ISLA SAN MARTIN

This small volcanic island can provide a reasonable anchorage as protection from south/southwesterly winds, a common occurrence with an approaching pacific frontal system and as a matter of fact, the author has never experienced southerly winds that did not culminate in a frontal passage with heavy wind and rain. Sometimes while anchored in Caleta Hassler on the east side of the island, the sea state can get rough due to the northerly winds so the routine is to simply pick up and go around to the south side where anchorage is reasonable. During the cruise of 90/91 the author had dropped anchor at the anchorage of San Carlos in the early morning after being underway all day and night up from Cedros Island and while getting the weather from the Baja net, it was announced that a frontal system approaching with southerly winds of up to 50 kts forecasted for the area. This is enough to frighten any sailor, the next anchorage with protection for southerly weather was Isla San Martin, 105 miles north or a turn back to the next protection south, Turtle Bay. Exhausted or not, the author hauled anchor and got under way for Isla San Martin and on arriving anchored in Caleta Hassler, It started raining in the early morning but the wind velocity was not anything near 55 Kts. At that time, the author was sailing his Northsea 27 equipped with a CQR anchor and 30' of chain spliced to 250' of nylon rode. The anchor was dropped in 30' and more than the usual amount of scope was deployed due to the approaching storm. The storm passed during the next day and late in the afternoon there was a wind shift to the northwest and at the time it was noticed that the anchor rode was at a peculiar angle, it did not indicate the direction in which the anchor was set. Due to other things that had to be done, this peculiarity was forgotten.  During the night, the author went topside to retrieve a towel left out to dry and was somewhat startled to see the island on the horizon about the size of a coffee cup and behind about 200 yards away was the white outlines of the beach surf. After getting the boat underway back to the island, it was a sickening feeling to pull in the anchor rode with no anchor and observe the frayed end of the rode chaffed by the bottom rocks. This was of course the peculiarity as indicated above. Now, the author carried all chain for rode. A close look at the port or southend of the island  will reveal the dark outlines of the seawall as referred to by Charlie. Caleta Hassler anchorage is located just to the north of the seawall which is not really a seawall at all, but a row of volcanic rocks.

Caleta Hassler, provides shelter from south/southwesterly weather.  When winds shift to northwest, if necessary, pickup and move to the south side to in front of the lagoon.