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Provided By S/V Perpetua As of 09/06/06
Altata Sinaloa, Mexico
& Bahía De Altata
Info & Entrance Route
Perpetua's Altata ExperienceApril 2002
1 of 3 As of 02/10/04
From Latitude 38 Jan 2002 Changes in Latitudes
Spindrift - Catalac CatRon & Linda CaywoodAltata, Mexico(Portland, Oregon)
The first time we sailed our cat from Mazatlan across the Sea of Cortez for La Paz, we got pounded by the waves and ended up well tothe south. And when it came time to sail up through the Cerralvo Passage, we really took a beating. So when we needed to sail fromMazatlan back to La Paz again, we first sailed 110 miles up the coast of mainland Mexico to the seldom-visited port of Altata. After astop in the large lagoon with a sandy bottom, we headed out west across the Sea of Cortez, and made landfall at the north end of IslaPartida, well to the north and upwind of La Paz. We stayed at the island for a couple of days before sailing downhill into La Paz.
Thinking others might want to try the same thing, here's some info on Altata. The port captain speaks good English - which is a goodthing, because we were told that we were the first cruisers to ever stop there. He didn't know what to do about checking in, so he justmade a copy of our paperwork for his files, and stamped the back of our originals. There was no fee. How little known is Altata?When we got to the port captain's office in La Paz, they had to look it up on a map to find out where it was. Nobody had realized thatit was possible to get into the lagoon or that they had a port captain.
The entrance to the lagoon at Altata is marked by the #1 buoy, which is marked by a flashing white light. If you arrive at night, wesuggest that you go southeast to 15 feet of water and wait, as this is definitely not a good place to enter at night. The #1 buoy is inabout 25 feet of water. The water shallows to 15 feet between buoys #2 and #3, then deepens to 30 feet again. Angle toward the northshore after #4, and you'll find 50 or more feet of water. But as you pass the sandspit going east, the water shallows to 10 feet. Headtoward a watertower until you see the darker water of the channel going north to Altata, which is about five miles away. It's easy tostay in the channel from there, and there is 12 to 30 feet of water all the way to town.
When we got to town, we found that Gustav at the La Perla restaurant tried to be very helpful - but he speaks no English. His sonCeasar, who grew up in L.A., speaks English perfectly. Alas, Ceasar is in school except on weekends. On our first visit to Altata,Gustav took me to the Pemex station and used his 10 gallon jugs and his panga to ferry fuel out to our boat. The next year our startersolenoid quit in Altata, so Gustav drove us 30 miles to Culiacan to get a new one. I paid $100 for a $50 solenoid, but that's Mexico.Gustav then took us to lunch - and wouldn't let me pay. He wouldn't even let me pay for his time and fuel! So the next day, we hadLinda, who is a barber, cut the hair of everyone in Gustav's family. It was small compensation for what he did for us.
Gustav, his family, and all the people of Altata are wonderful. We hope to visit them again one day.It seems that each time we visited Altata, we had to wait four or five days for the wind to switch from the west to the northwest sowe'd have a good sailing angle across the Sea of Cortez.
Having to wait was worth it, as we had a great time in Altata - and ate plenty of delicious shrimp at the La Perla Restaurant. Here's afunny thing about the waterfront restaurants in Altata: they are tents set up along the water. At low tide, all the chairs and tables arestanding on dry sand. But when the tide comes in, they are resting in about four inches of water - and the waiters all wear rubber bootswhen serving you. It's very unusual. On weekends, it seems as though all of Culiacan comes to the beach, and Altata is like a carnival.Don't miss it!
We are now in Port Isabel, Texas, for the winter, having trucked our relatively narrow catamaran back from San Carlos. We're goingto spend the next few years doing the IntraCoastal Waterway and the Bahamas. We hope all our friends in Mexico will stay in touch.Ron wants to thank all the bridge players who suffered through his learning, because he sure came to enjoy it. He is now a member ofthe American Bridge League and plays duplicate bridge. We will keep everyone informed about the ICW - which we already know isdirty, too narrow to sail in, and has many barges which have the right of way. On the Gulf Coast part, there are also alligators andcrawdads.P.S. We've only been gone a short time, but we already miss the Sea of Cortez.
- ron & linda 11/15/'01
Perpetua's Experience
Pat & Susan Canniff on board S/V Perpetua had read Spindrift's article in Latitude 38º. The place sounded to good to be true. Altata isa small shrimp fishing village and quaint resort area for the residents of Culiacan.
We arrived from Mazatlan, with two other boats Albion and Kelmar. We were welcomed by the ponga's out in the bay and givendirections toward the town and the main channel into the anchorage. The anchorage is in the northern part of the bay and in front ofthe restaurants. We had good holding in about 20 feet. Once we had anchored up and rested we went ashore and visited La Perlarestaurant. We were indeed greeted by Gustav and once he realized we knew Spindrift he brought out photos of Spindrift's visits.From there he couldn't have helped us more. From Driving us to the Port Captain's office as well to get diesel. Getting diesel involveddriving us out of town to a local farm diesel distribution place because the local Pemex station's diesel pump wasn't working. While atthe restaurant a veggie truck pulled up in front, so our food barely got cold while the girls went shopping! Our Port Captain activitieswere more pleasant then normal because it turns out, that because three foreign vessels had arrived at the same time, this represented afirst for Altata and the Culiacan news paper was contacted for an interview of the skippers. While in the Port Captain's office a forth
Perpetua's Altata ExperienceApril 2002
2 of 3 As of 02/10/04
boat, Lady MJ arrived, so now there was 4 boats in the harbor. Quite an experience in itself. People in ponga's were coming by all day,taking pictures like we were a big deal! We gave Gustav and his son tours of our baots which he really enjoyed.
The Port Captain, Alfonso Rodriguez Loaiza (672 - 7289015), spoke good english and collected our check in/out fees, so that wedidn't have to go 10 kilometers to the nearest bank. Although he didn't make change so be prepared for to pay your normal tonnagefees.
We were only there for two days, we enjoyed our visit very much and would have stayed longer but we had a good weather windowto cross and did so. We will definitely stay longer next time.
We told Gustav about how cruisers once they find a hangout like to sign in on wall. He at once told us to pick a wall to sign which weall did.
By the way the food at La Perla restaurant was very good and quite reasonable.
We would be glad to answer any questions you might have about Altata and provide electronic copies of the route upon request.
