again and have gained a ton of new knowledge about Burrito, especially from Lauro, since we always looked over his shoulder while he was doing his job. He was patient and answered any questions we had. Nothing to be taken for granted, compared to the mechanic back in Long Beach. Now it is up to us to define a departure date and a destination. The goal is still to head for La Paz and maybe even catch up with Iñaki and Carmen before they head to Costa Rica. After almost two years in Mexico, they are headed further south. Good on them, Costa Rica has been calling them for a while now. As for us, we don’t want to head any further than Mexico yet. The Sea of ​​Cortez wants to be properly explored.

We had plenty of beer time during our stay in Puerto Escondido! Feel free to offer us a beer or two by clicking on the button below. Or you could become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you feel like it. Many thanks!

Beer with us in Escondido!

Der Beitrag Stranded in Paradise erschien zuerst auf Milagros.