Coastal Mexico can be thought of as having four different primary cruising regions. As we traveled along the coast we
encountered them in this order (links go to our pics and stories):
● The Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula that runs down the western side of Baja from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas.
● The northern Pacific mainland coast between Puerto Vallarta and points a bit north of Mazatlan.
● The Costa Alegre and Costa Grande which extend along the Pacific mainland's southern coast below Puerto Vallarta
● The Sea of Cortez where the majority of the beauty lies along the eastern shore of the Baja peninsula.
For cruisers, the 750 miles long Pacific side of the Baja coast is like a
highway to the prime Mexican cruising grounds. It is predominantly a
downwind passage, as the prevailing winds come out of the northwest.
However, these are not consistent winds, and we found ourselves on all
points of sail and frequently motoring because the wind was too light to
sail. The current and swell also move down the coast, so we were swept
along whether under power or sail. The trip back up this highway is
called the "Baja Bash" because it is against the winds and currents and
folks usually make the journey in the spring when the winds are
strongest, resulting in a very uncomfortable trip.
Mexico's best cruising grounds lie in the Sea of Cortez to the north and
along the Pacific mainland south of Puerto Vallarta. The northern
portion of Mexico's Pacific coast is like a bridge between these two
areas. This region includes the major cities of Puerto Vallarta and
Mazatlan and a handful of anchorages in between. The scenery, layout
and quality of the anchorages relegate this region (in my mind) to being
less of a cruising destination and more of a cruising transit zone to get
between the Sea of Cortez and the southern Pacific coast cruising
grounds. Unlike the Sea of Cortez and the southern mainland Pacific
coast, the distances between the more charming anchorages of this
region are quite long, often requiring an overnight trip.
Most Sea of Cortez crossings take place in this
region. The shortest distance is 165 miles between
Los Frailes on the eastern tip of Baja and
Mazatlan. The longest passage is 330 miles
between Cabo San Lucas and Chamela Bay on the
mainland. The seas in this region can be
confused, steep and choppy, as it is the meeting
place for the Pacific Ocean (sweeping around Cabo
and up from the southwest) and the Sea of Cortez
(rushing down from the northwest). This is
particularly true when you travel the line between
Cabo and Chamela, as we found out during 55
hours of being tossed about. In addition, there is a
strong "cape effect" of powerful winds and seas off
the cape that juts out between Puerto Vallarta and
Chamela, called "Cabo Corrientes." Passage
around this point is best done overnight or in the
early morning and at least 5 miles offshore.
Puerto Vallarta is at the eastern end of the 60 mile coastline of
Banderas Bay that cuts into the mainland here. Four major marinas
dot this bay and there are a few anchorages on the bay's north and
south coasts. Further north, Mazatlan also hosts several marinas
and some anchorages nearby.
The most attractive cruising ground on the mainland
Pacific coast of Mexico starts in Chamela and continues
south (actually southeast). This area is known to
cruisers (especially readers of Pat Rains' Mexico
Boating Guide) as the "Gold Coast." The Costa Alegre
includes about ten anchorages in the fifty mile stretch
between Chamela Bay and Manzanillo Bay. Some
anchorages are along beaches that have little
development. Some are on or near busy little tourist
towns full of boutique shops and restaurants. Some
front posh resorts, a few of which welcome cruisers.
In the wintertime the water hovers in the low 70's and the air in the low 80's. Water clarity varies from year to year, with some
years having enough visibility to snorkel and others being so murky with red tide that you can't swim or make water in the
anchorages. Many anchorages are near fresh water estuaries that empty into the ocean, further muddying the water. However,
the exuberance and warmth of the local people and the wide variety of sights to see make for a wonderful stay in this area.
The Costa Grande runs south of Manzanillo
with the major stops being at Zihuatanejo
and its little vacation paradise island, Isla
Ixtapa (labeled "Isla Grande" on some
nautical charts). The 200 mile distance
between the wonderful anchorages in
Manzanillo Bay and Zihuatanejo Bay is
broken up with three anchorages that most
sailors skip because they are so rolly that
sleep is nearly impossible. Their logic: if you
aren't going to sleep at anchor, you might as
well be making miles on your way to your
destination. Although there are really only a
few locations to drop the hook, the town of
Zihuatanejo and its sophisticated big sister
city of Ixtapa offer enough to keep cruisers
busy for weeks. Winter water temps hover in
the mid- to high-70's and the air in the
mid-80's.
