I was born on Wolfe Island, Ontario, the largest island of the 1000 islands. It is an area equal in size to Montreal.
Ken was born in Kelowna on Lake Okanagan. What do these two places have in common? Awesome electrical storms.
A vivid memory of my childhood when I was maybe 7 yrs. old was sitting in my Grandparents kitchen in the village around a table. My Aunt Lynda, Grandmother and I believe my Uncle Tom. An awesome thunder and lightning storm was underway, when all of a sudden a lightning flash came through the stove. Needless to say, I have respect for storms.
Rules I was told whether they be fact or fiction………………….

· Never sit on a toilet during an electrical storm
· Don’t take a bath or shower
· Stay away from windows and doors
· If you’re in a car it is safe because of the tires
· Never go swimming
· Don’t hide under a tree
· Stay off the phone
· The storm will curdle milk

What causes thunder? God bowling…….. Clouds bumping……..

Unfortunately I have witnessed lightning dancing on the water and the land. Many people have been hit in Ontario by lightning while camping, playing baseball and hiding under trees.
I have never been afraid of storms, actually I have been fascinated by them and the science behind how they are created. However I have observed from safe quarters not in the water.

Leaving Puerto Escondido brought with it 20 knot winds. It was a SE blow so it was pushing us along. Three hours into our trip the sky turned ominous. Turning around was not an option as the storm was gaining steam and escaping its reaches would be hopeless. We were only 20 minutes from our final destination Puerto Ballandra on Carmen Island.
We radioed and got responses so at least people knew where we were.
Sheet lightning, bolt lightning and a squall line were 3 miles ahead heading towards us.
I was hoping our Grandparents, parents, sister and all those people that have left us in this world (I think of them as our cheering section) were going to get us through this. It sure is amusing what runs through your mind in crisis situations. We were now having 40 knot gusts. We had met the squall line with its rain. Only 5 mins left to get to the final destination. The storm became less intense as we were ready to drop the anchor. But….. the lightning was still there! I had to touch the anchor. Pure metal in water. Don’t go swimming going through my mind! What about living on the water in an electrical storm?
We had just witnessed what the Mexicans refer to as a Chabasco. This term refers to a localized summer squall. They occur in coastal waters directly below the mountains on both sides of the Sea of Cortez. It contains blasts of wind from all directions at once, even straight down with bolt lightning. A Chubasco is intense and dramatic but is short in duration. I am sure this will be just the beginning of many storms to come. Since you are reading this you may have gathered we came through the ordeal. Again, I didn’t take any pictures.
We are in a very tranquil anchorage.