IT'S APPROXIMATELY 360 MILES FROM SAN DIEGO TO TURTLE BAY,
THE FIRST STOP IN THE BAJA HA-HA.
(And about 50 miles shorter for boats that elect to start from Ensenada.)
It's often cool and overcast for the first 300 miles. But once boats pass Isla Cedros, the climatic border between northern and southern Baja, the skies tend to clear and it's time for shorts and t-shirts.
Usually it's a close reach to the Coronado Islands to start the Ha-Ha, after which it's possible to carry spinnakers. And who would want to sail upwind anyway?
Sometimes the wind goes light, so it's nice that the Ha-Ha is a rally and boats have the option of motoring as much as they want.
After two or three days of sailing, the calm waters of Turtle Bay, with room for 1,000 anchored boats, are a welcome refuge. The locals, about 1,500 of them, are always eager for the arrival of the Ha-Ha fleet, as it's sort of like their New Year's Eve.
Garbage, ice, fuel, rides to the beach . . . the locals will take care of you.
The first official Ha-Ha event at Turtle Bay is the Cruisers versus Turtle Bay Kids bazeball game. Unlike Major League Baseball, the bazeball game is extremely fast-paced. Plus, there are no strike-outs, and women and children are always safe.
At the end of the game cruisers leave all their gear for the kids. In some years past, thousands upon thousands of dollars of baseball gear has been donated. In fact, if anybody would like to donate an ambulance rather than baseball equipment, it would be appreciated.
You don't want to hit too many homeruns in the baseball game, because the following day is the Turtle Bay Beach Party, and you don't want to sleep through that.
The Baja Ha-Ha is the 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with stops at funky Turtle Bay and pristine Bahia Santa Maria. After 3,000 boats and 10,000 sailors had done it, we stopped counting.
Ha-Ha sign-ups start at noon on May 11, which is only something like five weeks away. Set your alarm, because the earlier you sign up, the higher you are on the list to get a slip in Cabo — although nothing is guaranteed.
Beautiful Ha-Ha Stadium, the pride of Turtle Bay, with the Ha-Ha fleet in the background.
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