Hurricane Norbert - special posting

Good morning everyone. We've received quite a few "concerned" e-mails about Hurricane Norbert which is expected to make landfall on Saturday so thought I'd do a special posting about it.

Yes, it is headed our way and yes, we are making plans to hopefully stay out of its' way as much as we can. We appreciate all your concern - we are feeling loved! We were planning on staying in San Carlos to meet a friend from Canada to go out sailing for a few days, but out here in the sea all itineraries are written at low tide. After getting a few more weather updates today we will make our final plans as to where we will "wait out the hurricane". We are taking this one very, very seriously and will make plans accordingly - so rest assured that we may be adventurous, but we aren't reckless.

We are looking forward to spending our winter in Silver Star in another month and seeing the kids and friends. Here's a great shot from this weekend of Danny and Kylie at the Toby Keith concert in Kamloops...it's great they get along so well.

Direct from the Hurricane Centre - October 8th

10/08/08 3AM MDT FROM THE NHC...NORBERT BECOMES A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS... INTERESTS IN THE SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF NORBERT.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS... PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

10/08/2008 5:37 AM MDT Hurricane Norbert continues to strengthen and is now a Major Hurricane some 470 miles south of Cabo San Lucas. Currently a Category 3 Hurricane, Norbert is expected to strengthen to Category 4 in the next 12-24hrs. Forecasts call for Norbert to lose some of that intensity before making landfall near Magdalena Bay late Friday or early Saturday.
Hurricane Norbert is currently located near near 16.1N 110.0W and motion is 295° at 9kts. Central barometric pressure is estimated at 960Mb and winds are 100kts with gusts to 120kts. Norbert is forecast to turn more northward in the next 24hrs and is expected to make landfall as a strong Category 2 intensity hurricane near Magdelena Bay on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur. Wind speeds at the time of landfall are forecast to be in excess of 95kts.
Persons with interests in Baja California Sur should begin preparations for a hurricane landfall and significant wind and rain conditions which could begin as early as late Thursday. All of Baja Sur is still within the 5 day forecast threat window. Those along the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur should pay particularly close attention to the path of this storm over the next 24-36hrs.
Hurricane force winds will extent out approximately 65 miles and tropical storm force winds are forecast to extend out as much as120 miles from the eye at the time of landfall. Heavy rain and the potential for flash flooding will be a possibility across the entire state of Baja California Sur through the weekend.
Hurricane Norbert now has a clearly defined eye as it begins to turn to the north, and will remain over +28°C water with optimal conditions for continued development for the next 36hrs. Norbert is now a Major Hurricane, a hurricane of Category 3 or more is considered a Major Hurricane.
Norbert is forecast to continue strengthening and should surpass Hurricane Hernan as the most powerful storm of the 2008 Hurricane Season later today. Hernan formed in the first week of August and moved off into the Pacific without ever making landfall with maximum winds of 105kts. Norbert is forecast to achieve maximum sustained winds of 115kts and gusts to 145kts or 160 miles per hour.
Although Norbert is forecast to diminish to a Category 2 Hurricane before making landfall it could be be one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Baja since Hurricane John in 2006. Due to the fact that it will make landfall directly off the Pacific Ocean storm surge, or the water pushed ahead of the storm, could be more significant than storms of the past few years.
The storm track is currently predicted to cross the peninsula into the Sea of Cortez near Loreto and Mulege. Those areas should prepare for the likelihood of significant rain and the potential of severe flooding should the storm hold to the current track.
Norbert is remaining very close to early path projections, bending ever more to a NNE track in the next 36hrs, Current projections have a Hurricane Norbert several hundred miles WSW of Cabo San Lucas on Friday morning as a Category 4 hurricane.
Only one major Hurricane has ever made landfall in Baja California Sur in the last 50 years and that was Hurricane Kiko in 1989 which came ashore on the East Cape, when the area was much less inhabited than today.
Also, keep in mind that intensity forecasts are the most difficult when attempting to predict a hurricane's behavior. Hurricane John in 2006 was forecast to make Baja landfall as a Major Hurricane yet diminished to a Category 2 before making landfall in the East Cape region.
The next update to this information will occur following the 3PM release

Net Controller's Party & Running out of fuel

The cruising life.....

