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Cruising Mexico and the Baja HaHa Rally
The Baja Ha-Ha Cruiser's Rally will begin in San Diego this fall and end in Cabo San Lucas. Some call the Ha-Ha a race, the organizers prefer to think of it as a Cruiser's rally, so that no one has to feel bad about all the cruising junk on the decks.
This will be the 15th Baja HaHa beginning on October 26, 2008 in San Diego and ending November 8, 2008 in Cabo San Lucas. There are already over 100 boats registered for this years event and deadline for entry is September 10, 2008.
The
Baja Ha-Ha makes the 750 mile trip down the Pacific coast of our peninsula
in three legs. The first goes from San Diego to Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay is
just south of Punta Eugena, the elbow in the middle of the west coast. It
is a common refueling stop for both north and south bound cruisers and usually
a pretty good anchorage for the large number of boats. In Turtle Bay the
contestants will enjoy a potluck supper.
Turtle Bay isn't much to look at anymore. Some years ago, late '80s or early 90's as I heard) the tuna cannery closed and the population of the town dropped from about 10,000 to about 2,000 today. The rusting cannery and huge boilers from the steam plant are about all that is left of the industry that once powered the town. Things will continue to expand in that area however, as Pacific development moves their way. Things have changed much I hear since I was there several seasons ago. Still, beware the "laundry scam".
But the comradery is the thing, and by Turtle Bay the bonds are beginning to form and the mutineers identified. For many of the participants this has been the longest leg they have ever sailed, and as any sailor who has been on a multi-day passage will agree, the third day out is the toughest.
The
Potluck gives the crews a little liberty and time to explore the little
town. For many it is the first taste of 'real Mexico' as well. Small blocks
cut with narrow dirt streets where the children play soccer and an occasional
low-rider passes by. (yes, it's a little non-sequitur) Do beware the laundry
scam though. Cruisers anxious to get some of those mildewy cloths off the
boat will find the negotiated price changes on delivery.
The second leg of the rally is the jump to Santa Maria Bay.
This is one of the most beautiful places on the
Pacific
Coast in my humble opinion. When we walked the beach there almost 6 years
ago, we shared the 4km of white sands with a coyote and some of the largest
sand dollars I have found anywhere. Cruisers really feel like they are reaching
the tropics in Santa Maria as well, as it is one of the first places you
see the Magnificent Frigates, with their 6-7' wing span circling the bluffs
overhead.
The participants get a day off there, in Santa Maria to explore and take a breather from the shipboard life. I highly recommend taking your camera and taking the short hike to the top of the bluff near the point. Looking back down on the boats in the blue-green water below makes a spectacular vista.
The final jump is about a 36hr leg to Cabo San Lucas, where the race ends and the party begins. An arrival night fiesta on November 9th kicks things off, as even the last straggler has usually made it in to port by Happy Hour.
With the fleet of 160+ boats that will arrive in Cabo, if you don't have a marina reservation, you are probably going to be at anchor in front of Medano Beach. Having anchored there for yeas, I highly recommend doing so about 200-300 yards off shore in front of the arroyo. Take the time to set your anchor well despite the urgency of joining the party. The year we passed through two men were in such a hurry to get ashore the Mexican Navy retrieved their boat about a day later, some 80 miles out to sea
On
the 10th participants enjoy a Cabo Beach Party and on the 11th the awards
banquet takes place on the marina's edge. It is a fun crowd and almost everyone
I have spoken to about their experiences enjoyed it immensely.
The advantages to participating are many. For a large number of the participants
it is their 'first time away from home'. The benefit of group support and
a large number of helpful opinions when it comes to in-transit repairs is
obvious. With the number of boats you are likely to find other cruisers
of your sect, tech-heads, old salts, sea virgins, families and more. Cruisers
find and form their own little cliques and many form bonds that are enjoyed
well beyond the end of the race.
