Isla Isabella

On December 11th we left Mazatlan in the early afternoon and set our compass for Isla Isabella, a marine preserve about 80 miles south of Mazatlan.  It is a small island that is the home to hundreds of blue footed boobies, friget birds and iguanas.  We left in the afternoon so as to arrive early the next morning.  Sailing at night can be a little scary for someone like me it makes arriving a lot easier instead of getting in somewhere after dark. 

This island has some reefs you have to avoid so we opted for the early arrival.  The island is all but deserted but for the pangas and the fisherman that make the beach camps their homes.  Also on the island is a research facility for the marine and aviary inhabitants.  The birds have no predators and so they are not really even afraid of the people.  We spent the night in the bay and after visiting with an eco- diving group that was staying on the island we left the next morning for Matanchen Bay over on the Mainland.

The view as we are leaving Isla Isabella on December 13, 2009.  Notice the two rock formations on the right in this picture.  They are know as the "two mannequins."

The two mannequins as seen from our boat on 12/13/09.