Here We go Again!

It may have seemed like the close of the summer cruising season, but the hurricane season is still on in full strength! The news came in Thursday night on the Southbound Net that there was another tropical storm forming quickly off the Riviera coast of Mexico (where they all tend to start.) By the end of the Amigo Net Friday morning, it had reached Hurricane 1 status and was named Rick. By the Southbound net Friday night, the boats that had started south either decided to run for the closest cover down south (Puerto Escondido) or to sit tight and see what happened next. By the Amigo Net this morning, Rick had reached Hurricane 3 category and was definitely heading for a crash with the Baja Peninsula. Boats as far south as Conception Bay, who had been up here only two weeks ago are now heading back to the Bahia de los Angeles area for the safety of nearby Puerto Don Juan. Any guesses on where Windfall, Just a Minute and Third Day are headed? Yep, we head out for Willard Bay tonight for an overnight passage to take advantage of the tides. We want to get up there as fast as possible.

The reports of Rick are frightening. The US Navy predicts that it will hit landfall Wednesday night at Cabo San Lucas as a Hurricane 1 storm, with the eye right over the city. If that happens, the entire Sea will get hammered, especially if it comes up the coast towards L Paz, as the prediction suggests. Other predictions put landfall on Thursday between Cabo and Magdalena Bay on the outside of the peninsula, just like Hurricane Jimena. As a matter of fact, Don Anderson, the weather man on the Amigo net says that this storm is identical to Jimena so far in its intensity and path. It covers 600 miles of area and is packing 135 knots of wind right now, and is expected to reach category 5 status later tonight or tomorrow morning. Some reports have it traveling at 10 knots, some as high as 20 knots, so it is covering ground quickly.

So you guys know the drill - we will soon be even further out in the boondocks and out of contact for probably two weeks. Wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Laura.