The 2025 Baja Ha-Ha Fleet Is Ready to Roll … uh, Sail

In just over 10 days’ time, the 2025 Baja Ha-Ha fleet will be leaving San Diego and heading to Mexico. Presuming everyone makes the start line, this year’s rally, the 31st iteration, will be setting off with 136 boats sailing out of the Bay to the sounds of music, horns and cheering (and tears of those who aren’t going) on November 3. If you’re among the participants and you’re reading this, have a blast! If you’re not going, sorry. One of our team, our marketing manager Nicki Bennett, will be aboard the Ha-Ha mothership Profligate. Throughout the cruise south, Nicki will touch base and send us snippets of life aboard the Ha-Ha. Stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, there will be scores of sailors on the Pacific making their way to Mexico with the fleet, and again, we’d like to give you a brief introduction to a few of them.

Bruce Afton, from Gamble Bay, WA/Kingston, WA, will be aboard the Burns 45 Sagata. Bruce, 70, is a retired physician’s assistant. His crew will be daughter Katlian, 29, a high school science teacher; Jared Burreece, 28, a student; and Ericka Bremer, 27.

Bruce has been sailing for over 40 years, during which time he’s owned four boats. What’s unusual about Sagata, which he’s owned for four years, is 1) that she is built of wood, and 2) that she was built in New Zealand.

While Bruce hasn’t done a Ha-Ha yet, he’s sailed from Alaska to the Sea of Cortez, as well as from Hawaii to Seattle. After the Ha-Ha he plans to do a circumnavigation or a loop of the South Pacific, which would include a stop at the Tuamotus, his dream destination.

Stephen Ronk and Madeline Fontillas from Marina del Rey/Los Angeles will sail aboard Marisol, a Hunter 410. Stephen, 60, is a lawyer, while spouse Madeline didn’t list an occupation. Their crew will be daughter Marisol Fontillas Ronk, 24, a law clerk; Doug Estill, 62, a fire department captain; Julia Estill, 31; and Ron Bossert, 59, occupation not provided.

“We’ve been sailing for 20 years and have owned three boats,” report the couple. “We have owned Marisol since 2007 and have made many trips into Mexico on her, including 20 to Ensenada. While we haven’t done a Ha-Ha, we have made the trip down to Cabo on the Ha-Ha route, then continued on to Mazatlán, San Blas, La Cruz, and Manzanillo, with all the usual stops along the way. After the Ha-Ha, we plan to continue down to La Cruz for the winter.

Siblings Jo and David Sandry from Sausalito/Boulder Creek [and Ha-Ha vets from 2021 and 2022] will sail aboard their Dehler 39 Josie. Jo and David are co-owners and will be co-captains of Josie. Jo is a therapist, while brother David, 51, is an auditor. “Be audit you can be.” Their crew this year will be Ha-Ha first-timers Eliza Karlson and Lindsay Guetschow, two adventurers who are silly and salty to the core.

Jo and David have been sailing since they were kids on the south coast of Devon in the United Kingdom. They tease their parents that they often risked their lives crossing the English Channel, and have many sea stories from those times. Since living in the Bay Area for 20+ years, they’ve both primarily sailed smaller boats. Jo owned a Pacific Seacraft 25 for many years, while David owns and frequently races the classic wood Bear Boat Puff.

Jo has made bluewater deliveries across the Atlantic and in the Pacific Northwest. David taught sailing at Cass’ Marina in Sausalito; “Initially did it to pick up women.” But before long he was to meet his partner and eventual baby mama. These days he gets his adrenaline pumping by practicing public accounting.

Right after doing their first Ha-Ha, David and Jo Bashed back up to the Bay. “It was tough with just two people,” they remember, “but we did it again, so it couldn’t have been that bad. Or maybe we have amnesia.” True to form, they’ll be sticking with their turn-and-burn tradition this year. Ouch!

If you’d like to see more of the boats and crews heading south next month, see here, and here.

We’ll share more Ha-Ha stories over the coming weeks, and, of course, some photos from the Baja Ha-Ha XXXI Kick-Off Costume Party and BBQ on Sunday, November 2, and the Baja Ha-Ha Kick-Off Parade on Monday, November 3.