First Storm

All the Baja-Haha sailors were warned of a storm 2 days away with large swells and up to 25 knots of wind. The majority of the race planned to take refuge in the many harbors along the coast and that only the hardiest of sailors were advised by the Baja Haha committee to continue. Bret turned to me and asked, “How rugged can sailors possibly be?” I responded, “Let’s find out.” as we headed out to sea leaving the majority of the fleet to cruise the coastline. The first day was bliss with smooth sailing and our first fish caught while trolling. A beautiful 5 pound Mahi Mahi from a blue feather provided some sushi and good protein dinner. The storm kicked up around 3pm the following day with winds and swells lifting. We would later find out later our fisherman friends at home in San Pedro did not leave the harbor under these conditions. A little nervous at testing our skills in our first storm, Bret and I decided to stick together. Without the luxury of an autopilot, one person had to man the helm while the other attempted to get some sleep. In a storm with 20ft swells and up to 30 knots of wind, we could not afford to leave the helm for even a few seconds to awake the other down in the cabin. The result, on person captained 1 hour shifts while the other lay tethered to a cleat attempting to sleep with the occasional wave crashing over the gunnels. Makai was stationed in the cabin surrounded by pile of blankets pillows trying unsuccessfully to dodge books and other parcels flying around. During the climax of the storm and over the roaring winds, I heard clawing and whimpering in the cabin. Makai had climbed the three large steps to the kitchen counter and was perched at the door come outside. As Bret granted her this wish, she took off for the bow to her “poop mat.” Luckily, Bret caught up to with a rope to keep her on the boat. We experienced an accidental jibe which ripped the bracket holding the boom to the boat. I kicked Bret awake and I proceeded to lasso the wiping boom and take down the mainsail in 20+ and knots of wind. We rode out the storm with minimal damage and arrived safely in Turtle bay on the Thursday evening October 30^th. Tuning into the radio, we discovered others had not been as fortunate. One sailboat was struck by a whale during the storm and sank as their wet and cold crew was saved by the coastguard. Another boat issued a distress call after running into a crab pot that entangled the prop and rudder. Close to the harbor, they managed to limp their way in. It is now Friday morning. Makai is desperately seeking firm ground to step on and we have a beach party with the other boats to attend. We will depart for Santa Bajia on Saturday afternoon. It is a shorter leg we are all looking forward to.