Baja Ha-Ha VIII - 2001

A fun race

The Baja Ha-Ha is a fun race or cruiser rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas with stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. The legs are approximately 360 miles, 240 miles, and 180 miles. In Turtle Bay there is a no host early arrivers party at the Verz Cruz Restaurant as well as a beach party the following day. In Bahia Santa Maria there is also a beach party. In Cabo San Lucas there is a beach party and an awards presentation. We received a 3^rd place award (if you were not first or second, you got a third place, there were several in our Jalapeno division).

10/31, Off coast of Baja

30'30.284N, 116'48.698W

We are 32 miles west of Isla de San Martin. This is a quick message to update you and to make sure the sailmail is working okay. We are racing in winds 15-22knts, on our starboard aft quarter and the seas are confused and very rolly so I do not want to spend too much time below typing this up! We have been sailing the whole way so far -- Hooray. It is sunny our but the wind is chilly from the NW so we are wearing fleece. Yesterday for the start it was shorts and t-shirts.

The race (in a very loose sense), started at 11:00 am off of San Diego. About 100-130 boats are in the race. We are in the Jalapeno class with another Stevens 47, and Amel Maramu and some othwrs. We have all spread out. Similar to Swiftsure races.

We are taking turns on watches, Sarah is 8-12 noon, Jesse is noon to 4. Rich, Dan and I take the 4-8, 8-midnight, midnight to 4, 4 to 8. The moon was full and out last night so that visibility was great.

11/3, Turtle Bay

This morning we got up and sat in the cockpit for morning coffee. Dingies were zipping around the bay as folks visit each other. Pongas go boat to boat offering to take your trash for $1 a bag. At 8:30am is the morning radio contact. They go through the weather report, the updates on the beach party, and a roll call of each boat getting their elapsed time from San Diego - sailing and motoring, plus how many fish were caught and the biggest fish. After the roll call they go thru other info like who needs what, such as someone needing help repairing a sail and someone else provides info on how to get it done. Also get to hear the funny stories about the sail down, such as how one guy caught a fish and was starting to clean it on deck, the captain made him move his fish cleaning to the dingy on deck to prevent blood on the deck, well, while he was in the dingy, the dingy slid off the deck into the water. Luckily the painter was still connected so he was able to get back onto the boat but not until the fish was cleaned.

After the radio program, Sarah and I went for a dingy ride to buy some t-shirts and to visit our friends on Silkie C. Libby is 4 months pregnant and was very sick on the way down. I took a relief band over for her to try. Then we went back to Windarra.

We all donned our wetsuits, with mask and snorkels to try it out. Poor Jesse is so buoyant he can not go below the surface, no matter how hard he tries. His flippers flail in the air but he can not go down. Sarah and Dan swim over to visit friends on Saperlipopette. This is a Santa Cruz 52 from Alameda, Ca. They have 3 kids on board: Lucie, 13, Alice 11, Damien 15. Jesse and Sarah are glad there are kids their age and they are becoming good friends. Rich got a chance to check the zincs on the boat. I practiced breathing through my snorkel and not hyperventilating!

Around 1:30 we dingied over to the beach for the party. First time we beached the dingy in a surf. What a ride. Some folks were not so successful and got more than a little wet. The mayor of Turtle Bay arranged for some lobster from the coop, about 150 of them. Some women of the town prepared it and then they were grilled. There was of course beer and soda. The rest was potluck. It was a great time.

Tomorrow we are supposed to start for Bahia Santa Maria. The start is at 8 am. We will see how many people actually start then...

Will to be at sea for 2-3 days to get there. Expect to fill the freezer with more fish along the way.

If the next stop is as pleasant and intrigueing as this, we may just stay longer before going on to Cabo San Lucas.

