Hurricane Newton and Guaymas

[SF Bay Dude]

Wow, Newton intensified quickly and made a dash to the right. Now he's barreled through Cabo and headed towards Guaymas, where my boat (and many others) are on the hard or in the water. Does anyone (would anyone) have some boots on the ground who could relay info as the storm approaches and passes?

Thanks!

[Sea Dreaming]

Www.webcamsdemexico.com

At least you can keep your eye on the area. Our boat is in San Carlos. But I really feel bad for the peeps on the peninsula. They have been battered all night!

[JPA Cate]

SFBayDude,

Yes, there is someone from CF there, s/v Shameless. He started a thread here, about preparing for 50 knot winds a few days back when Newton was a tropical storm. As Newton increased in strength, so did all the suggestions. The poster name he was using was a few letters followed by 3 digits. Perhaps you can find the thread with a Google search on preparing for 50 knot winds begun within the last few days.

Ann

He reported that it is likely the comms there will be down for the worst of the storm, and for some days thereafter, but also that he would report back when he could.

[SF Bay Dude]

Thanks for the webcam link and other post info.

Fingers crossed!

[Dartanyon]

Shameless is posting on their Facebook page. You may be able to get a hold of them there. They weathered the storm well, but said other boats and docks did not. No power or internet at the moment.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...899332&fref=ts

[zeehag]

from lat 38

Two of the five crew aboard a Mexican shrimp boat in the Sea of Cortez reportedly died after the vessel they were on capsized during the height of hurricane Newton early on Tuesday morning. Three other crew are missing and likely to have perished. Otherwise Newton's damage to marine interests was limited.

Newton was the seventh hurricane to hit the tip of Cabo since 1971. Fortunately, it was only a Category 1, and nothing like Category 4 Odile that did so much damage to Cabo and La Paz two Septembers ago.

The center of Newton hit Cabo on Monday night about 10:30 p.m., where a National Weather Service station recorded sustained winds of 67 knots, with one gust of 100 knots. Phone and Internet service were knocked out for the night, palms and palapas were blown over, there was flooding, and a few windows were broken. As hurricanes go, this was nothing for Cabo.

The center of Newton passed about 50 miles to the west of the major yachting center of La Paz, where many boats are stored for the summer.

"Looking out my second story window, I can see three sailboats and an old motoryacht aground on the Mogote," Neil Shroyer of Marina de La Paz told Latitude. He did not know the names or types. "We were fortunate in that the wind came out of the east and then out of the south," said Shroyer, "as it gives us a lot of protection." Wind out of the north and northeast would be the worst.

Will Imanse of the La Paz-based Sceptre 36 Shaman tells Latitude that none of the four boats that went aground were occupied, and their owners were in the States or Canada. “It seems that these were the same boats that went up during Odile,” says Imanse. “More than a few members of the cruising community are wondering why we should risk our lives rescuing these boats again if the owners can’t be bothered to take proper care of them or assign someone to do it while they are gone."

Both Shroyer and Imanse thought the winds in La Paz were mostly in the mid-30s and maxed out with a few 50-knot gusts in the middle of the night. “The soap dish falling over was the biggest effect a gust had on my boat,” jokes Imanse. "A couple of boats at Marina Palmira suffered slight damage as a result of their not being tied up well."

As one might expect, a few roller furling jibs and some canvas was torn. But as in Cabo, Newton was not a major weather event in La Paz.

(After Newton passed, Imanse reports he had dinner with the wife of a La Paz undertaker, and she told him that her husband had removed two bodies from a boat in one of the marinas. Imanse has not been able to find out any more about the report, nor has anybody mentioned any deaths, so hopefully it was a case of misunderstanding or misinformation.)


Marine interests at Puerto Escondido were not damaged by Newton. Now that the government-owned Fonatur Marina has been taken over by private interests, more development is expected at Puerto Escondido.

Photo Courtesy Marina Puerto Escondido
© 2016 Latitude 38 Publishing, LLC

A spokeswoman for Marina Puerto Escondido, farther to the north, told Latitude that “Newton's wind blew pretty hard, but there was no damage to the boats or the facility.” The wind likely hit Puerto Escondido harder than it did La Paz, as an official weather station at nearby Loreto recorded a gust of 77 knots.

Newton then crossed the Sea of Cortez to mainland Mexico, making landfall around Bahia Kino. Winds of up to 64 knots were recorded in the Guaymas/San Carlos area. We haven’t been able to make contact with anyone there, but there shouldn’t have been great damage.

Despite some drenchings, the Baja highways are open.

All in all, it could have been much worse. However, the two busiest hurricane months in Mexico are upon us, so it’s no time to relax. But the great cruising season is not that far away.

-----

As you can tell from the item above, as we were about to post today's reports we had assumed that Newton had lost a lot of steam and wasn’t going to do much damage on the mainland. It just goes to prove you can’t assume anything, because a report posted on Rob Murray’s Facebook page indicated there was indeed extensive damage at the Fonatur Marina in Guaymas. It is reported that at least seven boats have sunk at the dock, and based on the photos, there was extensive damage to other boats, the dock, and the facility.

It’s unclear to us who is the source of the information and who took the photos, but we believe the material comes from Rob Murray, who got it from Gary on Searover II, who has just talked to — and may have got it from — a gentleman named Eduardo, who was apparently on the scene and may run the facility.

