Cruise the Sea of Cortez - Puerto Peñasco

Mainland coast
Puerto Peñasco
Bahia Kino
San Carlos
Isla San Pedro
Mazatlan
Baja coast
San Felipe
Santa Roselia
Isla San Marcos
Punta Chivato
Mulege
Bahia Concepcion
Loreto
Puerto Escondido
Agua Verde
Isla Partida / Isla Espiritu Santo
La Paz
Good anchorage Limited anchorage Diving or snorkeling Marina Fuel and supplies Bold type means Port of Entry
Maps
Overview
San Carlos Cruising
Santa Rosalia Cruising
Concepcion Cruising
Isla Partida / Isla Espiritu Santo


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Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point)

Known to gringos as Rocky Point, Puerto Peñasco is the single most popular seaside destination for tourists driving into Mexico. The town lies about 60 miles south of the US border, right at the top of the Sea of Cortez, making it the closest beach around for Arizona residents. And beaches are something it has in abundance.

Puerto Peñasco is built around a breakwater protected harbor that was dredged out in the 70s. Its primary industries are tourism and shrimp. The growth that has taken place here in the last decade is absolutely astounding. No longer a sleepy little town that only gets busy during US holidays, Rocky Point has exploded with massive condominium developments, RV parks, resorts and nightclubs. English is widely spoken here, and most of the signs are in English as well. Unfortunately, with this massive influx of US development has come US prices. Just about everything here is more expensive than just about anywhere else in the Sea.

Facilities For all its development, Puerto Peñasco's recreational marine facilities are surprisingly limited. The harbor is geared towards the towns fleet of shrimp boats. The only marina has but twenty slips, and charges quite a premium ($20+ a night). Anchoring in the harbor is possible, but space is very limited. Supplies are readily available, but expensive.

Anchorages There are only very limited anchorages outside of the harbor. The extreme tides, which often vary more than twenty feet, combined with the lack of anchorages tend to discourage cruisers from venturing this far north. This is unfortunate, because there is a lot to see. If you do choose to sail to Rocky Point, it is probably best to hit it close to the off-season, when marina or anchorage space are available. From here it is only a short hop to San Felipe.