Baja Ha-Ha Fleet is Typically Diverse

It’s often said that any decent boat will get you to the same beautiful anchorages. There’s no greater evidence of that contention than in the annual Baja Ha-Ha cruisers’ rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. When each year’s fleet assembles on the starting line in late October, there’s always a vast range of boat types, crewed by sailors of similarly diverse backgrounds. (This year’s dates are October 28 – November 10.)

The smallest boat registered so far is Patric Walton’s San Francisco-based Morgan 28 Valkyrie — just a foot longer than the 27-ft minimum allowed. "This boat will go anywhere," says Patric. It’s a tank; nice and slow and strong." We’ll be anxious to have a chat with Patric when the fleet comes together in San Diego, so we can learn about his early days of sailing — he learned from his dad in Guatanamo Bay, Cuba! Nancy Mathers will be along as crew.

We’ll also be anxious to have a chat with Mike and Adele Watts of the Larkspur-based Oyster 655 Gundamain, which is currently the largest boat entered. They’ve both circumnavigated twice, and have already completed a Pacific circuit on this yacht, out to French Polynesia, up to Hawaii, and across to the high latitudes of North America’s west coast. In addition to being sleek and artfully crafted, Gundamain lists a washer, dryer, a full set of spares, dive compressor and tanks, plus a heating and air condition system among their ‘go-slow’ gear.

If you’re on the fence about Ha-Ha’ing this year, we’d strongly encourage you to stop procrastinating and — to borrow a well-worn phrase from Nike — just do it. If you’ve got the boat and you’ve got the time, there’s no point in delaying. After all, you never know when your window of availability might close. Below is a list of current entries in the order they signed up — as we mentioned, a typically diverse fleet. The online entry process just takes about 10 minutes to complete, and will be available until the September 10 deadline.

Exodus / Lagoon 400 / San Diego / John Lightfoot & Sherry Franklin
Tamara Lee Ann / Celestial 48 / Emeryville / Doug & Tamara Thorne
Elysium / Catalina 42 MkII / Anacortes, WA / Dan Ohlemacher
Day Dream / J/122 / San Francisco / Robert Day
Mandolina / Oceanic 45 / San Francisco / Rich Reiner
Milagro / Catalina 42 / Alameda / Michael & Judy Stouffer
Vakasa / Lagoon TPI 42 / Victoria, BC / Tony & Kathy Silver
Dolfin / Pacific Seacraft 37 / San Diego / Bill & Patty Meanley
Talos IV / Pacific Seacraft 37 / Seattle, WA / Paul & Janet Baker
Heavy Metal / Blue Water 60 / San Francisco / Rigo & Deborah Fuzetto
Elegant’sea / Islander Freeport 36 / San Diego / Chip & Debbie Willis
Grey Goose / Hunter 36 / Marina Bay / Alan & Linda Brabon
Ojo Rojo / Columbia 36 / Alamitos Bay / Keith & Terry Albrecht
Flibbertigibbet / O’Day 34 / Discovery Bay / Betty & Jim Adams
Defiant / C&C 115 / Vancouver, BC / Mike Northup & Nancy Kettles
Rubber Duckies / Coronado 45 / Alameda / Nicki & Darrell Powell-Ford
Shindig / Oyster 485 / Sausalito / Robert & Nancy Novak
Zoë / Fantasi 44 / Bainbridge Is, WA / David & Barbara Rogers
HighRoad / Hans Christian 38 / Astoria, OR / Robert & Nancy Atwood
Lanikai / Hunter 38 / Long Beach / Allan & Leanne Emas
Serenity Now / Catalina MkII 36 / Dana Point / Dennis & Sue Nespor
Oogachaka / Krogen Widebody 42 / Coeur d’Alene, ID / Ken & Patty Sebby
Scot Free IV / Hylas 42 / Vancouver, BC / John Harper & Deborah Martin del Campo
Raireva / Cape Vickers 34 / Green Cove Springs / Marek Nowicki & Helen Chien
Odyssey / Islander Freeport 41 / Rio Vista / Kenneth & Danita Nissen
Gypsy Wind / Hunter 40.5 / Marina del Rey / James & Elizabeth Lee
La Boheme / Hylas 44 / Alameda / Marian Croyle & Neil Calvert
Wanuskewin / Catalina 42 MkII / San Diego / Michael & Holly Sanderson
Krissy 2 / Passport 40 / San Francisco / Allen Cooper
Patanjali / Catalina 42 / Marina del Rey / Michael Bowe
Taj / Grainger 48 cat / Port Townsend, WA / Peter Brown
Victoria / Hudson Force 50 / Catawba, WI / Alan Young
A Viva / Islander 36 / San Diego / David Meyers
Gitane / Island Packet 38 / Seattle, WA / Kenneth & Nancy Hunting
Kindred Spirit / Tayana V42 / Emeryville / Jim & Michele Saake
Haulback / Spencer 35 / Vancouver, BC / Jim & Janet Kellam
Valhalla / Ericson 34 / San Francisco / Don & Kathie Wight
Distraction / Olson 911s / San Diego / Don Laverty
Rancho Relaxo / Islander 30 / Chula Vista / Paul Ingram
Aventura / Morgan 382 / Seattle, WA / Greg Smith
Desert Vision / Hunter 44 DS / Portland, OR / Michael & Iris Boone
R & B III / Catalina 36 / Santa Cruz / Robert Older & Richard Weed
Coyote / Hylas 42 / San Francisco / Jack Salyer
Sea Gazer / Islander 36 / San Diego / Thomas Fernandez
Valkyrie / Morgan 28 / San Francisco / Patric Walton
Wizard / Choate 40 / San Francisco / John & Susan Campbell
Fluenta / Stevens 47 / Halifax, NS / Max Shaw & Elizabeth Brown-Shaw
Beleza / Hylas 46 / San Pedro / Michael & Qi Bruce
Sea Note / Endeavour 43 / Fort Mohave, AZ / Thomas Wood
Story Seeker / Beneteau M445 / Sausalito / Keith Patterson & Marianna deCroes
Bangorang / Fountaine-Pajot Venezia 42 / Ventura / Colin & Wendy Gegg
Gundamain / Oyster 655 / Larkspur / Paxy Ltd.
Iataia / Beneteau First 45 / San Diego / Sara & Marcos Rodriguez
Reflections / Rafiki 37 / Morro Bay / Jeff Wass
Little Wing / Islander 34 / Point Richmond / Keith Somers & Mary Perkins
Autumn Wind / Catalina 34 / Alameda / Brian Plautz & Elizabeth Kline
Unwinder / Catalina 36 / San Diego / Robert Watson
Compadre / Columbia 45 / Long Beach / Doug & Virginia Ward
Rhapsody / Herreshoff Nereia 36/ Los Angeles / Alan & Laura Dwan
Gabby Wray / Catalina 470 / San Diego / Darrell & Wendy Peck
Granuaile / Tayana 52 / Marina del Rey / Gregory Richter & Janet Gaynor
Pied-a-Mer III / Seawind 1160 cat / Clatskanie, OR / Eric & Pam Sellix
Lion Heart / Catalina 42 / Redondo Beach, CA / George & Veronica Lyons
Indiscretion / Hunter 35 / Victoria, BC / Albert Klettke
Pacific Hwy / Davidson 44 / St. John, USVI / Bruce & Laura Masterson
Jumble / Mariner 31 / San Diego / Andrew Martin & Anna Tang