Georgette Who?

We don’t normally report on much-touted weather systems that fizzle out, but with 196 Baja Ha-Ha boats soon to be headed south, a lot of sailors have been asking us about the effects of Tropical Storm Georgette. She passed right over Cabo on September 21, then on to La Paz the next day.

The bottom line: She did virtually no damage in either Cabo or La Paz. "We had lots of water running down our launch ramp," says Cabo Marina office manager Norma Flores, "and a few cars got stuck. But that was about it." The good news is that Cabo did see a lot of much-needed rainfall that has given the surrounding hills a bit of greenery. It rained during most of the day, but max winds were only around 35 knots.

In nearby La Paz, Georgette was about as memorable as a typical blind date. "It was actually sunny overhead when the storm was supposedly passing us," recalls Neil Shroyer of Marina de La Paz. There was no rainfall and no damage anywhere in town.

All in all, 2010 has been a very light year for storm damage in Mexico, making the allure of our sourthern neighbor all the more powerful to sun-hungry cruisers. The Ha-Ha rally begins Monday, October 25, just outside San Diego Bay. Look for updates here.