Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally

Mexico's Consul General and other dignitaries started the fleet
on one end of the line, and fireboat on the other end. Photo by Steve Mueller.

Jim Hinkle’s Seawind 1160 Cuba Listo
looked big & bold under her colorful chute

"This my first Ha-Ha was so much fun that I want to do it every year until I drop." John Santon, Wild Grace, Hunter 356.

"This was the first of what will be many Ha-Ha's for us. We sailed in excellent winds most of the time, met great people, saw tons of sea life, and ate like kings. We loved the locals and donated lots of new baseball gear at Turtle Bay." Michael Chobotov, Venture, Jeanneau SO 49.

"What a 'rowdy' bunch, which is the highest compliment I can pay a group. A Ha-Ha virgin, I was impressed with the organization and super impressed with how everybody pitched in to help people who had various issues. I would never want to go without a group like the Ha-Ha." Kelly Hu, who plays a detective along with Snoop Dog on the television series Black Family Mafia, Malolo, Lagoon 42.

Eighty-eight boats ultimately finished the participant-pleasing 28th annual Ha-Ha cruiser's rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas with R&R stops in funky Turtle Bay and spectacular Bahia Santa Maria. The fleet featured 78 monohulls between 32 and 57 feet, 10 of them sailing with white sails only.

The most noteworthy monohull was Zachery Singer and SAIL MS's Andrews 56 Encore. The entire team, except for Capt Eugenie Russell and Singer's wife Karina, are living with MS. It was a "super emotional" trip for the MS folks, as sailing has given purpose to their lives. It was for Russell, too, as they sailed past the spot where a whale had sunk her boat in the 2009 Ha-Ha. "I got chills when I remembered watching the top of the boat's mast slip beneath the surface on what was my sixth Ha-Ha, and had a moment of silence for all my stuff that had ended up on the bottom of the ocean."

There were nine multihulls between 32 and 44 feet, and one 40-ft Nordhavn motoryacht whose owners decided to do the Ha-Ha rather than the powerboat CUBAR because they'd previously done a Ha-Ha and thought "sailors are more fun".

The fleet represented about a 30% drop from last year. Why? You'll remember that last year everybody was buying any kind of 'escape vehicle' they could to get some freedom after the restrictions imposed by Covid. This year has been different, as inflation has been brutal, the stock market has plunged, and the housing market is either stagnant or slipping. There has also been an unsettling war in Ukraine, and this was a summer of anxiety over the momentous midterm elections. All in all, a lot of mariners, no matter if they'd been planning to do the Pacific Cup, the CUBAR, the Ha-Ha, or another event, pulled in their horns.

To look on the bright side of things, a smaller Ha-Ha meant it was a more intimate event. It was easier to see the same folks several times in a group of 380 than 550, thus making it easier to bond with new friends.

As always, the participants ranged from extremely experienced ocean vets to skippers who have mostly done weekend trips, to a couple of crew who stepped on a sailboat for the first time. "My two crew had never been on a sailboat," reported Eric Smith of the Gemini 32 cat Big Idea, "but they caught on quickly and had a good time. We had a great trip."

When it comes to sailing offshore, there are few better teachers than experience, and the Ha-Ha is arguably a near-ideal venue for taking baby steps into that world. The winds and seas are generally mild and from aft, the legs aren't too long, the anchorages for the two R&R stops are huge and well-protected, and there is tremendous support within the fleet.

"I agree that the best way to learn stuff is by doing it," said Sheila Gordon of Evening Sky. "Although I feel like I was ridden hard and put away wet, I learned so much about everything, including myself. I was surprised at how calm I was."

Participant after participant told us how much they learned and how much more confident they now are on the ocean. "We had a fabulous experience that allowed us to increase our skill and confidence — which were our goals for the trip," reported Hank and Su Kraus of the Gulfstar 37 Habibi.

While this Night Watch dining photo of Paul Kamen
on Swan Fun might not be as famous as Rembrandt’s
painting of the same name, it’s still evocative.

The wind along the Baja coast in early November is almost always a mixed bag, with considerable light winds. But this year was better than most. Paul Kamen, who sailed on the Swan 55 Swan Fun, and who also gave a noonsite celestial class to 25 students on the beach in Turtle Bay, reported it featured the best overall wind of the four Ha-Ha's he's done.

His opinion was seconded by Rodney Pimentel of the Cal 40 Azure, a vet of six races to Hawaii. "We enjoyed great sailing, especially on the last leg."

