November 2007

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico


The Baja Ha-Ha is a cruisers’ rally that has left San Diego, CA near the end of October for the past fourteen years and heads to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico under the direction of volunteer Grand Poobah, Richard Spindler (Latitude 38 Magazine). We know folks on several boats who “went south with the Ha-Ha” on the way to the warmer southern cruisin’ grounds and it sounded like it might be fun; so after much discussion & arm twisting, Gary agreed that we could complete the application and send in our hard-earned money for the bag of goodies and the right to fly the Baja HaHa 2007 purple burgee! The trip takes about 10 days with planned stops in Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, offering an opportunity for boats to catch up with the fleet and for parties on shore; the final destination is Cabo San Lucas and an “Awards Ceremony.” That’s the Ha-Ha in a nutshell, now I’ll proceed to tell of our Ha-Ha adventures. The December issue of Latitude 38 has Haha wrap-up stories if you have access to the magazine or ‘lectronic latitude 38

Bill & Masuko, friends from Bainbridge Island and owners/past-owners of a Hans Christian 39’ Pilothouse & a Hans Christian 44’ Pilothouse respectively, journeyed south to crew with us on the Ha-Ha. Bill was excited about the trip and Masuko had some trepidation, to say the least. This was the first time we’d had crew with us for an extended time, so it was a learning experience for us too. Masuko is relatively new to sailing and had never been on the ocean; I understood many of her feelings as I had experienced most five years ago when we bought this boat. With the luxury of four persons aboard, we set up a watch schedule with three sets of “watchers”:

1) Gary,
2) Bill,
3) Masuko & myself.

A 24-hour period was broken up as follows:
Watch 1/midnight-3 a.m.,
Watch 2/3:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m.,
Watch 3/6:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.,
Watch 4/10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.,
Watch 5/2:00-p.m.-6:00 p.m.,
Watch 6/6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Watch 7/9:00 p.m.-midnight.

With seven watches, the schedule rotated daily as to which watch one had, thus sharing the burden/joy(?) of night watches. It also gave us the opportunity to be off watch for either six or seven hours depending on shifts. All in all, the schedule worked out well. Gary & I use a similar time break down where we’re on a passage alone, but the time off is much shorter as there are only two of us (Murray doesn’t stand watch well yet!)

After a quick rundown (in retrospect, too quickly) on nav equipment, safety equipment and general info on the boat, we made our final preparations to start the Ha-Ha at 10:00 on October 29, 2007 with 150+ other sailboats and one power boat just outside the entrance to San Diego Bay. It was an impressive sight as boats began motoring/sailing out of the bay. We were forced to alter our course as the USS Ronald Reagan was leaving port at the same time; the Nav rule about sailboats having the right of way didn’t apply in this circumstance! Several of our neighbors on Dock K at Sunroad Marina were in the parade: SV Rhapsody, SV In Cahoots, SV Novacaine, and SV Merry Rowe’s; all eventually made it to Cabo, but some after the Ha-Ha officially ended due to mechanical/sail problems. Weather conditions were almost perfect for the beginning of the “race” with mostly clear skies and 6-12 Kt winds from the WNW as we hoisted the sails on SV Wand’rin Star; Gary recorded in the log, “We are doin’ the Ha-Ha!”

The race began at 11:00 and we crossed into Mexico at approximately 12:40. One of Gary’s major concerns about “doin’ the Ha-Ha” was the proximity of 150 boats to each other. It was amazing how quickly the boats spread out; there were several occasions when we didn’t even see another boat! During the course of the rally, some boats stuck close to shore as others went more than 300 miles off shore in search of stronger winds. Other boats chose to use the Iron Sail when the winds dropped to less than 5 Kt. Many of the boats were using spinnakers and the sight of all the different colors & designs was lovely.

Every morning of the Ha-Ha there was a SSB (single side band) radio roll call when all boats checked in with the Grand Poobah with lat & long info. It was also a time for Morning Announcements & Weather. Boats had been assigned to a Division based on length and SV Wand’rin Star was in the Huevos Rancheros division.

Murray adapted to having extra folks on board and maintained his normal routine of sleeping most of the time. Unfortunately we started taking 8’ swells on the aft quarter, causing both Masuko and Murray discomfort; these continued most of the second day.

We talked on the VHF with the folks on SV Grace, thinking we had met them in Port Angeles in June, only to find out that they weren’t who we thought they were when we met them ashore in Turtle Bay. (It was ironic, however, as Bill & Masuko DID know SV Grace’s Sally & Geoff, having met them a year earlier at a party on Bainbridge Island.)

