Cabo San Lucas 10/17/2006 (Day Three)
We did not see a lot of Cabo San Lucas because we headed for the golf course at Cabo Del Sol. Cabo San Lucas (popularly known as just Cabo) is a small city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula at [show location on an interactive map] 22.88° N 109.90° W, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. As of the 2005 census, the population was 56,811 people.
We Were Up Early To See The Sunrise
It's about to make it
Moments away
Boom.... There it is...
The sun is coming up
Some ocean mist cooled things off
On our way into port
Land Ho!
Looks like diamond head coming into port
Captain at the helm
Did You Know? - Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of continual human habitation in the area for at least 10 thousand years. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered nomadic groups of Pericú surviving on a subsistence diet based on the gathering of seeds, roots, and shellfish, as well as hunting and hunting. They lived a Neolithic lifestyle, without wood.
Be careful... They look pretty big
Busy harbor
Did You Know? - Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of continual human habitation in the area for at least 10 thousand years. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered nomadic groups of Pericú surviving on a subsistence diet based on the gathering of seeds, roots, and shellfish, as well as hunting and hunting. They lived a Neolithic lifestyle, without wood.
Someone beat us here?
It was a delightful day
Still wide open spaces
Did You Know? - According to Hatsutaro's narrative contained in the book Kaigai Ibun (as written by David Waldner) when he arrived at Cabo San Lucas in May 1842 there were only two houses and about twenty inhabitants. However, American authors such as Henry Edwards and J. Ross Browne claim that Cabo San Lucas's founder was an Englishman named Thomas Ritchie, aka Old Tom Ritchie. J. Ross Browne says Ritchie arrived there about 1828, while Edwards says that he died in October 1874. A fishing village began growing in the area when in 1917 an American company built a floating platform to catch tuna and ten years later founded Compañía de Productos Marinos S.A. The plant lasted several years in operation and experts in the area say that this tuna plant was the beginning of development at Cabo San Lucas.
The weather was warm but cloudy
Cabo San Lucas Golf
We came, played, and went... About that quickly!
Cabo San Lucas has rapidly become the golf capital of Mexico. A world-renowned Jack Nicklaus Signature design stretching for more than a mile along a coastline of craggy rock outcroppings and sun-washed shores.
This championship layout is praised by Nicklaus himself for having the “three finest finishing holes in all of golf.” The 5th and signature 17th holes are currently ranked among “The 500 Best Holes in the World” according to Golf Magazine (January 2000).
It was opened May, 1994 and voted one of the "Top 10 Public Courses in North America" by Golf Digest's reader's poll, May 1998.
After playing it we can see why as it is immaculate and deceptively simple. The holes along the beach are just wonderful! Located at "Bahía de las Ballenas" (translation: Bay of the Whale) on the Sea of Cortés. Seven holes on or touching the water (5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18). Four full length ocean holes (6, 7, 17, 18)
A 40,000 square foot facility that fuses the perfect blend of colonial and traditional architecture with modern amenities to create a distinctive Mexican design. Fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere with indoor and outdoor dining. Full service snack-bar.
Cabo Pennisula
The resort town of Cabo San Lucas, named for the slender cape extending eastward from Baja's southernmost tip, gradually developed into a tourist hot spot the last forty years.
During the Spanish colonial era, its natural harbor was periodically used by passing mariners, but since it offered no source of fresh water and scant protection during the late summer storm season when chubascos rolled in from the southeast, it was largely ignored by the Spanish.
Although English pirates used the harbor as a hiding place for attacks on Manila galleons, many of the historical incidents ascribed to Cabo San Lucas may have actually occurred near present day San Jose del Cabo, where ships often watered at the Rio San Jose estuary.
By the 1930s, a small fishing village and cannery occupied the north end of the Cabo San Lucas harbor, inhabited by approximately 400 hardy souls. The cape region experienced a sport fishing craze in the 1950s and 60s and due to the prolific bill fishing, the waters off the peninsula's southern tip earned the nickname "Marlin Alley".
Fly in anglers and wealthy pleasure boaters brought back with them glorious stories of this wild place which fueled population growth to around 1,500 by the time the Transpeninsular Highway was completed in 1973.
Following the establishment of the paved highway link between North America and Cabo San Lucas, the town transformed from a fly-in/sail-in resort into an automobile and RV destination.
The Marina Had Boats From Up And Down The Coast
Our Tee Time Is Now....
The Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol is another Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, this one with 1.5 miles of oceanfront along the Sea of Cortez. Considered by some to be the most challenging in Cabo San Lucas and Los Cabos, even those who don’t agree with this say it is of spectacular design and thrilling to play. Jack Nicklaus has called his perfect stretch of Los Cabos “the best piece of golf property in the world.”
Golf Magazine named Cabo del Sol on its list of the “Top 100 Courses In The World,” and Pacific Golf Magazine has called it “one of Nicklaus’ finest creations” and the “Mexican version of Pebble Beach.” Plenty of arroyos, sand traps and other obstacles make play very interesting. The fourth hole is the longest on the front nine playing 568 yards from the championship tees. Holes six and seven are a rare surprise with back-to-back par threes that play 190 and 207 yards respectively.
As well designed as the front nine, the back nine will tease intermediate players, but beginners may find themselves hitting out of arroyos. Cabo del Sol Director of Golf, Brad Wheatley, says “play within yourself, don’t try to do too much. Keep out of the desert, but if you get stuck, stay focused on the ball.”
Of the nearly two miles of ocean frontage, 1.5 miles of it is devoted to holes six, seven, eight, sixteen, seventeen and eighteen. At the par three seventeenth, the golfer is faced with a 178-yard shot over a sandy beach and rock outcroppings to a small green framed by bunkers on one side and a drop to the ocean on the other.
The finishing hole, guarded by desert and cactus on the right and rock cliffs leading to the sea on the left, is modeled after the eighteenth at Pebble Beach. A wonderful combination of natural beauty and brilliant architecture, Nicklaus says “Cabo del Sol has three of the best ocean finishing holes in the world.” Cabo del Sol is only getting better.
She does NOT need practice
The fairways are magnificently simple
No need for sand bunkers... We have plenty
The construction of the homes were fascinating....
Next hole is under the highway
Great views
It was correct... Well into the 80's today
Her game is excellent this fine day
He ball is in the air between the palms on the left....
Down by the beach is really "down by the beach"
Paul is aiming for the sail boat
Now those are real golf legs
Ouch.... Watch where you sit
The clubhouse
We were in the bunkers all day long
You cold hear the waves break
If the ball gets a full head of syeam it ends up in the ocean
Time For A Glass Of Wine Before Heading To The Ship
"Here's to ya"
Jump in for Mr. Toad's wild ride
Our ship is awaiting us....
The pelicans were busy
Looking for the tender
Tendering Back To The Ship
On board and on our way
Looks small from here
Rocking around on the anchor
Did You Know? - Anchors achieve holding power either by "hooking" into the seabed, or via sheer mass, or a combination of the two. Permanent moorings use large masses (commonly a block or slab of concrete) resting on this seabed. Semi-permanent mooring anchors (such as mushroom anchors) and large ship's anchors derive a significant portion of their holding power from their mass, while also hooking or embedding in the bottom. Modern anchors for smaller vessels have metal flukes which hook on to rocks on the bottom or bury themselves in soft bottoms.
The vessel is attached to the anchor by the rode which is made of chain, cable, rope, or a combination of these. The ratio of the length of rode to the water depth is known as the scope. Anchoring with sufficient scope and/or heavy chain rode brings the direction of strain close to parallel with the seabed. This is particularly important for light modern anchors designed to bury in the bottom, where ratios of 5-7 to 1 are common, whereas heavy anchors and moorings can use 3 to 1 or less.
Since all anchors that embed themselves in the bottom require the strain to be along the seabed, anchors can be broken out of the bottom by shortening the rode until the vessel is directly above the anchor (at this point the anchor chain is "up and down" in naval parlance). If necessary, motoring slowly around the location of the anchor also helps dislodge it. Anchors are sometimes fitted with a tripping line attached to the crown, by which they can be unhooked from rocks or coral.
An interesting element of anchor jargon is the term aweigh, which describes the anchor when it is hanging on the rode, not resting on the bottom; this is linked to the term to weigh anchor, meaning to lift the anchor from the sea bed, allowing the ship or boat to move. An anchor is described as aweigh when it has been broken out of the bottom and is being hauled up to be stowed. Aweigh should not be confused with under way, which describes a vessel which is not moored to a dock or anchored, whether or not it is moving through the water. Thus, a vessel can be under way (or underway) with no way on (i.e., not moving).
Singing helps
The Sunset Was Magnificent
Just wow!!
On The Ship After Golf
Always something going on aboard ship
Putting contest
11:00 PM.... Time to eat
