the depression in the Gulf of Tehuantepec was now to our east and heading west toward us as tropical storm Lester and soon it became Hurricane Lester. By 1:00 a.m. the wind velocity dropped, and we set sail in a pattern that allowed us to move as close into the wind as possible. That made for slow going but we did make headway and decided to try to reach Puerto Vallarta some 70 nautical miles away before nightfall. Despite the steadily falling breeze, the seas were still large enough that it was well past 9:30 p.m. before we passed through Puerto Vallarta’s breakwaters. Inside the harbor, all was completely still.The hotel and resort lights illuminated the harbor. A voice called from the darkness, “Welcome to paradise, amigos!” Captain Parrot shouted back, “We’re running from a hurricane.”We were warmly greeted, and the party that next evening to celebrate our survival …well, never in nautical history has there been such a party! Participating in those voyages taught my wife Bernadette and me much about life.They pushed our emotions and our sense of wonder to the maximum. We are so thankful for having the opportunity to be aboard such a wonderful sailing vessel with warm, skilled and professional captains and crew. For more info about the Pride of Baltimore II , go to pride2.org
A few comic moments lightened the mood. Washed dishes in the galley were air dried as they were placed in the drying rack and then flew out of the rack over our shoulders and onto the cabinets behind us as the boat pitched. It looked like an international game of free-for-all-frisbee.Ah yes, and then there was a visitor — a blue-footed booby who landed on deck during the storm and took up residence. He or she faced into the wind waiting a day or so for the weather to clear.We called him or her Bobbie the Boobie. Finally, by about 5:30 a.m. on
October 16, dawn’s light revealed rips in the foresail and broken mast hoops, which were eventually repaired. Around 7:00 a.m. weather information confirmed that the “loosely organized” disturbance that was 300 nautical miles south had become tropical storm Madeline. She was developing into a hurricane and headed our way. Again, we changed course and made way for safe harbor. As if that weren’t enough, we also heard reports that
The rain came like bullets, and we had to be tethered while on deck.To this day, I’m amazed that nobody got sick. I was told that we were just too busy for that nonsense. We spent a lot of time adjusting sails to accommodate the conditions. A wicked sea was running that pulled at our well-ordered world and flung any unsecured item as far as gravity would allow.
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