After a fantastic month at the Puerto Los Cabos Marina in San Jose Del Cabo from January 4th to Febrauary 3rd, I'm back out and underway.  

I was shocked yesterday when I logged in here to realize that I hadn't posted anything about San Jose Del Cabo yet.  It was quite busy before my CA trip getting into the marina, and attempting to get some things lined up for my return. I did get a contact to perform a 'hydro' test on my SCUBA tank  in Cabo San Lucas and was lucky enough to have friends on another boat who were also in the marina with a rental car. So the tank got certified and a dive tour company next to the marina filled it for me for a 6 pack of Pacifico.  The barter system is great!

This morning I visited the fuel dock and topped off my fuel tank for the northbound jaunt up toward La Paz and Loreto. There was a very convenient water delivery service that topped off my fresh water tanks with potable water yesterday. I got a diver to clean the bottom and change the zincs as well.  I had the old alternator removed and swapped for a new one I brought back from a quick visit back to CA to gather my amazon loot and check my mail. I still think something else is flaky, but I at least have a known good alternator putting out voltage when the engine is running. It worked great today and seemed to put out plenty of power while I was motorsailing up to Los Frailes.  I also go to enjoy the January Corsair Yacht Club dinner while I was there.  The stars truly aligned. The pilot on the return flight was kind enough to go over the marina so I could check on my boat...

Each Thursday evening in San Jose Del Cabo they have an "art walk" where artists display their work for sale in the main square of town. There are also food vendors, music, crafts, etc. It was really great. I stumbled on the first one when I went walking after my arrival. The other weeks I was there I made an effort to go down and walk around each Thursday.  

San Jose Del Cabo definitely is a large city with all the expected feaures. The international airport is just a short taxi ride from the marina. There are many resorts, condos, and golf courses that I passed on my mostly daily walk/jogs. I generally did around a 6 mile loop and got to see quite a bit of the immediate area. There are amazing (HUGE) grocery stores. Freska La Comer is probably the nicest grocery (and everything else) store I have ever been in. Crazy huge, with electronics (like Costco TV selection), fresh meat and produce, fresh fish (several hundred pound whole giant fish things), along with all the gracery, houseware, automotive, paint, etc. you could want. 

The marina itself is about a mile outside the center of old town and the road crosses about 3/4 of a mile of estuary or riverbottom via a long bridge.  The marina side of the bridge dumps off at this traffic circle with the subtle fish statue...

The resort row runs along the beach side of the main street from the old town center area out to the main highway that leads back to Cabo San Lucas (15-20 miles).  The opposite side of the road is filled with several blocks of bougie shops and restaurants.  You probably won't find any bargains, but you can definitely find most anything. Roxy, Thrifty ice cream, lots of other fancy stores I don't know the names of. 

I also discovered GREAT pizza there. It was somewhat expensive, but it was really good and hit the spot on my last night in town.  Corleone's Pizzeria just up from Santo Pulpo in a little shopping center was fantastic!

If I could afford the marina fees, and my insurance would cover the boat during hurricane season, I could absolutely live here full time.  So great a place. Perfect weather was sunny 75-83 every day.  There was one afternoon to next morning light sprinkle with some lightning and thunder, but it was overwhelmingly beautiful.  

The trip up to Los Frailes anchorage was about 30 miles today and the sailing and motorsailing were pretty uneventful. The whales were very active the entire trip as I went.  I saw frequent spouts, fluke slapping, and breaching throughout the day. A whale jumping out to do a belly flop is an amazing sight! I also saw a couple of Devil Rays jumping out of the water as I came in to anchor. While I have been sitting here typing I saw a sea turtle come up just off the side of the boat and there are a couple whales just outside the point where the anchorage is spouting and lollygagging on the surface. 

There is some weird wind forcast for Tuesday/Wednesday this coming week. I am going to go up to Ensenada De Los Muertos/Suenos tomorrow and then see what it looks like. There is another anchorage on the other side of the point from that one called Las Ventanas that has protection from the south. So if the forecast looks like I might need an alternate protected spot I may stay there a couple days. There are also two restaurants on the beach there associated with resorts. Hopefuly as I get farther from the main population centers the prices will keep dropping. 

I don't have any plans to be stationary for too long.  I will definitely spend a few days or week in La Paz when I get there. They have a festival for Carnaval going on Feb 8-13, 2024. I hope I will arrive in time to at least get in to town for one of those nights to see what there is to see. There are a ton of anchorages nearby La Paz as well as what is supposed to be a large anchorage area inside the harbor. I am exited to see what there is.