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WHALERS FIND
THE DESERT WHALE
How
Scammon’s Lagoon was Discovered
In 1885 whalers discovered the Baja calving lagoons of the gray
whale. One of these lagoons, Scammon’s Lagoon, is so named after Charles
M. Scammon, who discovered this whaling Mecca
and for a period of time had the entire area as his own private whaling
ground. There is some conflict among authorities as to how Scammon
discovered the lagoon. Not surprising, as most facts about whales and
whale hunting are in wide dispute among whale authorities. One account has
Scammon befriending a Chinese sailor in
Honolulu
who had been exploring the coast of
Baja
in his Chinese junk. He offered to guide Scammon to a veritable whale
hunting paradise he had discovered during his travels. Another more
popular and colorful account is Scammon’s discovery of the “desert
whale”.
Scammon had traveled the coast of the Baja many times in search of
a large congregation of whales. He had observed many clues as to the
existence of an area that concealed the whales, as they seemed to
disappear as they migrated south every year in the late fall and winter.
The entrance to this undiscovered area, now known as Scammon’s Lagoon,
was cleverly camouflaged and undetected by the ships as they passed to
seaward. The lagoon entrance is a small passage through low-lying sand
dunes and many ships sailed by without realizing the entrance existed.
An alert lookout at the top of the mast signaled the crew of
Scammon’s ship that he had seen the spouts of several whales in the
rolling sand hills of this remote desert as they passed on the lagoon’s
adjacent seas. The fact that whales do not spout on dry land aroused the
whaler’s suspicion and soon two whale boats were lowered to explore the
shore more closely. Scammon dispatched the smaller of his two ships to
follow the whale boats. Two days and nights later word was returned saying
an entrance to a lagoon had been located and the ship had entered it
through dangerous surf and across an equally dangerous shallow sand bar.
After some maneuvering, Scammon got his large ship into the lagoon and the
men began to ready themselves for the whale harvest. It was not an easy
task as the whales resisted, viciously attacking the men when cornered and
were christened the name “devil fish” by the perusing whalers. They
were in a virtual whaling paradise with whales blowing around them in all
directions, but half of the crews were injured and many of the small boats
stove in, and the whales were getting more wary and smarter in their
defense, ready for an attack when a boat came within their range. The men
devised the use of guns firing a “bomb-lance” (designed to explode
after they entered the whale) into the whales as they swam past the
sandbars. This turned the tide in this uneven battle and Scammon’s ships
were soon ready to sail with full cargos of highly valued whale oil and
whalebone. It took twelve days for the crews to experience the right
conditions of wind and tide to get their now heavily laden boats across
the shallow sand bars and to the open sea.
When Scammon’s ships returned to port loaded to capacity, much
speculation was aroused in the whaling fleet. Scammon had enlisted his
crew to be paid on a share basis and they were all sworn to secrecy. As a
result, the discovery of Scammon’s Lagoon remained a closely guarded
secret. In those days many whaling voyages lasted 4 or 5 years, as the
ships did not return to port until the vessel was full. The fact that
Scammon returned within a few weeks with full boats even furthered the
speculation, and after 2 more successful trips, the whaling fleet followed
Scammon from port in an effort to find out how he was filling his quota so
fast and efficiently.
During the day Scammon would keep in sight of the fleet, but at
night he would double back, twist his course, and by daybreak be out of
sight of the fleet. By this method he the eluded his pursuers, entered
Scammon’s Lagoon without detection, and began whaling. A few days later,
a lookout on a ship cruising off Cedros
Island
detected the scent of drying whale blubber. The ship followed the scent
and was soon confronted by the sight of the spars of Scammon’s ship in
the middle of the desert surrounded by whale spouts. Thus came an end to
the secret existence of Scammon’s Lagoon, which ushered in the genocide
of the gray whale.
As a result of this opening of Scammon’s Lagoon to the whaling
fleet, by 1900, it was no longer profitable to find and kill the gray
whale because there were so few. With the invention of the harpoon gun and
faster ships, whalers moved to the arctic region and killed nearly 2
million of the swift, deep water whales: blues, fins, and humpbacks.
