California Mercury Fleet Races Into December
The Richmond Yacht Club (RYC) Small Boat Midwinters, a four-day monthly series from December through March, kicked off on Sunday, December 7. Though eight Mercurys have signed up for it so far, a few had conflicts, reducing the number of boats on the water to five.
Other than being a bit chilly, the sailing conditions were glorious: sunny and an oscillating northerly breeze at around seven knots, with occasional gusts that might have briefly touched 12. With about 90 boats in seven starts, the course was busy! But the race committee did an extraordinary job of keeping the fleets separated and everything moving; the waits between starts were acceptably short and the cross traffic kept to a minimum of occasionally finding your way through a downwind fleet as you worked your way upwind. Offset marks at the weather rounding and a leeward gate kept things from getting snarled up.
The Mercs had great racing, with three different winners in the four races. Charlie McKenzie with crew Jennifer McKimm, and John Ravizza and son Michael, each won one race, and Dave West and Chris Krueger won two. Dave Bacci, sailing with Chris Davis, got all seconds and thirds, giving them second place for the day, one point behind West and Krueger. The Ravizzas dropped out of the last race, costing them six points, and so finished in a three-way tie for third with Charlie and Ben Bradley and Alex Braman.
Thanks to Richmond Yacht Club for hosting such a terrific day on the water!
Barra de Navidad 2026 Cruise-In Week and Fiesta de Veleros Soon!
The 2026 Barra de Navidad Cruise-In Week starts on Friday, February 6, and continues until Sunday, February 15. (It’s closer than you think!) Pat McIntosh sent us the following information.
If you want to berth in the marina and get the discount, you need to start early and complete two things by Friday, January 6:
1/ Register with us at [email protected].
2/ Register online with the harbormaster’s office at the marina.
If you don’t snag a slip or would rather save the money for other fun things, the lagoon at Barra is a great place to kick back and relax. Last year there were close to 100 boats anchored and enjoying the “neighborhood” and each other. The water taxi is your Uber, or just dinghy in and tie up at the Sands dinghy wall for free. You can get your provisions and enjoy Barra for the day, and as you head back to your boat you can have a swim in the pool, get a beer or whatever at the Sands Hotel bar, and relax after a tough day in BARRADISE!
Here’s part of the (extended) week’s activities:
- Friday, February 6 — Informal reunions with fellow sailors you’ve met in Mexico, on the Baja Ha Ha, buddy-boating either up in the Sea of Cortez or along the coast of Mexico, or swimming in Tenacatita.
- Saturday, Feb. 7 — Grand Reception: Meet & Greet, details, Q&A, swag bags etc., and a fun night. Most sailing on Sunday the 8th is being interrupted for land activities around the Super Bowl. Several bars and restaurants in Barra are setting up special viewing and “tailgating” for the day. But it could be a good day to try out the afternoon winds if you’re planning on racing in Friday’s Flamingo Regatta.
- The rest of the week will include fundraising sailboat rides and Volunteer Work Days at a turtle nesting reserve and at schools. This year we are sponsoring a special Nautical History Event highlighting Barra de Navidad’s involvement in opening trade routes on the Pacific Ocean in the early 1500s.
- The annual Flamingo Regatta takes place on Friday, February 13. There are great viewing sites along the shore, with all the loot from the betting going to the schools and children-related learning/educational activities around Barra.
- Saturday, February 14, is Valentine’s Day, with special dinners, music and dancing venues that have planned a memorable evening in Barra for our visiting captains and the admirals.
- Sunday, February 15, brings the 10th Annual Barra de Navidad Mexican Fiesta in the town square. This Fiesta includes everything from dancing horses to traditional folkloric dancing, great food, Mexican silent auction, and the best-tasting churros or margaritas you will find in all of Mexico. Money raised goes to the kids’ education.
- The Santana tribute band is back again.
- We are working with Bart Goodell of the Vallarta Yacht Club to offer courtesy cruises to some students and teachers in the days following Cruise-In Week. If you are interested in participating in this activity, with your boat or as a bilingual assistant, or in any other way, please contact us either online or at the daily net check-in.
This annual cruise-in festivities raise funds for the region’s local schools. The 2025 Cruise-In week raised 80,800 pesos [approximately $4,500 US] gifted to seven recipients, with the funds being used for everything from facilities to equipment, software, student lunches and more.
For more information or updates on details contact: [email protected].
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Finally Some Good News for the Oakland Estuary
While we’re in the midst of winter storms, Brock de Lappe has referred us to a recent story in the Oaklandside with good news for the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. A portion of the $3.2 million awarded by NOAA for an Estuary cleanup has now been allocated and approved for the cleanup to commence.
As they were in 2024, Lind Marine has been contracted to raise sunken vessels along the shoreline over a couple of years, and bring them to their Mare Island facility for disposal. In addition, Mary Spicer of I Heart Oakland-Alameda Estuary has received a grant for the balance of the funds, along with the East Bay Regional Park District, to expand their shoreline cleanup efforts.
