We didn’t linger in Cabo San Lucas for too long before making our way to Los Frailes on November 17th.  We pulled up the anchor around 0900 and departed from the bustling bay at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, leaving the Pacific Ocean behind as we made our way past San Jose del Cabo and headed up into the Sea of Cortez, marking our first journey north since leaving Vancouver back in August. The trip to Los Frailes took about four extra hours as the current, wind, and waves were all against us and we arrived around 22:30, settled into the bay, and enjoyed a peaceful although windy evening on the hook.

The wind howled into the next morning, leaving us and the other sailors anchored in the bay hesitant to go ashore. We saw upwards of 37 knots of wind while anchored in the bay and ended up spending a whole day on the boat until the winds finally calmed, allowing us to get to shore and leave the boat without concerns of the anchore dragging. 

On the second day, we decided to venture ashore and walk to a nearby village to find fuel for the dinghy, as Cabo San Lucas was charging a hundred bucks just to tie up at the fuel dock, without even factoring in the fuel cost. We set off from the beach toward the dirt road we saw on the map, embarking on our 9km trek to Cabo Pulmo village, mistakenly thinking a shortcut through the brush would save us time instead of going around the marshland. That backfired as we got tangled in cacti and prickly plants, scratching our legs and arms. Eventually, we emerged and reached the road just as a local drove by and offered us a lift into town – probably wondering what the heck we were doing in the cactus forest. Racing down the dirt road in the back of the pickup truck felt endless, and I couldn’t help but think about the walk back. Once we arrived in town, we quickly realized there were only a few small tiendas and a couple of restaurants catering to local tours, with no gas station in sight. We wandered around, soaking in the beautiful scenery, and treated ourselves to a delicious lunch at a local bar. After savoring a few cervezas, we began our long walk back to the boat. The afternoon sun beat down on us, but to our surprise, another car stopped and offered us a ride just ten minutes into our journey home—a super nice couple visiting from Mexico City saved us a couple of hours walking in the heat. What a day!

One of the highlights of our stay at Los Frailes was waking up each morning and snorkeling right off the boat in the crystal-clear waters. As we plunged beneath the surface, a vibrant underwater world unfolded before our eyes. Schools of colorful fish danced around us, and the coral reefs teemed with life.  A deep underwater canyon running northwest to southwest extends through the bay. To top it all off, we had an unforgettable encounter with a 5-foot bull shark, which left us both awestruck.