Our email addresses are: [email protected] or [email protected]
Altata Impressions by Some of The Visiting Yachts
S/V Kelmar- Earl & Marta - [email protected]
We went to Altata on the coast 100 miles north of Mazatlan. We sailed with Albion and Perpetua and were later joined by Lady MJ(trawler from Florida). This was the first time that Altata had more that one yacht in the harbor. It was quite an occasion. The portcaptain called the press and they sent out a reporter and photographer from Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. They wrote a nice articlewith a picture of us with the port captain. We started a cruiser's wall at the La Perla Restaraunt. We mentioned our trip to Altata onmost of the nets and have had several other boats question us. We have been told that there are several other signatures on the wallnow at the internationally famous La Perla. We are very glad to have visited Altata now. As, there are plans underway to buildresorts with hotels, golf courses, and a marina. Construction will start as soon as the bridge is built across the bay to the peninsulawhere this will all take place. And the bridge is well under way. It will not be long. One thing that probably needs mentioning is thatAltata is not a poor town. There are lots of very nice beach homes. As this is the beach town for the affluent of Culiacan. Some of thequestions that seem to need answering: Can you get diesel? Yes, Gustavo will take you in his truck. Can you get propane? Yes, thepropane trucks come to fill the restaurants. Is there a place for trash? Yes. Is there ice? Gustavo, said it is available. Are theregroceries? I noticed at least three small tiendas that seemed to have a pretty good selection. There are veggie trucks that comes downthe beach. They are actually there to supply the restaurants. All the sea food is very fresh. Sometimes it is still alive when it gets tothe restaurants. How about transportation? There is hourly bus service to Culiacan, 30 miles away. Once there, there is bus service toall of Mexico and there is an airport. Culiacan is located on the toll road running from the US border to Mexico City. What aboutshopping? Some in Altata. But, for major shopping Culiacan has everything, much more than Mazatlan ninety minutes south. Whilein Altata we purchased a newspaper from Culiacan and there was even an ad for Sears. 20% off the entire store. How is the dinghylanding? Could not be easier. This is like being anchored in a lake. We were only about one hundred yards from the beach in aboutfifteen feet of water.
S/V Melagro (sp?) - [email protected]
We have had a wonderful stay here, so much so that we gave up the opportunity to get to Escondido this year for a few extra dayshere. Local folks so happy to see attention from cruiser fleet that we were featured in an article in April 25 edition of El Debate, thelocal daily newspaper in Culiacan. Altata is a very cruiser friendly place to be with virtually everyone wanting to meet us and just stopto talk, I've even had people just walk up to touch me while shopping in Culiacan. Altata itself is a combination shrimper and touristeconomy with many expensive homes surrounding the bay. The town comes alive on the weekend when folks from Novalato,Culiacan and surrounding cities come to play and enjoy the restaurants/palapas. We have had a continual stream of Mexican touristscoming out to look at the boats, but have yet to have anybody including the kids ask for anything. Entrance Channel - use caution andPerpetua's way point list for easy entry, when arriving at anchorage remember to stay at least 80-90 yards out as it's very shallow (youwill wind up walking the dingy to shore) and I did run aground while turning to anchor. Suggest not arriving at entrance buoy at firstlight as you are looking directly into rising sun making it very hard to find buoys/marks.Check in/out - can't possibly be an easier place in all of Mexico, office is one stop and only about 30 steps from waters edge. PortCaptain actually had his secretary type up my crew list in order to save me a trip in to check out!Services - Pemix station in town and it's easy to obtain help from Gustavo at La Perla in arranging transportation. Had local folks(arranged through port captain) service and recharge my freezer (due to leak in system) they were very competent, and on time, andafter making 2 trips to the boat to get the system back on line the total labor charge was $300 pesos. Computer stores and electricalstores are in Novalato, a $10 peso bus ride. Provisioning can be done in Novalato or Culiacan (very good central Mercado) or localTienda/produce truck in Altata. Internet is available in both cities also for $8 pesos/hour.Must do's - go walking on the beach on outside of spit (ocean side) shells are ankle deep in some places and lots of critters to watch.Dingy ride down the bay and through the mangroves, reportedly 120 varieties of birds here. Visit Culiacan, state capital, $20 peso busride, several museums, cultural center, beautiful downtown and very friendly people. Walk through back streets of Altata, meet thelocal people, they really want to show you their town.Final thought - we will most definitely return, if not this fall then next year on the way north again.
Perpetua's Altata ExperienceApril 2002
3 of 3 As of 02/10/04
S/V Albion - Brent & Molly Forsberg - [email protected]
We have long thought that there is probably some good cruising ground along the mainland coast of the Sea of Cortez, but the lack ofany cruising guides for the area keeps cruisers heading across along the Baja side. The appeal of breaking up the two night passageacross into two segments was enough to entice us to give Altata a try. Ron and Linda Caywood's article in the January issue ofLatitude 38 along with some hand drawn charts we had acquired provided accurate information on the entrance channel. It's a longway up the channel to the town of Altata, but in our opinion, well worth the time to get there. The people we met were all as friendlyas could be and wanting to help as much as possible make our visit a positive one. They were so impressed with the large influx ofcruisers (four boats) that they called the Culiacan press and had a reporter and photographer interview us. The anchorage is off thebeach lined with palapa restaurants. We didn't get a good chance to explore the community, but the hospitality and cuisine weexperienced at the La Perla Restaurant was above and beyond anything we have encountered in Mexico. Gustavo and family spreadout their arms in welcoming us and making themselves available for anything we might need. Gustavo provided transportation torefuel with diesel and to the Port Captain's office. While we were enjoying cool beverages at the restaurant, two different fresh fruitand veggie vendors stopped with their truckload of wares. Very few of the locals speak English, so if your Spanish isn't any betterthan ours, you could also end up with a lot more food than you thought you ordered! The Port Captain speaks fluent English andshared the plans and drawings of many changes to come in the future for Altata including, a large resort, golf course and marina. Thegeneral impression was of being the first explorers in a new land that had not seen the likes of our kind (cruisers) before. When thecruising guides find and document this and other mainland harbors of refuge, the cruiser will have more options than crossing the seatwice to transit between San Carlos and Mazatlan south, or better options of crossing with more favorable wind directions. Our adviceis -- go now and enjoy the area before it becomes developed, then, like many veteran cruisers, you can say "I remember Altata beforeit was developed".
Altata UpdateMay 2004
From SV Fetching Light
Subject: Altata Update
Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 11:57:00 EDT
From: SV Fetching Light
We hung around San Carlos for a few days waiting for the southerly to die down then we headed for Altata.We were able to sail the first bit and then of course the wind died and then we motored. We arrived offAltata about 0800 only to find nary a buoy in sight and lots of breakers. The buoys left with the hurricaneand who knows if and when they will be replaced. Spent a number of hours trying to raise the port captainon VHF and finally got thru to someone. Long story short. We paid a panguero $90 US to guide us in. Itwas worth it. We weren't sure if the waypoints you gave us were still good after the hurricane.
We anchored off La Perla and upon going ashore were greeted by Gustavo who is a prince of a fellow. Heand his family send their love and muchos abrasos (hugs). We hung around Altata for five days enjoyingthe village, Gustavo and his very extended family (primos, sobrinos, nietos, hijos, etc.) We had Gustavoand Lupita aboard for dinner and they reciprocated ashore. Gustavo obtained engine oil for us in Culiacan and drove us around locally to see thesights. The bridge across to the spit and the future Nueva Altata is in and we visited developmentheadquarters. They certainly have grandiose plans for a huge development with hotels, condos, houses, golfcourses, a marina and more. Interestingly enough it was all being pitched to Mexicans, not gringos. I hope it is not another Puerto Escondito. We willsee.
