Hurricane Willa: A Near Miss

This week was all about Hurricane Willa and a haulout.  I had previously scheduled a haulout at La Cruz Shipyard, but hadn't planned on a hurricane arriving in the middle of it.  Despite some problems with bottom paint compatibility and the weather, it all got done okay, albeit at some additional expense.  Once the hurricane passed, the remaining clouds and instability brought some spectacular skies.  I'll let the pictures and videos tell the story....

Hurricane Willa, a Category 4 hurricane, was forecast

to pass very close to Puerto Vallarta at the foot of

Banderas Bay.  La Cruz, where I am,

 is about 12 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.

When NOAA models show a 60% chance of winds of

tropical storm strength (39+ mph) hitting, you pay attention.

Circadian was getting hauled out a couple of days before

Willa's closest point of approach.

I figured being on the hard was as safe as anywhere for

the boat.

Meanwhile, I was safely holed up in the La Cruz Inn, 

about 1/2 mile from the water.

The Port Captain closed the port and ordered all the fishing

pangas on the government docs to leave.  The docks are

concrete, so they don't float up with any potential major

surge from the hurricane.

Some of the pangas rented slips on the marina's floating

docks, while many were pulled out of the water.

Where to put all those pangas?  Any port in a storm!

The open-air yacht club restaurant in the marina closed

and put furniture out of harm's way.

There was of course much discussion among my cruising

friends about boat preparation and what we might expect.

Here Mike of PV Sailing, a long time resident and

local weather guru and Catalina chat with my friend 

Mike of Footloose.  Here is the guru's take on preparing for

what might be coming.

At some point you have done what you can do, so what's

left?  Drinking hurricanes with friends!

(Bob, Maureen, Patrice, and Lou)

 Friday night:  music at the Inn

Ominous clouds built as Willa got closer.

Normally placid Banderas Bay got rough and the seas built.

Winds built to 20+ knots, with gusts up to 45 recorded.

But we were lucky, Willa came ashore between Puerta

Vallarta and Mazatlán, sparing cruisers both in the

Puerto Vallarta area and in Mazatlán.   Sadly,

several small towns on the coast in between were

badly hurt.

Sunrise the morning after

Spectacular skies all day...

...and a beautiful sunset

In between:  rain on a sunny day!

Rainbow seen from my slip

A white-collared seed-eater admiring the

rainbow.

With the weather calm and dry, the bottom painting

was completed and Circadian went back in the water.

 

Finally in my new temporary home in Marina Riviera

Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Full moon setting behind Circadian on my first night.

Next day: checking in with the Port Captain.

As usual, simple and easy.

Despite everything, there was still time to have fun with

friends.  (Tod, Mike, Lisa, and Donna).  It was great

to see Tod and Donna for the first time this season.

Strolling through La Cruz with Mike and Lisa

A couple of things to note in this scene about a block 

from the Inn:  It's a restaurant set up literally in the 

street.  Note the large flat screen TV sitting on top

of the wall to the left of the guy in the purple shirt.  

The dog sleeping in the street was there when we 

were on our way to a nice German restaurant 

and still there two hours later on our return.  

Small town Mexico....

Yesterday a film production company showed up and

took over the yacht club, one dock and the malecon for

a day.  A big Hollywood-style production.

Of course there are a couple of varieties of iguanas around.

Green ones in trees and grass, brown ones on dirt and rocks.

Snowy egret getting a snack