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| Hurricane Jimena Experience in Baja Mexico Suggests Precautions Appropriate for the Columbia |
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 | | Photo by Marili Green Reilly | | Hurricane Jimena damage evident |
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by Marili Green Reilly
While many Portland boaters were enjoying summer on the Columbia River, a few hardy souls were sitting through the heat of a Mexican summer in the Sea of Cortez. My husband and I had returned home for June and July, but by mid-August we headed back to San Carlos on the mainland side of the Sea. This being our first hurricane season, Dave wanted to keep an eye on our Cascade 36, Tamara.
I didn't share his enthusiasm for the choice of dates. In fact, I'd whined (just a little) about returning so early, but two weeks after our arrival, we were making frequent checks on the NOAA Weather Site [www.nhc.noaa.gov] as it tracked Hurricane Jimena on her northeasterly track toward Cabo San Lucas.
Rather than staying aboard at the marina where the heat index was consistently over 110, we had rented an air conditioned apartment, and had been relative comfortable. On Wednesday, September 2, the afternoon that the category 4 hurricane hit the west side of the Baja at Magdalena Bay, we threw open the windows for the first time, turned off the A/C, and enjoyed a freshening breeze. By evening, we closed the windows against the rain. Downgraded to a tropical storm, Jimena's full force hit San Carlos at 3:00 am on the 3rd.
The storm stalled about 40 miles offshore, then returned to hit us again. Our neighbors at Marina Real reported that the storm sustained 40-50 mph winds, with some gusts of 80, over a 20-hour period, and 26-30 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. Power and water services were wiped out, and widespread flooding brought commerce to a standstill. The power company responded quickly, traffic found suitable detours around washouts and debris-littered roads, and marinas and dry storage lots tackled the onerous task of assessing and repairing damage.
We were impressed with San Carlos Marina Seca, the oldest of the two dry storage areas in town. Four feet of water from a stream next to the property flowed through the site during the storm, leaving the fairways knee-deep in mud. But by Labor Day they had heavy equipment clearing out debris and setting boats back onto their trailers.
Of the larger boats on stands throughout the rest of the lot, we noticed only two skewed masts, and we learned from the office staff that the Portland boats we wanted to check on - Adagio, Faith, and Rosebud - were all safe.
When we checked on friends' boats at Marina Real's dry storage, we found Ozborne and Odyssey were also safe, and only one boat there was off its stands.
From the anchorage to the marinas to the dry storage areas, the main damage we viewed was related to:
1) faulty ground tackle or mooring balls
2) failure of docks
3) unsecured sails, tarps, and other canvas
4) unsecured items on deck
5) sunken boats or dinghies
If you are planning to leave a boat in a hurricane zone, it is good to look for a well-respected "hurricane hole" such as San Carlos. But even if you are leaving your boat in other high wind areas (such as the Columbia River during the winter), here are some suggested precautions we learned from our experience.
1) Make sure your anchors and ground tackle are in good repair and are securely set, or that the mooring ball system you tie up to is secure. We met up with other Columbia River sailors, Adam and Kristina Yuret, who have been working on their ketch Estrella while anchored in Bahia San Carlos for much of the past year. Their anchor had held securely through 30-knot winds earlier this summer, but they moved into Marina San Carlos before the storm. It was a wise move, because by the end of the storm, more than a dozen boats had been blown onto the rocky shores of the bay through some failure of their anchor or mooring system.
 | | Photo by Marili Green Reilly | | Photo 3341 |
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2) Protected anchorages can be safer than poorly protected marinas, but as Adam noted in his blog: "A marina is only safe if it doesn't break apart and send large boats and concrete docks slamming into you during the storm." Several fingers at Marina Real did fail, and one motor vessel was nearly cut adrift during the storm when the finger broke off. Fortunately, one redundant line from its stern to another boat kept both the vessel and the broken finger from careening against other boats in the marina.
Having had a permanent slip on Rose City Yacht Club's upriver side through many Oregon winters, we knew to add extra dock lines with snubbers before we left Mexico last May.
Mike and Delphi Godsil, who have had many years of cruising experience aboard their Cascade 36 Trig, advised us to secure chains around piles or pile hoops and secure our redundant lines to them, in case the finger dock failed. As the storm approached, boat owners and crew also added lines across the dock to the opposite piling for added security, and with these precautions in place, both Tamara and Trig remained secure at their moorings throughout the storm. We can't stress it enough: redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.
3) Remove all sails and canvas. Many boats were left with mainsails and sail covers on the boom, but most of them had been wrapped with an extra line with a series of closely spaced loops to keep the wind from catching. Roller furled jibs are harder to secure, and many of those who left their jibs furled on the forestay will need to buy new sails before doing any cruising this year.
As if having a shredded sail was not enough, the mast of one large Hunter was broken by the action of the wind against the remaining sail. This caused a problem for the neighboring boat, as its rig had to bear the pressure of the broken spar! Although power boat owners don't have to worry about sails, they should also remove outdoor canvas, such as biminis, dodgers, and tarps. We saw several sport fishing and charter boats with ripped canvas and damaged clear plastic windows.
4) Items normally stored on deck should be moved inside the boat or into a dock box. RCYC members Marv and Ardy Dunn left their Peterson 44 Odyssey on the hard at Marina Real. They stored their light-weight kayaks, spinnaker poles, and other deck equipment inside their cabin and put larger heavy items under a tarp in the well of the cockpit. Although tarps can be lost in storms, they tied theirs securely and placed chain on it to weight it down. We left our outboard engine secured to the rail, but moved the fuel tank, Life Sling, and other smaller items from the deck and rails to a dock box. The deflated dinghy, usually kept on the foredeck, we stored in the cabin. Heavier items can be left on deck. A sailboat in the marina was left with an inflated, hard-bottom dinghy on davits, complete with its outboard engine. It still hung there, but was filled with water, and in a more serious storm could have been lost or endangered the boat. Trig's hard dinghy is kept on the cabin top beneath the boom. It was well secured with redundant lines, and even the close-fitting and well-secured cover came through the storm looking as neat as it was before. People who did less often paid the consequences.
 | | Photo by Marili Green Reilly | | Photo 3333 |
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5) If you leave your boat in the water, make sure automatic bilge pumps are functioning. We saw at least one boat in the anchorage that had sunk at its mooring, and an open dive boat at Marina Real was swamped at the dock. Even dinghies should be taken out of the water. Those we saw - those that weren't blown away, that is - came through the storm awash to the gunwales, resting merely on their flotation.
Finally, look out for your neighbor. How they leave their boat may impact how yours weathers the storm. A large boat with lots of windage, especially if it has lots of canvas, will put extra strain on the finger you share. Sails torn loose by the wind can strain or break the mast and land on other boats. Share storm preparation ideas with your neighbors and offer to help them get ready. If the boat beside you seems neglected or looks like it may present a hazard to you, consider asking the marina for another space.
The storm has passed, San Carlos is getting back on its feet, and we're getting ready to move back to Tamara. Needless to say, I haven't done any more whining about being here so early. Though we were only brushed by Jimena's skirts, I'm glad we were here to confirm for ourselves that our precautions paid off.
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