Such a wonderful experience. Too bad so few cruisers make it there.
We are number 32 on the cruisers hall of fame. Thanks for sharing with us. Judy and Phil
Altata, Mx. UpdateMay 2005
From SV Moira & SV Victoria
Subject: Altata Update
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 21:20:54 -0000 (GMT)
From: Jeff on Victoria
We are in Altata - a great stop. We arrived the day after Larry on Moira left - here's his comments:
"Hum. No buoys--all blown away a year or two back. The US Navy "Sailing Directions" say that thechannel is constantly shifting and "should not be attempted without local knowledge." We got a pangueroto guide us in using his handheld GPS, and he still ran us aground, fortunately in the inner harbor on sand,and we got off immediately with no damage other than losing a bit of bottom paint on the bottom of thekeel.
In spite of that, and in retrospect, the waypoint list put together by Perpetua (see below) appears to remainvalid with one exception, namely that it appears best to approach (the position of the missing) bouys 2-3 from the West rather than from (the position of the missing) bouy 1. There was a dredge messing around inthe segment from 1 to 2/3 when we entered, and there were swells from the S that were heaping upimpressively in that space. By coming at #2/3 from the W we avoided all that.
We have enjoyed Altata very much. The folks at La Perla restaurant have fallen all over themselves tomake us welcome. Gave us a tour of the place where the proposed new marina will be, offeredtransportation, etc.
Two negatives: (1) The Port Captain hasn't acknowledged the new, rumoured no-check-in regulation,though he does still allow one to pay in cash, exact change, on site to avoid having to make the bus trip tothe next town to find a Banamex. Seems to be a helpful chap. (2) There is a disco that is loudly active onSaturday nights (and we're told sometimes Friday nights) until 2AM, located as best we can tell near theDeposito Los Altos, about 200 Meters S of the Port Captain's office. If you're going to be here one ofthose nights, suggest you move to a more remote part of the estuary."
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We saw what looked like a sand bar across our route just after leaving your waypoint Alta08 - it started toshallow up so at 4 ft under the keel we backed out and turned to port and went around whatever it was - maybe a sand bar or maybe a red tide coloring or ??
I haven't gone to see the Port Cap yet - maybe won't - I'll send more updates & info after we leave.
Jeff on Victoria
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Subject: Altata notes May 5/05
Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 15:12:55 -0000 (GMT)
From: Jeff on Victoria
Some notes on our visit - we are the #37 boat on the wall.
1. I retract my initial comment about dodging a shoal spot just after your #9 waypoint - it was just dirtywater. On the way out we followed your waypoints - no problem.
Altata, Mx. UpdateMay 2005
From SV Moira & SV Victoria
2. The entrance was being dredged when we were there - as Larry noted to me. The sign in town says theyare removing 150,000 cu meters - to be completed by about July 25/05. Locals said this was to include soareas inside the lagoon. I never got around to confirming this with the Port Captain.
3. We arrived a few days after Larry and the Port Capt was still unsure of the "correct" procedures - so Itold him to confirm with Marina Maz and he did that on the phone as we waited. He also called someplace else and gave them his fax number to get the "correct" procedures forms etc. I did give him a copy ofmy original Ensenada entrance clearance as a face saver - but we didn't clear in/out and paid no fees. Hewas very cordial in our dealings with him. Interesting, he spent 7 years in Miami and 1 year in Yokohama,Japan - was previously in merchant ship design and fabrication.
4. The bridge is completed and in use - they are building 120 new houses out there in Nuevo Altata(www.nuevoaltata.com.mx). There is another dev. of 45 houses going in out on the beach over the bridge.We went out to have a look around.
5. We took the boat up towards the bridge and couldn't get past a shoal area at (24 deg 38.800 N 107 deg57.107 W) about 1.7 NM past the La Perla restaurant. Even in the inflatable we couldn't get to the bridge.
6. La Perla - Father is Gustavo Navarro - wife is Lupita. They have 5 children - Cesar (youngest) speaksEnglish very well. Mauricio works in La Perla & speaks Eng. OK - not as good as Cesar. Have anotherolder brother who we mat but don't remember name. 2 sisters , Norma - works in La Perla also. Marie(oldest) - runs restaurant across and 3 up the street. Gustavo's Mother owns and runs a restaurant acrossstreet from Marie. Great food. Very nice people. La Perla tel is 667-767-1120 - ask for Mauricio as heworks there 5 days a week. Mailing address is:
Gustavo NavarroCalle Aguilar Barraza#1114 PTE. Col. Gorge AlmadaCod. Postal 80200Culiacan, Sin Mexico
7. Cesar is a trained diesel injection lab technician - works in Culiacan at - Taller Laboratio Diesel, tel 667-714-3205 - ask for Cesar. The lab only works on injector pumps and injectors - all makes except Cummins.They specialize in big agricultural equip - tractors, combines, etc. There are lots of Perkins used in MasseyFerguson, etc. They only do injection work but he knows all the diesel mechanics in Culiacan - so maybe a good stop to get good diesel help from someone who speaks excellent English and really knowsthe diesel stuff - unlike a lot of "cruiser" mechanics.
