Window to Paradise

This place became one of our go-to favorites in the Covid summer of 2020. Excellent holding, great SE protection, with an open window of space between the islands (bridged by a covering reef) that lets the breeze in. It’s a short jaunt from Honeymoon, MPE or Candeleros, making it a great quick escape from the crowds. Although westerlies can come through here, you’re close enough to shore for them to not be much of a problem, and they seem to blow at less than half the strength as at Candeleros. Tom and Annie on Tappan Zee were the first we knew to anchor here, and we took to calling the place Tom and Annie’s Window to Paradise, or simply Tom and Annie’s, or quite often just T and A. Insert snicker here.

Approach:

Coming from South, you must navigate the islands and pinnacle rocks of Los Candeleros. If your charting program does not include two pinnacles in addition to the three islands that pepper this gap, add them to your plotter before coming this way. We’ve been calling the northern one “Vixit Rock” since that mega yacht grounded hard there a couple of years ago. Ouch.

Southern Pinnacle (probably most dangerous because of location): 25 44.344 N 111 14.070 W
North Pinnacle (sometimes called South Danzante Reef): 25 45.289 N 111 14.406 W

Coming from the north is clear after you pass Roca Blanca and the free standing spire to its south. You will be in 20-30 feet for much of your approach. There is one off standing reef about 1/4 mile NNW of the anchorage, so care should be taken in this area. There are also a smattering of large boulders along the north shore of Isla Islotes, so give this rock 100 meters or more.

Anchoring:

This is excellent holding soft sand anywhere with a light colored bottom. The darker bottom areas are not rock, but a more clay-based sand where holding still seems to be good, but harder to get an initial set. We anchor in the obvious pocket of white sand in 15-18 feet, tucked in so that you can’t see any gap between the south tip of Danzante and the north edge of Isla Islotes.

Ashore:

There’s a tiny beach that shows during lower tides, with a connecting bridge of reef/rock strung between the two islands. This is tough to get to, however, as the entire beach is fringed by small coral bombies and rocks. A fair number of birds roost here, but otherwise nothing ashore on the islands. On the Baja shore, just a short dinghy ride away, you can find two large beaches good for dog walks and overlooks from the bluffs, the northern beach being a camping area that often has car campers and small boats coming out to fish. If you’re up for a long walk, there are trails that snake over to Ligui where you can find provisions and laundry, etc.

Don’t Miss:

The snorkeling here can be quite excellent, and it’s a rare opportunity to do a full lap around the islands in a snorkel-swim. In particular, the areas around the N and NE corners are often carpeted with small grunts and other bait fish, with larger predators cruising through. We’ve seen Giant Trevally here, Pacific Snook, and other uncommon visitors. If the visibility is decent, jump in! Mind the current around the point, however.