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Behind the big beach lie two small lagoons that are brackish to dry most of the year. However, some old charts say fresh water was found here. Occasionally, shepherds bring their goats down to the dry lagoons to munch the greenish brown desert bushes in the shady ravines. Being wakened to the bleat of goats and tinkle of cow bells is a San Juanico treat.

Where do they come from? A dirt track behind the lagoons leads about two miles inland to the goat-herding village of Rancho San Juanico – probably how this bay got its name – and another five miles of semi paved road leads to Highway 1.

At the curving South End of the big beach, Isla Tercera (Third Island) lies about a quarter of a mile due south of the spires. This encompasses the bulk of the North End.

In this North End, anchoring is possible – depending on your boat, your scope, the tides, the weather and other boats present – on three sides of Isla Spires (east, south, west), southwest of Isla Lump, and northwest of Isla Tercera.

The spires and islets in the North End create miniature neighborhoods where several boats can anchor without feeling in each other’s space. The anchoring depths  range anywhere for 50 feet out near the hook on the south face of Punta San Basilio down to 15 feet off the big beach. The most intimate spot is in 15 feet of water right between Spires and Lump. The deeper bottom outside Isla Spires is a mix of sand and rocky patches. The rest of is mostly sand and mud, but avoid any slippery patches of sea grass off the lagoons.

I once saw a small boat anchored inside a tiny (400 yards across) basin southwest of Isla Tercera, but because the area southeast of this island is foul with rocks and rockpiles, that boat came in and out through a narrow, four-foot deep pass on the west side of Isla Tercera.

SOUTH END

Summer in the central Sea of Cortez brings long periods without a breath of wind, or with only occasional southerly breezes. Those are good conditions for anchoring in the South End of San Juanico. Most of it is wide open to north and northeast winds and swell.

A half-mile long volcanic reef is the primary feature in the South End. It extends northwest in a straight line from the base of the large hill near Punta Mercenarios. Snorkeling on the very sheltered western side is quite comfortable in 10 feet of water,

and you can walk in off the nice beach behind the reef.

The outer tip of the reef rises up from about 40 feet of water, and scuba divers can inspect not only the reef but also the short stretch of steep wall going out toward the rocky tip of Punta Mercenarios.

Smaller boats and multihulls could anchor comfortably in the wide area inside the north tip of the reef and toward the detached rock near shore, in from 17 to 30 feet of water over sand, rubble and mud. Larger boats would anchor just west of Punta Mercenarios, or in the “V” formed between this low rocky point and the submerged reef, in 20 to 25 feet of water.

If the wind picks up from the north, you can move over to the North end. Two other north-wind anchoring alternatives in this region are Punta Mangles (about five miles down the coast) and Punta Pulpito (about 8.5 miles up the coast).

San Juanico remains one of the prettiest but most fragile destinations in the central Sea of Cortez – just like Mother Natures playground for conscientious boaters.

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Our special thanks to our new friends at Point Loma Publishing for sharing this article with us - Tomas

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