The Baja California Travel & Living Webzine

As the Docks Broke Up 

(Click to expand images in this article)

Photo Essay by Bill Robertson on Shazam

Bill is a long time resident of La Paz and a 'celebrity' of sorts on the morning cruiser's net on the VHF. During Marty, Bill was aboard a friend's sailing vessel "Novia" which sank during the second half of the storm. Bill's boat, "Escape" was driven into little Abaroa's docks and later into the Naval Pier and is in critical condition.

The accounts accompanying Bill's images are edited from his notes of events during the storm. The information is truly first hand, as other report Bill was the last one off the boats as the final crush came.

This is one of the most haunting images from the storm. At the time, the name of this vessel was unknown. After the passing of the eye, the 130MPH winds from the south began. Vessels from Marina Abaroa and Marina de La Paz started crashing into each other, now all moving to the north.  "Magic Moon" as it was later found out to be, was 'sailing' out of the marinas. 

Radio reports began circulating of this ketch running bare pole out of Ensenada La Paz with from 1 to 4 persons onboard. It was later discovered "Magic Moon's" phantom crew had been just that. 

Under only the guidance of the wind, she passed down the narrow channel, over the sand bar and out to sea. She was later found wrecked on Espiritu Santos (Sainted Spirits) some 15 miles north. With all the sightings and the irony of her final destination, was someone or something at the helm in her final voyage home?

A Bit of Irony...

The photo above shows the sailing vessel "Maki" being successfully rescued after grounding from the moorings in front of the Hotel Los Arcos in Hurricane Ignacio. 

Just three weeks later, in the anticipated safety of the marina "Maki" (right) and the owners other vessel "Danzante" (left) nearly beat each other to death in MDLP.

Bad for Good "Karma"

Before the eye in the pre-dawn hrs. "Karma" watches helplessly as the Catamaran "Crazy Kid" Impacts the dock and another boat.

 Sally sat on the bow of Karma after the storm and contemplated the loss of her 54' ketch "Leapin' Lizard"

After Marty, "SV Karma" at the edge of the pileup. Punctured in several locations she was badly damaged but still afloat.

The picture left taken the day before Marty shows the entrance to MDLP still held together with 1" poly propylene rope following the damage from Hurricane Ignacio in August

After that she was forgotten, nature was still trying to crush the boats in from the two marinas. As Hurricane Marty trudged north

Here is the view from the deck of "Novia" about 5AM  Monday morning. The docks of Marina de La Paz had just broken up. The pre-dawn hours were the front side of the storm, with winds from the north and east. The mass of loose vessels was pushed from the north side of Marina de la Paz to the south side. The eye passed directly over La Paz about 8:15AM.

As the eye of the storm passed over La Paz it allowed Bill to poke his head up from "Novia" and snap these pictures. The first is looking south toward Marina Abaroa from the center of Marina de La Paz. 

In the center of MDLP  "Jon Fung" had climbed over the bow of "Anna Augusta" and the trimaran "Gypsy Dolphin" had severe damage to both almas and was out of the water at a 45 degree angle.

The passing time of the eye was very brief. There was little time to secure vessels before the winds resumed again, with even greater ferocity.

On the back side of the eye,  Marty and the surrounding boats and dock parts did their work on "Anna Augusta" You can see the difference in the cockpit area where Tom is standing. 

Although it may not be the most damaged vessel in the harbor "Anna Augusta" was the badly damaged center piece in the maelstrom. Skipper Tom, shown on board here after the storm best expressed the feeling of shock, lost and loss experienced by all who witnessed the scene.

On the back side of Marty the winds were even more severe, reaching gusts reported to 130. The winds pressed Jon Fung and "Tortuga",

a 50' power vessel up against "Novia" for about 1 hour as 3-4 foot swells rocked the interior of the usually placid marina. Bill could only hang on in the cockpit of "Novia" while the two vessels tore her apart. There was no longer a dock to escape to .

The vessel's hull bounded in and out under the weight of the press but did not give way, a tribute to her design.

Suddenly the water began to pout into "Novia" from beneath the galley stove on the port side. The opening was more than a foot wide, probably caused by a broken submerged pile. Bill had no option but to sink or swim. Novia's radar arch was swinging wildly as Bill attempted to gauge the rising and falling of "Jon Fung", the boat he plane to escape to.

Finally, as the water crested the top of the starboard seats, Bill made the move to "Jon Fung" with the swinging radar arch missing him by inches. "I guess I must have been dazed by the whole ordeal, I don't remember "Novia" actually going down." Bill said.

Bill then jumped from "Jon Fung" to "Tortue" and then to the safety of the sea wall.

Just happy to be on terra firma. Bill continued to record the events and damage to the marina area. 

This image shows the pile up from the perspective of the Vista Coral sea wall to the north. The large power vessel center/right is "Tortuga". Novia lies to her starboard, sunken underneath.

Baja Insider would like to thank Bill for his contribution of photos and first hand information on the disaster in the La Paz Marinas.  

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