To Marquer and Divorce (Cove)

Looking to get out into the breeze, we made plans with Laura and Richard on MILAGRO to take a brief trip away from Escondido, and meet in Bahía Marquer.

Also on the cards was first swim for Julian for a couple of months. Now more than two weeks since surgery on the foot, the stitches had been removed and the green light for swimming had been given.

Puerto Escondido to Bahía Marquer

DATE:	6 August 2021
DEPARTURE:	Puerto Escondido
DESTINATION:	Bahía Marquer
DESTINATION LAT/LONG:	25°51.958N 111°13.262W
TRIP:	12.2
ENGINE HOURS (at Destination):	582.43

After rounding the point out of Escondido, we turned north and put up the sails in a light easterly breeze. A look through the binoculars confirmed that the boat ahead of us was Milagro. Laura and Richard had not had much opportunity to sail the boat since buying and refitting Milagro, so we thought it might be an opportunity to take a photos of them with the sails up, so we set off in pursuit.

It was light wind , but beating into it, we seemed to make some good way and after photos of Milagro and a few tacks, we were in Marquer. Once settled, we dropped the dinghy and met Laura and Richard for some snorkeling on the point. Being in the Loreto Park, with spearfishing restrictions, the fish here seem particularly large, and not as skittish as other places (or do they just seem so much more accessible when I have NOT got a spear gun in my hands?). Dinner on board Boundless and we were happy to be back out on anchor, and Julian was very happy to have had a swim … pretty much the first exercise of any kind (other than hopping with crutches) for six weeks.

We spent a few days in Marquer, including Sunday, a day when fishermen will use the panga to bring whole families out to the beach for the day, and this weekend was no exception, with quite the family gathering on the beach.

There was a tropical storm hundreds of miles away, but creating quite the interesting weather for us. this threatened rain, and it looked as though there was rain on the Baja Peninsula as we watched cells go over the mountains. This of course, makes for great sunsets.

Bahía Marquer to Divorce Cove

DATE:	9 August, 2021
DEPARTURE:	Bahía Marquer, Isla Carmen
DESTINATION:	Divorce Cove, Isla Danzante
DESTINATION LAT/LONG:	25°47.692N 111°15.439W
TRIP:	6.12
ENGINE HOURS (at Destination):	584.21

With Milagro heading back to Escondido, we left Marquer with the intention of going to the much recommended Honeymoon Cove, but as we approached, we could see three boats already taking up the three bays. With the unsettled weather, we opted for Divorce Cove, just a mile south, which offers great protection from all directions except north, and from where we were, it appeared to be unoccupied.

Divorce cove is a relatively shallow bay, but it has a shelf on the approach, so it demands that you tuck fairly well into the cove, and we dropped the anchor not far from the beach, but comfortably inside the shelf in about 17′ of water. Colin did a quick dinghy tour of the cove to check the depths in our swinging radius, and dove on the anchor. It was set well, but Colin curiously noted that there were occasional rocks on the otherwise sandy bottom, large enough that the anchor chain could catch on, but likely not a problem.

What a great surprise! While Honeymoon Cove is the more renowned spot, Divorce is really exceptional, and would likely be in our Sea of Cortez ‘top five’. There is space for one boat to swing comfortably, the water was super-clear, and there is excellent snorkeling with abundant fish life on both sides of the beach. It is also a location for bait balls, as evidenced by the occasional fisherman passing through, and this gives the perfect conditions for watching the pelicans diving, something I can do for hours.

Divorce is a shallow cove – Colin doing the drive-by with the depth sounder.

Divorce Cove to Puerto Escondido

DATE:	10 August, 2021
DEPARTURE:	Divorce Cove, Isla Danzante
DESTINATION:	Puerto Escondido
DESTINATION LAT/LONG:	25°49.424N 111°18.836W
TRIP:	3.89
ENGINE HOURS (at Destination):	585.2

We spent one night in Divorce Cove, and woke to a ‘bee problem’, which Colin solved by skillfully attaching the various lengths of mosquito netting around the cockpit, creating a bee-safe zone. The weather was quite unsettled and at one point we had a brief downpour, which you think would make the bees go find water elsewhere, but apparently not. The wind was moving the boat in all directions, and when Colin was in the water, he went to check on it, and noticed that it had been dislodged, and was now on its side. With this, and the continued prospect of dark clouds, we figured it was time to leave the little haven created of Divorce Cove, and head across the (windy and white capped) channel back to Puerto Escondido.