We found that the anchorage at San Marcial in 2017 was a much more heavily-visited destination than it had been the last time we'd anchored there in 2009. That is fine; people should get to see the classic-yet-somewhat-secluded example of Baja boating that San Marcial offers.
San Marcial has much reefy goodness encircling its northeastern point, plus some other submerged rocky shallows a few dozen yards off the point to the south. Conservative cruisers like us approach San Marcial well off the point and enter the anchorage to the south of the southernmost reef complex; this approach is very safe and well-described in all the most popular cruising guides of the area. Unfortunately, at some time in the recent past someone got the bright idea to plot a shortcut that goes tightly around San Marcial's rocky northeastern point in a relatively narrow passage of deeper water between the reefs surrounding the point and the submerged reefs further off the point. (The map on the right shows the point in question, next to a tiny red dot you can only see if you click on the image to enlarge it. Anyway.) It seems that the GPS waypoints for this shortcut have been shared among many, many cruisers. Heck; at anchor in San Marcial on January 31, 2017, we saw two different inbound sailboats use this shortcut within a period of less than two hours. See that low line of exposed rock extending out to the right past the rounded edge of San Marcial's point, in the left side of that photo up there? Yeah, the shortcut guides boats into the anchorage skimming right past there.
The idea must have been that this shortcut makes it much more convenient for southbound boaters to enter the San Marcial anchorage; and for northbound boaters to leave the anchorage. Except for a few potential problems.
Problem Number One: this shortcut around the point is a blind curve of about 120 degrees, which you can see on the map image. Meaning, if an inbound cruiser is using the waypoints at the same time an outbound cruiser is, they will likely collide. Sitting at anchor and watching the incoming traffic, it was obvious an incoming boat was not visible by an outbound boat until they were both well into their turn around the point. The channel of deeper water is simply not wide enough for two boats to maneuver out of danger. How lucky would YOU feel driving your boat around a blind curve like this?
Here's a more side-on view of the point shown in the map and in the left side of the first photo. The shortcut takes you right around the outside of that reef that is just barely breaking the water's surface. (I took this one at sunrise in 2009.) Now imagine a boat is coming around the point into the anchorage using the shortcut. If you were outbound, do you believe you would see the other boat in time to avoid it?
Problem Number Two: San Marcial's reefs attract fish. Which attract dinghy fishermen, swimmers, kayakers, and snorkelers, all of whom regularly pass back and forth between the rocky point and the outer submerged reef. Meaning, an inbound cruiser coming around the blind curve of their handy little shortcut risks running over someone in the water with their propeller. Is your luck holding?
Problem Number Three: the two vessels we saw taking this shortcut were both so comfortable using these GPS waypoints, that they were traveling at full sailboat speed under power (about 5+ knots). Meaning, the risks that this shortcut poses in Problem Number One and Problem Number Two are greatly enhanced by the cruiser complacency described in Problem Number Three. Still feeling lucky? Well then, take that handy shortcut. Go ahead.
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