During this time, the gray whale population increased enough so
that by 1924, the whalers returned, and the number of grays was severely
reduced once again. Finally,
in 1937, the gray whale was given partial protection, and in 1947, the
International Whaling Commission gave it full protection.
Since then the population has increased to an estimated 12,000 to
17,000 and many scientists believe that it has stabilized.
The effective writer gives the reader the most amount
of information in the least amount of time.
EXTRA
EXTRA NEWS FLASH!!!
The gas offered for sale in Mexico
is now cheaper than in the southwest United States! Yesterday (3-2-2004) we bought gas in
Tijuana
that was $2.02 per gallon while the current average in San Diego
is over $2.20, reportedly the highest in the US. The fuel is sold in quantity by the liter. One gallon is 3.78 liters so
multiply the cost of a liter by 4 and you will have the approximate cost
per gallon. The cost is not governed by the behind the scenes price fixing
that we are subjected to in the states. Pricing varies every first of the
month by a factor of plus or minus 0.5%. So, unless laws are changes
governing fuel pricing, fuel prices will remain stable in Mexico
and you may want to fuel while you are there.
There
are usually two kinds of gas; an unleaded fuel called magna in green
handled pumps and a premium unleaded fuel in red handled pumps. Magna
seems to have an octane rating of around 86, so expect a lot of pinging.
The
quality of the fuel has been questioned by some who use the magna grade,
so we advise you buy the higher grade fuel called premium. Diesel is
carried at most stations, which contains a high sulfur content, making
changing your oil more often advisable if you use a lot of Mexican diesel
fuel. The operative word here is Pemex. This is the abbreviation for Petróleos
Mexicanos. The only gas stations you will find in Mexico are going to be
Pemex, easily distinguished by the large green signs. This national oil company is responsible for everything from exploration to pumping the gas in your car.
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FLAG PROTOCOL
When entering Mexico
you must have two flags flying. This is customary as a courtesy to the
country you are entering and recognized by international law. The
placement of these flags is not important, but an American Stars &
Stripes and the Mexican green, white, and red must be displayed. They
should be approximately the same size as having a huge U.S.
flag and small Mexican flag is considered bad etiquette. Once settled in
Marina Coral these flags may be stowed away. Marina Coral is like a little
country, separated by the excellent security and secluded location. If you
are docked in the main port
of
Ensenada, it is recommended that you fly both flags. This is because there is more
authority and activity in the port. All trips away from the dock from both
locations should be accompanied by a display of both flags.
LINDA
RONSTADT SINGS THE FLAVOR OF OLD MEXICO
(Article updated in the July/August 2006 Newsletter)
The pop singer that you may associate with her first hit and a band
called the Stone Ponies and dating former Governor and now Mayor of
Oakland Gerry Brown was raised in Tucson and as a Mexican American by
descent recording two excellent record albums (now CDs) celebrating her
Hispanic heritage. His habit of singing to the family when she was a child the
collection of tunes she flawlessly performs exposed her to the traditional
music of Mexico. You will thoroughly enjoy these songs, through the years sung to wile
away the long afternoons on the rancheros and in the cantinas of days gone
by and still in present day times.
She writes on the liner notes, “Since I was a young child, I have
loved and admired the traditional music of Mexico
in all its wondrous diversity. It is said that there are many
contradictions in the Mexican culture. Its music is no exception. It is at
once the most disciplined and the most hang loose music I have ever
attempted. Its Pre-colombian rhythms and subsequent European influences
always allow it to shine as distinctly Mexican. The mariachi
is in the truest sense a folk orchestra playing the regional music of
Jalisco. The influx of German settlers in the north brought with it the
accordion and the polkas, waltzes and oom-pah military music so dear to
German hearts. The Mexicans engulfed and made it their own. My brothers
and I grew up particularly loving the sones
and huapangos from the south and
trios from Huastecas. We were thrilled when we finally got to record our
own versions of these songs we’d admired so long”.
