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Don't Knock the Rocks
by Gerry Cunningham
Uncharted pinnacles can pose potential cruising hazards
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A pinnacle rock is one which rises out of the depths, is sharp enough to show little evidence of its existence through wave action and lies far enough offshore to be unexpected.
To watchful eyes, during a spring tide on full ebb or flood, some disturbance often is visible. However, many pinnacle rocks lie outside strong tidal action. In most cases, you can cruise to within 50 yards of such rocks and never know they are there.
A few pinnacle rocks expose themselves at low tide, such as Dead Man's Rock (actually named Roca de la Foca, meaning "Rock of the Seal") which is west of Isla Turner, off the south tip of Isla Tiburon; or the center of the reef between Isla Las Animas and Isla Salsipuedes.
The pinnacle rock at the entrance to Bahia San Carlos now is marked with a concrete pylon, after a shrimper hit it and sank during Hurricane Raymond in October.
Other pinnacle rocks expose themselves only in the troughs of large waves at extremely low spring tides. The one on the north side of Bahia Bacochibampo between San Carlos and Guaymas, the one off the southern end of Isla Coronado in Bahia de los Angeles, and the one on the north side of the western entrance to Puerto Refugio on Angel de la Guarda fall into this category.
I almost ran into the latter mentioned rock while I was looking for it. It wasn't mentioned in any of the guides at that time, but a rock was indicated close to shore on the otherwise inaccurate old U.S. Hydrographic chart of Puerto Refugio.
I was in midchannel, heading back to Bahia de los Angeles. I had the binoculars out, searching for any sign of this rock along the shore of Isla Mejia. All of a sudden, my son nudged me and said, "Hey, Dad! Is that what you're looking for?"
We were passing within 100 yards of a point of rock that showed itself only in the trough of the swell. On a later trip, I used a dinghy to accurately locate it and the reef around it.
Many other rocks lurk two to four feet below the surface. These are the dangerous ones, because there's no evidence of their presence.
One of these pinnacles lies in the channel between Isla
Peruano and Punta Colorado, at the south end of Bahia Bacochibampo. Another, which has wrecked a couple of boats, lies in the north half of the channel between Isla Las Animas and Isla Salsipuedes.
Some of these rocks have names. The latter one is called ,/Tofina== Rock, in honor of one of the boats it damaged. It is understandable why this rock would be hit, because it is located in the center of what appears to be a clear channel, between a visible rock and Isla Salsipuedes.
Skippers will find plenty of deep water between the pinnacle and the islands. I call this Puedes Pass because it is next to Isla Salsipuedes (which means "leave, if you are able to") and because in this channel, you are able to pass.
South of the usually visible central rock -- between it and Isla Las Animas -- skippers will find ample deep water. That's why I call this "Mas Pass."
A rock that is four feet below the surface lies just off the south slot anchorage of Isla Salsipuedes. Most of the time, it is not dangerous to cruising-size boats, but it is so well hidden that it can be totally unexpected.
I call this "Frank's Rock," because Frank is the first name of the gentleman who told me about it. At first, I didn't believe him, because I had cruised over this spot many times. I was telling my wife of my disbelief when Frank overheard me, and said "You'll find out."
On our next trip to the Midriff Islands, I took a dinghy around the area to try and spot the rock. I was about to give up, when my rower looked over the side and said "There it is." Sure enough, we could touch it with an oar.
In "Baja Boaters Guide, Volume II," author Jack Williams tells of running into an uncharted rock in Bahia de las Animas, south of Bahia de los Angeles. It caused him to abort his trip and return to Santa Rosalia for repairs. He named this pinnacle Leland Rock.
I recently located Leland Rock, which is only about two feet high and apparently dries out at extremely low tides. It rises out of a reef that is about four feet below the surface and 50 yards long. I have cruised close, but passed it many times and never noticed it until Williams described his misadventure here.
Another hazard is not strictly a pinnacle, but it is dangerous because it is covered at high tides and because it is erroneously described and located in most guides: I call it Raza Rock's Baby. It lies about 200 yards southeast -- not southwest -- of Raza Rock itself, about a mile from Isla Raza in the Midriff Islands.
My most recent discovery -- Anneke's Rock -- actually became apparent at a minus tide, while I was at anchor on the south side of Punta Pulpito, north of Puerto Escondido. I cruised by it the day before, but didn't notice it until the next morning's low tide.
This pinnacle rises out of the deep a few hundred yards offshore from the south side of Punta Pulpito, and wasn't listed in charts or guides. I named it for a crew member named Anneke, because she was the only one brave enough to stand on it while I rowed off to take a picture.
On the charts I have made, I've listed many pinnacle rocks that I have not personally observed. When one is reported by a reliable source, I mark it "Position approximate: Reported, but not observed." Then, I try to find it.
I have a portable depth sounder for my inflatable dinghy, but so far, I have not been able to locate all the rocks that have been reported. My most frustrating attempts have been trying to locate a rock off the northwest corner of Isla San Pedro Martir.
The prudent skipper will suspect rocks off every point and keep clear until he or she knows otherwise. Sometimes, rocks lie not directly off the point as expected, but to one side, such as rounding the east side of the North Bay on Isla Partida, in the Midriff Islands, or west of Punta Salinas below Bahia San Francisquito.
All this is not to scare you away from the Sea of Cortez. I have cruised here for more than 30 years, mostly in uncharted waters, and probably have cruised closer to shore than most prudent boaters. Although I am usually looking for hazards, I have never encountered one unexpectedly.
Every reach of the sea has its dangers. Regardless of what the charts show as having been observed and charted, only prudence will keep you clear of dangers that have not yet been observed.
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This article first appeared in the August 1, 1992 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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