wilderone - 10-2-2007 at 09:45 AM
Boats Damaged in Hurricane at Puerto Escondido
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, MEXICO - At least eight cruising boats were sunk, capsized, damaged or destroyed in Puerto Escondido Sept. 5, when Hurricane
Henriette swept through the Sea of Cortez.
As the only hurricane refuge within 120 miles, Puerto Escondido was sheltering about 50 yachts when the hurricane struck at 2:30 a.m. Boaters
struggled with chafe gear and anchors until the storm blew past at 3 p.m.
Of 35 yachts that were either on moorings or anchored in the main bay and the ellipse, 17 had been left unattended.
"None of the boats with a skipper or owner on board dragged anchor during the hurricane," said Connie Sunlover of Hidden Port Yacht Club in Puerto
Escondido, "and only four boats in the main bay suffered damage." She said at least four unattended boats that were sunk had not been raised as of
Sept. 10.
Five of the 117 Singlar moorings failed during the hurricane, said Sunlover, and one mooring failed without a boat on it. The moorings reportedly had
not been repaired since their installation two years ago. Singlar recently lowered its rental rates for the moorings.
Of seven boats moored to the concrete seawall inside the ellipse, the owners of one were in Loreto and did not return until after the storm. Their
boat was sunk after it collided with the dinghy dock, which had broken into three sections. The ellipse is a man-made section of Puerto Escondido,
between the "Waiting Room" and the main bay.
In the less-protected Waiting Room, an unattended boat was reportedly sunk when it was struck by another boat that reported its anchor chain parting
during the storm. Another boat anchored there was gored by the prop of its own panga that had capsized while tied alongside, according to Sunlover.
Hidden Port Yacht Club provided a pump to dewater and raise many of the damaged boats. Sunlover said Singlar also was helpful in raising and
refloating the sunken boats. Singlar operates a Travelift and a dry storage yard in Puerto Escondido.
Here is a partial list of boats that reportedly suffered some amount of damage during Hurricane Henriette in Puerto Escondido: Moon Me, Boardroom, Le
Petite, Erikazona, Backstreet, Rumline, Last Mango and Western Sea's panga. At press time, Boardroom, Backstreet and Last Mango were not yet salvaged.
For more information, visit www.hiddenportyachtclub.com.
toneart - 10-2-2007 at 09:58 AM
I'm sure they will appreciate the information, Wilderone. I hope this is not their first notification. Sometimes the only way people hear of this kind
of vital information is through this board.
Last year in Mulege, just before the flood, some Mexican workers who worked for The Orchard, hitched up my panga and towed it to safety. I knew them
and feel grateful that I was on their good side. they did this voluntarily. When I returned to Mulege the next month, I gave them each $50.00. They
are good guys!