Wednesday, June 3, 2015

It's Not All Margaritas and Carnitas Here in Paradise


There we were, minding our own business, planning a languid and leisurely sail home from the Islands of Loreto, when what should start brewing in the Pacific? Tropical Storm Blanca! She was upgraded to a hurricane (Category 4) this morning and forecasted to head straight for Cabo and La Paz. Our choices were to go to nearby Puerto Escondido, or beat feet back to La Paz in time to get sails, canvas, and everything else off the boat before the maelstrom hits, if indeed Blanca maintains hurricane status and reaches La Paz.

We decided to head back to La Paz, where Cinnabar has successfully ridden out a previous hurricane (Odile, Cat 5, Sep 2014). Today we had a long sail (75 nm, a 9 hr motor in no wind, actually) from Bahia Candeleros all the way to Isla San Francisco. Tomorrow we'll leave Isla SF early and motor 44 nm to reach La Paz sometime in the afternoon and hopefully in time to carry out hurricane preparations. It's eerie how sunny, calm, and beautiful it is out here - it is easy to see how people are lulled into complacency and do not heed the possible hurricane threats until it is too late.

Fingers crossed that Hurricane Blanca will be downgraded and won't pummel La Paz, but we'll do our best to get Cinnabar ready just in case. Meanwhile we'll keep checking the weather reports to see what Blanca has up her sleeve. Stay tuned!
SS

Posted via Sailmail and SSB Radio

2 comments:

  1. Hola Cinnabarians! So sorry we never shared an anchorage with you this season, our fault for leaving PE for the summer a little early. Glad you're having such a good time and definitely hope you'll have no issues with Blanca!
    Dave and Merry, s/v Air Ops.

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  2. Hi Dave and Merry, we were disappointed not to see you too. I heard Dave on the SSB numerous times (thanks for helping me connect with Telitha BTW) but it didn't seem like our paths would cross. We did say hello to the lovely Air Ops buttoned up and secured to her mooring in PE. Maybe next year!

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