SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

During July through September thunderstorms form over the Mexican Sierra's and sometimes move in a north south line (AT NIGHT!) across the Sea of Cortez. These thunderstorms can be very violent, creating dangerous sea conditions and high winds in the anchorages. We are watching this occur now (not an actual storm, just the preconditions for the storms). Cumulous clouds are everywhere in the sky. Our solar power production has dropped from a daily average around 135 AHr to under 100 AHr. During the day the wind has died, making it very very hot. The storms are called Chubascos. They are the nemisis of this beautiful place. They strike suddenly with almost no warning and they strike in the dark of night and they are dangerous....some would say terrifying. SV Jake reports that we will see lots of these storms around us at night but that we are on average going to be personally "hit" maybe 3-4 times during the season. Basically the drill is that every night the solar shades come down and the boat is prepared for a possible storm. then we go to bed. If the wind speed gets above 30 knots, everyone gets up and gets the boat ready to instantly head to sea if it becomes necessary. No one sleeps. You can sleep the next day. The idea is to save the boat and to save the crew if it becomes necessary.

So why endure this? Why not go to a marina and plug in and enjoy broadband internet and air conditioning? The answer is that the marinas all have been hit by hurricanes, which are even worse than chubascos. The strategy for hurricanes is to read about them from far away. Thus, cruisers go north to the Bahia de Los Angeles and endure chubascos so as to avoid being in a hurricane....even a hurricane seen from a marina.

But, hurricanes generally do not come to this part of Mexico until later in the season. For now we will go to a marina, provided we can get a slip. No surprise....marinas "fill up" with other boats.

Tonight we are in Playa Santispac, a georgeous anchorage with white sand beaches and a restaurant called Anna's. We'll check it out.

The picture is Safety Cat at low tide with the dewatering pump sitting on its port side stern and with my hookah hose forward on the bow.