Jeff on Victoria
Altata, Mx Update March 2006
From SV Voyager Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 09:52:42 -0800 (PST) Subject: Hi from sv Voyager in bahia de Altata Hi We arrived in Altata yesterday uneventfully, the waypoints work well, number 10 and 11 are a little shallower, the shallowest depth we saw was 12 feet, the tide was rising and had 2 hours to slack tide. To anchor, drop the hook where the waypoint says, no closer to the shore, its rapidly shoals, and the fishermen walk out to their boats. Went to La Perla Restaurant, good food, nice people. Went to Port capt, he just photocopied our crew list. Nice small fishing town, lots of shrimp for sale!! We plan to leave Sat and hopefully have a nicer angle for La Paz. Jackie and Neil Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 15:23:53 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: Hi from sv Voyager in bahia de Altata Hi Thanks for the email. We loved Altata, and it made our trip across thee sea alot easier. There are no buoys, but the waypoints are still good. number 10 and 11 are a little shallower, but not much. There were some breakers to our north as we entered but the wind was very light. We met Gustav and wrote on his wall. N"In the mood" another boat we told came in 2 days after us, and there are a few people interested in coming in the Marina. Thanks again for the info it was a good experience and an adventure!! Jackie and Neil
Altata, Mx. Update September 2006
SV Millenninum Falcon S/V Millenninum Falcon Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 20:23:32 EDT Subject: Re: Altata Pat -- thanks for the e-mail. We made it to Altata both by land and by sea. It is interesting to drive there because the road from Altata to Culiacan does not connect to the toll road. It was a real adventure to find our way to the correct highway. The Altata/Culiacan road is a beautiful four-laner that goes under the toll road straight to Culiacan, probably built to express the wealthy people of Culiacan to the beaches at Altata. We met Gustavo at La Perla Restaurant “what a great guy! He treated us like family and gave us a satellite image of the bay and entrance complete with your waypoints overlaid. Armed with this research, we were ready to take our boat. Our entrance by sea was great. When we arrived, the entrance was totally fogged in. When the fog finally lifted, there was a receding tide, but rather than wait, we proceded on in. Although the waves were breaking on either side of us at the bar, it was no worse than some of our entries into Morro Bay. Millennium Falcon draws about 6 feet and at some points we had only a half-foot of water under the keels. The water to starboard was not any deeper. However, your waypoints were perfect and the passage to Altata was smooth and beautiful. Airborne, a catamaran belonging to Canadians Hal and Kathy, was anchored in the bay. We registered our boat on the Cruiser's Wall of La Perla’s #47; Airborne is #46. When Gustavo offered to show us the sights in his van, the four of us joined him for a tour of Nuevo Altata, a really nice development. On the way, he dropped us off at the Port Captain's office. Although nobody there spoke English, checking in and out was not a problem. Michael Ganahl & Leslie Hardy
Sailboat TomBoy Altata January 2007
• The way cruising Mexico used to be. • 110 Miles north of Mazatlan • A better angle to La Paz • Good holding in a protected estuary. • Minimum entrance depth is 11 feet. • New Port Captian, Oscar, speaks English and is very helpful – no paperwork, no
fees, no hassle. • Easy access through well marked bar with accurate proven waypoints. • Approach bar only in day light, the first time – takes 3 hours • Double-check the accuracy of your waypoints.
If you have the attached Google Earth chart with waypoints shown and numbered, and you have the list of waypoints accurately entered in your GPS, you can easily enter the quaint fishing/Mexican tourist village. We followed the route shown and never found less than 11 feet. (Between low and high tide) On the route at low water 9 feet should be the least you will find probably, more like 10 feet. The outside channel is marked by 5 buoys, an outer entrance buoy is not lighted as of 1/07, and four channel buoys, the 2 green are lighted and 2 red, one is lit, the next is unlit. The waypoints are right down the middle. Once along side the spit (on your port) as you enter the bay (or estuary) you could get close and anchor for shelter from a norther. But unless it blows a gale the bay is easily navigated since the depth is mostly under 30 feet and the protection limits fetch. Anchor in 15 to 20 feet anywhere along the town waterfront. There are normally breakers on both sides of the entrance bar. We arrived at night and anchored in 30 feet outside the channel near the unlit #4 red buoy. By dawn winds were around 20 knots and the situation was untenable, almost hazardous in the vicinity of breaking waves. Now we would enter at night if absolutely unavoidable. Don’t do that your first time. We look forward to going back, but only in the daytime.
Beyond Reason — HC 43 Bill and Lisa Novak Altata, Mexico (Alameda) Hola from the path less travelled in Mexico! Although much of the Ha-Ha Class of '07 moved up to La Paz or over to Puerto Vallarta, we decided to travel north and across the Sea of Cortez to seldom-visited Altata, which is about 120 miles north of Mazatlan on the mainland. Altata is located at 24’37.613 N 107’55.693W inside a massive lagoon, but the entrance into the lagoon from the Sea can be tricky. To fully appreciate how different the area is from most cruising destinations in Mexico, check out the satellite view on Google. But thanks to waypoints provided by TomBoy, we managed to make it in — even during a full ebb. Full ebb is not the recommended time to enter, as the channel reminds us of the narrow entrance to Morro Bay, where a massive amount of water is trying to flow out. We did see some standing waves to either side of us as we passed the jaws of the entrance, but we never saw less than 19 feet beneath us at this point. Once we got inside the entrance, it became more of a river trip, for the force of the ebb eased considerably. Altata is a fishing village of approximately 3,000, so we weren't surprised to see about 50 pangas working the estuary. What was surprising, however, is that they actually trawl for shrimp in the eight-mile long part of the upper bay. And since the sound of outboards scares the shrimp, the Altatains have developed a unique way of trawling. Each of the pangas is fitted with a mast, plus bow and stern sprits, with all spars being made with 20-ft lengths of bamboo. The bow and stern sprits are used to hold the shrimp nets open, while the mast has the dual purpose of supporting a spinnaker-like sail on the leeward side of the boat and supporting the net on the windward side of the boat. The mast is supported port and starboard by the bow and stern sprits — the boat is sailed sideways — and the net provides a backstay-like support, as the 'spinnakers' are quite large. Upon our arrival at the village proper, we were met on the beach by Gustavo, who is the owner of the La Perla Restaurant, and who has been a friend to cruisers for years. Gustavo speaks limited English, but his son, having been educated in the States, is fluent. They are more than willing to help arrange for water, fuel and whatever other supplies might be needed. There are rumors that a new marina is slated for Altata, but they may only be rumors. From what we were able to see, the marina location identified in Raines' Boating Guide To Mexico has been abandoned, and a new one has been proposed near the new resort city of Nuevo Altata. We noticed a dredge at this site, but it wasn't being worked. But there's no doubt about a resort coming, as there was much building going on. We saw plans calling for the development of the outside part of the bay, with residential tracks, commercial and business zones, golf courses and high-rise hotels. We were certainly a novelty in Altata, as only six cruising boats visited all last year. As we walked around the well-kept town — limited trash and very little graffiti — many of the locals wanted to try their English on us, and several stopped to have group photos
taken with "the Americans". As usual in Mexico, everyone was quick to smile, warm and friendly. As far as we could tell, the 15 waypoints provided by TomBoy were still valid this year, but once inside the actual bay, we would favor the port side of the marks, which seems to give us an additional two to three feet of water beneath our keel. We saw a minimum depth of 10' 8". If anyone would like a copy of the waypoints, they can send us an email — but you have to understand that we can in no way be responsible for their accuracy. — bill and lisa 01/08/07
