Santa Rosalia to Guaymas Ferry
Sea of Cortez…a maritime adventure for the entire family
By Bill Bell
In Canada the day after Christmas is called “Boxing Day”, but from this year forward our family will remember it as the day we took a 10 hour ferry ride across the Sea of Cortez from Santa Rosalia Baja to the City of Guaymas on the Mexican mainland.
The day will be remembered for the friendly passengers and staff, the pilot whales off the bow in the early morning, but most of all it will be committed to family lore for the thrill of being on the wild open sea. Passengers on a small ship as it rode the enormous wind driven swells… the experience of a sea adventure.
the Bridge of the Santa Rosalia
Driving up to the ferry dock in Santa Rosalia, a small mining town half way up the Sea of Cortez on the Baja Peninsula, Dorothy asked “Where’s the ferry?” The ferry, “Santa Rosalia,” was right in front of us, though the size was such that she could be forgiven for thinking it something else. At less than 120 feet long, and just over two car lanes wide, it did not match the size of any Washington State or British Columbia ferries.
“I’m not traveling on that ferry,” Dorothy said. “It’s too small!”
I looked out over the Sea of Cortez’s calm waters and thought about the three day drive up the Baja, across the southern tip of the Mojave desert and then back down to Guaymas and said “There’s nothing to worry about,” though I wasn’t quite sure myself. We had traveled on the much larger La Paz to Mazatlan ferry and knew that the seas could get very rough.
Driving a 28 foot Class C motor home meant that the cost of the diesel alone would match the $500 dollar price of the ferry ticket for the RV, not to mention that the Baja highway north would mean backtracking on territory that had already been extensively explored on the trip south.
The Santa Rosalia is big enough to carry 14 cars (clearance is available for RV and Trucks) and about 140 foot passengers. It is privately owned and is meant to be small, as the bigger government run Sematur Ferry system, now closed, was heavily subsidized by the Mexican government.
“HEAVILY STRAPPED TO DECK!!!!”
“Dad, do they have enough life boats on this ferry?” Adam asks. I am about to tell him he should put that question to the captain when he adds, “Do you think this ferry is going to be captured by drug pirates?” I think better.
(The ferry has life boats for almost 200 people and about 500 life jackets, fire alarms, smoke alarms, fire fighting systems, etc.)
There is a sense of excitement with the passengers as one of the crew announces that there will be fairly high winds and rough seas. Sickness bags are handed out to those unsure of their stomach and motion sickness pills are available along with other snack foods at the small concession. An irony, which goes unnoticed by many of the parents, who buy their children chips, pop and other assorted candies.
The ferry left at 10 p.m. that night and by 11, the ship was rocking and rolling. The principle salon, located in the bowels of the ship under the car deck had comfortable seats and played the movie Harry Potter, The Chamber of Secrets (Spanish with no subtitles).
By 2 a.m. the winds die down and the seas return to normal, allowing passengers to dose off and sleep to the now steady to and fro of the ship.
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