On the third day out under sail, we decided to try our luck at fishing with a hand line and Mexican flag lure behind the boat. In the four plus years we’ve lived on the boat, we’ve never done any saltwater fishing. Gary’s done fly-fishing and I fished with my dad in Michigan, but we’re both new to these larger saltwater fish. Bill & Masuko were the fishing team and caught the first fish aboard SV Wand’rin Star! Masuko prepared wonderful sashimi from the bonita and we ametoriorized the cost of the fishing gear & licenses for that meal to be approximately $75.00/per person but it was DELICIOUS! We also had fish for dinner; Masuko did an excellent job as chef on the trip and we ate well due to her contributions in the galley! The third night out we had a few “scares” with unlit Mexican fishing vessels and crossed the finish line for the 1st leg of the rally outside Turtle Bay at 0012. As we didn’t want to enter & anchor in the dark, we adjusted our course so that we would arrive with the dawn’s early light. The hook was dropped in Turtle Bay at 0700 on Nov. 1 after 68 hours, 37 minutes underway and 404 nm. The fleet would remain here until November 3 when we’d head to our next stop at Bahia Santa Maria just outside Magdelena Bay.

We had an opportunity to go ashore at Turtle Bay and bought some local queso (cheese) as we walked through the small fishing village. The next day, Nov. 2 , was a Potluck Beach Party and a chance to meet some of the folks in person who we had come to ‘know’ on the VHF. (This is where Sally & Masuko re-united as Sally saw that Masuko was wearing a Wand’rin Star hat and thought she was the person to whom she spoken with on the radio. They were BOTH surprised that they knew each other and quickly introduced Gary & me to Sally & Geoff.) The Beach Party was a potluck affair and I quickly learned that folks on boats KNOW how to prepare delicious food! What an array of salads, main dishes, and desserts were created by our fellow Ha-Ha’ers! The friendly folks of Turtle Bay had the beverage concessions in full swing and the cervezca sure tasted good on the warm, sunny day! Gary took advantage of the dunes near the beach to take this panoramic shot of the Ha-Ha at anchor.

November 2 was also my mom’s 83rd birthday and luckily we had cell phone coverage, albeit EXPENSIVE cell phone coverage ($1.49 + tax/minute), so we were able to call and quickly wish her Happy Birthday. We’ve since been using SKYPE for all our calls and it’s only $.02/minute to call a land line in the states and free to other SKYPE online users.

The second leg of the rally began at 0800 on November 3 with some minor adjustments in our routine. Since leaving San Diego, Masuko had really been doing double watches as she stood watch with me and then stayed up to also do watch with Bill, thus only getting a few hours of rest. As safety officer, I decided this wasn’t a good situation so from now on it was Gary, Bill & Masuko, and myself on the 3 watches. This worked better and we continued it for the remainder of the trip. We’d discovered an engine coolant leak while in Turtle Bay as a pipe failed at a weld. Luckily, Gary & Bill were able to “put a patch” on it with hosing that we had aboard. Once underway we paid particular attention to the engine temperature and the bilge; fortunately the temperature never increased and the patch worked wonderfully. A few hours later we unfurled the sails and let the wind take over. This was the first time we sailed with our new Hydro Vane and it worked pretty well, but not as well as we had hoped. We’re going to continue to tweak it during long distance sailing. The fishing line went back in the water and Masuko quickly caught another bonita! We all enjoyed a beautiful day and kept sailing until 0300 the next morning when the wind was just too light for us to make any headway, so on went the iron sail. The Spectra water maker, which Gary installed in San Diego, was also working perfectly and providing us with water. All in all, life was good. That evening we were treated to a gorgeous golden crescent moon that hung like a smile above the dark sea….one of those “store in your memory” moments! The next day passed with no problems and most of us had found a cruisin’ rhythm as each pursued his or her own passions…reading, knitting, journaling, or just gazing at the ever-changing ocean. We were periodically treated to pods of dolphins (some of the boats sighted whales, but alas we weren’t that lucky!) The ocean temperature had crept up into the mid-70’s and thoughts began to turn towards swimming! Most of our time on SV Wand’rin Star has been spent in water that was in the 40-50 degree range, so 75-degree water was definitely an improvement!

Leg 2 officially ended as we crossed the finish line north of Bahia Santa Maria at 0501, November 5. It would still be three hours before we dropped the hook in the protected basin of Bahia Santa Maria for a two-day stop. We’d traveled 247 nm in 48 hours and 45 minutes, with an average speed of 5.1k. If memory serves me correctly (of which there is NO guarantee), Bill went swimming off the boat here, but he was the only one to brave the water…the rest of us were waiting for 80-degree water! Monday was spent in R&R as the Beach Party at this stop was planned for Tuesday. Locals host a dinner for the cruisers each year and that was the plan for this year too. Unfortunately, “Mama Naturaleza” had different plans. Due to a Pacific storm 1500 nm away, the calm waters of BSM were experiencing larger than normal swells which made landing on the beach in dinghies dangerous, if not impossible, especially during low tide. The local panga drivers suggested that Tuesday’s party be delayed by an hour so that it was easier to get across the bar with the higher tide. In the interim, all of the captains were invited to dinghy over to SV Profligate, the mother ship, and enjoy a complimentary tot of Pusser’s rum. Gary dutifully followed instructions and enjoyed his rum & coke with all the other captains, returning with a souvenir Pusser’s Rum hat.