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:50:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Altata Pics We speak minimal Spanish, but we know a little about the pangas from others we spoke to about them. Our friends Joe and Sandy Perez on Wind Song did not see them when they were in Altata several years ago, like you did not. Of course, they were there later in the year and they wondered perhaps it was not shrimp season at the time of their visit. They do remember seeing a lot of pangas with outboards moored along the beach, but did not notice in particular if they had long poles or masts. The Altata pangas are outfitted with the usual large outboards 50 horse or more, in addition to the poles at stern and bow and the make-shift masts. We were informed by previous Altata cruisers (sorry, but we don't remember which boat to give them credit) that the shrimp do not like the noise of the outboards so local fishermen have devised the sail drift system to drag for shrimp. There have been hundreds of these boats on the water at the same time, according to friends (Solla Sollew) who were in Altata a few days before we arrived; we usually only saw them in groups of 25 or less scattered about the estuary. The pangas would race across from one side of the estuary to another with outboards full blast and then cut the engine when they got to the shallow area they wanted to drag for shrimp. They would then hoist the small sail on the downwind side of their panga, secured at the top by the pole mast and at the sides with the stern and bow poles. To drift faster or slower they loosened or tightened the sail, depending on the wind. As they drifted they threw weighted nets over the panga side opposite the sail, to drag the bottom. After a while they would retrieve the nets and take out their catch. We never actually saw anyone pulling the nets back aboard and what quantity of shrimp they were getting. We understood from Gustavo's daughter (at La Perla Restaurant) that each fisherman owns his own boat and equipment; they are not part of a coop. We assume the fishermen are therefore able to sell their own catch wherever there is a market. Based on the numerous little shacks and larger restaurants like La Perla along the beach - all serving local seafood’s - we assume the shrimp we ordered came from the estuary. They were steamed in the shell and served whole, about 6 or 7 inches long, looking almost more like crawfish than shrimp. They were delicious. A lot of people seem to visit Altata from Ciulican (spelling may be wrong) to enjoy the shallow surfless beaches and eat local seafoods (shrimp and clams). We heard from another cruiser (Emerald Star) that it was very busy during Easter Week while they were there. Although we did not get a good photo of the best-looking of these boats, we enjoyed seeing it. This particular fisherman had not rough wooden poles, but shaped and painted poles, red and white striped. His boat looked rather like one of the canal boats in Venice, except for the sail. Something else you might be interested to know. Evidently when our friends Wind Song were there years ago, they signed their name on a wall at La Perla. Evidently the city fathers insisted this wall be painted over when they passed an anti-grafiti ordinance in Altata. Gustavo now maintans a photo album with a collection of pictures and boat cards
from cruisers who have visited his restaurant. You can ask for it when you are there and add your name. Attached are the pictures we posted on the Amigo website, along with maybe a few we did not post. Also a new picture of Gustavo, his wife and daughter (the grand-daughter would not pose for the picture) and a photo of landing our dinghy ashore. We also have some pictures and a paragraph about Altata on our own website, the log and photo pages for the month of February 2008. You have permission to use the photos wherever, with credit to Catch The Wind as photographer. Catch The Wind’s Altata Visit From Their Web Site February 15 – 19 Since we were expecting a guest in La Paz on March 1st, and we had plenty of time to get back across the Sea of Cortez before then, we decided to stop by a little-known anchorage known as Altata. This is about 120 miles north of Mazatlan on the mainland of Mexico. We had a good overnight passage up. During Susie’s watch about 3 AM, she was weaving our way through what appeared to be the entire Mexican shrimper fleet (about 15 boats that she could see on the radar screen), when suddenly they all seemed to disappear. She knew that they could not have moved past us that quickly, and was wondering where they all went, when she noticed that there were still over a dozen targets on the radar screen – it all came back to her – that stuff you can’t see through – fog. She got Sam up from his slumbers to help keep watch. By the morning, when we should have been able to see the entrance to the shallow channel for Altata, we had about 50 feet of visibility. Now, if you can see 50 feet, and you are standing at the back of a 39 foot sail boat, you can see 11 feet beyond the bow. That’s not very far, folks! We did see one of the two buoys we were expecting to see – we ran into the other one. There was not much wind, but there were some rollers. The boat was broaching in the waves toward the shore and our depth sounder was showing about 8 feet of water under the keel – pretty scary when you can’t see any of the land on either side of the channel. But we made it through and once across the shallow sand bar and inside the channel, things were much calmer. We had some GPS points from another cruiser (Rhapsody) and we had plotted our course with these. Most of the time we were fine, but at one point about 4 miles down the channel Susie yelled at Sam, “It’s too shallow!” and about the same time the keel hit the sand. Perhaps the sea gull standing on the sand about 5 feet from the boat should have been a clue. Sam was able to “dredge” our way off the sand bar and we continued to the anchorage, which is about 9 miles from where we entered the channel. Throughout the channel, we were seeing the usual Mexican pangas (fishing boats) but these were uniquely different in that they were rigged with long poles at the bow and stern, a mast in the middle, and a triangular sail that was deployed to pull the boat sideways. When we got close to one of these, we noticed that the fishermen were dropping nets over the sides opposite the sails. We wondered what they were catching.
As we approached the anchorage near the little town of Altata, we saw another sailboat and hailed them. It was someone we had met briefly in Mazatlan – Michel and Ellen on Solla Sollew. They directed us to the place where they had anchored on the side across the channel from the town, where it was quieter in the evenings and close to the long sand bar. We anchored easily in about 20 feet of water. Michel and Ellen invited us to join them ashore at La Perla Restaurant for dinner and to meet the owner, Gustavo. According to our Rains cruising guide, Gustavo greeted the first cruisers to brave the entrance to Altata in 2001, as they dined in his restaurant ashore. This area has remained largely undeveloped, although there are some large fancy homes on either side of the town (owned by wealthy Mexicans from Culiacan) and plans for a marina. It is a beautiful anchorage and a nice resort town, where Mexicans come to enjoy the water without surf and eat plentiful mariscos (seafood) at a plethora of little shops set up along the beach. The fishermen in their sail-driven pangas bring in large shrimp dragged off the bottom of the estuary and these are cooked up and consumed with gusto by locals and tourists. There is also a large clamming contingent in town. We spent several days here. The second day we did not even leave the boat, as the wind was blowing like stink out of the north and it would have been a long wet ride across the estuary to town. The third day Michel and Ellen came over for the famous pancakes. This was a very enjoyable anchorage and we can recommend it to anyone brave enough to cross the sand bar at the entrance to the channel between the waves. Before we left, we consulted with Michel and incorporated his waypoints into our GPS for the trip back out. Then we both left on the same morning – waiting for the fog that settled over the estuary when the north winds