Canal de Salsipuedes / Canal de Ballenas & Isla Angel de la Guarda
After a peaceful night at anchor in the small harbor of San Franciscito, the Sea Bird got underway shortly before dawn heading northward in the Canal de Salsipuedes. It was a lovely morning with a cool breeze blowing from the north. Before breakfast we were called to the decks to marvel at some fin whales, the second largest species of whale on the planet. No sooner had we pulled away from these immense whales, than we encountered a large group of long-beaked common dolphins. The dolphins were heading southward, apparently pursuing fish, as there were many seabirds also attracted to this bountiful food source. Hermann’s gulls and elegant terns were plentiful in the area, preparing to nest on the nearby Island called Isla Rasa. We eventually turned back northward and continued our course toward Rasa. There we sent a Zodiac ashore to pick up Enriqueta Velarde, a seabird researcher who has been studying the breeding birds there for over twenty-five years. Enriqueta and two of her research assistants joined us for the day, allowing us an opportunity to hear about her long-term studies of the seabird and fisheries interactions here in the northern gulf.
We continued northward, now in the Canal de Ballenas, eventually reaching our afternoon anchorage along the western shores of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Here we anchored at the entrance to a tiny harbor, called “Este Ton,” tucked cryptically along the western shore of the island. The harbor is carved as a circular arc with a narrow entrance. Around it the desert hills sloped up to colored mountains of ochre, rust and reddish hues. We dropped our fleet of Zodiacs, and also a gaggle of colorful kayaks to explore the desert shores of this mountainous and most colorful island. As the desert sun drifted farther westward and the midday heat cooled, many people headed off on foot to explore the surrounding desert. The banded mountainous slopes of Angel de la Guarda lifted boldly above us as we enjoyed this wild landscape from Zodiacs, kayaks and afoot. By nightfall the Sea Bird had again turned southward seeking other exotic shores beckoning to be explored tomorrow.
After a peaceful night at anchor in the small harbor of San Franciscito, the Sea Bird got underway shortly before dawn heading northward in the Canal de Salsipuedes. It was a lovely morning with a cool breeze blowing from the north. Before breakfast we were called to the decks to marvel at some fin whales, the second largest species of whale on the planet. No sooner had we pulled away from these immense whales, than we encountered a large group of long-beaked common dolphins. The dolphins were heading southward, apparently pursuing fish, as there were many seabirds also attracted to this bountiful food source. Hermann’s gulls and elegant terns were plentiful in the area, preparing to nest on the nearby Island called Isla Rasa. We eventually turned back northward and continued our course toward Rasa. There we sent a Zodiac ashore to pick up Enriqueta Velarde, a seabird researcher who has been studying the breeding birds there for over twenty-five years. Enriqueta and two of her research assistants joined us for the day, allowing us an opportunity to hear about her long-term studies of the seabird and fisheries interactions here in the northern gulf.
We continued northward, now in the Canal de Ballenas, eventually reaching our afternoon anchorage along the western shores of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Here we anchored at the entrance to a tiny harbor, called “Este Ton,” tucked cryptically along the western shore of the island. The harbor is carved as a circular arc with a narrow entrance. Around it the desert hills sloped up to colored mountains of ochre, rust and reddish hues. We dropped our fleet of Zodiacs, and also a gaggle of colorful kayaks to explore the desert shores of this mountainous and most colorful island. As the desert sun drifted farther westward and the midday heat cooled, many people headed off on foot to explore the surrounding desert. The banded mountainous slopes of Angel de la Guarda lifted boldly above us as we enjoyed this wild landscape from Zodiacs, kayaks and afoot. By nightfall the Sea Bird had again turned southward seeking other exotic shores beckoning to be explored tomorrow.