The 360-mile first leg started out as a whiff, with the first 25 hours being declared a penalty-free 'rolling start' by the Poobah because of nearly non-existent wind. However one boat, Alec Charters' appropriately named Beneteau 44 Tenacious, bucked conventional wisdom by sailing well offshore in hopes of finding a consistent breeze. They were rewarded with 12 to 15 knots all the way to Turtle Bay, including for most of the 'rolling start' motoring period.

The other six boats that sailed the whole way on the first leg beside the rolling start were Michael Terides CS 36 Wanuskewin, although that was mostly because the boat's engine broke down; Viva, Pierre Blouin and Marie-Josee Dion's Amel Super Maramu 52; Venture, Michael Chobotov's Jeanneau SO 49; Talion, Assistant Poobah Patsy Verhoeven's Gulfstar 50; Swan Fun, Joe Heinzmann's Oakland-based Swan 55; and K2, Bryan Martin and Nancy Virostko's Corsair 36.

It was mano a womano in Tug ‘o War. The woman won for the 17th year in a row.

For the third of the fleet that finished last, the final 100 miles of the first leg to Turtle Bay turned out to have fine wind — as much as 25 knots in gusts. In mothership Profligate's signature move, she carried a spinnaker on a tight reach from the entrance to Turtle Bay to the fleet of anchored boats — and at double digits.

Among the nice things about the end of the first leg is that it almost always heralds the end of overcast skies and cool weather.

The 240-mile second leg to Bahia Santa Maria started out with an unusually consistent mild breeze and spinnakers across the horizon. The wind continued to build and held into the wee hours of what was a spectacular moonlit night. As the wind eventually died, only one boat sailed the entire way, Patsy Verhoeven's Talion. No surprise there, as the Assistant Poobah is hardcore, having sailed every leg of the last 16 Ha-Ha's despite handling all Ha-Ha communication and other duties.

The 175-mile third leg of the Ha-Ha is always special, for by then the fleet is sailing in warm tropical air and water, the stars are brilliant, and this year's moon was as big as a pizza pie. Usually, the first 12 hours are very light, followed by moderate winds in the early evening, followed by very light if any wind in the wee hours. Not this year. The fleet had moderate winds for the first half of the leg, with an unusual gangbuster breeze in the early hours of the next morning near the finish.

A midnight drone photo of some of the fleet anchored at Bahia Santa Maria.
Photo by William Pryor.

Many skippers reported their boats to hit their top speeds ever. Bryan and Nancy's 16.5 knots with their Corsair 36 tri K2 was probably the top speed in the fleet. Some boats arrived in Cabo so early that they had to motor in circles for a few hours until it was light enough to see where to drop the hook.

Twenty boats sailed the entire third leg: the Hunter 41 Tranquility; Cal 33 Teaser II; Freedom 36 Evening Sky, Crealock 37 Dolfin; J/122, Resolute; Cal 40 Azure; Jeanneau 42DS Touche; Jeanneau 43 August Dream; Beneteau 44 Tenacious; Island Packet 440 Amazing Grace; Jeanneau 45.2 Silver Linings; Outbound 46 Thursday's Child; Jeanneau 49 Venture; Gulfstar 50 Talion; Super Maramu 52 Viva; Hylas 54 Voyager; Swan 55, Swan Fun; Corsair 36 K2; Seawind 1160 Cuba Lista; and Seawind 1260 Queso Grande.

There is always some odd cruiser who during the Ha-Ha time of year makes numerous stops along the Baja coast and proclaims something to the effect that 'people who do the Ha-Ha don't know what they're missing' because there are only three Ha-Ha stops.

As the Grand Poobah of the Ha-Ha, my attitude is that people ought to make their way down the coast of Baja in whatever speed and manner they wish. Take a month — assuming that you and your crew can take that much time — and stop everywhere along the way? Terrific. Do the Ha-Ha? Fine. Whatever works best for anyone.

That said, the Poobah would like to offer a gentle reminder of what people, particularly those with kids, miss who don't do the Ha-Ha. The Last Cheeseburger in Paradise Kick-Off Costume Party at West Marine where they can make 400 new cruising friends while getting 20% off (almost) everything in the store. Getting presented with stuffed swag bags that include bios of every entry in the fleet. The next day was the dignitary and fireboat initiated start off Harbor Island, which got front-page coverage in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Then there were the daily roll calls and weather reports, and plenty of inter-fleet VHF communication day and night.