stopped blowing – of Feb 19th. Catch The Wind was very happy to follow Solla Sollew down the long channel and back over the sand bar. This time we saw not just TWO but THREE buoys marking the channel and we did manage to avoid hitting any of them. Once out of the shallows and in over 50 feet of water – in this area the depth is less than 100 feet several miles off shore – Sam set the spinnaker and we were able to sail from about 10 AM until the wind died at 4 PM. From then it was a motor boat ride on calm waters the rest of the night. On the morning of Feb 20th, we passed Ceralvo Island and were on our way to the San Lorenzo Channel, which is a well-marked but somewhat narrow channel between the Baja peninsula and Espiritu Santos Island. The sky was blue and there was absolutely no wind and not even cat paws on the water – it was like glass. Suddenly the engine stopped – Sam had slightly miscalculated our fuel consumption with the new-to-us engine and had to bleed the engine which took about an hour. During that time, the boat hardly moved at all and Susie sat in the cockpit to keep an eye out and enjoyed the whale show. There were about 5 whales moving about between Ceralvo Island and San Lorenzo Channel and blowing their spouts. Once on our way again, we had an uneventful passage through the San Lorenzo Channel and then down the main channel into beautiful La Paz Harbor. We dropped the hook 3 PM in the anchorage outside of Marina de la Paz,
showered, had dinner and went to bed at 6 PM. We got up once to watch the full eclipse of the moon about 9 PM, then went back to sleep for about 12 hours rest. Susie and Sam www.sailsamandsusie.com
The following Pictures were taken by
Catch The Wind
Altata Update March 2008 Alex and Sue Hasenclever S/V Maitairoa We went to Altata in March 2008 together with Greg and Janis of S/V Gitana and used the waypoints from Perpetua’s log as a reference. There are 2 big buoys offshore and one green buoy in the middle of the channel between Alta03 and Alta04. We tried to enter using the GPS waypoints starting with Alta01 and on but quickly turned around, since we had a southerly swell rolling in broadside on this course and building steeply (but not breaking) over the sandbar around Alta02 to a height of aprox. 6 – 7 feet. We went south of the 2 offshore buoys at a position of about 24:30.163N and 107:51.174W and watched for the wave pattern. They came in sets of 3 or 4 and than stopped for a few minutes. Since this pattern was pretty consistent, we accelerated between wave 3 and 4 and rode in on top of wave 4 into the channel, aiming for the green buoy in the middle of the channel. No problem. Once inside the channel, the waters flatten out immediately. We followed the route and never had less than 16 feet of water under the keel at low tide. There are no buoys inside the bay so attention has to be paid to the route. On our way early in the morning we encountered many pangas stationary fishing along the way, since it was absolutely wind still. On our way out they were drift fishing with their sails up. In Altata itself, nothing has changed much. Gustavo and Lupita are still there at La Perla restaurant and will come to the beach to greet you, every time you land. Their son Cesar recently moved to La Paz, BCS to work there as a diesel mechanic. The cruiser’s wall is gone, since some of the other restaurant got jealous and had the wall painted over with the help of the health department, which declared it “graffiti”. It is a shame, since a part of Altata’s history has been wiped out in the process. The Port Captain is very friendly and accepts check in via radio; even so he will call you next morning asking you to drop off a copy of your crew list in the office. If you don’t have one from your last port of departure, copy of the original check in into the country will do. They will make copy in the PC’s office. The bridge to Nuevo Altata is finished and there are several big vacation houses built along the beach, all with a lot of security around. Most of the owners are Mexicans from Culiacan. Shrimp season is from November till March. A note for boats entering the lagoon in November, there maybe up to 3.000 pangas fishing at the beginning of the season. The shrimp are huge, about 14 to a kilo and taste almost like lobster when grilled on the BBQ. Gustavo can help you buy some directly from the fishermen at a slightly reduced price from the Co-Op. Price is about 100 pesos a kilo and well worth it. The fruit / veggie truck still comes buy the restaurant. Great fresh produce. Check with Gustavo for dates. Over all, a great experience and definitely a place to return to.
Owners Of The La Perla Restaurante
From: R. Alex Hasenclever ([email protected])To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Date: Fri, April 2, 2010 4:40:31 PM Cc: Subject: Re: Altata Sounds about right. That's what we did also. Trying to get in on the original route puts you sideways to a big swell. Way point we used to start the bar crossing is in our March 2008 report. One thing I forgot to mention: When you exit and crossed the bar successfully, pay attention straight ahead. There was another sandbar about 2 miles from the entrance. We were heading out when we saw the swell. Luckily we were able to turn to port and head towards the big Sea Buoy and avoided some nasty swells. We had flat waters when we left. Hope you still get some fresh shrimp. They are awesome. Ask Gustavo to prepare you some with his special rub. You may want to consider anchoring way across the other side of the bay to have some peace and quiet from the semana santa crowds. It can get quite rowdy and noisy. Happy Easter everyone. Alex & Sue S/V Maitairoa KP44 # 268 Skype ID: Maitairoa Cell USA: 310-600-7158 (with MX plan) Cell Mexico:1612-154-0376
From: Dick Drechsler <[email protected]> To: R. Alex Hasenclever <[email protected]>; [email protected]; Pat and Susan Canniff <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, April 2, 2010 2:57:06 PM Subject: Altata Hi Pat, You should have seen my other post to the group, but just in case, PLEASE NOTE the shoal has moved significanty seaward and trying to navigate directly from waypoint 2 to waypoints 3 and 4 would have put us aground in some VERY big waves (8'+). The route we followed put the new location of waypoint #3 at 24° 29.880' N, 107° 50.680' W. We told the Capitan de Puerto of this change and he is going to incorporate it in future distributions of this map. Other than that it went about as advertised. Cheers, Dick Drechsler S/V Last Resort
Waypoints for Altata (Revised April 2, 2010 by S/V Last Resort
Latitude Longitude
1) 24° 30.366’ N 107° 52.394’ W
2) 24° 30.420’ N 107° 51.624’ W
3) 24° 29.880’ N 107° 50.680’ W
4) 24° 30.543’ N 107° 49.902’ W
5) 24° 31.586’ N 107° 48.742’ W
6) 24° 32.200’ N 107° 48.031’ W
7) 24° 32.301’ N 107° 47.944’ W
8) 24° 32.613’ N 107° 47.904’ W
9) 24° 33.679’ N 107° 48.810’ W
10) 24° 34.753’ N 107° 50.348’ W
11) 24° 35.298’ N 107° 51.211’ W
12) 24° 35.930’ N 107° 52.268’ W
13) 24° 36.210’ N 107° 52.996’ W
14) 24° 36.939’ N 107° 54.586’ W
15) 24° 37.613’ N 107° 55.693’ W
PLEASE NOTE: Waypoint 3 has been revised based on our actual track across the bar.
On Friday, April 2, 2010 we crossed the bar and entered the harbor, continuing toAltata. We were armed with the same waypoints Perpetua used in their log from 2002,minus a few omitted ones. The Google picture is the same used in the Altata.pdf file.
Our copies of these documents were supplied directly from the Capitan de PuertoAltata and relayed to us courtesy of Orlando Duran, Cuba Libra 3 (Catalina 440).
First, a few facts. We sail a Catalina 470, Last Resort, which draws 8 feet. We startedour approach from the sea buoy at 1100 hours. A 2.3 foot high tide was at 1330.
It became readily apparent as we started our approach that something was radicallydifferent. Proceeding to Waypoint 3 as shown on the list we had would have put us inprecipitous 8'± surf. Realizing it would not be possible to follow the waypoints we hadand with big surf seemingly all around us, I felt we had no choice but to arrange for anescort from the Capitan de Puerto. They are most helpful in that office and the Capitanspeaks excellent English. However, the price he arranged with Charlie (Charlie of MiCharlie restaurant and frequent entrance guide) to send out a panga to escort usacross the bar and into the harbor was 1000 pesos. Pretty pricey. While we waited fornear-high tide and the escort panga (piloted by Charlie's brother, Tony), several otherpangas came along and offered to escort us, which probably would have been cheaper.
