Returning to live in Loreto means the beginning of a new
season of anniversaries – this week it was the Second Annual Picazon Coronado
Swim Crossing, (I posted on the inaugural event “Water, water everywhere . .
. Oct. 23, 2011). Since last year’s event I have learned that
there is a “cult” interest in this sort of open water swim competition, which
is supported by the dramatic increase in participation in this year’s event.
Last year there were 26 swimmers who took part in the 5.5 km
swim from La Picazon Restaurant across the channel to Coronado Island. This year there were 132 swimmers and a
correspondingly larger support crew including 36 kayaks escorting the swimmers,
5 pangas circulating between the shore and the island providing return
transportation as well as several other official boats supervising safety and
other concerns with such a large group.
I left Loreto Bay after 7:30 in the morning to drive to the
event, understanding that the swim was to begin at 8:30. By 8:00 I was getting close to La Picazon
restaurant, which is about 8 km north of town but, due to the limited parking
available along the primitive road, I was stopped behind several other cars
about half a mile away so I just pulled off the road into a space between cacti
and walked from there.
Upon arriving at La Picazon I realized that the swim had already
started at 8:00, half an hour earlier than had been publicized and I could just
make out the kayaks and some of the closest swimmers already a couple of
hundred yards from shore. Along with
more swimmers there were more friends, family and supporters than last year and
I joined about 50 observers on the beach under shade tents to enjoy the view.
While the conditions for last year’s swim were almost dead
calm, this year there was a strong 20 knot breeze from the northeast and strong
swells of 3-5 feet making for a much more challenging open water
experience. There were other changes
from last year, several fluorescent flag buoys had been placed across the channel
marking the course and as I mentioned before many more kayaks in the water
supporting the swimmers.
It was expected that the fastest swimmers would finish the
crossing in about an hour and a half and the rest would finish within an hour
or so of that time. About 11:30 the
first panga full of swimmers arrived back on shore from Coronado and several of
these open fishing boats continued to shuttle back and forth for over an hour
bring the participants back.
As a “determined” non-swimmer myself, I remain in awe of the
stamina and determination (let alone buoyancy!) that is required to complete
such a challenging open water distance swim, and this year again, I was struck
by the age range – from 11 to over 70 years, and over half of the swimmers were
women. But one of the big differences
this year was the surprisingly small number from in and around Loreto itself, with
more than half of the swimmers from the Mainland, mainly around Mexico City, another
20% from La Paz and other places in the Baja, a smaller number from the US, and
two participants came from as far away as Venezuela and Easter Island – an
indication of the popularity of this endurance sport drawing people to Loreto from
those distances! As the word-of-mouth
and popularity of this event grows, it is bringing more people to visit our
chosen paradise and spreads the good word about Loreto further and further!
However, combining the windy rough conditions and over a
hundred more swimmers than last year, made managing the event much more
challenging for the organizing volunteers.
An example I found out about after the event was that one swimmer had
not been accounted for arriving at Coronado, which caused an extensive search
for her to be launched, which had almost escalated to a full air/sea operation
when she was finally located, safe and sound, on an isolated beach on the far
side of the Island – a thankfully happy ending that highlights the inherent
risks involved in this sport.
Talking to people before and during the event, and given the
almost fivefold increase from the first year’s participation, I can see this
continuing to grow and attract people to Loreto from even further afield
(awash?) in the years to come. With the
initial success of the first two years now history, there is a great
opportunity for this to become a signature event for this area – highlighting
the natural beauty of the area and the pristine environment we are so lucky to
live within.
After enjoying some of Picazon’s delicious food (a fresh
shrimp wrap, yumm!) from the abbreviated menu they had prepared for the over
200 people in attendance, and chatting with a number of friends and familiar
faces from town and Loreto Bay, I had to leave by early afternoon, before the
awards ceremony began with the presentation of medals and acknowledgements, in
part to compose these words for your enjoyment.
Returning to La Picazon reminded me why this is one of my
favorite places here, not just because of the spectacular beauty of the
location, miles from the next closest habitation, and the Sea of Cortez just a
few feet from the open air dining and the view of Ilsa Coranado in the
distance, not just because of the delicious ocean-fresh seafood they serve
during the long indulgent afternoons I have spent there – but, in addition to
that – the warm and genuine hospitality of Imelda and Alejandro the charming
proprietors of this special spot! I
truly believe no visit to Loreto is complete without a meal to celebrate at La
Picazon!
Sharing a beautiful day on the Beach with over 200 visitors,
some travelling thousands of kilometers for the chance to spend a few days
here, is a great way to remind myself of how fortunate I am to be able to be
“Living Loreto”!
(P.S. If you are amphibious and feel like adding the Picazon
Coronado Swim to your bucket list, visit the website www.picazoncoronado.com and bookmark
it to watch for information on next year’s swim!)
