BAJA HOPPERS: San Evaristo - April 3-4, 2010

San Evaristo - the South end of the beach

The center of the beach

The north end of the beach in San Evaristo

Phil checking the water temperature as reported from out trusty mate - Fred the duck.

San Evaristo is a true, Baja fishing village, exactly the kind we'd imagined and hoped to see. No one speaks English and the folks in this town rely on the sea for everything. There are about 20 families living in the little bay, and it looks like every one of them has a panga: a big, fast, carry anything and everything panga. Because were starting out in the sea during a local school vacation there were lots of families camping along the shore enjoying the sunshine. The water temperature is cold for us spoiled by the warm waters of southern Mexico. Fred our trusty duck thermometer is telling us it is only 72. That does not seem to bother the kids. Jumping in the water is fun anywhere we go.
The little village extends only about 100 yards in from the beach, with one dirt road in and out. There are the usual fishing shacks and lean-to's along the beach made of scrap plywood, driftwood and old galvanized roofing, and even a few tents. The houses range from shacks to cinder block. The one palapa was easy to spot - it has the only awning in the whole place. Well, that and the "Pacifico" beer logo on top.

Dad managed to find the "ballena"

Kelly standing on the beach - this camera had a little accident down in Chamela and it makes everything blue when it is really sunny - no matter how much I try and override the colors.

Main street in Evaristo (same camera)

The sign for the "mini-mart"

We rowed the dinghy ashore and spent an hour or two wandering around and practicing our bad Spanglish with the residents. They were super friendly and tried to help us find the local tienda – “casa rosa.” The little store was surprisingly well stocked, although some of the tomatoes looked a little long in the tooth. We passed on them, but picked up a few other things for the galley. We eventually stopped by the palapa and enjoyed a beverage while watching the fishermen make ceviche with giant clams. Who knows where they get their supplies, but they use a lot of limes in their ceviche, then pour it into big glasses and top it off with bottles and bottles of Clamato juice. The fishermen called it a "Cocktel de Ceviche." Call it what you want, it looked great.

The anchorage is small and well protected from the north and northwest and, for once, the swell didn't curl around the point very much - perfect sleeping conditions. The Nautical Almanac said the moon wouldn't rise until about 2300, so we had an amazing display of stars after dinner. The crew collapsed long before then, tired, but happy.

As Easter Sunday was quickly approaching, the kids realized that we had not brought our traditional “Easter baskets” with us on the boat. Ryan did not seem to care and he wrote a note to the Easter Bunny explaining what had happened. Kelly on the other hand insisted that there would be no candy if she did not have a basket. She proceeded to make her own. She was rewarded with a little more candy than Ryan got. We think it was because she had a basket but we’ll never know as the Rabbit did not leave an explanation.