Upon arrival in Turtle Bay, non-Ha-Ha'ers miss the big welcome from local Ha-Ha friends of a quarter of a century, for whom it is one of the biggest events of those years. During the morning nets, there is almost non-stop sharing of boat and systems knowledge, as well as boat and system parts. Such a big fleet is filled with a surprising amount of resources. Did we mention free sail repair from Ullman Sails San Diego and Pacific Northwest?

There is also the world-famous Cruiser 'versus' Locals Bazeball game in Turtle Bay, where women and children are always safe. Tranquility reported that the highlight of First Mate Beth's Ha-Ha was actually hitting the ball, thanks to some accurate pitching. This year's spectators were particularly adept at doing 'the wave', and as always, after the game, thousands upon thousands of dollars of baseball equipment was handed out to the local kids. Thanks to the Ha-Ha, the kids in the dusty village of Turtle Bay may be the best equipped in the world.

The following day was the laid-back Beach Party, another great opportunity to make friends, and where the women beat the men in Tug 'o War for the 17th year in a row. The Poobah's Hot Dog stand at the beach party raised hundreds of dollars. Where did this year's money go? To partially pay for the initial colon cancer treatment of young Turtle Bay local Victor Gerado, whose mother Maria has been a dear Ha-Ha friend since the beginning.

Always wanted to get a photo of your boat under sail? The perfect opportunity was the start and early hours of the second leg.

There was also plenty to do 240 miles down the coast at the Bahia Santa Maria second stop, including group surfing. "Nine people were surfing the point and I was body surfing," reports Sandy Lazzari of Tiamat. "The waves were three to four feet with a couple of bigger sets. And the reef out there was alive with fish."

Other small groups climbed the peaks that protect the anchorage from northerly winds and afford spectacular views of the bay, the mangroves, the sand dunes, and the not-to-distant Mag Bay. Other small groups wandered among the mangroves or along the endless beach collecting sand dollars.

For the kids in the fleet — Jadsen, 11; Marin, 9; Rosie, 6; Elena, 9; Archer, 5; Margot, 8; Olivia, 9; Jordan, 10; and Addie, 10; and Mae, 8 — the BSM highlight was the Poobah's Diving Olympics off the back of Profligate, and the apres competition short swim to the floating Candy Island sponsored by the Mexican Dental Association. (Other kids in the fleet were Piper, 12; and Maxim, 8, who was present but had to sit the competition out with a broken foot.)

But the highlight at BSM is always the surreal live rock 'n roll party on the bluff the second day, with the band having traveled 10 hours from La Paz, by highway, by ferry, and by car on low-tide sand to play for tips. As always, local host Victor had countless beers for sale and the local women cooked up seafood platters.

Once in Cabo, the Ha-Ha fleet got all slips that were available in the marina, although there weren't that many. But conditions in the anchorage proved so lovely that by the second-day space in the marina went begging.

On arrival night in Cabo, the Ha-Ha participants were warmly welcomed by Squid Roe for the silly but fun Cheated Death Again dance party. It was there that the power of authority was again evident, as the Poobah, just because he was the Poobah, managed to cajole about 15 women who identified as "shy" to eventually climb the tower in the middle of the dance floor and bust loose. Women who ordinarily wouldn't give the Poobah the time of night in his civilian role.

The venue for the ‘beach party’ in Cabo was perfect,
as Mango’s Upper Terrace provided
a spectacular view of the fleet and the bay.

Like last year, the Ha-Ha scored the best venue on Medano Beach, the upper terrace of Mango Deck, for the 'beach party'. As a special bonus, there were 15% discounts on everything and no charge for an elevated view of the entire fleet at anchor and the arches in the distance.

The one bummer was when the Poobah had to call off the From Here to Eternity Kissing Contest in the surf because of a lack of lustful applicants. But wait! Then Sue Drake of Island Summers appeared on the Upper Terrace soaking wet. "You can't call off the contest, my partner and I have been practicing in the surf for the last 15 minutes. So it was on again, and included some participants — we won't mention Susan Warner of Oz — who just minutes before had vowed they would never participate.

The 'everybody is a winner' awards ceremony finale was on Saturday night, with 500 beers provided by the marina.

So while it's true that people in the Ha-Ha miss a couple of nice anchorages on the Baja coast, they also get a whole lot that people who don't do the Ha-Ha miss. In fact, the Ha-Ha is so packed with activities, all of them optional, that once the event is over many participants say they felt as though the Ha-Ha had been two months long, not just two weeks.

