Sunday September 25 continued… As we were nearing an island called Isla Coronado (AKA Isla Smith), we saw on AIS that one of our friends was in one of the anchorages on that island called Bahia Las Rocas. We quickly checked the cruising guide and saw that the anchorage would be suitable both for the current winds and for the forecasted winds. We called our friends and asked about the flying bug situation and if there was enough space for us. Our friends reported no bugs and enough space. We were sold!

When we turned the corner and the anchorage came into view, we saw there was a second boat in the anchorage that didn’t have AIS on. They were anchored exactly where we’d wanted to go. We pulled in and dropped anchor in a spot that made us a little nervous. We were only a few hundred feet from the rock in front of us (picture 1), the shore behind us (picture 2), and the boat next to us (picture 3). 

It was now about 1545. We were dismayed to find that where we were anchored it was rolly. While our friends were only three hundred yards northeast of us (you can see them in photo 1), they were fully protected and not moving at all. We weren’t tucked far enough in to get full protection. We knew the wind would die soon and it would calm down, so we decided to stay, despite Eric’s concerns about the boat swinging too close to the rocks when the current shifted in the middle of the night. 

Our friends came over for a visit. Shortly after they left, at about sunset, the wind died and the seas became calm. The anchorage became pleasant. Here is the sunset facing west, looking at the mountains that the La Gringa anchorage is tucked behind.

Since it was the new moon, after dark we sat outside and stargazed for a while. There were massive amounts of stars glowing vibrantly. Jupiter was huge. We’d read that Jupiter was the closest its been to earth in 60 years — so close that you could see its lines with binoculars. Eric tried to focus in on Jupiter, but, even though it was relatively calm now, we were still moving too much to get a good look with the binoculars. 

Unfortunately, the lack of wind made it a very hot night. We all had a hard time sleeping; Eric worrying about Kosmos shifting made it even harder for him to sleep. In good news, Kosmos stayed put.

Monday’s sunrise, looking northwest

We left for The Village at 0800, anxious to get out of the anchorage before the wind picked up and it got rolly again. It was a very smooth passage. We arrived at 0930. It was notatbly much more green than it had been last week.

Monday was 99 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest day we’ve had in a while in terms of temperature. However, the humidity was down to only 38%, so it actually felt cooler than when the temperatures were in the low 90s and the humidity significantly higher. 

Last time we’d gone to the pizza place, we’d seen a handpainted sign for a museum along the road. We’d asked some fellow cruisers about it, and someone told us that it was surprisingly interesting. Our plan was to get lunch at the pizza place, pick up non-perishables at the grocery store, then go to the museum. 

Steps one and two were uneventful. We were sad to find that the museum was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

But we were overjoyed when we figured out that the sportfishing shop directly across the street from the museum sells ice cream! It was the perfect treat for a hot day. We also noticed that one of the motels along the main highway had a restaurant. Here is a sunset photo.

Eric did some more stargazing after dark. This time, he was able to Jupiter’s moons with his binoculars!