Mexican Hurricanes

[Journeyman]

Does anyone know if any boats tied down in marinas in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto los Cabos, or La Paz have been significantly damaged by hurricanes or tropical storms in the past 30 years or so?

Thanks.



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[Greenhand]

Yes. But then, 30 years is a long time.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Maybe....

List of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[SV THIRD DAY]

We went to a Hurricane Prep meeting over at Marina de La Paz two weeks ago now and they showed video of Maraina de La Paz breaking up into pieces from the last storm in the mid 1990...wasn't a pretty sight and lots of boats were lost.


There are only Three Marina's in La Paz that I would even consider staying in during hurricane season:
Costa Baja (Inner Harbor only...the outer basin will be a death trap)
Marina Palmira
Singlar Marina

[model 10]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

Maybe....

List of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

All I can say is, wow. Mazatlan anyone?

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Guy

All I can say is, wow. Mazatlan anyone?

Marina Mazatlan or on the hard at Singlar Mazatlan are two pretty good "safe" choices. But I would trust Marina Palmira and Costa Baja in La Paz with our home during Hurricane season....and have.

[Journeyman]

Sv third day,
Do you recall the name of that mid 1990 storm? This is could be the only evidence I could find of marina tied boats being endangered during Baja hurricanes. So far it seems there is no other evidence.
Thanks.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Journeyman

Sv third day,
Do you recall the name of that mid 1990 storm? This is could be the only evidence I could find of marina tied boats being endangered during Baja hurricanes. So far it seems there is no other evidence.
Thanks.

Not hunkered down in a marina, but well known boat/sailor cabo grounding... Interesting read...

BERNARD MOITESSIER: What Really Happened to Joshua

[zeehag]

there are many places to summer in mexico that are not prone to furycame damages. these vary year to year. if you follow instructions and letters of your insurance company you will not see the best ones.
the best hiding place for furycames is a place i know of and have spent 2 summers in so far. might or might not next summer, as there is a terminal wifi problem here. we workin on that. BUTTTT..
i would never voluntarily summer in baja. i lived in southern kali before i left to cruise, and i left for a reason, which has infested all of baja. i would not prefer to summer in sea of cortez, had i been desirous of this activity, i would have joined all those other gringos who beat feet to soc for summer as they think it is safer...rodlmffao. i personally do not like the paths taken by the storms when they have full force winds..
having summered in mazatlan, and la cruz de hunacaxtle,and barra de navidad, i still refuse to summer in soc.
research, as the info is found in noaa and nhc and wunderground... historical hurricane paths. i know they go back decades. have fun.
no one can tell you where to summer.
you must get the feeeling in you of safety or danger and trust it.

when i was in mazatlan summer 2011, i was advised there had been no damages from furycames in 33 yrs. they did not mention damages from tropical storms.
i summered in la cruz and didnt feel safe.the only storm we had threaten us was bud, and that wasnt even a furycame of note.
if you are one who panics in storms, do not come to storm central. go to hawaii, where there hasnt been a furycame in 22 yrs until this year brought them many.
mebbe northern cali would be a good place for ye to cruise. no furycames there.

do NOT base your generalities on this year, as this is el nino and is a different pattern than our norm.
you might want to watch the systems as they develop and their tracks before you leave the safety of of your dock in whereverville.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Journeyman

Sv third day,
Do you recall the name of that mid 1990 storm? This is could be the only evidence I could find of marina tied boats being endangered during Baja hurricanes. So far it seems there is no other evidence.
Thanks.

Hurricane Marty ripped up Marina de La Paz.
Hurricane Jimena ripped up Santa Rosilia (2009) then damaged boats in "safe dry storage" in San Carlos/Guymas. (which everyone "said" was a safe spot)
I wouldn' t make the false assumption that if you are in a marina, then you are safe.
It matters what marina, the location, quality of the marina build, servertity of storm and good old fashion luck.

