In The Shadows Of Cerralvo: East Side
Small Craft Advisor|May/Jun Issue #105

Off the south end of Cerralvo Island I sense a conflux of forces that suggest I’m in over my head.

Scott Sadil
In The Shadows Of Cerralvo: East Side

Winds, swirling north, splay the current; whitecaps unravel past me, tumble toward a steep and stony shore. To the east black clouds swarm the horizon. In the opposite direction, knotted thunderheads climb into blue skies—a contrast as vivid as the dark mountains pitched sharply above the gringo sprawl spilled through sunlight along the distant shore.

And Cerralvo itself—a benign presence viewed from dozens of different vantages along the coast east of La Paz— keeps growing , looming larger and larger since Madrina and I reached the candy-stripe lighthouse at Punta Arenas, hoping to circumnavigate an island that now looks like a massif or entire mountain range thrust from the depths of the quickening sea.

Moments later—How can it be? I’m forced to drop sail and pick up the oars. The wind dies; the sudden calm sharpens my sense of vulnerability. Tidal currents, funneled through the gap between Cerralvo and Punta Arenas, threaten to carry me back into the open sea. I’m soaked in sweat; the August heat, freed from the wind, is closing in on me. I pull for the rugged shore between Roca Montaña and Piedras Gordas, a gentle sandspit the local pangeros call El Viejo, the old man.

I can’t make it that far. Skies clear; a light shore breeze turns against me. As the sun falls toward the spine of the peninsula, I drop anchor inside a rocky cove, in water shallow enough I can go overboard, if need be, and free a bight of rode or chain in the toothy reefs below.

This story is from the May/Jun Issue #105 edition of Small Craft Advisor.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May/Jun Issue #105 edition of Small Craft Advisor.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SMALL CRAFT ADVISORView All
A HEAD FOR RUBATO
Small Craft Advisor

A HEAD FOR RUBATO

I dislike port-a-potties. I'm not too fond of poop in any form, really, being non-scatological by nature.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
THE ARTFUL SAILOR
Small Craft Advisor

THE ARTFUL SAILOR

Ain' nothin' new about using sails as nautical billboards. The ancients painted all sorts of signs and symbols on their sails.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
Twin Keels
Small Craft Advisor

Twin Keels

OUT WIHUEIRIJE with Howard Rice

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2022
Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet
Small Craft Advisor

Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet

Cartop Cruising

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
A New Trailer
Small Craft Advisor

A New Trailer

THE BIGHTS

time-read
9 mins  |
September - October 2022
PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free
Small Craft Advisor

PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free

If you're looking for a simple and inexpensive cruising sailboat with traditional character, our FANCY FREE should fill the bill. The sharpie-dory hull with flat-bottom, hard-chine form is ideal for the amateur.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)
Small Craft Advisor

BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)

Overlooked by the masses, admired by owners—there are good reasons the Rhodes 22 has been in production for over a quarter century.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022
Another Favorite Mod
Small Craft Advisor

Another Favorite Mod

The always creative Tom Luque sent us details on one of his favorite modifications

time-read
1 min  |
September - October 2022
BLOODY TUESDAY
Small Craft Advisor

BLOODY TUESDAY

“Although the author if indeed he even used his real name) calls this story fiction, we arent so sure. You be the judge. Eds

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
CRUISING ISLE ROYALE
Small Craft Advisor

CRUISING ISLE ROYALE

I sle“ Royale on Lake Superior is one of my favorite places to cruise. Established as a National Park in 1931, Isle Royale is located about 20 miles off the North Shore of Lake Superior near the Minnesota/Canadian border.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022