The report is that all of the boats that were on the hard at the Fonatur facility are fine.


There was considerable damage to the docks at the Fonatur Marina.

Photo Courtesy Unknown
© 2016 Latitude 38 Publishing, LLC

It was also reported that "Boats in Gabriel’s Yard didn’t fare as well . . . some idiot left sails on and it looks as though that took out at least a few others."

Eduardo has said he will send photos of every boat to her owner in the coming days.

More news as we get it. If you are onsite, we would appreciate your input and photos.


This doesn't look good. Newton saved his worst for the end of his maritime ride.

Photo Courtesy Unknown
© 2016 Latitude 38 Publishing, LLC

these were the pix i posted with the hardin 45 and others--i got em from sailing with terrapins post, i donot know where thwy got em. i am a good pix thief,,

[Soozie]

I have a friend in the Guaymas Marina right now. S/V Papagayo. He said 3 boats were underwater around him and I understand there were a total of 7. He is preparing for a haul out right now but I know that if you give me the names of the boats and locations he will check on them as soon as he can. We are talking via whats app which is working just fine. He said massive damage all over.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Soozie.

[EX Wanabe]

You are getting information from some parties that were the cause of the sinking of boats at Marina Fonatur Guaymas. There were many boats with insufficiant single lines tied too tight to the dock. Many boats were not prepared. One very large and extremely heavy boat in particular came in and the person tied up with single 1/2" short old worn poly lines and then left the marina. He did not return until the next day after it was all over. His boat was responsible for the sinking of three other boats. I was one of the persons who spent the entire night retying and replacing broken lines trying to save the docks and others boats.
This individual will most likely be sued for his negligence. Oh, and please be aware that he is one of the people posting here.
My point being, be careful what you believe just because it is written.

[gpeacock]

Hey Wanabe
Glad to hear you are ok. Hopefully your boat is ok as well, we didn't see it in the pictures that were posted. We were wondering where you ended up for the storm. See you in a few weeks.
Gary

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by EX Wanabe

You are getting information from some parties that were the cause of the sinking of boats at Marina Fonatur Guaymas. There were many boats with insufficiant single lines tied too tight to the dock. "insufficient" is a judgment call, not criminal negligence. Many boats were not prepared. Ultimately, this is the owner's job to do.One very large and extremely heavy boat in particular came in and the person tied up with single 1/2" short old worn poly lines and then left the marina. Was this polypropylene? or polyester?

He did not return until the next day after it was all over. His boat was responsible for the sinking of three other boats. I was one of the persons who spent the entire night retying and replacing broken lines trying to save the docks and others boats. Good on ya, if true. It must have been rather upsetting, running around using up your spare, older, and perhaps not stretchy line, choosing whom to help and who not to.

This individual will most likely be sued for his negligence. Oh, and please be aware that he is one of the people posting here. Oh, yeah? then why not name him?
My point being, be careful what you believe just because it is written.

This also applies to what you have written.

Look, I know you've just been through a harrowing experience, with all the other yachties who were there to take care of their boats. We're well aware of the lengths that cruisers will go to save the docks, as well as other boats. BTDT. I'm really wanting to cut you some slack.

But planning a lawsuit -- in Mexico-- in the wake of a natural disaster seems way over the top, to me, kind of an ugly American reaction. Why not wait and see if this fellow, on his own, offers recompense for the damages his boat caused? Is he not required to have 3rd party liability insurance? Do you really want to spew venom now? Are you certain the marina contracts signed were all the same? Did some people write in riders? Anyhow, try and put yourself in the other guys' shoes. There are a dozen reasons I can think of why he'd tie up that big, heavy boat the best he could and go away, perhaps afraid for his life or his family's?

I really hope everyone can settle down and reach fair agreements about responsibility and recompense. Everyone has been frightened and some, angry. Maybe it's time to chill out.

Ann

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by EX Wanabe

This individual will most likely be sued for his negligence.

As much as I feel horrible for those that have lost and damaged boats, there is also not a benefit in spreading false hope of a law suit being able to make any of this better for anyone involved. The Mexican legal system isn't going to pay out like spilled coffee in the crotch during a McDonald's lawsuit. You can just forget about that.

[zeehag]

for those of you whining about your boats being damaged by a storm in a marina, dry or wetly stored, please take time to realize yours are not the only damages from this mayhem/ seems the port captain correctly told the shrimper that cabo san lucas was not a port of refuge in the storm. he was correct, but the experienced shrimper tried to head to mazatlan in the storm, ended up capsizing in the mayhem and suffering loss of all hands. '
this is not merely a yotties whinefest. tort law in mexico--what a joke.. please.
these are human beings and no one has acknowledged this to date.
please tone down your cries and screams of impatience while mexico deals with the issues bearing more importance than insured yottie boat hulls.
yes there are such issues. there is one human being still missing from the capsized shrimper and repercussions to come. 4 have been found dead.
your superficial losses are insignificant when compared with and to loss of any life.
sorry if i sound angry, i am that. we are each and all self absorbed in our own superficial loss that loss of life has become seemingly irrelevant.

Van 4 cuerpos hallados del naufragio en BCS; Capitanía Los Cabos, les habría negado refugio - BCS Noticias