Isolation in The Sea: Candeleros y Candeleros Chico

2020 Summer of COVID-19

Remember back in March when the COVID-19 pandemic struck? We were on the mainland when this happened, so we dilly-dallied around Barra, Tenacatita, and Chamela, then made our way north by way of Punta de Mita, and Isla Isabel to Mazatlán, then sailed across the Sea straight to the Loreto area of Baja California Sur on the dreamiest crossing ever. We arrived at Bahía de Candeleros on June 10, and since then we’ve been zig-zagging and looping around a 50nm stretch of coastline and nearby islands, affectionately referred to as the Loreto Zone by our friends on S/V Xpression. Because of all the uncertainty surrounding the status of the tiny little towns in the northern Sea, we decided early on that we would endure the summer storm season in the Zone. This way we would have reliable cell connectivity for Rand’s work and communication with our families and friends back home. Oh, and to have a place to duck into (Puerto Escondido) should a storm spool up.

The summer has now passed us by, storm season has officially ended, and we seem to have survived. What, you ask, did we survive? Well…

1. The heat: it’s now the end of November and we’re under a real comforter at night, and I’m wearing pants as I write this;
2. the chubascos: there weren’t really any, but thanks to Jake and Sharon on S/V Jake, we had a nightly forecast;
3. the hurricanes: there was only one tropical storm, Genevieve, that dumped enough rain to scrub da boat;
4. the bitey bugs: there were amazingly few, and honestly, it’s a bit disconcerting;
5. the bees: there were thousands, and only one sting – poor Capt. Rand;
6. the stingy jelly season: there were a gazillion, but luckily it was short-lived; and,
7. so far, the isolation: probably the hardest part of this whole thing. I feel like I’m hanging on by a thread, mentally. Thirty-eight feet is fine when it’s a normal cruising situation, with other friends floating around, hikes ashore, walkabouts and eating out in town, etc. But, let me assure you, it is not situation normal – luckily, we’re in the Zone.

So, despite having to remain distanced while in town and from our friends on the few other boats that also stayed here in the Sea, we did manage to have a little bit of fun. We established a little virus circle with our new buddies on S/V Pandion, instituted the dinghy dangle happy hour, swam many miles and spent many hours in beautiful blue water, and became proficient at sailing on to and off of the hook, minimizing our carbon footprint. All in all, there were just a few days where it was so dang hot that we just laid around moaning. That’s not to say it wasn’t HOT AF many-a-day, but we didn’t totally succumb to the heat. I did, however, lose my composure on a few days, stomping around da boat red-faced and pissed off. Poor Capt. Rand. But those days are behind us now that it’s full on Fall, and we’re just hoping the Covid allows us to head home in the near future.

We have to say the Loreto Zone served us well over the summer. We do love it here. And because we’ve visited many of these places over the past four years, the following posts will consist mostly of video and stills. They may look familiar to you, but this time we get the bird’s-eye view from the drone. Enjoy, and happy Fall!

Candeleros Gallery

Candeleros Chico Gallery