The First “Ha-Ha Panties for Peace” With the San Diego Harbor Police
The Baja Ha-Ha has enjoyed a great history with its host departure city, San Diego. The San Diego Harbor Police have been very supportive of the event for decades, though we did get off on the wrong foot during the very first Ha-Ha.
One of the first incidents in the Ha-Ha’s 31-year history was when Mark and Deborah Menagh anchored their Passport 51 Eagle’s Quest in La Playa Cove between the Southwestern and San Diego Yacht Clubs. The crew rowed ashore for the skipper’s meeting at Southwestern Yacht Club, but when they returned, the boat was gone. The city had towed it away, and the woman aboard claimed officials had gone through her panty drawer. So Richard asked the fleet to send panties to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. Since then, the fleet has had a much warmer welcome from the city, and the Harbor Police have been very welcoming to the fleet. You can read the full story of the Panties for Peace incident here.
The 31st Baja Ha-Ha started under the morning gray, giving way to the sunny, blue skies and light breezes of San Diego Bay. The San Diego Harbor Police were again on hand to give a wave and send out their fireboat and crew to salute the starters with their water cannons blazing away.
In addition to the Harbor Police, the crew at West Coast Multihulls assembled a crowd of friends and staff to manage the starting line aboard their new Seawind 1400. Despite the food and libations, it’s always tough duty because we travel along with the fleet for only a few miles before we have to turn and head back to work late on Monday morning. Meanwhile the fleet heads south to Cabo. Still, it’s a great way to start the week.
The 2025 Ha-Ha fleet is now spreading out along the coast of Mexico for a great cruising season ahead. It’s not too early to pencil in early November 2026 for the 32nd Baja Ha-Ha. In the meantime, you can read about the 31st Ha-Ha here. Or listen to the story on today’s Good Jibes podcast.
Good Jibes #220: Poobah’s Last Ha-Ha, ‘Convergence’ Circumnavigation, and Kid Boats (Verbatim)
This week’s host, John Arndt, reads three articles from the December 2025 issue of Latitude 38.
Hear “On Board the Mothership for the Poobah’s Last Ha-Ha” by Nicki Bennett, “Convergence Comes Home” by Sally-Christine Rodgers, and “Boat Kids and Kid Boats” by Katie Levy.
More details here.
Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- The Grand Poobah’s thoughts
- How Chuck Skewes will lead the Baja Ha-Ha
- The best places Convergence sailed
- How long Convergence was at sea
- The best places to take kids sailing in Mexico
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Follow along and read the articles On Board the Mothership; Convergence Comes Home; Boat Kids and Kid Boats.
Join San Francisco Marina’s Holiday Event
#KingTides — Coming to a Foreshore Near You!
With the approaching winter, we’re also preparing for the next rounds of “king tides.” Statewide king tides are due on December 4–5, with higher-than-usual tides also expected on December 6. This is a good time to go check your dock lines and make sure you boat has enough scope. Also, the California King Tides Project, which has been operating since 2018, is again looking for people to photograph the king tides in their local areas and share the photos using the hashtag #KingTides.
The California King Tides Project is run by the California Coastal Commission, which has been working to protect and understand our coastal landscape since 1972. The California King Tides Project is part of the organization’s work to “understand what’s vulnerable to flooding today, plan for future sea level rise, and get us all talking and thinking about the impacts of the climate crisis and what we can do to make a difference.” Your photos can help.
While many people and organizations are working on macro-level projects to slow the pace of the warming of the planet, many waterfront communities are making plans to adapt to the rising seas. Alameda’s Adaptation Committee is one of those. If you’d like to get involved, you can read their latest newsletter here. The Port of Oakland and Port of Los Angeles, and most ports are taking a dual-pronged approach by working to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while also developing resilient facilities that can adapt to the rising seas. The Port of Los Angeles Alta Sea project is dedicated to improving sustainability with its Blue Economy projects and investments. You can attend their “State of the Port” event at the AltaSea location on January 22.
You can find your local king tide times here (mark the dates on your calendar) and start thinking about where and when you’ll take your #KingTides photographs. “Your participation makes the Project possible and we appreciate you!”
While king tides themselves are not caused by sea level rise, their occurrence is an opportunity to experience a little of what higher sea levels will be like. The project organizers explain, “King Tides are the highest predicted tides caused by the gravitational pull between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. They’re about a foot or two higher than average high tides, which gives us a preview of the sea level that’s expected within the next few decades. When you observe the King Tides, picture the water level that high and higher every day. Documenting what King Tides look like today will help us responsibly plan for sea level rise in the future, and gets us thinking and talking about what we can do today.”
The next dates for the California King Tides Project are January 2 and 3, 2026.
If you represent a community group or local government that would like to host a king-tides event, please contact [email protected].
You can browse more king-tide photos on the photo map and on the California King Tides Project website.
Take a Racing Break, Not a Break from Racing
While days are short, temperatures are cold, and our society is busy with the holidays, you might think that sailboat racing would be far from our minds. Not so! We recommend taking a break from this month’s hectic hubbub to get outdoors in the sun (filtered through overcast or not) and reconnect with wind, waves and friendly competition.
One-Day Regattas
The San Francisco Bay Vanguard 15 fleet is planning a Round the Island Regatta for the Jeff Knowles Perpetual on Sunday, December 14, staging out of Alameda Community Sailing Center. But the island they round isn’t Alameda, it’s Treasure Island, their old home base. They’ll start and finish on the Bay (not Estuary) side of the island. Buoy races will follow after a lunch break.
Elkhorn Yacht Club in Moss Landing is planning their first-ever Women’s Invitational Regatta on Saturday, December 6.
Monterey Peninsula YC has a couple of regattas remaining on their 2025 schedule. The Winter Frost for small boats “brings together junior, college and adult dinghy sailors from around Monterey Bay for a friendly day of racing” on December 14. RS Teras, CFJs, C420s and ILCAs are signing up. For big boats, the club will host a casual Boxing Day Race on December 27 with a rabbit start. PHRF boats, Shields and Santana 22s are entering this one.
Limited Series
Andrew Watters has organized team racing for FJs and Vanguard 15s at Alameda Community Sailing Center. Remaining race days are December 20 and January 10. Text Andrew at (410) 829-0249 with any questions.
San Diego Yacht Club’s three-installment Hot Rum Series will wrap up on December 6.
More Midwinters Join the List
Vallejo YC’s Tiny Robbins Midwinter Series will join the list of those series that started in November. December 6 will be the first of four race days.
Richmond Yacht Club’s Small Boat Midwinters will kick off this Sunday, December 7, and continue on the first Sunday of the month through March. The club will run the races on two courses, one inside the Richmond Harbor (Potrero Reach) and one outside (Southampton Shoal) for the bigger, faster boats.
For many more midwinter series, see our Calendar, printed in the December issue of Latitude 38 and posted online here.
What’s going on in your waters? Feel free to comment below and share your favorite December and winter races.
Yacht Charter Placement with Modern Sailing
