Monday, September 14, 2015

A year after Odile..


When Hurricane Odile struck last year, we all were terrified.  Odile hit us with such brutal force that it not only tore down our town and homes, it tore down our belief that we are all safe in our homes.

I was scared, not only of the brute force of the storm, but the aftermath that was coming.   I knew that it was going to be a long time until Cabo was cleaned up and normal again.  Boy, was I wrong on that part.

 The Mexican government supplied water, food and the essentials right away and then started a huge campaign to clean up the town and get power back up.  Within a few months, Cabo was back up and running better than ever, even though some of the resorts remained closed for major repairs.  What Cabo was missing were guests.  All the locals that had businesses in Cabo were feeling the pressure.  The expensive overhead was killing them and lots of smaller businesses went under or used their life saving to stay in business.  Many of the boats that were going out were going out with a base price so low that it only covered gas and expenses; the captains and mates were living off the tip money alone.

Other than the holidays, which were packed, the slow tourist flow went on until mid-spring, and then we started to see some guests returning.  It was a welcome sight.   This unusual tourist season went on, more or less until mid-July, then backed off to our normal slow summer season.  We are already getting reservations for Oct and Nov and even next year, and it looks it's going to be a great tourist season. 

All this is to say, it was a really tough year, but we survived hurricane Odile and it sure feels good to be here and still in business.  Being able to take folks out fishing for a living is a privilege that I don't want to take it for granted.   Odile taught us to appreciate life every day, because nothing is certain in this life.  We are still in shock, but with help and love from our friends, we will be okay.

We weren't sure we were going to make it through this year.  There is no way we could have survived the storm without the financial help from our friends.  Their contributions made it possible to rebuild the homes and put food on their tables for months following the storm. 

Terry and Wendy Gunn were the foundation of the fund and got it off the ground for us – a huge hug and thanks to them. The following people all helped us get through the storm and we will never forget their kindness:

Terry and Wendy Gunn
Sam and Stacia Vigneri
Keith Westra
Steve Baldikoski
Pay and Lynn Boyd
Jeff De Brown
Jim Bickler
Brendan Mason
Glenn Kaplan
Gaylor Kellog
Dan Dreyer
Christina Granillo
Stacie Beyrodt
Grant McIntosh
Grant Pieterse
Rich Lirtzman
Donn Roberts
Floating Jigheads-Dan Michaels
Doug Perrine
Michael Wilson
Jeff Burnham
Matt Naber
Bill Schorger
Colin Hurd
Sherrill Schier
Val Stegemoeller
Chad Stone
Ric Sorenson
Don Sutton
Greg Pehrson
All the good folks at Frontiers International
Matthew Clifton
Clint Fowler
Mark Williams
Randy Birch
Dennis Robbins
Steve Kruger
Doug Brady
B. Elendt- Schneider
Ron Blakey
Jean Frey
Rick Snowden
Greg Lee
Nikolai Miczek
Rich Furman
Diane Dodge
Michael Granbios
Greg Abramson
Bruce Holt
Bob Brusco
Jos Artes
Ron Keese
Randy Pharo
David Hartman
Mark Adams
John Carlile
Christopher Moustirats
Anthony Smith
Ray Searles
Bill Oly Oelgesschager
Randy Fitzgerald
Levi Pike
Robert McAllister
Rich and Kris Sobalvarro
Scott Turnspeed
Mathew Kivisto
Jim Turnspeed
Adam Stevens

Still in shock, but feeling lucky and blessed that we have the friends that cared enough to help us throughout ought times.

All our best,
Grant, Gisel and the Baja Anglers family.



Grant Hartman
Baja Anglers
Website:   baja-anglers.com
Blog/daily fishing reports http://baja-anglers.blogspot.com/
Grant Hartman's Baja Anglers YouTube Videos:  http://www.youtube.com/user/BajaGrant
Phone Mexico(624)143-4995
Phone US (619) 955-7026