Heading South: Latitude 38's Guide to Sailing and Cruising the Coast of Mexico and Central America
Cruising News for Mexico and Beyond
The 29th Annual Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha Departed October 30th!Â
The Latest Cruising News
Costumed fleet members took over the parking lot of the Shelter Island West Marine, the fiesta’s co-sponsor. © 2014 Kurt Roll For the skippers of 131 boats and 490 crew, today is the long-awaited day of the start of the 21st Annual Baja Ha-Ha cruising rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas with stops at…
Read MoreAs regular readers know, various agencies of the Mexican government have been taking steps lately to streamline immigration and boat-import procedures. In some cases it’s been two steps forward, one step back — especially in terms of government website glitches. But the general trend is very positive. The latest example of this is that the…
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“Okay, okay, I’m on it. But let me catch my breath first.” latitude/Andy© Latitude 38 Media, LLC The From Here to Eternity Kissing Contest is a much-loved tradition at the annual Baja Ha-Ha beach party in Cabo San Lucas. The idea is to imitate the passionate embrace between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr that helped to make…
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The view of Turtle Bay from beautiful downtown Turtle Bay. Almost every boat is the photo is a Ha-Ha boat. © 2013 Kurt Roll The last of the 125 boats and 520 participants in the Baja Ha-Ha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, are pulling…
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Scot Free and the rest of the fleet had smooth sailing down Baja. latitude/Andy© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Wind was very light — and sometimes non-existent — during the final leg of this year’s Baja Ha-Ha rally, but the promise of hot tropical weather was definitely fulfilled. Both air and water temperatures along the Baja…
Read MoreCruising Resources - Articles From the Latitude 38 Archives
Read the 2023 First Timer’s Guide to Mexico
Latitude 38's First Timer's Guide to Mexico Update for 2023.
Why Cruise Mexico?
Walk the docks of any marina from Vancouver to San Diego this summer and you're likely to find dozens of sailors fitting out their boats for extended cruising. Where are they headed? While some undoubtedly have lofty dreams of eventually cruising the South Pacific, the Caribbean or the Med, destination numero uno for almost all of them is Mexico.
Fitting Out: The Cruisers Back Porch
A centuries-old adage claims, "You can tell a lot about a sailor by the cut of his jib." But when it comes to modern cruisers, nothing reveals more about their sailing style than the 'back porch' of their boat. That is, the stern section, which may house everything from solar panels to surfboards, and barbecues to radar domes.
Favorite Sailing Apps
One of the frustrating aspects of living in this 'app-happy' era of endless innovation is that is it seems almost impossible to keep up with the latest, greatest developments in technology — including smartphone, tablet and computer software related to boating.
The Info on AIS
Now more than ever, the modern sailor has lots to choose from when it comes to navigation and safety instruments. Communication devices such as the Iridium GO! and Garmin inReach (which also has GPS capabilities) have complemented the single-sideband radio and VHF. Chartplotters have digitized and dramatically simplified navigation, and radar has long been an important tool for identifying marine traffic, obstacles and weather.
Offshore Communication
With the ever-expanding assortment of communications devices designed for offshore sailing, comes the dilemma of deciding which ones belong on your 'must-have' list, and which ones you can live without — especially if you're on a limited budget. With that in mind, we'll share some tips and insights here that we hope will reduce your befuddlement.
Communications: Idiots Guide to SSBÂ
Despite several advances in offshore voice communications such as satphones, marine single sideband (SSB) isn't going away anytime soon. That's because SSB, unlike satphones, allows an unlimited number of people to listen to a transmission at the same time.
Small Boat Adventuring in the Sea of Cortez
You don't have to own a fully equipped 50-ft cruising boat to enjoy the spectacular Sea of Cortez, a vast, sparsely developed wonderland for sailors and adventurers.
Latitude reader Derek Rice and a buddy recently had big fun tapping into the region's magic aboard a 44-year-old Catalina 22 daysailer.
Cruising Notes—Things to Know Before You Go
Thanks to the Sponsors the Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha!