So here are my findings.
1) The sea buoy is located between Waypoints #2 and OLD Waypoint #3. IT IS NOTPOSSIBLE to go directly from Waypoint #2 to Waypoints #3 and #4. It looks like theshoal has extended substantially seaward. Large (8'+ breakers) were breaking acrossthe area between the sea buoy and Waypoints #3 and #4, centered on the location ofOLD Waypoint #3, as we passed.
2) Waypoint #3 on the chart and list should be moved to 24° 29.880'N, 107° 50.680'Was noted in the revised list above. Following this route the shallowest depth we sawacross the bar was 16', leaving us 8' under the keel.
3) From Waypoints #4 - #8, the trip is uneventful. Our escort cut almost all thesewaypoints, starting with #5, taking us between 150 and 250 yards inside each one. Wewere in very deep water (50'+) until we reached Waypoint #8.
4) From Waypoint #8 to about Waypoint #11, it is VERY shallow. For much of the waywe were in less than 12 feet of water, at one point showing only 3.3 feet under our keel.But the bay is flat and the bottom is very even.
5) By the time we arrived at Waypoint #11, it started to get deeper and for the rest ofthe way we were in 25' to 30' water.
6) As instructed by the Capitan de Puerto, who monitored our progress all the way viaVHF channel 16/17, we anchored near the dock leading to his office in 28', excellentholding in sand and mud. The coordinates of our anchorage were: 24° 37.838' N 107°55.929' W, about 0.3 nautical mile NW of the anchorage off La Perla listed in the Rainscruising guide.
The Capitan de Puerto, Jose Mendoza, can be reached at his office phone: 01672 72.89.080 or on his cell phone: 6671 5550963. His direct email address is:[email protected].
7) A few observations:
~~~ ONLY attempt this approach near slack high tide! We hovered at the sea buoy for
3 hours. When we first arrived it was max flood and the seas looked to be in excess of10' and were closing out the channel we ultimately followed. By 1130 when we finallycrossed the bar, we rode over a few swells of 5' or 6', but not steep at all until theyencountered the shoal, heaped up and broke. We had 2.5 knots of flood currentthrough the actual entrance to the bay about 1-½ hour before high tide.
~~~ Special thanks to my good amigo Orlando Duran (Cuba Libra 3, Catalina 440) whospeaks fluent Spanish and was kind enough to call the Capitan de Puerto on our behalf(who knew the Capitan spoke fluent English?) and arrange to receive the waypoint listand chart for us.
~~~ The town is colorful and active and from what we saw, we were the only gringos inthe place (there are apparently no hotels in town). Our boat was quite a novelty andlocals on everything from jet skies to pontoon boats came by to say "Hola" and take acloser look. There are dozens of restaurants and bars along the beach. This is a livelytown, especially since it was Easter weekend. The waterfront was packed andbandstands were set up every 200 yards or so. We experienced an amusingcacophony of music all weekend.
~~~ This anchorage is probably the most authentic Mexican port that you will find thathasn't been anglicized. I would recommend the experience to anyone and everyone.With the change in location of Waypoint #3 and the cautions about the shallow depthsin the outer reaches of the harbor, it is a pretty straight-forward approach.
Re: More hotel and slip for a week for mom, around PV.
Posted by: "v40farcountry" [email protected] v40farcountry Fri Apr 2, 2010 12:20 pm (PDT)
Chuck's post reminded me that when we were at Paradise Village marina several years ago they let us have a room in the building where some of the staff stays. It was a building adjacent to the main hotel. More like a Motel 6 than the main hotel, but a fraction of the price. I don't know if that is still something that is available. Gordon
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Altata Approach and Bar Crossing
Posted by: "Dick Drechsler" [email protected] rrdrechsler Fri Apr 2, 2010 5:18 pm (PDT)
First, a few facts. We started our approach from the sea buoy at 1100 hours. High tide was at 1230. We are on a Catalina 470 which draws 8 feet. I have had numerous requests for the waypoints to enter Altata. HOWEVER, things have changed dramatically and realizing it would not be possible to follow the waypoints we had, I felt we had no choice but to arrange for an escort from the Capitan de Puerto. They are most helpful in that office and the Capitan speaks excellent English. However, the price he arranged with Charlie was 1000 pesos. Pretty pricey. While we waited for near high tide for the escort panga, piloted by Charlie's brother Tony (Charlie of Charlie s Restaurant), several other pangas came along and offered to escort us, which probably would have been cheaper. So here are my findings. 1) The sea buoy is located between waypoints 2 and 3. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to go directly from waypoint 2 to waypoints 3 and 4. It looks like the shoal has extended substantially seaward. Large (8'+ breakers) were breaking across the area between waypoints 3 and 4 as we passed. 2) Waypoint 3 on the chart and list should be moved to 24ｰ 29.880'N 107ｰ 50
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680'W. Following this route the shallowest depth we saw across the bar was 16', leaving us 8' under the keel. 3) From waypoints 4 - 8, the trip is uneventful. Our escort cut all these waypoints, taking us about 250 yards inside each one. We were in very deep water (50'+) until we reached waypoint 8. 4) From waypoints 8 - about 11, it is VERY shallow. For much of the way we were in less than 12 feet of water, at one point showing only 3.3 feet under our keel. But the bay is flat and the bottom is very even. 5) By the time we arrived at waypoint 11 it started to get deep and for the rest of the way we were in 25' to 30' water. 6) As instructed by the Capitan de Puerto, who monitored our progress all the way via VHF channel 16/17, we anchored near the muelle leading to his office in 28', excellent holding in sand and mud. The coordinates of our anchorage are: 24ｰ 37.838' N 107ｰ 55.929' W about 0.3 nautical mile NW of the anchorage off La Perla listed in the Rains cruising guide. 7) A few observations: ~~~ ONLY attempt this approach near slack high tide! We hovered at the sea buoy for 3 hours. When we first arrived it was max flood and the seas looked to be in excess of 10' and were closing out the channel we ultimately followed. By 1130 when we finally crossed the bar, we rode over a few swells of 5' or 6', but not steep at all until they encountered the shoal, heaped up and broke. We had 2.5 knots of flood current through the actual entrance to the bay about 1/2 hour before high tide! ~~~ This is a lively town, especially since it's Easter weekend. The waterfront is packed and bandstands are set up every 200 yards or so. It's going to be a music-filled weekend. ~~~ Special thanks to my good amigo Orlando Duran (Cuba Libra 3, Catalina 440) who was kind enough to call the Capitan de Puerto on our behalf (who knew the Capitan spoke fluent English?) and arrange to receive the waypoint list and chart. ~~~ The town is colorful and active and from what I can see, we are the only gringos in the place. Our boat is quite a novelty and everything from
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jet skies to pontoon boats are coming by to say "Hola" and take a look. There are dozens of restaurants and bars along the beach. ~~~ This anchorage is probably the most authentic Mexican port that you will find that hasn't been anglicized. I would recommend the experience to anyone and everyone. With the change in location of waypoint 3 and the cautions about the shallow depths in the outer reaches of the harbor, it is a pretty straight-forward approach (much easier than San Blas...LOL.) I hope that others will find this information useful. Please let me know if you want copies of the waypoint list. Cheers, Dick Drechsler S/V Last Resort Catalina 470, #140 www.voyagesoflastre sort.com
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Re: Going South in the Fall from Washington State
Posted by: "Eric & Sherrell" [email protected] svsarana Fri Apr 2, 2010 7:43 pm (PDT)
I HIGHLY recommend going north before going south. Northern Canada and SE Alaska are incredible wilderness areas and I don't think anything on the planet is equal to doing that trip by boat. Even Vancouver Island has some great spots and you can hit the inside on the way up and the outside on the way down. If you have time you can also do the Queen Charlotte Islands too. But before you rush south, seriously consider Alaska. We left in May and returned to Seattle around early September. If all is well you can then start heading south. Eric www.sailsarana. com <http://www.sailsara na.com/>
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From Perpetua's LogBahía De Altata, & Altata Sinaloa, Mexico
Entrance Route & Addendum - Updated v1.03
1 of 2As of 02/10/04 8:22 PMAltata Mx Entrance Route & Addendum - Updated v1.03.doc
This is a route for the entrance into Bahía De Altata and then onto the town of Altata in Sinaloa, Mexico. This is generally located onthe Mexican Mainland coast 110 nautical miles NW of Mazatlan and 97 nautical miles SE of Bahía De Topolabampo Entrance. It is apossible stop over for the crossing of the sea of Cortez or passages north/south to/from San Carlos. There was a nice article about thistown by the vessel named Spindrift. It appeared in the Changes in Latitudes section of the Jan. 2002 issue of Latitude 38º. The text isavailable online at WWW.Latitude38.com, Changes in Latitudes section for Jan 2002.
