The Jose Andres is Tony Reyes' 86-foot Flagship and has been operating since 1987.

Saturday, April 26: Leave Julian at 11 a.m. and after a stop in Calexico, arrive in San Felipe at 4:30 p.m. The place is jumping during this post-Easter week. Had a great fish taco and beer then head to the pier at 8:30 p.m. The tide is low, we load our gear aboard and go to sleep. Juan Orozco, brother of Victor and Reuben, is our security guard for the night.

Sunday, April 27: Up at sunrise, continental breakfast. Tony Reyes Sr. comes to say hello. Tony Jr.and crew arrives and we cast off at 10:30 a.m. heading south for fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, birdwatching, adventure. Beautiful Baja day. See a pod of finback whales and later a school of' bat rays 'just under the surface. They dive when we get too near. Dinner of chili rellenos by Nestor our cook and Raul his assistnt. Bed at 8:30 p.m.

Monday, April 28: Up at dawn and we've anchored off Isla Estangue. Kayak and snorkel off the rocks. See a big purply frilly nudibranch, heliasters, seastars & sergeant majors. Move to Isla Rasa this afternoon and go ashore. Enriqueta Velarde has been monitoring the nesting sites here for 24 years. The Hurman's Gulls, Elegant Terns and Royal Terns nest here in April and May each year. There are normally 250,000 birds here but because of El Nino this year very few are nesting...very little food for the chicks. (For an interesting look at this island see Ocean Oasis. The movie of the Sea of Cortez at the San Diego Natural History Museum). Fishermen have been out catching yellowtail, cabrilla, sheephead, spotted bass, grouper, creole fish, triggerfish and one big squid. Only 8 or 9 of our group of 24 are fishing... The rest of us are along for the fun, camaraderie, kayaking, exploring & just enjoying being in this beautiful place.

April 29: Another spectacular sunrise and we're anchored off San Francisquito. 12 jellyfish float by the boat. Go ashore and snorkel. See Gulf Opaleye, heliasters, sargeant majors, parrotfish, graybar grunts, anemones and a big bullseye puffer. After lunch and a nap it's beachcombing on the long beach just north of El Barril. Lots of sand dollars.

April 30: Move during the night to Guardian Angel Island and anchor off Pta Diablo where we hike up a lovely palm, cardon canyon. Interesting plants, some flowering, barely. Tronador, Mallow at Indigo bush are 3 identifiable ones. Lots of Elephant trees and painted Lady butterflies, too. After a rugged hike to the top we board the boat again and move north to a lagoon. Dive for clams and get 2 buckets full - enough for the crew and all of us. Saw 2 reddish egrets, oystercatchers and yellow footed gulls. Weather turns windy and bumpy and we move up to Refugio Bay. It's calm and serene. Goodnight.

May 1: Kayak today around Refugio Ban and see spectacular array of birds. Brown pelicans, little blue heron, blue footed and brown boobies, frigatebirds, osprey, cormorants, oystercatchers, eared grebes, belted Kingfishers, loggerhead shrike and black-crowned night heron. This is definately the birding spot! Lunch today is a barbecue on the beach - ceviche and yellowtail - delicious. Afternoon we go in a panga and circle Isla Mejia, a seal rookery. The seals slide off their rocks and come to see us swimming alongside the panga and barking. We leave Refugio Bay after dinner and after a windy choppy trip, drop anchor off Las Encantada about 11 pm.

May 2: We're at Isla San Luis, or Salvatierra, and take a leisurely panga ride around the island. Some folks snorkel or kayak. Water is chilly - about 62 - 64 degrees. At noon Rev David Caffney says mass on the beach for 16 of us including Demetrios, one of our guides. After lunch on the Jose Andres we again hoist anchor and head for San Felipe and home.

The Voyage of Jose Andres by Mary Tooney