Isla San Francisco
By Marissa Neely
Isla San Francisco, located off the eastern coast of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, is a part of the Espiritu Santo Archipelago and renowned for its untouched wilderness. As a protected area, the island remains largely undeveloped, offering visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a pure natural environment. The island’s raw beauty and pristine beaches make it a haven for those seeking solitude and a true escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life; which is exactly what my husband, Chris, and I needed after spending 3 months sailing around mainland Mexico.
We had arrived on the island on a fine evening in May 2023, just a few hours before sunset, concluding a three day passage from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. After reviewing the weather forecast we decided to lay our hook on the island’s less-popular east side in 20’ of water with 4:1 scope behind a couple of catamarans. The west side features a picturesque crescent harbor that was (at our time of visiting) inundated with charter boats and exposed to incoming wind and chop.
Unlike the anchorage in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, this anchorage was still. Just one of the many joys of the Sea of Cortez. As Chris and our cat, Cleo, snored next to me (yes, both of them, almost in unison) I stayed up looking through our stateroom hatch at the stars that had kept me company on our night passage. Somewhere between thinking of everything I was thankful for and mentally planning out the following day I fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Lay of the Land
The first sleep after a long passage is inexplicably euphoric, but this anchorage with its complete lack-of-motion made it all the more enjoyable. We “slept in” to 7:30, squeezing every once of rest we could before we let the excitement of exploring a new place move us from our bed. Cleo didn’t follow suit though, she stayed behind stretching out into the space we once occupied with no sign of moving anytime soon.
After some coffee and breakfast we got dressed, packed our bag and loaded up Winglet making our way to shore. Despite the amount of boats around the island (mostly on the west side) we were the only ones on the island. Perhaps it was too early or perhaps people were just content staying indoors on a glorious overcast day. We dragged Winglet up the shore a ways out of the ocean’s grasp then put our shoes on and started our walk.
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