Quake Rattles La Paz

Happy hour for cruisers in Baja California Sur was disrupted last night by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, which was followed by four sizable aftershocks. The quake, centered offshore in the Sea of Cortez about 45 miles north of La Paz, hit around 4:45 p.m. yesterday, then four aftershocks of less than 4.8 kept residents’ nerves frayed. Officials say damage was minimal and no injuries have been reported.

"We were enjoying sundowners on a friend’s sailboat while docked at Marina Palmira," Ha-Ha vets Julie and Bill Martinelli of the San Francisco-based Catalina 470 Voyager wrote last night. "We felt some seriously good earthquake shaking for several seconds, which was surprising since we never felt any when we were aboard in a Bay Area marina. This also happened during the middle of a rare rain shower! Luckily, no drinks were spilled, the boats got a free wash, and all is well. Ha-Ha’ers, come on down!"