windyty.com screen grab of hurricane blanca 6/8/15 12 A.M.
Hurricane Blanca, aptly named for the light colored dust she spewed on every available surface of our boat, was a tropical storm by the time she passed above our slip in La Paz. Her highest wind speed was clocked at 47.8 kts at 2:52 am at the Costa Baja weather station near the entrance to La Paz. Luckily with the lighter than predicted winds, every boat that weathered the storm with us at Marina Fonatur was completely free of damage. The only injuries I am aware of was my own small puncture wound, the result of stepping on a tack while shielding my eyes from the incessant onslaught of driving dust, and several cases of complete and utter boredom. Instead of seeing the days of diligent preparation as a waste, we are chocking them up to excellent practice for the storms to come. Most importantly, having learned that it takes approximately twice as long as we thought to prepare the boat for a storm and about three times as long if the temperatures are above 95 degrees F.
The highlight of the days leading up to the storm came in the form of an impromptu pot luck bbq, where several of us weary storm preppers gathered around the marina pool munching on a random assortment of delicious finger food and allowing ourselves to forget for a fleeting moment about a storm named Blanca. The strong sense of community ever-present in the cruising lifestyle is amplified during difficult times, and Blanca was no exception.
Blowing dust across a nearby empty lot
Spider web of mooring lines
Bajainsider.com weather data for hurricane blanca
