Adios Jimena

All is well on Masquerade, and Jimena has past by.

We started to get heavier winds just after midnight on the 2nd. The winds blew strong and gusty through out the day, the strongest winds were probably early afternoon. During the storm we had consistent winds in the 50 to 60 knot range and our maximum gust reading was 88kn (about 100mph)! We also had heavy rains. The winds lightened up into the evening, but we continued to have strong gusts (up in the 50kn range)through the night. it is now around 9am on the 3rd the winds are down but we are still having occasional gusts to 40kn though I am not sure they are strictly hurricane related anymore.

It was pretty exciting with heavy rain and the tops of the waves blowing off. In the higher winds made visibility dropped to about a hundred feet and we were pelted with water (a mix of rain and sea water). We were only wearing our swimsuits as we did not want a bunch of wet clothes downstairs, but rain at 60kn hurts when it hits you! We had been advised to keep our snorkeling masks handy but did not need to use them.

We had completely stripped the boat in preparation for the hurricane and we were glad we did. The sails were all removed and stored, the dodger and solar panels stored down below, the dinghy was deflated and lashed to the deck. We had debated doing a few of these items, but decided that we should do the extra work and be cautious. We felt much more comfortable during the storm having done them.

Several boats did drag or break loose during the storm. Most were unattended and ended up aground. One boat had the captain on board and he managed to motor to a safe spot and was able to deploy an anchor. One boat has been pulled out to deeper water and is again attached to a mooring. The other boats are still up against the shore and will wait for a high tide and calmer winds.

We survived a close pass with a hurricane (within 50 miles of the eye) and had an adventure that we won't be looking to repeat. We would like to thank Don of Summer Passage radio, Stan from SolMate Santiago, the National Hurricane Center, eebmike.com and all the other people who helped provide weather information to all the boats down here in Mexico. Having good weather info is critical for preparations and peace of mind.

Now we can relax today, because tomorrow we start to put the boat all back together again. We hope it stays cool a few days so we can get the work done before it gets too hot.