There are some down sides to participating in the Baja Ha-Ha as well. The organizers of this event do a fabulous job from all accounts I have heard from participants. Yet 167 boats is a lot of boats. As I said above, many of the participants are sea (cruising) virgins. For them it is very reassuring to have some of the veterans around who may have participated in 2 or more HaHa's.
Dragging
anchors, wrapped head stays and worse do occur and can present a problem
with such a crowd. Only Turtle Bay really has the space to comfortably anchor
that many boats and like a swarm of locust, they strip the little tiendas
of food and prices go up for a few weeks following the passage of the fleet.
Every once and a while, trying to maintain the fleet's schedule puts you
to sea on days you might rather not.
The biggest single downside I see to participating in the Baja Ha-Ha is the amount of Baja you miss in between. Even today much of Baja's rugged Pacific coast can only be visited from the decks of your own boat.
When we sailed down in 2000 as a solo boat and departed San Diego on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was spent in Ensenada and on the 26th we learned all about doing our own paperwork and checking in. Neither my girlfriend or myself were particular 'joiners' and we had been training both physically and nautically for more than a year for a voyage that had intended to be longer than just the trip down Baja. I had been sailing for more than 30 years and had a few passages under my belt, so we had no qualms about doing the trip solo.
We explored our way down the Pacific coast, spending a few days in San Quentin and exploring the estuary there. There is San Martin as well, an island obviously volcanically formed that juts up like a black cone from the Pacific.
One of the most magical stops for me along the way was San Jerónimo Island, not much more than a large rock about 4 miles off the coast and just north of the famous Sacramento Reef, graveyard of the Pacific. The tiny island is home to an old lighthouse and a tiny fishing camp. The lighthouse maintains it's authentic look but the equipment inside and the light house keeper have been replaced by modern gear.
The
amazing inhabitants of the island were the elephant seals. These enormous
sea mammals make for a National Geographic moment that is certainly worth
the photo opportunity. Do beware though, these animals are not use to human
contact, are WAY bigger than you and will charge to defend their young or
territory.
When we stopped on San Jerónimo on December 31, 2000 we rounded north of the island, avoiding the reef passage in the first few minutes of the new millennium. It was a new moon night and with zero light pollution we enjoyed a spectacular show as the dolphins raced through the iridescent rich waters around the boat. So bright was the illumination the sleek bodies of the dolphins appeared to glow and their swim trails could be seen hundreds of yards off into the calm night sea.
We met other 'pods' of cruisers along the way, some of whom I am still in touch with or run into around The Sea today. It is a deeply bonding experience.
We
also took time to dive and explore ashore in some areas. Cedros Island for
example was once a watering stop for the Manila Galleons returning from
the Philippine Islands loaded with treasure on their way to Acapulco,
where it was mule trained across Mexico then ship bound for Spain. The now
denuded islands were once covered in cedar trees, all cut down for spars
and such over the years.
At
the north end of Cedros on New Years night we traded a few cans of beer
and a bottle of cheap wine to some partying fishermen for four of the biggest
Pacific lobster I have ever enjoyed. In Santa Maria we traded two company
ball caps for several kilos of jumbo shrimp, direct from the gunnels of
a shrimper. We hosted a shrimp-a-thon for our little fleet of 4 or five
boats that night and had a memorable evening with new friends.
In all, it took us 28 days to sail from San Diego to Cabo, where as the Ha-Haers cover it in 10. It's different strokes for different folks to be sure. Sailing solo might not be recommended if you are too green at the cruising life or if you enjoy the comradary and support of the group. But if you have the time and the huevos taking the time to explore the Pacific Coast is a rare opportunity I am thankful I didn't miss.
Either way, almost everyone ends up in Cabo San Lucas and for some it's the end of the journey. For many it is a place of goodbyes, with some cruisers headed to the mainland, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and points even further south. For others, like myself they take the turn north, up into the Sea of Cortez. You can spend years exploring the magic of The Sea or you might end up here longer - But as Homer wrote a couple of thousand years ago... The Journey is the thing!
Tomas