In Steinbeck’s Wake: An Epic Voyage Through the Sea of Cortez

Early this morning, anchor off Punta Marcial. You will have a chance to go ashore and search the intertidal zone for critters of all kinds. This is also your chance to learn safe practices while kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling and skiffing. Punta Marcial is a historic Steinbeck site. During lunch, the ship will get underway for the nearby Isla Catalina where you may see the largest barrel cactus on the planet, or with luck, see the endemic rattle-less rattle snake. Maybe you are up for a snorkel at Elephant Rock? As the sun sets, the ship gets underway for Santa Rosalia Town.

This morning will be spent searching for Blue and Fin whales that frequent the navigational corridor between Isla Catalina and Sant Rosalia. Your captain will decide on your adventure today: more time at Isla Smiths, Isla Coronado, or exploring the Refugio area up north.

Spend the day on Isla Smiths with the UnCruise beach camp as your hub. Beachcombing is excellent here, as the shrubbery collects an array of natural treasures. Explore on a self-guided hike through the arroyo or take a kayak out into the bay. Snorkeling, paddle boarding, and swimming all launch right from the beach. From the shoreline, take in views of the nearby volcanoes while enjoying a full day of relaxed exploration and water activities.

This bay and the little town are considered the Marine Oasis of Baja California due to the abundant aquatic life. This lovely area is also of the finest boating areas in the Baja area. Perfect for kayaking and small boat excursions and ventures ashore such as hikes to Punta Gringa, visits to the nature museum and even possible swims with whale sharks. This is also a great chance to take guided walks and hikes or be on your own. This area is also known as one of the few places in Baja where the famed, and huge, Leatherback Turtle is spotted. For those who enjoyed reading the “Log from The Sea of Cortes,” you will have the opportunity to visit a nearby Stenbeck site.

This is the most northern extent of your journey and a treat the ship’s owner, Captain Dan, has relished returning to. This tight and protected area is known to local fishermen and yachties as one of the most protected and scenic areas in the Northern Sea of Cortez. You will have all day to enjoy this yachter’s paradise. All activities are on for today, and perhaps a chance for a campfire before dinner?

Field notes from UnCruise’s research trip tell the story best.

“We went up the main arroyo that splits the island in half. We found numerous pinto chuckwallas, which would slap their tails hard on the ground as they scurried off. The hike was rigorous but enjoyed by all. We found hundreds of sea lions hauled out along the south shore of the island. Pelicans, boobies, terns, cormorants, gulls and osprey were numerous along this rugged coast. After landing on the gravel bar, bones of several marine mammals could be found.”

Early this afternoon, get underway for your second dedicated marine mammal search. Keep an eye out for blue, fin, sperm, orca and pilot whales that frequent this area.

“This area is known as the Canal de Salsipuedes, but due to its extreme depths it is also known to mariners as the Trench. The chart indicates a depth in this area of 4860 feet! It is in this trench that large groups of sperm whales feed on Humboldt squid. We came across several groups of these whales and spent the next several hours viewing the mightiest of the toothed whales. Blows could be seen for miles and a conservative estimate put the number at about 80 animals in an area of about six miles by six miles. A sight I will never forget. Mixed among these leviathans were several small pods of bottle nose dolphins.”

The morning is dedicated to searching for marine life. Keep watch for sperm whales, orcas, humpbacks, fin and blue whales, rays, and sea lions. In the afternoon, you’ll anchor at Playa Punta San Basilio, a protected area that offers calm conditions. Go ashore for an easy hike or take a kayak out into the sheltered waters. This is a peaceful place for quiet exploration on land and sea.

Arrive at this epic location before Noon. This area seems like an odd landscape given the nature of this desert sea. Behold this shallow but large interior lagoon on Isla San Jose. Perfect for bird watching and perhaps a kayak trip. You will likely find this area to be as appealing to you as it was Steinbeck. Outside the lagoon are long beaches, superb for beachcombing or taking it easy. You will be here until late, so come on deck after dinner and star gaze; with no ambient light nearby, it is amazing.

Spend the entire day at one, or both, of these nearby locations. All activities will be available along with your final Steinbeck site at Punta Lobos. This is an amazing area and part of the Biosphere National Park. Tonight is your official captain’s dinner with a wide selection of images that will be shared with all aboard the ship.

After breakfast, it’s adios La Paz, as you transfer back to San José del Cabo for your flight or hotel stay.