The Pacific Ocean crashes into the Pacific coast of Mexico (both Baja and the mainland) after traveling thousands of miles,
rendering all Pacific coast anchorages in Mexico (except Barra de Navidad) somewhere between "rather rolly" and "very rolly."
Ordinary walking and moving about the boat becomes a crazy duck wobble. The prevailing winds blow from the northwest,
parallel to the Pacific coast, and most anchorages are wide open bays with wonderful surf-filled beaches. In each one, a small
point juts out into the Pacific at the northwest end of the bay or beach. Tucking in behind this point gives some wind protection,
but the swell usually sneaks in, hitting the boat on the beam. Setting a stern anchor so the boat faces the swell can help, but the
easiest way to avoid the rolly anchorages is to stay in marinas. Many cruisers spend much of their winter cruising season
sampling the lovely Pacific coast marinas.
In this modern era of cruising, an easy way to find the finest
"vacation quality" cruising grounds worldwide is to see where
the Moorings has their charter boat bases. The Moorings
base in La Paz is at Costa Baja Resort Marina, officially
granting this cruising area the status of "excellent." The Sea
of Cortez offers clear turquoise water, abundant wildlife,
exotic desert scenery, and remote anchorages, but it is a
seasonal destination.
The Sea is most popular in October/November and April-June,
when air temps are in the 80's to low 90's and water temps are
in the low-70's (spring) to low-80's (fall). Winter is cold:
overnight low temps dip into the high-40's and low-50's and
water temps fall to the mid-60's. Summer is hot: air temps rise
to the low-100's and water temps can reach the low-90's. It is
because of these extreme hots and colds of summer and winter
that most cruisers visit the Sea of Cortez in the spring and fall.
The favored cruising area is from La Paz north to Santa Rosalia.
Although the Sea of Cortez is very beautiful in a rugged and wild kind of way, it is
also subject to severe weather. The saying goes that for two days of paradise you
pay with one day of hell. The hellish conditions are brought on by sudden winds and
steep waves that can overpower an anchorage, either pushing the boat towards a
terrifying "lee shore" or subjecting it to a violent beam sea.
The La Paz area offers a lot of beautiful anchorages within a 1-4 hour sail of the city.
Most of these are open to the west and southwest which makes them very
vulnerable to the nighttime 25-knot southwest Coromuel winds and steep waves that
blow from dusk til noon in the spring and summer. They are also subject to
Westerlies that blow in during the night like Coromuels. Light Westerlies combined
with a north swell puts the swell on the beam, creating a rolly night. Many
anchorages are also subject to swell during Northers, as the swell wraps into the
anchorages from the west while the boat is held facing north, making it hit the boat
on the beam.
Northers are 3-day 25-35 knot winds that occur between November and April. In La
Paz harbor a chop develops and boats do the "La Paz Waltz" where they tend to
swing in different directions and sometimes bump each other due to their different
responses to wind and current as the tide sweeps in and out of the long channel.
The best protection in a Norther is Bahia Falsa, as the swell tends not to wrap into
the anchorage.
The Loreto area is many cruisers'
favorite part of the Sea of Cortez.
The sailing within the bay between
Loreto and Isla Carmen can be
truly delightful with good wind and
flat seas. The anchorages are
scenic and they are close enough
together and varied enough in
orientation that if the conditions are
bad in one anchorage they are
bound to be better in another. In
addition, it is easy to anchor off
Loreto in light conditions, walk into
town, and do extensive
provisioning for the boat.
Bahía Concepcion is a very large enclosed bay that offers pretty and lightly populated
anchorages and flat seas. The ex-pat community is enormous. All of the beach
bungalows on El Burro Cove and Playa Coyote are owned by non-Mexicans. It is still a
remote area, however, where land dwellers get their electrciity from solar power and wifi
internet is hard to find. The bay can be very hot in the summer, as there is much less
breeze within the bay than in other anchorages elsewhere that are open to the Sea of
Cortez.