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The mountains at sunrise yes, that is Di knitting at the helm

The water clarity is starting to improve dramatically – it is as clear as it was in the Spring. We’ve been doing lots of snorkelling (Peter got an ear infection, but a week of antibiotic drops seem to have done the trick).

Hundreds and hundreds of dolphins while underway

We went to an anchorage that definitely is on my top ten list called Salsipedes. It is actually two islands connected by a small bar/beach. Unlike most of the islands, which have loose, shale rock, this one has solid rock, which makes for ideal hiking.

the Islands of Salsipedes

It also has a high peak on it, so needless to say we made our way to the top, which was exciting and edgy. Peter says he earned extra beer rations again that day!

sharing this anchorage with only the Pelicans and the sea lions

After a few days out in these anchorages we went to Puerto Don Juan – also known locally as Puerto Pollo (chicken), as it is the hurricane hole up in the northern Sea of Cortez. We were invited onboard for mango margaritas by Dave and Marcia of Juniata where we had a great time.

Coyotes on the beach out walking with the birds

The next day over 10 boats gathered in the Bay of L.A. for the annual ham radio net controllers party – of which Peter is one. To make things interesting, the seas whipped up with gusting winds of 25 plus knots. Some of the boats decided to head for calmer anchorages and others decided to stay on board to keep a lookout while the rest of us had some rough dinghy landings. A good time was had by all at the beach papapa of our hosts Jay and Janis of Ceilidh. Peter won the dart tournament, so he was harder to live with than ever after that!

Is this not a picture perfect anchorage???

We left bright and early the next day – heading back on our southbound journey. Fortunately, there are so many anchorages, they will all be new ones for us to explore. We stayed for a couple of nights at a spectacular anchorage - one of the top two so far – really! Los Animas Slot. The snorkelling was outstanding and the hiking excellent – plus we were snug as a bug in the tiny cove.

Animas Slot from atop the hill

The final leg to Santa Rosalia (the first town with a bank in over 6 weeks) was a 77-mile stretch. We got up at 0300 and motored all day. Had a bit of excitement when we were only 2 miles from the harbour entrance we ran out of fuel!!!! Peter hopped in the dinghy and took a jerry can, while I stayed on the “dead” boat. There was hardly any wind but there was a strong current and a few pangas out fishing. I was a nervous wreck, but did manage to tack with just the main sail before hitting any boats or the beach. Peter borrowed $20 from a friend in the marina so that he didn’t have to get to a bank first and was able to make it back to me within an hour.

too bad about the crowds...

We will stay here for about 4 days to do some provisioning, maintenance on the boat and catch up on banking and with the kids. Next stop…San Carlos.

Until next time.... There is currently a Tropical Storm watch that we are keeping an eye on….could get interesting!

Full Moon Party, hiking volcanos -this is the life!

We left the Bay of L.A. with a months worth of provisions. Since this community does not have electricity, needless to say it doesn't have an ATM or accept credit cards. We are down to about $5.00 in cash. Fortunately, we don't anticipate needing money until we get to Santa Rosalia a few more weeks from now.


Osprey atop cactus

Our first destination was the anchorage at the marine park island of La Ventura. We had this secluded bay to ourselves for the three days we were there. It was a great stop where we hiked the island every day.

From here we went to the large bay of La Gringa for a party with other cruisers in the area. This was a gathering of 17 sailboats and it was a terrific opportunity to meet everyone that we had been communicating with over the ham radio the past months. The reason for the location and date was that it was the full moon with a tide of about 18 feet. At La Gringa there is a lagoon and when the tide turns, you swoosh out of it on any kind of floatie into the bay. It was like a bunch of 12 year old kids all on floaties and hanging out in the water for hours (except for the addition of beer, wine and cocktails).



The next day I went for a couple of hours hiking through the hills, where I was rewarded by 360 degree views of the surrounding islands. That evening, one of the boats called Hipnautical hosted an "outdoor concert" at sunset where we all took our dinghies, tied up to them and were entertained by their guitar and harp. A truly magical night!

The next stop was at Isla Smith, which attracted us because of the 1,550 foot volcano. We got up and left before sunrise to tackle this. It was virtually straight up and there were spots that we were pulling ourselves up with our hands. We took lots of water (to avoid the dehydration that Peter got on the last volcano) as the heat index was already over 100 degrees. The 4 hour return trip was definitely worth it and we continue to seek out anchorages that offer seclusion and hikes onshore.

