It’s hard to believe we knew virtually nothing about this just a few months ago, and now I feel like we’ve sucked up every bit of knowledge from so many sources. There are a lot of resources out there, and a wide swath of passionate opinions that can make your head spin. Everyone has their own “must do’s”, and there is a wide range of prep taking place in the marina here in San Carlos.
First, thanks for Susan & Dennis Ross aboard s/v Two Can Play – they really made our brains swirl with information (and some panic) when they generously offered their time to teach a seminar in La Paz about Hurricane Planning back in April. One guy in their class said, “heck, I’m so freaked out, I think I’ll just go back to San Diego now!” <hahaha>
All joking aside, this is serious business. I’m sure we won’t do everything right, and in the event of a really bad storm, it might not even matter, but we’ll leave Lodos knowing we did all we could to ensure she is safe and secure.
We talked to dozens of people, read dozens of blog posts, looked at how people were prepping their boats around us, and have made multiple revisions to our list of “to do’s” before we head out in less than two weeks. We started a running list of everything we had to do to get the boat ready to haul out of the water next week, we got a storage unit for the season from the great team at Bahia Storage (Thanks again to Miguel for the truck and extra set of hands!), and we bought an inordinate amount of aluminum foil and car windshield reflective shields to cover the windows and portholes. The inside temp of the boat can easily be over 150 degrees here in summer! I use this digital laser thermometer to measure temps inside the boat – it’s a super cool and useful tool!
I even asked my mom what they do to prep their RV/mobile home prior to leaving the hot summers of Arizona, all of which is now incorporated into our list below.
The first hurricane of the season (ALETTA) has gone out to die in the Pacific, and it looks like there is one right behind it, which will be called BUD. It’s not likely to reach us here, but it may make landfall in Cabo San Lucas. We’ve been obsessively watching the weather and learned some new geeky weather jargon such as: “this system is now an invest 92E which has turned into a td3e”. I’ve upped my weather game substantially and added the following sites to my obsession: 
Passage Weather https://www.passageweather.com/
Tropical Tidbits https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/
National Hurricane Center (NOAA) https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
| Area | Task |
|---|---|
| RIGGING: | |
| Remove all sails (wash, dry, take down, fold) | |
| store all running rigging | |
| Use T-9 or Marlube on all tracks and roller furlers | |
| secure mast boot from high winds | |
| pull all halyards up into mast with leaders to base of mast | |
| store excess halyards in bag at base of mast | |
| center boom and lock down with line currently on stern ladder | |
| cover furling and tracks w/ foil/towels | |
| fold up/secure davits | |
| EXTERIOR: | |
| Remove dodger and bimini canvas | |
| drain water tanks and add a little bleach | |
| remove and store bbq - take to storage | |
| remove and store life ring | |
| prep scuba equipment - take tanks to storage | |
| deflate dink and store w/ lines in storage | |
| remove outboard and store (change oil?) | |
| close all thru hulls after hauling (except bilge) | |
| wash bottom (no pressure washer) and inspect bottom, paint | |
| plug all thru hulls with cbronze or vinyl wool to disuade bugs | |
| fill diesel tanks and add biocide | |
| extra lines on solar panels | |
| cockpit cleared of everything | |
| winch handles stored below | |
| empty cockpit bags | |
| cover instruments w/ blanket/tie down | |
| remove wind generator blades | |
| inspect hull, paint/repair as needed | |
| Tighten/adjust bimini rails to readjust location | |
| cover all tracks & pulleys and winches | |
| move all sails, canvas, etc to offsite storage | |
| wash boat/clean outside of boat | |
| cover flat surfaces with sunbrella fabric, weight down with chain | |
| Mark with grease pencil fiberglass spots | |
| INTERIOR: | |
| pack for Turkey, organize clothes we are taking off the boat | |
| cover all windows and hatches with reflective material | |
| roll up and store all carpets in sheets, storage | |
| store all cushions in master cabin | |
| deploy roach traps | |
| remove all perishables/donate | |
| remove med kit with any perishable items (incl contact lenses) | |
| Organize and clean out food storage, cover bags, double bag/box foods, remove cardboard/paper | |
| leave buckets of water for humidity | |
| lubricate hatch gaskets with silicone grease or other rubber safe lube | |
| remove batteries from all handhelds/clocks | |
| put mineral oil in heads to lube gaskets | |
| put dryer sheets in all cabinets/drawyers | |
| put essential oil on sponges for freshness | |
| store bedding/vacuum pack | |
| close/block seat cushion holes | |
| cover woodwork with relfective material | |
| donate canned food, etc | |
| remove/store electronics/computers | |
| remove $$ & take copy of vital paperwork | |
| final clean of boat and launder all sheets & clothes to be left on the boat | |
| fold up bed/store | |
| move clothes from closet, vacuum pack clothes as necessary | |
| wrap companion way door in reflective material | |
| final run to storage, drop off key | |
| clean out fridge/freezer | |
| MECHANICAL: | |
| prep air conditioner | |
| pickle water maker | |
| flush and fog outboard for storage | |
| flush engine with fresh water and vinegar / check with yard on recco | |
| disconnect propane/prep propane tanks | |
| check propane tank guages | |
| ELECTRICAL: | |
| Unplug all network connections from devices on network | |
| Remove power to devices | |
| disconnect antenna leads | |
| remove electronics where possible | |
| ensure bilge pumps work with solar power | |
| store electronics in oven? | |
| put handhelds/smaller items into safe | |
| MANAGEMENT: | |
| give letter of approval for Alberto, Garth, Arturo to be on boat | |
| develop quick checklist for Alberto to do weekly or monthly w/ pics | |
| laminate note for back of boat of who to reach/how to reach | |
| UPON RETURNING: | |
| Change oil in all engines | |
| clean boat | |
| provision | |
| replace zincs | |
| reconnect/refill propane | |
| change oil in engine & outboard | |
| change oil in genny | |
| remove all impellers, place in zip lock with silicone coating | |
| Replace gaskets in toilets | |
| Adjust bimini rails | |
| Replace propane gauges in aft locker |