ONE MONTH UNTIL SIGN-UPS START FOR BAJA HA-HA XXXI
THE LAST ONE EVER
I know that I warned that previous Ha-Ha's might be the last, but this year's really will be the last. Speaking at the Poobah, I'm still in excellent health and super excited to do the event in November.
But having watched other people who didn't hang it up when they were in top form, be they athletes, politicians, entertainers or whatever, I don't want to be one of those. So this is the last.
I don't suppose that I have to remind people that the Ha-Ha is the 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops at funky Turtle Bay and surreal Bahia Santa Maria.
There may be an additional stop for a bonfire party at Mag Bay.
Entries are limited to boats 27 feet or longer that were designed, built, and maintained for offshore sailing. Although special dispensation can be given to experienced sailors with shorter-length boats.
While there is always the potential for bad weather, typical Ha-Ha conditions are light to moderate winds from aft. Of the 90 Ha-Ha legs to date, only two of them required sailing on the wind, and only for a short time.
Ha-Ha entries are eligible to get all their clearance paperwork done in advance, thus eliminating having to pay for two nights of berthing in Ensenada.
Based on that, the effective cost for the two-week Ha-Ha, including eight big social events, hats and shirts and other swag, free sail repair, free meals, and most of all, the opportunity to have a blast with many other sailors, is about $200 per boat. It's a huge bang for the buck.
Getting a slip in Cabo after the Ha-Ha is always problematic. Some years there are quite a few; some years there are none. It depends almost entirely on the U.S. economy, and you may have heard the stock market has recently taken a beating.
Why sign up for the Ha-Ha as soon as possible? Because the earlier a boat signs up, the higher they are on a list for slips — although I emphasize nothing is guaranteed.
Unsure if you'd like the Ha-Ha? Ask someone who has done one. Or two or three or five.
We're really looking forward to sailing south again this the final edition of the Ha-Ha, and we hope you'll be sailing with us.
We haven’t had a Ha-Ha bonfire in years. This might be the year.
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Sailing in company while far offshore is a special treat.
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Arriving at Cabo Falso at the end of the Ha-Ha.
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We once had 159 people on Profligate for a Pusser’s Rum ‘tasting’. We won’t do that again.
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Beach play in front of the fleet at Bahia Santa Maria.
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Dinghy landings were sometimes scored.
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Looking down on some of the fleet at Turtle Bay.
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Dona de Mallorca with admirers at Turtle Bay. They’re all in their late 20s now,
as all the photos in this post were taken a long time ago.
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There can be great sailing on the Ha-Ha.
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Even great sailing when the wind is light.
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