Sail Mexico.

Most people picture beaches. Sailors picture the Sea of Cortez: a narrow sea between the Baja peninsula and the mainland, tucked in the lee of a thousand kilometres of desert coast. The water is clear, the anchorages are empty for weeks at a stretch, and the wildlife is the real headline — fin whales, dolphins, sea lions hauled out on rocks, frigatebirds overhead. Jacques Cousteau called it the world's aquarium, and for once the phrase earns its keep.

We sail out of Baja California Sur, the southern half of the peninsula. It's dry country — cactus and volcanic rock down to the tideline — which keeps the skies clear and the anchorages calm. This isn't the Med, with a taverna in every bay. Half the anchorages here have no road, no village, no phone signal. You bring what you need and you leave with the same rubbish you arrived with. For sailors who want distance and quiet over quayside dinners, it's hard to beat.

La Paz is the natural base: a working port with a long malecón, chandleries, provisioning, and a fuel dock. From there the cruising ground opens north into the islands. Isla Espíritu Santo sits a few hours out — a UNESCO island with a chain of pale-sand coves cut into red cliffs. Ensenada Grande and Playa Bonanza are the anchorages people remember. Further north lie Isla Partida and, for boats with time, Isla San José and the Loreto islands beyond.

South of La Paz, Bahía de los Muertos and the run down toward Los Cabos give you open-water sailing if you want it. Most week-long charters stay in the La Paz–Espíritu Santo triangle: enough anchorages to never repeat one, short enough hops to swim through the middle of the day.

The usable season runs roughly November to May. Winter is the settled time — daytime temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s Celsius, water warm enough to snorkel, and the northerly "norte" winds that funnel down the Sea of Cortez. Nortes can blow hard, 20–30 knots for a day or two, so you plan anchorages with north protection and wait them out. Between fronts you get glassy mornings and afternoon sea breezes.

Spring softens: lighter air, warmer water, and the whale sharks that gather in the bay off La Paz from roughly October into spring. Summer is hurricane season — humid, hot, and off the table for charter. If you want reliable sailing wind, aim for December to April; if you want warm swimming and whale sharks, the shoulders either side deliver.

Our presence here is small and focused, so ask early. Bareboat charter suits crews with a skipper aboard who's comfortable in a remote cruising ground — you're often a full day from the nearest help, so competence and self-sufficiency matter more here than in busier waters. Skippered charter is the sensible default if you don't know these anchorages: a local skipper knows which coves hold in a norte and where the whale sharks feed.

Cabin charters and fully crewed arrangements come up seasonally. Because availability is limited, message us on WhatsApp with your dates and crew before you plan flights, and we'll tell you honestly what's open.

Mexico sits mid-range for charter. A week aboard varies with boat size, season, and whether you take a skipper, so we quote per enquiry — Price on request. Budget separately for fuel (motoring between light-wind anchorages adds up), park fees for Espíritu Santo and the national marine areas, provisioning out of La Paz, and a skipper's day rate if you take one. Marine-park bracelets and permits are a real line item here, not an afterthought — they're checked. National-park and mooring fees are modest but mandatory; we'll fold the current figures into your quote rather than guess at them.

Day 1 — Board in La Paz, provision, sort marine-park permits, and shake down in the harbour. Short hop to Caleta Lobos for the first night.

Day 2 — Cross to Isla Espíritu Santo. Anchor at Ensenada Grande, swim the pale shallows, walk the arroyo behind the beach at low light.

Day 3 — Work up the island's west side to Playa Bonanza or Ensenada de la Gallina. Snorkel the rocks; sea lions if you're lucky.

Day 4 — North to Isla Partida and the sea-lion colony at Los Islotes. Time it for morning calm and give the rookery a respectful berth.

Day 5 — Weather day. Sit out a norte in a north-protected cove, or push further north toward San José if the forecast holds.

Day 6 — Track back south, anchoring somewhere you skipped. Long swim, early anchor, fish off the stern.

Day 7 — Final leg to La Paz. Sundowner on the malecón, dinner ashore. Disembark the next morning.

Treat this as a shape, not a schedule. The norte decides the order; a good skipper reads it and reshuffles.

Fly into Los Cabos (SJD) or La Paz (LAP). Los Cabos has more international connections; it's roughly a two-hour road transfer up to La Paz, so factor that in. La Paz airport is smaller and closer to the docks but thinner on flights. Most crews route through Los Cabos and drive up.

Bring reef-safe sunscreen — the marine parks require it — plus polarised sunglasses for spotting reefs and rays, and more water than you think. Cash in pesos helps for small provisioning and park fees. There's no reliable phone signal across most of the cruising ground, so download charts and tell someone ashore your rough plan.

Right for crews who want empty anchorages, warm winter water, and wildlife over nightlife. Less right for those who want a village dinner every evening — this coast is desert and sea, and that's the whole point.