Puerto Escondido and Loreto

Puerto Escondido is a beautiful and well-protected natural harbor, with a modern upscale marina, restaurant and small store.  I spent a few more days here than I had planned in order to ride out a norther and replace the fresh-water pump that had failed.  The landscape was of course spectacular, and the jumping mabula rays put on an exciting show every day.  Although dealing with the gear failure was an expense and hassle, it all worked out well in the end.  Next stop will probably be Honeymoon Cove, a nearby island favorite.

Passing by Solitary Rock on my way out

of Agua Verde

Turned out to be a bit of a bash for a while, but I got

to sail at 5-6 knots with jib alone.

Scenery along the way.  Look carefully and you will

see a sailboat on the horizon line.

One of the many small islands that need to be avoided

on the way to Puerto Escondido.

An uncharted rock near shore.  There are many, so I stay

at least 5 miles out unless approaching an anchorage.

Puerto Escondido is now run by a private entity and there

is no anchoring.  Moorings and slips are available.

I picked up a mooring at the "X."

Circadian on a mooring

My view of the inner harbor

Early morning

Coping

Looking out the "window" 

Sunrise

I came to think of this formation as Cathedral Peak

Moon setting as the sun rises

Blue moon rising over the mountain.

The full blue moon

Saguaro cactus from directly above

Whale bones at the entrance to the harbor

Looking toward the inner harbor through the narrow

entrance.

Looking toward the marina from the jetty

Looking toward the marina from "The Ellipse"

The marina restaurant

The pool is on the second floor!

The Mabula Ray Show

The mabula rays put on a great show for the boats out

on the moorings.

It's not easy to photograph them mid-air, but after

a week I got pretty good at it.

This is what a ray looks like swimming on the surface.

The males jump and land with a loud smack in

order to attract females.

Sometimes they do a backflip.

Landing upside down at the end of the flip.

Flipping for the nearby females

A high flyer

This is why some people refer to them at bat rays.

A rare site: two rays jumping together in formation!

Only time I saw it and I was lucky enough to

capture the moment.

Sometimes the rays jump right next to the boat.

I rented a car twice for two trips into Loreto: one for

pleasure, one to find a new pump.

Highway 1 runs along the coast to Loreto.

While a good road, there was detour around improvements

being done.

Nearer Loreto, it becomes 4-lane highway.

Loreto has been designated a Puebla Magica, and is

a charming town.

Looking toward the town government center from the plaza

Mural inside the government center

Another mural inside the government center

Door on the plaza

Loreto's claim to fame is it boasts the first of

the Spanish missions.

Nuestra Senora de Loreto church

Relatively modest, but hey, it dates from 1697!

Looking toward the plaza from the church

  

I met this guy on the way back.  I saw him across the 

road, and when I stopped to take a picture, he came

right over and stuck his head in the open window.

I didn't see this sign until afterward.  I think he

expects to be fed and gets mad if you don't.

I'm glad I knew enough to keep control of his head!

He bumped the car several times when I rolled

up the window and slowly drove away.

Tackling Fresh Water Problems

Initially I thought the failure of the freshwater pump

was failure to prime due to a low water level in the

tank, which has happened before.  So, I cranked up

the watermaker for the first time on the cruise.

Naturally, the battery in the salinity tester was bad.

Naturally, I didn't have a spare.  I swiped the battery

out of the CD player remote, which was close

enough and same voltage.  It worked.

After filling the tank with good RO water,

I went through the process of testing

the pump and the spare over two days.

Both were bad.

So, to Plan B:  the footpump.  That

turned out not to work either because

all the lines were filled with air now and

it wasn't capable of drawing water from

the tank through electric pump and through

all the plumbing.  I will need to put in

a more direct intake line from the tank.

In the meantime, Plan C!  Water jug with a spout.

Even with that, I had to repair a cracked fitting,

proving once again that Paradise ain't fer sissies!

Fortunately, the only marine supply store in Loreto

had some freshwater pumps.  They even had the

right battery for my salinity meter!  I left the store

relieved and in a celebratory mood

I decided to have a beer and lunch at the only craft

brewery/restaurant in the area.  

It was in a nice spot on the plaza,

and the beer was great!

I installed the new pump and it worked great, with

a greater capacity than the old one.  A happy

ending!  Now I just need to wait for the weather to 

improve.