Blanca Was No Odile

Unlike last fall’s devastating Hurricane Odile, former Hurricane Blanca did no significant damage to boating interests in Cabo San Lucas or La Paz when she passed by to the west on Sunday.

One powerboat crewmember in Cabo reported that even at the height of the storm, when it was blowing about 40 knots, some vendors were still trying to hawk souvenir trinkets along the perimeter of the marina.

Glenn Twitchell and Debbie Jahn of the Newport-based Lagoon 380 Beach Access, who hunkered down in La Paz, reported gusts to 45 knots and moderately strong winds continuing to blow 24 hours later. But they’d seen more than 45 knots in Newport Beach, so it wasn’t a big deal. Most boats had been well prepared, so there wasn’t any significant damage.

Greg King of the Long Beach-based 65-ft schooner Coco Kai was making his 18th trip north from Cabo when Blanca started chasing him. It caught them while Coco Kai was abeam of Mag Bay, about 175 miles north of Cabo. King, who is completing a nearly 9-year circumnavigation with the schooner, headed to the west and hove to. After a minor roughing up, they were able to continue north.

If there was any significant damage from Blanca, we’re unaware of it.

Perhaps the oddest thing of all was the crew of the steel sloop Corazon de Acero sailing onto La Paz a day or so before the arrival of what had been downgraded to a tropical storm. It was odd because they’d sailed two days from a place that was under no threat of tropical storm conditions to one that was. And when we said they sailed “onto” La Paz, it’s because they missed the entrance channel and ended up hard aground, as much as 45 degrees over, right in front of the crowds on the malecon. Mike Rickman and Shelly Rothery Ward of the Peterson 44 Avatar responded, as did Will of Shaman. With halyards led from the sloop’s masthead to the dinghies pulling the boat over, her keel popped free, and she took off under the power of her jib in the gusty winds — nearly capsizing Will and Mike in the dinghies being dragged behind.

Meanwhile, eebmike.com, perhaps the premiere hurricane watch website for Mexico, is showing a graphic of weather down around Tehuantepec that has a 60% chance of forming into a tropical disturbance. Before anyone gets their sailing shorts in a twist, the ultra-long-range possibilities on what might happen are shown in the second graphic. Something to be watched, but at this point not to be worried about.