11/6, Bahia Santa Maria

24 46.454 N, 112 15.329 W

On Sunday morning we left Turtle Bay for the 240 mile trip to Bahia Santa Maria. The start was to be off of Profligate, a Surfin'63 Cat, the committee boat, at 8:00am. Due to the light airs they changed the rules so that you could motor looking for wind as long as you stayed above 200 degrees. Once you crossed 200, you had officially started. Try and find that in the US Sailing rulebook! Once we were in clear air we launched our genniker. This is the first time we have flown this sail. It is huge! It is mostly red with white and blue horizontal stripes at the foot. We cruised along until the winds started to get above 20 knots. Best not to chance a good thing. We need to tune how we fly it so that Robert (the autopilot) can do the driving.

On Monday when the winds were light we did a little fishing. We trolled for a while. When we got to deeper water we got a strike. Zing and away went the fish, and the lure and the line! He broke the 60 lbs test line. We put on another lure and tried again. Within a half a minute of the lure reaching the water we had a fish on. A 6 lbs. skipjack. Being the merciful ones we released it to grow some more. Later on in the afternoon when we were back in deep water we got a hit! Zing and away went the fish, the lure and over 200 feet of line and it broke at the reel. This was a BIG FISH. Well over 100 lbs. Was it Moby Dick or Red October, not sure which? Nothing to add to the freezer today.

Just after midnight we crossed the finish line and enter Bahia Santa Maria. In the dark we weaved our way through to anchor behind the fleet. We are all tired and hungry from the passage. After a few tamales we all get some shuteye.

After our rest we got up for showers and the morning radio. Sarah, Jesse and Dan take their morning swim. The water is 77 degrees! The three of them take the dingy and head off to do some snorkelling. Rich and I work on repairing the main. We tore the sail on the luft when the leach cord got caught on a rope clutch. This is because we were trying to raise the sail while going downwind. This does not work we found out. We borrowed a sewing machine from Silky C and repaired the sail.

This afternoon there will be a beach party. It is being catered by some fellow named Kojak from La Paz, complete with lobster, plates and a rock n roll band. Dan got a ride over on a ponga to attend.

Tonight we are celebrating Jesse's 16th birthday. Rich bought some lobsters for $2 a piece from some fishermen in a ponga going by. We will have steak and lobster with pumpkin pie for dessert. A night in paradise! Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow we head to Cabo San Lucas, 180 miles. A 6:00am start!

11/8, Cabo San Lucas

22 53.277 N 109 53.878 W, South of the Tropic of Cancer

On Wednesday morning we left Bahia Santa Maria. The air was warm and the breeze was light. We put up the genniker and sailed along. We are still learning how to sail with the genniker. The fleet is strung along, some close to the shore, some going out looking for more breeze.

At Bahia Santa Maria another sailboat joined the fleet. It is an Olson 30, named Still Crazy. It is being single-handed by a fellow that sounds crazy over the radio. He sailed it from San Francisco, straight to Bahia Santa Maria to join up with us. He has an inflatable doll tied to his backstay. Quite a character.

In the afternoon Jesse put out his fishing line. After a while we heard the familiar zing - fish on. This was a large fish, a 45 lbs mahi-mahi. We tried to bring it on board but it flipped off the gaff and off the hook. This one got away. We were still impressed by the size.

Before the moon came up we all watched the stars. As Carl Sagan once said, Million of billions of stars. You could see the Milky Way. We even saw some satellites go by. What a sight.

On Thursday we were anxious to reach our destination. We watched the desert like shore go by. The water is a brighter blue now and 23 degrees C. We are all wearing shorts and t-shirts. We troll for a while and then zing - fish on. Jesse and Dan bring in a 15 lbs mahi-mahi, tonight's dinner. Yummmm.

We round the rocks known as Land's End and anchor near the rest of the fleet. On shore are the hotels and condominiums that line the beach. The beach is smaller since the hurricane came through. Rich, Dan, Jesse and Sarah dive into the water to cool off. It is like a bath tub. Mandu lounges on the foredeck.

Tomorrow we will check in with customs, etc and explore the town. There will be a beach party in the afternoon. On Saturday there will be an awards presentation and party at the Cabo Marina. Oh boy! Dan flies home on Saturday - back to his other life.