Way Point Lat/Long Water Depth Comments
Offalt 24º 30.366 N 50' (approx.) West of entrance buoy # 1107º 52.394 W
Alta01 24º 30.420 N 44' Bahía De Altata buoy # 1107º 51.624 W
Alta02 24º 30.455 N 19' Between Buoy # 2 & # 3107º 50.994 W
Alta03 24º 30.469 N 22' After shoaling at buoy 2 & 3 before buoy 3 & 4107º 50.286 W
Alta04 24º 30.543 N 30' Between buoy # 4 & # 5, buoy # 4 missing 4/02107º 49.902 W
Alta05 24º 31.586 N 61' Between buoy # 5 and spit 107º 48.742 W
Alta06 24º 32.003 N 70' Along side of spit107º 48.342 W
Next 2 way points are not part of the route, they are possible anchorages, in a north blow, if you didn't want togo all the way into Altata. They are from the S/V Spindrift chartlet.
24º 32.064 N 60' Closer to spit; from here to next way point possible107º 48.362 W anchorage in north winds
24º 32.161 N 12' Along side of spit; Possible anchorage; tidal currents107º 48.288 W strong along here
Atla07 24º 32.200 N 41' Parallel shallow spit before turning north; look for 107º 48.031 W water tower on opposite shore; off to port
Alta08 24º 32.301 N 29' Angling towards water tower107º 47.944 W
Alta09 24º 32.613 N 14' Angling more north; rounding shallow spit off port;107º 47.904 W maybe deeper water to starboard?
Alta10 24º 33.679 N 21' A beam of water tower107º 48.810 W
Alta11 24º 34.753 N 20' Start of deeper water107º 50.348 W
Alta12 24º 35.298 N 30' Deeper water107º 51.211 W
Alta13 24º 35.930 N 25' Slight shoaling107º 52.268 W
Alta14 24º 36.210 N 34' Across from peninsula shore break to the sea107º 52.996 W
Alta15 24º 36.939 N 33 Off shallow spit off to starboard107º 54.586 W
Alta16 24º 37.613 N 23' Off the La Perla restaurant mentioned in Latitude107º 55.693 W article
From Perpetua's LogBahía De Altata, & Altata Sinaloa, Mexico
Entrance Route & Addendum - Updated v1.03
2 of 2As of 02/10/04 8:22 PMAltata Mx Entrance Route & Addendum - Updated v1.03.doc
Altata 24º 37.690 N 19' Where Perpetua anchored107º 55.758 W
Note 1: Watch out for shoaling near shore in front of restaurants at low tide. It's a large well protected bay with lots of possible exploring opportunities.Note 2: The tidal difference from Mazatlan is High +0:32; Low +0:45Note 3: It is preferred to enter on a raising tide in case of grounding.Note 4: There is an english speaking Port Captain, charging appropriate In/Out Fees, no immigration (yet), no charge for anchoring. The Port Captain is located further north along the beach front. Their rescue boat is anchored in front of the office and visible from the anchorage in front of La Perla's.Note 5: Between Alta09 - Alta11 is the shallowest water in the route 12 - 14 feet. (see note 3)Note 6: All Port Captains' and the Navy monitor 8.284.4 & VHF 16. Note 7: º = degrees; Lat/Long format xxx (degrees) yy.yyy (minutes)Note 8: Between Alta01 and Altata is about 14nm, so plan accordingly.
This is a route Addendum for the entrance into Bahía De Altata. After speaking with the Port Captain he informed us that there hasbeen dredging going on in the entrance and that shortly, May or June 2002 or there after ? all the buoy's will be moved to a differentlocation marking the new channel. This is preparation of the development that is scheduled to begin in June or July 2002. This consistsof a bridge over the northern most part of the lagoon and the construction of a marina and hotels, golf courses, etc. Altata apparently ispart of the nautical stair way in the Sea of Cortez. Come and see it before it goes away. It is worth a stop. The La Perla restaurantowner lives up to his hospitality and great food. He is even letting cruisers sign his walls. We gave him tours of our boats which heenjoyed very much. Below are the coordinates of the new entrance buoy and channel buoy's to be installed soon.
Way Point Lat/Long Water Depth Comments
24º 31.324 N ?? Bahía De Altata Entrance buoy # 1107º 51.716 W
24º 30.933 N ?? Red Buoy # 2 107º 51.209 W
24º 31.026 N ?? Green buoy #3107º 51.138 W
24º 30.508 N ?? Red buoy # 4 107º 50.540 W
24º 30.602 N ?? Green buoy # 5 107º 50.469 W
Note 1: These are the buoy locations not a route down the channel.Note 2: You can use the rest of the way points starting at Alta03, which seems to be mid channel after the last the new buoys.Note 3: º = degrees; Lat/Long format xxx (degrees) yy.yyy (minutes)Note 4: All Port Captains' and the Navy monitor 8.284.4 & VHF 16.