People look for the easy answer or fail safe spot answer for Mexican Hurricanes, as if the thousands of boats and cruisers that have gone before them and stayed in the Hurricane danger zone had missed something. After spending 4 Hurricane seasons in Mexico what I did for season 1 was dirrerent than what I did in season 4. Our opinion and what we though best changed, based on our experience and what we thought was an acceptable risk. You can't get that by playing the odds book of Hurricane track history, that's called gambing.

Your insurance Conpany won't give a **** about your logic, plan, risk profile, etc. If you get damaged in a Named Storm...you will have no insurance (or at least that is how most insurance policies work when in the hurricane window during hurricane season!)

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Hurricane Marty ripped up La Paz.
Hurricane Jimena ripped up Santa Rosilia (2009)
I wouldn' t make the false assumption that if you are in a marina, then you are safe. It matter what marina, the location, quality of the marina build and your luck.

EXACTLY>

insurance wont cover ye at certain latitudes.
self insure is scaary
liability is mandatory for cruising mexico now, and is requested on checking into country.

ye leaves yer dock. you pays your money, you takes your chances.
is all a matter of random happenstance. and gut feelings.
no two experiences are the same.

i dont worry about bad stuff until it gets close, then i prep for it. works for me.

and i MUCH prefer a growing storm to a fully developed and raging major cane. i usually get growing babies heere.
it is when storms start to form in costa rica and central america that i become slightly concerned, as the skimming mexico coast ones are not damaging to us here. it is approach and intensity that hurts most places, as well as runoff and what is being blown around in and by the winds.

[Journeyman]

I've got an all-seasons, all-Mexico, Llyod's insurance policy. I'll reread the fine print but I am sure it covers named storms as that was specifically what I wanted. That said, I sure don't want to lose my boat.

I notice that Marty's track was directly over Cabo yet apparently did no damage to marina boats. In fact I can't find any history of boats tied down in Cabo Marinas (CSL and PLC) that have been significantly damaged.

What is it about marina de la Paz? Recent thunderstorm activity and electrical storms in la Paz make me wonder if nature is just meaner there?

Thanks for the inputs.


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[zeehag]

if your insurance covers allof mexico, why, then , do you wish to remain in thee areas of mexico with the most extreme weather.
i am in tropical mexico, where the temp, yearly, is within 5-10 degrees in daytime-- runs approx 85-88 in summer, an d same in winter. at night in winter, our minimal temp is 72 wow--cold, with a high in summer at migh rrtof 85. humidity is out the eroof, but that is handle-able. we donot have desert hrshness as does baja, and san carlos /guaymas to mazatlan.
mazatlan has winter temps at 46. yup btdt.
nnderas bay temps are approx 56 at night. winds are higher in golfo de california, as are intensities of storms experienced there. i prefer a lil less harshness in my weather.
i also prefer my neighbors not so close and not so pale faced..
baja is merely southern california.
more anglos than the state of california.
different customs than mainland mexico south of mazatlan.

[Cheechako]

YES. Cabo San Lucas. Many boats lost... and not even a hurricane. Having said that... the mexi-canes seem to have a manana attitude... never quite becoming much.....

[zeehag]

cheechako we have already made 3 majors THIS YEAR . please research before making generalizations about the intensity of furycames on this coast. i think storm 2k.com would be a wonderful reference for you on this topic.
just because lolandfall is no tmade always, doesnt mean they are not righteous furycames.
cosme last year was larger than was katrina, as cosme measured some 610 miles across. thank gods it was mostly over ocean, with some 200 miles over land, as we were damaged nicely by it, thankyou, here in barra de navidad, on the open bay side. they lost part of the malecon and popeyes restaurant.
we formed 19 canes/ts skimming mexicoast last year, each one cause of deaths and damages. it is a good thing mexicoast receives only the north east sector of each ts skimming coast. unless it turns and punches, which they have done.
or it turns and makes like jova, indecisive as to where to land and then slamming coast hard.
do not presume our epac basin canes are any lesser than any other ones on the planet. they are huricanes. same measurements as everywhere else.