The Grand Poobah strongly suggested that folks pay the $2-4/per person for a panga ride to shore rather than chancing a disaster in their own dinghies and most took that advice. However, there were many more people wanting to go ashore than could be quickly ferried in, especially because the panga drivers were being very conscious of the number (weight) of people they took ashore due to the bar conditions. The party started at 1400 and we still hadn’t been able to flag down a panga by 1600. Knowing it would be dark in two hours and that all the folks already ashore needed to be taken back to their boats, we opted to enjoy a quiet dinner deliciously prepared by Chef Masuko aboard SV Wand’rin Star. It was a WISE choice even though it meant we never got ashore in Bahia Santa Maria. As darkness began to fall, the conditions worsened and it was no longer possible for even the seasoned panga drivers to get across the crashing surf safely. Long story short….72 people were stranded on shore overnight with no provisions. We listened to the drama unfold over the VHF radio as Richard did an excellent job of coordinating the unplanned event and the stranded folks, some of them small children, were known as the SURVIVORS for the rest of the trip and were recognized at the Awards ceremony. The start of Leg 3 was delayed for an hour on Nov 7 to allow all the folks on shore to return to their boats in much calmer conditions. Many people pitched to help with this difficult, and possibly deadly situation. It was really great to see and the event organizers are to be commended for their attention to everyone’s safety.

Our final run to the finish line began on November 7 at 0615 as we motored out of Bahia Santa Maria and ended as we crossed the Finish Line at 0930 the next day. We started out sailing, but the wind died before the end of the day and the motor was switched on. Bill and Masuko were still avid fisher-persons and the line was back in the water by 0915 with a bonus catch in a short time; they pull aboard a tuna and a herring at the same time! The day passed without problem as we watched magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, seals, and dolphins…just a normal day at sea. As the end of the Ha-Ha drew near I think we were all ready to admit that we’d be glad when our “scheduled” time ended and we could go back to setting our own pace & destinations. We motor-sailed throughout the night and crossed the final finish line at 0930 on November 8.

Now the next challenge was finding a place to anchor! There are two marinas next to each other in Cabo, both VERY EXPENSIVE & VERY FULL as this is definitely a high-rolling sports-fishing area. We had no plans of trying to get in the marina, as the cost for ONE night would be $198.00 US! Only 40 of the 150+ boats were able to get slips; the rest needed to anchor. Normally, this would not be a problem as there is a very large anchorage off the beaches; unfortunately, unknown to the Ha-Ha organizers, Adam Sandler was in town filming a movie that required an open view of the water from shore…not one with a 100+ sailboats in it. The Port Captain had closed off more than half of the available anchoring spots; therefore all the boats had to anchor in half the space! We finally ended up dropping the hook in 60’ of water, not our first choice! Leg three was 184.6 nm and took 31 hours to complete. We traveled a total of 861.3 nm since leaving San Diego on October 29, 2007.

We all heaved a sigh of relief and attempted to recoup amid the noisy pangas, loud music from the hotels on shore (which included at least 6 renditions of “YMCA” everyday we discovered!), the party boats, jet skiers, liters from the cruise ships and the para-sailers! Cabo quickly went to the top of Gary’s 10 Worst Anchorages (replacing Ketchikan, AL) as he said we took our lives in our hands trying to dinghy ashore amid all the local water taxis, jet skis, and sport fishing boats! Not fun!! Needless to say, Cabo San Lucas in NOT the quiet, relaxing little fishing village Bill & Masuko remembered from their visit 30 years ago. They had tickets to fly back to Seattle on the 14th and decided to rent a car for a few days and retrace parts of their earlier trip to the Baja. We thanked them for all their help and friendship as we bade them good-by on Friday.

Several parties/events were planned to wrap up the Ha-Ha. On Friday afternoon there was a party that featured a re-enactment of the kiss from the movie “Here to Eternity” in which Bert Lancaster & Debra Kerr roll in the surf for a LLLLLOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG kiss. More than 14 couples opted to recreate the scene amid much laughter, surf, and sand. ( You can check out photos at ‘lectronic latitudes.”) The final festivity of the 2007 Baja Ha-Ha was the Awards Ceremony held at Marina Cabo San Lucas on Saturday evening. There were lots of awards, both serious & funny, and it was great seeing most of the folks who made the trip massed in one area. We received a 3rd in the Huevos Rancheros Division, as did ten other boats!

We’ve asked ourselves if we’d do the Ha-Ha again, both of us said “no” at almost the same time. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun or that we didn’t met some great folks, it’s just that we like traveling at a slower pace and spending time enjoying the sights along the way. There were some beautiful beaches and bays along the way that we didn’t get to experience and who knows if we’ll ever go back that way again? The event was very well organized, everyone was friendly and helpful, and we did have a good time.

We had hoped to only spend a couple days in Cabo, but unfortunately the Boat Gods had a different plan for us….but that’s in the next log.

Adios,

Dorothy, Gary, and Murray the Cat

© Copyright 2007
Last updated on September 2, 2008