Being my final full day in Guaymas, I wanted to get in an extra long paddle. I set off from the beach out front and cut diagonally across the bay to round the far north point so I could see what lay beyond. I started earlier than I had on any previous day, but the wind was already up and the skies were overcast. There is some rain in the upcoming forecast and I guess this is the precursor for that. I paddled hard for half an hour and was getting close to the end of the bay.

I’ve been decrying the lack of sea life as the days go by paddling out here. A few odd rays have been the only animals that have shown themselves other than birds. Be careful what you wish for. As I was nearing the rougher water where the open sea was more exposed, I saw the telltale black silhouette of a shark pass by under the board as I glided past. There was a splash behind me as the fin raked the surface and I let out an audible “whoa” although there was no one to hear it but me. It wasn’t a big one, maybe five or six feet, but it had me skeeved out for a few minutes looking around to see if he was going to come back around.

I paddled up against the rocky bluffs at the end of the point fronting the houses of the rich and famous lining the shore. The sea was shallower here, ten to twenty feet with perfect visibility to the rocky reef at the bottom. Around the corner was a large pavilion of some kind, not sure what it’s function is but it is the prominent structure on the shore. Out towards Tetakawi, there are some interesting islets, some with holes through them and other just jagged rocky outcrops.

By now, I’d gotten over being startled and turned back into the bay. Some fishermen were throwing hand lines out from a dilapidated old skiff looking for a seafood lunch. I asked them what type of sharks they have and they said small ones, that they rarely saw any bigger than mine. That gave me some comfort as I traced the northern shore trying to hide from the wind.

I paddled past the park and the entrance to the port then followed along the sandy beach where there were some nice gringo homes lining the shore. A workman was trying to steady a ladder to climb high and do some work. It was nearly vertical and the ladder only caught about two inches of the wall at the top. Pretty sketchy. No OSHA inspectors for Guaymas.

A pod of dolphins showed up a little off shore so I stroked it on out to greet them. A pair of them were spy hopping, poking their heads up to get a good look at me. They were amazing. Due to the overcast, the camera kept wanting to flash creating pauses before shooting making it hard to catch them in action. It didn’t matter, I just wanted to see them up close. Dolphins, a shark and my daily ray. I was stoked with today’s paddle. Almost two hours of exercise and unabated views of coastal Guaymas.

I did a lot of kicking back in the shade for the rest of the day. I practiced on my guitar and talked to Dave next door. He was heading to the hardware store, so I asked him to pick me up some screws so I could attach my door holding clip for the propane hatch. That was my main little project for the day. In the afternoon, I packed stuff up and started getting things organized to hit the road tomorrow. Still not sure exactly where I’m going. We’ll just see what tickles the fancy when I pull out in the morning.