Some holes are not welcome, potholes for example.

“Hurricane holes” are welcome to cruisers, especially when high winds are forecast. And so S/V Ubiquity waited at anchor in Puerto Don Juan, shown above, when a gale warning was issued for the northern Sea of Cortez.

The chart above shows what makes a good hurricane hole. You can see on the chart S/V Ubiquity’s track into Puerto Don Juan to the place where she anchored. Once a boat is anchored inside, Puerto Don Juan offers protection from seas entering from any direction. Plus steep hills on the Baja side offer wind protection.

My friends Dave and Rhonda survived a hurricane, undamaged, in Puerto Don Juan on their sister ship to S/V Ubiquity, S/V Swan.

S/V Ubiquity faced nothing so ominous as did S/V Swan. So after a comfortable stay at anchor in Puerto Don Juan, after the strongest winds had abated, S/V Ubiquity thanked Puerto Don Juan for her good shelter and departed.

So for cruisers hurricane holes provide comfort, and sometimes survival.