Lying at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula Cabo San Lucas is the entry point for the Sea of Cortez and is also a good stopping off point for yachts passing north or south up the coast to provision, shop and pick-up crew or guests. Bahia San Lucas is a busy anchorage with jet skis ripping through during the day and party boats with throbbing lights and pumping music touring the bay at night. Fishing is one of the main draws to Cabo San Lucas and at least thirty charter boats bristling with fishing rods leave the marina every morning.
Cruise ships anchor in the deep channel which runs E-W across the bay whereas cruising yachts and local boats anchor compete for space on the narrow northern shelf. The harbour is protected from northerly winds which are predominant during the winter months but watch out when the wind veers to the northeast; a steep choppy swell turns the crowded bay into a washing machine. This is a poor anchorage in southerly winds during the summer months.
Approaches
No info
Anchorage
Anchor on the northern side of the bay as close to the shore as possible while dodging the numerous moorings. Holding in the sandy bottom is good except on the shelf edge which drops steeply from 10-40m at the western end of the bay.
Dinghy into the harbour and tie up at the dinghy dock on the right hand side of the slipway. A small fee is charged which includes garbage disposal and an additional fee is charged for anchoring is sometimes charged. Taking the dinghy in to the beach is possible in calm conditions.
Facilities
Cabo San Lucas is a major tourism centre and has every amenity you could wish for and probably some you never even considered. Banks, bakeries, grocery shops, restaurants and bars crowd the downtown area behind the harbour and bulk stores and hardware stores lie on the edge of town. Fuel and potable water can be purchased at the fuel dock in Marina de Baja however a dockage fee ($2/ft in 2017) is charged to tie up at the fuel dock while you fill up. Discounts are available for more than 400 gallons.
Cabo San Lucas is a port of entry. Many cruisers use an agent as the process is reported to be slow and laborious with unhelpful officials in diverse locations: the port captain’s office is on Matamoros Street, Immigration is situated near the Pemex fuel station and the Immigration fee is to be paid at a bank.
