Playa Bonanza, Isla Espiritu Santo

The crew of “Whatcha Gonna Do” and “Endurance” are heading to the islands! Our destination will be Playa Bonanza; the longest white sandy beach in Isla Espiritu Santo. We planned to spend 2 nights there and to sail back to La Paz to make it on time for a marine swap meet on Sunday morning.

Motor? Sail? Motor/Sail? A constant debate, but as it normally happens, once the sails are up the wind dies or it shifts directions to hit us right on the nose. We motored most of the way, but the frustration of being on a sailboat with unusable sails pushed Matt into a desperate attempt to put do it. I wasn’t sure if we were going backwards or at a ridiculous speed. A good sailor, I have been told, would have continued. I didn’t feel like becoming a good sailor at the moment. The heat and the uneventful passage were responsible for my spoiled behavior. My position was if we can’t enjoy the ride, lets enjoy our destination “hurry up and get there”. Ultimately, it wasn’t my decision, but the captain’s decision. He was wise enough to make it my way.

If Arizona had bordered the Pacific, I would imagine it would be just like this; Sahuaro cactus, choya, rocky, overall brown and red. The view from the boat to the shore is quite bold, but from the shore to the boat it is simply amazing. The color contrast, the clarity of the water, the cloud display and the explosion of red at sunset hour… oof! I am speechless and breathless. I expect to see this in most places of the Sea of Cortez.

We snorkeled, we hiked, we painted shells with the girls, we paddle boarded, we skurfed, we boogie boarded, we swam, we played at the beach, we collected agates, we played dominoes, we had good meals and drinks, but the most memorable experience will be being part of the welcome of the Sabbath, a Jewish tradition, with our friends from Whatcha Gonna Do. Barbara made a delicious meal and with the kids’ assistance she baked 2 loafs of the traditional bread, “Challah”. We all sat down around the table, the men, including Matt, wore the kippah and they performed the customary prayers and blessing in Hebrew. The girls were fascinated. We were honored and grateful.

Two nights turned into 3 and if we didn’t have to sell some things at the swap meet we would have stayed longer. We enjoyed the place and the company greatly.