WHEN YOU TAKE OFF CRUISING, IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO COUNT ON A 'LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS', BECAUSE EVERY SAILOR COULD USE SOME HELP AT SOME TIME OR THE OTHERIf you join the Baja Ha-Ha XXX, you'll have hundreds of 'friends' who can likely lend you a hand.
What are some of the things that folks have found themselves needing at the first stop of Turtle Bay?
Fuel filters. Help figuring out their AIS or SSB or Starlink. Free sail repair from Chuck Skewes of Ullman Sails. Various nuts and bolts. Roller furling parts. Raymarine and B&G parts or instruction. Peanut butter. Masthead navigation lights. Anchors. Different lengths of line. Various galley instruments. Winch pawls. Dive gear. Left-handed screwdrivers.
The list goes on and on, and differs from year to year.
Even Profligate, the 63-ft catamaran mothership that had already done 26 Ha-Ha's, needed help the last time the fleet pulled into Turtle Bay. Due to an outside contractor's mistake, a critical part in two of the four Harken cockpit winches had been left out during reassembly. Nobody realized the error until the first spinnaker jibe, when the sheet being taken in wouldn't peel off the winch. It just jammed up the whole works.
The bottom line is that the winches in question could only be used in non self-tailing mode. That meant several more people were required for each jibe.
For a while it looked as though the Poobah might be in need of a gasket, too, because he was about to blow one over the subcontractor's error.
Then I remembered one of the fleet bios I'd written, where the skipper reported he was carrying a 3D printer and liked to make things with it. That skipper was Brian Downing of the Beneteau 49 Dark Horse. The Poobah contacted Downing, and he said, “Sure, I'll give it a try.”
It took two tries, but Brian 3D-d such great replacements that I still use them in my winches. The bright orange color makes a nice contrast to the rest of the winches, which are black.
There are lots of good reasons to go on the Ha-Ha, but the knowledge and resources in the fleet is one of the best ones.
The Baja Ha-Ha is the 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops at fun and funky Turtle Bay and pristine Bahia Santa Maria, and includes eight social events. It leaves San Diego on November 4.
The Notice of Rally can be found here, and here is where sign-ups start at noon May 9. There is a 5% discount if you'll be carrying a 3D printer and know how to use it!
|