Linda Ronstadt recorded “Canciones de mi Padre” and was followed
with “Mas Canciones” due to the first albums
tremendous success. Both are beautifully presented with the words to the
songs in both Spanish and English on the CD enclosures. The first album
has Linda’s comments prefacing the words to the songs. The incredible
range of Linda’s voice is accented by rowdy hooting male companions who
also join in with perfectly tuned harmonic choruses. A brass section
accompanies strummed and picked guitars contrasting the velvet violins
which together celebrate the emotion shared on “Mi Ranchito”. Mix in a harp, harmonica, flutes, a tuba, percussions, and the
vihuela (a 5 string guitar) and you have your
entire happy hour filled with music characteristic of the country you are
visiting. These songs will remain a great keepsake continually calling you
back to visit Mexico again.
Some of these songs date back to the turn of the 19th
century. The first album was recorded by Asylum/Electra Records in 1987
and is referenced
by #60765-2. The second was an Electra product #61239-2 dated 1991.
PROTECT YOUR
BOAT AND THOSE EXPENSIVE FENDERS
New boats arrive everyday and I am happy to help the folks that are
new to the marina arrange their dock lines. As reported, yes there is a
fairly heavy surge in the Coral Marina that keeps the boats in motion
during ocean swells caused by northern and southern storm activity sending
waves to travel over great distances to reach the Bahia Todos Santos.
Fenders are your line of protection against your hull needlessly bashing
the dock as the water rises and falls when these swells curve around and
enter the Coral Marina. We advise the employment of an outboard spring
line to keep the boat from blowing out those expensive fifty-dollar
fenders. Tie this outboard line as taught as possible to keep your yacht
from crashing the dock and blowing out your rubber boat bumpers. Be aware
that Taylor Made fenders have the same lifetime warranty as Craftsman
tools, and your favorite major marine stores will usually give you a brand
new one if yours blows out. As you equip the boat for your trip south, be
sure you have at least three lines long enough to reach from your boats
beam cleats to the fore and aft dock cleats. Also bring chafing gear to
cover your lines at attachment and wear points. Old water hose,
inexpensive new clear hose from Home Depot, or used fire hose bought at
the downtown firehouse surplus store are perfect chafing gear. Be sure to
use ty-wraps or sewed thread through the rode to keep the chafing sleeves
in place as the lines work on the cleats and lying against your boats
hull. In the downtown Ensenada
Harbor passing boats cruising the harbor cause additional surge. In the
Cruiseport Marina, the water is usually very calm due to the insulation
effected by the double jetty enclosure. If you can afford to, always buy
rode that is one diameter size bigger than prescribed by the manufacturer
for your trip south to the 90 Day Yacht Club. This is especially true in
the winter months when wave action is a greater factor. Also, longer lines
are advised for throwing to dock personnel as your yacht arrives. These
longer lines can then be doubled back to the boat to give you an extra
measure of safety and strength. Have a safe passage and a happy uneventful
landing!
TAURUS AUTO
DETAIL SHOP
One of the perks of writing my books is that I receive a lot of
trade from
Ensenada
businesses that are featured in my books. I recently purchased a 1999
Nissan Pathfinder and the new truck was in need of a detail and wash.
I turned to Taurus Auto Detallado which is listed as business #30
on our site map because they had done a great job on my VW van at a very
reasonable price. Before I new what was happening, the tools were out and
all the seats and carpeting were stripped out of the truck! This left an
empty shell which was vigorously, but carefully scrubbed for the next 4
hours. All removed parts were cleaned separately. Meanwhile the engine was
restored to its original factory showroom appearance. The exterior was
attended to just as fastidiously. The alloy wheels, wheel wells, and even
the spare tire suspended in the rear under the body were cleaned and
treated to a coat of an amoral type fluid. After all was reinstalled and I
was driving back to the marina I had a vehicle that felt and looked like
new! All this for much less that US $200! Dr. Rico (#19 on our site map)
is a dentist I rely on for dental care. His office is ½ block from the
detail shop and he happened to walk by as my truck was being cleaned.
After a short discussion about the success of my book, he said to come by
and I would be given a free teeth cleaning! This is the dentist that only
charged me US $350 each for two bridges that today are working perfectly!
Next time you decide to clean your vehicle, remember this convenient stop
for both car care and teeth care near the Park Revolution (#9 on our site
map) in Ensenada.
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