Heading South: Latitude 38's Guide to Sailing and Cruising the Coast of Mexico and Central America
Cruising News for Mexico and Beyond
The 31st Annual Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha Is a Wrap - And It's Not the Last!
The 32nd Baja Ha-Ha Starts in November 2026.
Stay Tuned For Upcoming Announcements.
The Latest Cruising News
The 350-mile San Diego-to-Turtle Bay first leg of the Baja Ha-Ha cruisers’ rally featured the strongest, most consistent leg-long winds in the 23-year history of the event. After a 2.5-hour rolling start — motoring allowed — out of San Diego on Monday morning, the wind filled in nicely to the 18- to 25-knot range, just south…
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The crew of the New Mexico-based Catana 471 Footloose was in high spirits as they paraded out to the starting line. latitude/Andy©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC At 10 a.m. today, the 23rd annual Baja Ha-Ha rally’s fleet of 136 boats paraded out of San Diego Harbor escorted by two local fireboats, while print, TV and radio reporters captured…
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John Jourdane will address Bay Area racers at the Yacht Racing Association’s first YRA Social of the year, to be hosted by Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda this Wednesday, June 29 at 7 p.m. Over the past 50 years, Jourdane has sailed more than 300,000 miles. He has made the passage between the West Coast…
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Picture yourself smokin’ downwind in the sunny latitudes of Mexico — or Southern Cal. latitude/Andy©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC Ready for big fun on the water? Online signups begin now for both the Baja Ha-Ha XXIII rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, and the SoCal Ta-Ta IV, from Santa Barbara to Catalina. If you’re a…
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As you can tell by this photo, there’s a great potential for kids to have fun while cruising — especially on the Baja Ha-Ha rally. latitude/Andy©Latitude 38 Media, LLC Although the majority of sailors entering the cruising lifestyle are retirees, there are also mid-career types who take self-imposed sabbaticals, and families with young kids who’ve…
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 SSB
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.
Latitude 38's First Timer's Guide to Mexico
Order a Printed Copy Online here.
Cruising Notes—Things to Know Before You Go
Thanks to the 2025 Baja Ha-Ha Sponsors!
