Baja 2025 Gonzaga Bay wind storm disaster Recovery
Monday, May 5th
San Felipe, Baja (after the rescue)
A big thank you to Jeffrey for meeting the rescued crew and arranging accommodations for the night. He took most of the crew first to Cholla and then on to Phoenix. Ed, Murril, and I arranged a taxi ride with Mario back to Gonzaga. After having lunch at Alfonsino’s, we met with the Gonzaga community that had supported us throughout the ordeal. Chris and Dale had already been out to the boats and reported that Gato Loco was afloat and looked good. After gathering our supplies, Chris picked us up and took us back to Gato Loco.
It was such a relief to see Gato Loco in good shape above water—even though I knew the underwater condition might not be as good. Two days of strong winds had covered the boat in a blanket of mud, almost like a powder coat. Dale had given us an extra bucket, which allowed us to pour over 50 buckets of water onto the boat to flush off most of the mud and restore order. Then it was time to dive in and assess the damage. The port rudder was bent inward, and its lower third was missing. Although it still rotated, the inboard cable controls had become disconnected. The keel was missing a large piece at both the front and the back, but it appeared to be stable. After reconnecting the interior cable control, the damaged rudder will provide some steering control. We also found approximately a dozen small puncture holes in the outer layer of the hull, none of which had penetrated completely. All in all, things looked good—she truly is a tough old lady. While I conducted the inspection, Ed and Murril headed to Tiller Time to salvage a few items.
The Next Challenge: Freeing the Boat from the Rocky Shore
Our next challenge was to free the boat from the rocky shore—a task that required a better-functioning anchor and more favorable conditions. I added another circuit breaker in parallel to eliminate the circuit-tripping problem that had plagued us during the storm. Although the winds were light, they were not from a favorable direction, so Ed jumped into the dinghy and worked like a tugboat, maneuvering Gato into positions that allowed us to pull the chain up and clear the rocks. Everything went well until we reached the anchor, which was clearly hooked solidly. After a few aggressive jerks, it freed—though it came up completely fouled from all the dragging during the storm, collecting debris from the bottom. It was then time to head back to the beach, where this ordeal had begun. With only one rudder operational, steering into the 10-knot wind blowing from the west proved challenging.
Once the anchor was down, it was a tremendous relief to come full circle after such a crazy night. Anchored safely along the beach, we slowly recovered Gato Loco. By reattaching the steering cables to the damaged rudder, we managed to restore its operation. It turned out that a line in the engine prop had fouled the balkanization, so we had to replace the prop.
Tuesday, May 6th
Paul’s quick turnaround plan worked, and they arrived at 2 PM as scheduled. We loaded Paul and Chris onto Gato Loco and motored back to Tiller Time to collect salvageable items. It turned out that someone had come out last night and taken most of the motor, dinghy, supplies, and fishing equipment. The remaining salvageable items were loaded onto Gato, and we headed back to the beach anchorage to offload everything into Paul’s truck. One key salvage item was Tiller Time’s large screecher headsail, which we fitted on Gato Loco—making her a sailboat once again with both a mainsail and a headsail.
Our plan: Tomorrow, Chris and Murril will drive Paul’s truck back to Penasco and wait for our arrival. We’re going to perform a thorough bottom inspection and, assuming she’s in good condition, sail back to Penasco over two days. That evening, we took time to thank the Gonzaga community for all their support throughout the ordeal while we hung out at Alfonsino’s.
Wednesday, May 7th
Paul’s bottom inspection gave us strong confidence that Gato Loco was seaworthy. While we had Paul’s truck available, Chris fetched gas so that we would be at full fuel capacity for the crossing. Puertecitos, 28 miles to the north, was an ideal launch point—especially since we had friends there. However, the wind god had different plans. Winds began picking up to 15 knots right from Puertecitos. Plan B was to anchor at the southeast corner of Isla San Louis to protect us from the north winds. We planned to have lunch, rest (finally some nap time), and finish our updates regarding the ordeal. We set our launch for Penasco at 4 AM the following morning, which should allow us to arrive before dark. Although Penasco can be approached at night—thanks to well-positioned range lights guiding vessels into the harbor—we preferred to travel by daylight.
Thursday May 8th
It was still completely dark at 4 AM. Paul and I both used our phone navigation to guide us clear of San Louis. The seas were flat and calm, allowing us to motor at 6 knots straight to Penasco. By 8 AM, our sails were up, and a light northwesterly wind was pushing us at 6.5 knots. The winds continued to build, as forecasted, and by 1 PM we had both motors off, sailing steadily at 8 knots—estimating our arrival in Penasco at around 5:30 PM. Upon arrival, as expected, all our crew and friends were
waiting for us. The plan was to haul Gato Loco at midday the following day, so we needed to offload all the provisions and equipment (including the dinghy and motor). Before long, Gato Loco was stripped down to her day-sailing configuration and ready for hauling and repairs.
A Moment to Reflect
Let’s take a moment to exhale and reflect on what we just experienced. Mother Nature threw us a big curve during our anchorage crawl in the Northern Sea of Cortez. Although it is heartbreaking that we lost a boat, everyone is safe and at home. The emotions the crew experienced will be etched in our memories forever. For Paul and me, there were lessons learned for future survival. Our crews were outstanding—bravely facing the elements. I can only hope that they will have the courage to venture out in the Sea of Cortez again in the future.
Love you all, and thanks to everyone’s support.
Until the next update, Lowell
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