And just one last thing. Almost every Ha-Ha participant will tell you that the very best thing about the Ha-Ha is the numerous friendships that are made through the group experience. Bonds that in many cases will last cruising seasons in Mexico, across the Pacific, or even lifetimes. Sure, people sailing down Baja alone make friends, too, but the pool is much smaller and therefore with fewer ideal matches.

Thank you, Elon! Starlink proved to be a smashing success for those who had it, which about a third of the fleet did. Tim Dick reports that he experienced almost no outages all the way from Marina del Rey to Cabo San Lucas, and even across to Puerto Vallarta. It's often been claimed that Starlink service is geofenced at about 12 miles offshore. Dozens of Ha-Ha participants will tell you that's bogus, as it worked far offshore for them almost all of the time.

How helpful can Starlink be to an offshore sailor? Viva reports they caught their first-ever fish while sailing, but had no idea how to kill and filet a tuna. "We killed it thanks to a rubber hammer, and thanks to Starlink we were able to watch a YouTube video, phone in one hand, fish in the other, on how to filet it. In less than an hour, we had an ocean-to-plate seared tuna salad, a major highlight of the trip for Viva."

Of course, that's just the beginning. Imagine if you're offshore and are having problems with your engine or any of your systems, and now you have the same internet knowledge resources you would have on land. It's even better than watching football or movies offshore.

Participants tell the Ha-Ha story best. Here is what a few of them had to say:
Rachel Lynn, Fairweather Mariner 39 — "We three Ha-Ha newbies had beautiful sailing and a great adventure. We helped four individuals with medical issues, with one being an at-sea medical intervention, where we threw medical supplies from our boat to another boat. It was a perfect throw by Capt Bob."

Stainsby Girl, Catalina 470 — "A crewmember had a few fingers crushed setting the whisker pole mid-day on leg three. Rachel Lynn gave medical assistance at sea, and he later got good treatment at American Medical Center in Cabo. The injury wasn't as bad as first thought, as he lost some flesh but suffered no broken bones."

Sheila Gordon of Evening Sky — "I was sailing along one night and I thought I somehow got hit by a piece of seaweed. In the light of morning, I discovered it was actually a squid. We put it on a hook and landed a 26-inch tuna."

Resolute, J/122 — "Night sailing was sometimes scary to new crew on our performance J/122. We wrapped a spinny sheet on the saildrive. Good Times followed us for 40 miles, but with still no safe anchorage nearby, I dove over the side to remove the tangle."

Charlene, who claims to be 60 but who could pass for 30, on the Davidson 44 Imagine — "We ran out of alcohol even though we started with four bottles of vodka, lots of rum, and a case of beer. So we had to barter gas for vodka, tuna for beer, beef jerky, and some kind of regulator for some other alcohol. Yes, we'll do the Ha-Ha again, because if the four of us could do it on a boat with one shitter, we can do anything."

Dolfin, Crealock 37 — "Our toilet stopped working while leaving San Diego. We, Patty and I are in our mid-70s, and our crew used buckets of water the rest of the way."

Jennifer, Freedom 36 Evening Sky — "There were so many adventures in just one event. The biggest was when we came into Turtle Bay late at night with me at the helm, and the engine died. Joe, who hadn't slept in three days, and had Back to the Future hair and eyes spinning in his sockets, got the main back up. For some reason I remained unusually calm and drove through the entrance and into the bay, not hitting the reef or anything. We, including my aunt who had sailed the Caribbean for ages, had never anchored under sail before, but necessity was the mother of invention. And we did it. Although when we awoke the next morning, we couldn't believe how far out we were from the rest of the fleet. I also had an equipment failure. A sprinkle of rain inflated my life jacket!

Queso Grande II, Seawind 1260 — We, a crew of two plus one dog, are super glad we joined this well-organized and fun rally. Even all our dinghy beach landings were successful. We didn't break anything, but we did catch too many fish. In fact, our only 'discussion', ahem, was whether we should be fishing while flying the chute.

Dana Torok, Outbound 46 Thursdays Child — "This is the second time I've done a Ha-Ha with my parents, having grown up sailing with them. Speaking as a 30-year-old, I can tell you there's a world of difference doing it on a Catalina 38 like we did the first time, and this time on the Outbound 46. This time I had a door. And hot water. What luxuries!"

