It is so easy to get up at 4:30 when one is in bed by 8. Breakfast was made so efficient due to the fact that we had cooked the potatoes, onion and peppers the night before so all we had to do was reheat them and add the eggs. A strong wind from the west is blowing down the arroyo behind us. If it switches to the North we could be in for some challenging paddling. The next stretch of coastline once we round the next point is exposed to the North. For now though we are protected by Punta Chivato and can always camp before the point if need be. A sea lion surfaces right next to Donna's boat. She was as surprised as the sea lion. There is quite the development of homes in this area. On one hand they are quite nice, but we prefer the natural landscape and the coziness of our tent. A large raft of eared grebes is the main wildlife sighting today. Hard to believe that all winter they don't fly and come spring they will migrate to the Salton Sea or Great Salt Lake. We take a break before rounding the point and hike across it to check out the wind. It has increased as has the waves, but we give it a yellow light and proceed with caution. We had been warned about currents around the point but at this time they are minimum, the swells have picked up though and our boats disappear from each other when we are in the trough. If the wind increases we will be looking for a place to land. We proceed checking the shoreline for potential landing spots. We notice a Mexican fishing boat in the distance and as we approach, their boat is beginning to rock with the waves. They take off, but at one point we can see them head to shore then take out away. It almost seems like they were showing us something. As we continued on, we needed to take a break and came to the area that they had pulled closer to shore, The waves had a funny break and then we noticed an opening to a lagoon. A narrow entrance opened into a protected area. That was all we needed to head in and take advantage of a surf free zone. This was truly an oasis! As we stretched our legs the wind continues to pick up and the decision is made to make camp for the night. Where we first landed a dirt road was nearby and soon a dune buggy appears. They are off to Punta Chivato for lunch. They tell us that a wind of 25 knots is forecasted for tomorrow. That is more than what we would want to paddle in on this exposed stretch. We always take weather reports as one factor, and that piece of information will be good to note when we do a weather check in the morning. We find an old crate that has washed up on shore and use it for a table. I am liking this camp! The beach is calling us so a long walk is in order. A mosaic of shells form along the way. The waves and wind continue to pickup. Paddled about 10 miles today. At this time of year we will most likely paddle whenever we can and layover days or short paddling days will be determined by the wind.
