We decided to do something different for New Year’s Eve and so Tracey did some research to find a company at the marina in Cabo San Lucas that we could book for a whale watching and sunset cruise. To make sure that we would be on time, we drove down a little early and parked at the south end of the marina, checked in at Cabo Sails, and had the time for a quick drink at Senor Frog’s on the marina, while waiting to board our sailboat – The Sol-Mate. We were allowed through the gate when it was our time to board and escorted down the dock to the boat. We met our crew – Oliver, the Captain, and Lupe, the Mate. They provided us with a tour of the boat, a description of the day’s cruise plan, and some rules to keep safe while on the boat. We backed out of the dock and proceeded slowly through the marina and out toward the Sea of Cortez. Lupe explained to us that he would be our source of information, drinks, and some food during the cruise. Oliver would keep searching for whales until we said we were ready to prepare for the sunset.
All four of us carefully moved out onto the bow of the boat, holding on to the tie lines. Lupe asked what we would like to drink and made margaritas for Chris and Tracy, Chardonnay for me, and sparkling water for Beth. On the way out, we had good views of Land’s End, Lover’s Beach, the marina, and the coast to the west. The first thing that was surprising was how many boats were out at the junction of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean doing the same thing that we were. It was like a pack racing toward any sighting of whales that would come up over the radio. We enjoyed being out on the water (although Beth was a little queasy) but didn’t see any whales for the first hour or so. We also had great views of Land’s End from the water and to the resorts along the coast between the marina and the Pacific – Pueblo Bonita properties, the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal, and the start of Quivira.
Then a number of grey whales were sited as we traveled a little further up the coast. For about 15 or 20 minutes we chased a series of sightings of tails and backs as the whales travel out into the Sea of Cortez. We then decided to start leisurely back to get in a good position to watch the sun go down and to see the Arch against a darkening sky. Both Chris and I got a lot of great pictures of our adventure and would do it again (although Beth would like a bit bigger boat!).
We would like to thank Oliver, Lupe and Cabo Sails for a great afternoon. We were then off to Taba BBQ for a great dinner.
For more information about Cabo Sails visit their website at https://cabosails.com/ or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CaboSails
