After having sailed south during the night, we arrived at Land’s End shortly before sunrise; the granite pinnacles at the southern end of the peninsula of Baja California, also known as the Friar’s Rocks, are a landmark of the region, particularly the world famous arch that constitutes a symbol of the peninsula for many people around the globe. We had the chance to admire it with the soft low light of the early morning, as numerous sport fishing boats raced out of the marina looking for yellow fin tuna, dorado, sailfish, or even striped marlin. Land’s End is also the western boundary of the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez, and we entered it to explore it for the rest of the week.
We continued sailing to the east and shortly afterward arrived to the new marina of Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose del Cabo; we disembarked and divided in two groups, some to go bird watching at the estuary and some to mix with the local people in town. Those who went to the San Jose river estuary watched a number of birds, including several kinds of egrets and herons, American coots, blue-winged teals and ospreys, among many others. In town, the rest of us had a great time visiting the abundant stores, art galleries, and the old Jesuit mission; we had the opportunity to watch how local artisans do their amazing craft at a glass-blowing factory transforming recycled beer, wine, and other bottles into beautiful pieces of colorful art.
After an interesting and fun morning, we came back to our floating home and went out at sea again; the National Geographic Sea Bird continued her journey to the northeast and before long encountered the first of several humpback whales. The southern portion of the peninsula is a well-known mating and calving area for humpbacks during the winter, particularly near the submarine mount known as Gorda Bank, located a few miles from San Jose del Cabo. We watched humpbacks throughout the afternoon, some distant in the horizon and some up close, but the star of the day was a calf traveling with its mom and an escort male. The young whale entertained us with many jumps, some of them so high that its entire body, flukes included, came out of the water! What a wonderful way to put an end to our first day in the Sea of Cortez!