Cisco Ramos, Encore, Andrews 56 — "After being diagnosed with MS I was ready to give up — until I got into sailing. I started sailing with a lot of fears, too, as 20 years before my younger brother and I got onto a jet ski in Cabo and ended up in a school of jellyfish. Having faced my fears, I now feel comfortable on the ocean. Everybody on our boat had an impact on my life, and the MS program has given purpose to my life. I absolutely want to do another Ha-Ha, as I'd never seen bioluminescence before, or stars to the horizon, or a full moon on the water."

Wild Grace, Hunter 356 — "I got really great and interesting crew from the Ha-Ha Crew List."

OutRun, Ericson 36C — It was Karina's first sailing trip. She says the Ha-Ha is a special and spectacular event, and now she gets landsick instead of seasick.

Dakota, Bayfield 40 — "We saw our first turtle at sea — with two blue-footed boobies on its back."

Escapade, Sabre 40.2 — "We lost one crew right before the start, but three crew turned out to be the perfect number. We had one heck of a sail on the third leg."

Tenacious, Beneteau 44.8 — "We sailed two of the three legs and lost one shoe, but gained two yellowfin, two dorado, and a great experience. (Speaking of lost walking aids, young Maxim Grillo of Wilder broke his foot shortly before the Ha-Ha, so he was limping around on crutches — until BSM when his mother lost one of his crutches overboard!)

Amazing Grace, Island Packet 440 — "We had unbelievably good winds and weather. Lots of firsts, lots of great people, and an excellent job of putting the event together."

Encore — "Our team of MS Warriors became MS Sailors. We enjoyed great boat handling and often averaged over 10 knots. We'll do it again next year."

Big Idea, Gemini 3200 — "Great trip. We started catching mahi and tuna on the first leg!"

Ed Lecco, Voyager, Hylas 54. "We had the time of our lives and made so many new friends that we'll bump into again in Mexico.

Amatheia, Downeast 32 – We're going to sail back north just so we can do another Ha-Ha.

Sue Drake, back left, kept the Here to Eternity
contest alive, but Susan Warner of Oz,
front left, carried the day.

Teaser II, Cal 33 — "I kept my little boat simple, and she was perfect. I had a great battle with the red Benny, 44.7 before they finally took off. We had a good talk and took photos of each other's boats. "Man, your boat is fast," they said. We had a great time and hit 12 knots on the last leg."

Sandy Lazzari on the F/P 44 cat Tiamat — "This is my second Ha-Ha, having done my first 20 years ago at age 26. I'm the happy-go-lucky kind of crew because I've done so much sailing on windy San Francisco Bay. If everything goes wrong, I'm good. The kids on the boat, Olivia, Archer, and Elena, were great because they were so excited about everything. The night chatter on the VHF was also fun, as I could easily tell who was falling asleep. And we caught so many fish: 37 skipjack, 20 yellowfin, two dorado — and that was just on the third leg when we had also 15 escapees, three snapped 80-lb lines, six lost lures, and one snapped handline."

Liz Barsell, Voyager — "Ed and I are going to do the Ha-Ha again next year, and after that, I will retire as an estate attorney and we may cruise the world. We caught 35 fish on the last leg and threw them all back. I liked hiking around Bahia Santa Maria, but I loved Turtle Bay the most because of all the birds and sea life. Amazing! Our scary moment was getting the spinnaker wrapped at nightfall. We called friends on the VHF and they told us to gybe and recreate what caused the wrap. It worked like magic."

Pip Ziman, Jeanneau 42 DS, Touche — "I crewed in the last Ha-Ha and all I wanted was to do it on my own boat. So we did, and our 42 DS, which I'd bought 11 years ago to do the Ha-Ha, was perfect for the trip. I had great crew in my wife and friends of 40 years. Doing the Ha-Ha together has elevated our relationships to the next level.

But does Ha-Ha participation have lasting value? We'll leave that evaluation to Michael Pordes of Favonius: "My wife and I and our 15 and 13-year-old boys did the Ha-Ha 22 years ago. The influence of the Ha-Ha, and later cruising the Mexican coast, on their lives was tremendous, as the level of maturity and self-sufficiency they developed cannot be overstated. They both finished college early, have successfully navigated careers, are married, and have two children of their own."

Baja Ha-Ha XXIX will start in the last week of October 2023, and because of new rules in Mexico will have a slightly different itinerary to also include a stop in Ensenada. Details to come.

Baja Ha-Ha XXVIII

BAJA HA-HA 2022 REPORT, THE 'DIRECTOR'S CUT'