We paddled away from shore towards a rock in the middle of the bight of Bahia el Descanso. Normally I would want to stay close to shore but this shore with all its condo construction did not attract me. The rock was mentioned in the cruising guides and it made a long crossing a little more interesting by having a focus and a place to stop for a break. When we finished the crossing we saw an arch close to shore, but it was too shallow and rough to go through. We passed the entrance of the new Marina La Salina and kept paddling. Along the shore we saw the greens of Campo Del Golfo, making me wonder where the water for these lawns comes from. Not to mention water for all the condos under construction. And where is the sewage from all these units going to go?
Looking at the satellite photos while planning the trip, I had seen two south-facing coves in this area that might be good for camping in. The first cove had rough boulders down to the waterline and did not look to have anyplace to camp on. Looking ahead I saw cranes and a new offshore pier. I hear people say “See Baja before it is ruined” and wondered if I was too late already. We rounded the next point looking for my second cove and found that the new pier was the water intake for a nuclear power plant under construction! This is now the third nuclear power plant I have paddled past on the Pacific coast! Since it wasn’t in operation yet we were allowed to paddle under the pier and past the cooling water channel (still dry) without being molested by security.
Just past the KEEP OUT fence on the other side of the power plant I found the second cove I had seen from space. It might have been possible to land here and camp for the night. We discussed the pros and cons of staying here: It is a rocky landing but the tide will be higher in the morning covering the rocks. It is next to a nuclear power plant, but it is not in operation yet. Next to a construction site, but outside the fence. We decided to continue south looking for another place. The name of this point is Salsipuedes which means “Leave if you can” in Spanish. Three miles farther we found a sandy beach with a rocky berm above the high tide line and settled there for the evening.