(Yes, Peter, we just go straight up)

We will be staying out at the various midriff islands for another 5 days or so when we will be heading back to the Bay of L.A. for a net controllers party. These isolated islands are teaming with sea lions, birds of all varieties, lots of beaches, hiking, snorkeling and incredible sunrises and sunsets. The perfect venue for us to continue learning our Spanish and bridge!

Until next time….Remember…"Worry is like a rocking chair…it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." Unknown.

Peter swimming with Whale Sharks

Peter swimming off our stern with the whale sharks

Whale Shark Photos

Chuckwillies on San Estaban


WHALE SHARKS...





Awesome underwater photos supplied by our fellow Whale Shark swimming friends Jay and Janis on the Sailing Vessel Ceilidh.



Peter - Net Controller

Heading into the Northern Sea, Tropical Storm Warning & Swimming with the Whale Sharks!!!!

(note: my photos aren't uploading right now...update...I was able to add them above on September 12th).

After celebrating Peter’s 54th birthday in San Carlos and getting fully provisioned for 6 weeks, we up anchored and set our sails northward to unexplored territory for us. The next 5 days we visited remote anchorages where we didn’t see any other boats. We love these “swim naked” spots and Peter thrives on going days on end without having to put on any clothes.

The claim to fame at the island of San Estaban is being the home of a special kind of lizard called a Chuckwillie, which we were able to spot during our hike onshore. During these decadently relaxing days, we put up the other new SunShade that Doug brought down with him…so now we have total sun coverage from bow to stern.

While on San Estaban, we got the dreaded “call home ASAP” email from Kylie, so we up anchored before dawn and motored for 10 hours to get to The Bay of L.A., which is the closest village, where we dinghied in, and walked to the store where we were able to use their satellite to connect to Skype to phone her. We were very relieved to find that it was just a cash flow problem due to tuition being due and an unexpected brake job on the car.

The trip over was exciting as we went through a huge pod of Fin Whales, plus we were escorted on two different occasions by a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins. It was a day out of a National Geographic magazine!

WHALE SHARKS…..yahoo, yahoo!!!!!!

The Bay of L.A. is a popular summer spot for cruisers as it offers an unlimited amount of anchorages within easy sailing distance to the best hurricane hole in the Northern Sea. We spent a few nights anchored off the village where we were able to re-provision, go out for a few great meals and meet some of the cruisers that we’ve only talked to on the radio. The great attraction is also the elusive Whale Sharks that are resident here in the summer months. We heard one of our fellow cruisers announce that they had seen them yesterday, so we quickly moved to the Southern Bay in hot pursuit... The first day we didn’t have any luck, but had a nice walk on the beach and a dinghy ride in the marsh. The following morning, we got a call on the radio from our new friends, Jay and Janice from a neighbouring boat saying that they had spotted one, so we dropped what we were doing and headed over in QuickStar.

As fast as we could, we anchored and jumped in the dinghy to join them. Within minutes we were in the water with our snorkel gear, swimming with this mammoth Whale Shark. Ironically, it was only a baby at about 15 feet! We spent about an hour in and out of the water with this gentle giant and when it swam away we headed back to the boat. I stayed on “Whale Shark” sighting duty from the boat, and was well rewarded just an hour later when another Whale Shark (20 feet) swam all around the boat. It was incredible. Shortly afterwards, another Whale Shark came swimming by to say hello so Peter jumped off the boat and got back in with it. Just too exciting for words!!!! We spent the rest of that afternoon onshore at Jay and Janis’s palapa, with our other new friends, Jim and Susan from Windward Bound.

Peter has volunteered to be a Ham Radio net controller, which basically means he is the host of one of the evening broadcasts for the cruising community. It is a vital service, especially since we have a weather expert on each evening, which is important during this hurricane season. There is currently a Tropical Storm “Lowell” that is expected to make landfall tonight – although we are out of its’ path. According to this expert, and historical data, we are still anticipating another five named storms before the end of October

I’m able to update this blog from the internet café, which is also the local gathering place for the cruisers in this area, so this is taking longer than normal with all the socializing, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We will be heading out to the boonies again tomorrow…..
Until next time…do something that scares you.

Last 30 seconds of our horse trek