Posted on behalf of Rob Overton of SV Akka:
We’ve spent just over a year in the La Paz area, off and on. Here are some observations:

All the damage from Hurricane Odile has been repaired. The new channel is some 50 meters west of the one described in the excellent cruising guide “Sea of Cortez”, but if one follows the channel in the guide there will be no problem, as all the danger lies to the west. The channel is well (and correctly) marked. There is a new channel marked across the sandbar and along the Mogote side of that bar (the side away from La Paz). As of this writing, there is no Fisherman’s Cross on Mogote to mark the channel across the bar, so vessels should rely on the waypoints given in the cruising guide or on the channel markers.

The port captain closes the port in heavy weather, and there are stiff fines for leaving port when it is closed (announced by blue and yellow flags flying at Marina de La Paz and Marina Palmira). This requirement holds whether the boat is in a marina or at anchor. Unfortunately, the captain frequently closes the port when the wind is no higher than 15 knots or so, when many boats would consider the weather perfect for a sail; so cruisers should check with the marinas about the current status. In winter months especially, strong northerly winds blow for several days at a time, so cruisers wanting to leave may be held up for a while until the port captain signals it’s OK to leave.

Cheers,

Rob Overton
SV Akka
Stevens Custom 50