SAILING CAMELOT

As soon as we’re up, first cup of coffee in hand, we pull the anchor and leave this coastal jewel. Traveling the Sea of Cortez is like opening the proverbial box of chocolates! You’re done with one and you already want to unwrap the next. At least this is how I feel as we make our way to Bahia de Agua Verde. The name itself sounds intriguing, promising green waters. It’s a short hop, a mere three hours, but the dolphins were waiting for us. Between their company and the amazing scenery, time goes by in a flash. By 11 o’clock
we claim our spot in Agua Verde. I’m struggling to stay concentrated on the “deploy-anchor” task while my head spins around almost like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist movie. The place clearly lives up to the name! I can’t properly describe the shades of jade, teal, turquoise, sapphire, so I hope some pictures can substitute my inadequate words.

The Isthmus at Bahia Agua Verde

This will be our Anchoring Spot. Not too bad!

Tom is soon in the water, a loud splash signaling his customary “we’re here!” celebration. After declaring the water adequately warm
he climbs aboard, a wide and satisfied grin on his tan, happy face.

Tom keeping up his custom of diving upon arrival in every new place we visit.

We spend the day lazing off on Camelot, forcing ourselves to go to shore only after hearing other boaters zooming around. I suspect Tom misses human interaction… We get to the beach and “park” our dinghy beside the others, joining the small group of cruisers eager to walk to town.

The streets are actually dusty trails, the village a handful of small square buildings scattered about. It’s quite a nice community! Every property is delimited by a perimeter of posts and fence wire. Surprisingly, most homes have a very colorful and lush garden, a strong contrast with the stark surrounding. There are a few cows meandering, dogs of many sizes, colors and nondescript breed, a pig tied to a tree watching our every move and calling to us (for company?).

Typical Residence of Agua Verde

Pepe the Lonely Pig

There are a number of “tiendas”, small shops selling tortillas, refreshments, canned goods, cleaning supplies. A couple of places
offer meals. We get to Maria’s tienda; she’s well known in the cruising community, maybe because she’s so friendly and acts as the information center for the village. At her tienda a relative of hers is selling jewelry made strictly from natural resources: necklaces and earrings of coral and shells, even driftwood is artfully paired with wooden beads, arranged in a stunning necklace. I’d have taken pictures, but all the cruising women piled up in admiration prevented any chance…

We’re told to make sure to come tomorrow evening, there’s a ceremony not to be missed: the crowning of the Queen and King of the village, a yearly occurrence bringing the community together with performances from the kids of the local school. The ladies of the village will cook their best specialties; there will be tamales, fish in any guise, barley juice and more.

We return to our boat before it gets dark, after solemnly promising to attend the festivities tomorrow. Right now there’s another
performance I don’t want to miss: the pelicans feeding in the magical sunset.

Sunset at The Beach

Pelicans' Sunset Dinner