Well, the to-do list is mostly done. We have to tie down the boom and the whisker pole, and take off the dodger, and clean up a little, but for the most part we've battened down our hatches as best we can. The mooring lines are doubled and covered in split hose and tape, and the decks are just about clear. It was satisfying work on a clear, hot, windless day; the calm before the storm.

Dozens of other boats came in or were towed in from adjacent anchorages today. The bay echoes with radio voices, "Aristocat Aristocat, this is Bodhisattva." People are pretty self-sufficient and the boats are more or less prepared, but there are still a lot of sun shades up and roller-furling jibs still on the forestays. Perhaps there will be enough time tomorrow.

Tomorrow night at 11:00 pm local time, Hurricane Jimena is predicted to hit land about 70 miles southwest of us at Magdalena Bay. When it hits, the winds will be 135 knots, with higher gusts. The weather graphics show Puerto Escondido with a 40% chance of getting hit with 50-70-knot winds and a 70% chance of encountering 39-50-knot winds. A 20% chance exists of getting hit with full hurricane-force winds. There will be torrential rain and flooding--they are predicting five to fifteen inches of rain throughout the area over a twenty-four hour period. Past hurricanes of Category 1 and 2 have devastated the place; this one is presently at the upper limit of Category 4.

We are contemplating leaving the boat during the storm and going ashore to stay in the sturdy marina buildings. If the winds are above 50 knots there's nothing we could do to help the boat, really, and we don't want to get hurt. We will listen to the forecasts closely to try to make our decision intelligently.

This may be the hardest part, the watching and waiting, wondering whether the clouds building over the clifftops are the beginning of the storm. Wondering when the wind might get too strong for us to get off the boat; wondering what it will sound like and when it will end.