This has been a long time coming and is seen as a welcome step by Brock de Lappe, Mary Spicer and the many Estuary advocates who have been lobbying on behalf of the Estuary, area residents, and boat owners. Brock also credits Isabel Chamberlain, compliance manager for the BCDC, who has been pressuring the City of Oakland with legal action. The BCDC can fine cities like Oakland for neglecting their waterfront and allowing environmental damage.
In addition, Oakland’s Nuisance Vessel Ordinance has given the City the ability to impound and remove vessels illegally anchored off their shoreline. The cleanup will make great strides in improving the Estuary, but the problem will remain if the City and Port of Oakland cannot fund ongoing enforcement of the no-anchorage areas.
According to Brock, the Port of Oakland controls all this waterfront property, yet they fund only one single officer out of their almost $500 million annual budget to patrol the anchorage. Without increased funding for enforcement, the cleanup has a high probability of achieving temporary results.
Unlike with the cleanup of Richardson Bay, there doesn’t appear to be any aid available to help those who are struggling to find shelter by living aboard, leaving that as an unsolved problem.
This week’s winter storms are likely to add more wrecks to the shoreline, but we hope this news is the start of returning the Estuary to a clean, safe recreational resource for all East Bay residents.
Valiant 47 ‘Summer Passage’ Lost on Shoals of Isla Santa Margarita
We’re sad to report that while the Baja Ha-Ha was heading south, San Rafael Yacht Club members Wendy and Mike Koechler went aground while on their own trip south aboard their Valiant 47 Summer Passage. Shortly after the Ha-Ha finished, we received word from a reader that Summer Passage had run aground at Isla Santa Margarita, just south of Magdalena Bay.
Another San Rafael Yacht Club (SRYC) member spoke with Wendy and shared their notes on the conversation.
According to the SRYC member, Wendy reported that they had departed San Rafael in early October with their five-week-old puppy. They were sailing south between islands. Mike set the autopilot and came below to eat. Before he’d taken his first bite, the boat was suddenly hard aground and being pounded by waves. It was later that the couple learned the locals have nicknamed the area “Shipwreck Alley.”
Going on deck in heavy spray and mist, Mike was injured, with a broken foot and ribs. In addition, the dodger and panels were smashed. The boat settled onto her port side and started taking on water through her vents. The couple huddled for roughly 12 hours until daylight. They relayed that they didn’t have an EPIRB, but did fire off their supply of flares during the night.
It was the next morning when Mike saw three men on horseback. Local fishermen arrived. Somehow, Wendy was pulled into deeper water but rescued. Then the fishermen returned for Mike because he couldn’t evacuate on his own. The couple were taken to a hospital in San Carlos, and eventually made it to friends’ in Mazatlán.
Apparently, the Koechlers had been working on the boat for 10 years, doing an extensive refit before heading off on their dream cruise.
We did reach out to learn more from Wendy, and in a short email exchange, she explained that, for legal reasons, she couldn’t communicate with us now.
We’ve notified a few contacts in Mexico who were, so far, unaware of the loss. Valiants are very rugged boats, and we hoped she might have a chance of rescue, but it sounds as if she was a total loss.
We’re very sorry for the Koechlers’ loss and wish them the best.
SV ‘Stargazer’ Becomes a Fully Fledged Kid Boat
When David and I first sailed Stargazer to Mexico in the 2011 Baja Ha- Ha, it was with a couple of friends. When we returned to the Ha-Ha last year, the crew included our daughters, 13-year-old Emily and 10-year-old Harper, and Stargazer was — and is — a fully fledged kid boat.
What’s a kid boat? It’s a cruising sailboat with kids aboard — and one always on the lookout for other kid boats for social interaction. It’s essential! Luckily, the 2024 Ha-Ha was a huge “kid-boat” year: more than 20 kids on various boats, all sailing southbound.
The kids first met at the rally’s stops in Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. After the Ha-Ha, the kid boats organically grouped together for further adventures. The majority headed to La Paz, while a few others went directly to Banderas Bay. The La Paz boats, Stargazer among them, joined forces with other existing kid boats for the start of months of fun and shenanigans.
The first “scheduled” activity was Thanksgiving. The ever-growing kid-boat flotilla headed to Caleta Partida, where they launched boatloads of toys including kayaks, SUPs, lily pads, tow-behind inflatable toys and dinghies. You name the water toy, it was there! At one point, all the kids congregated on the 70-ft Halcyon Seas, one of the powerboats that had come down with the Ha-Ha. It was pure excitement to see them swimming laps around the boat, jumping off the fly bridge, and playing with all the water toys.
With too many kids and families to all fit on one boat for a Thanksgiving feast, everyone joined together for a potluck on the beach. It was a Thanksgiving we will all remember.
After the holiday, with the Sea of Cortez water getting cooler and northerly winds becoming more common, boats started migrating south. No formal kid-boat plans had been made at that point, so many boats went their separate ways with future plans unknown.
It wasn’t long before reunions started happening! We had been headed to Banderas Bay, but when iffy weather was forecast for that area, we diverted to Mazatlán — and arrived to find Ha-Ha kid boats Skye and Sea Monkey already there. Another kid boat, Polar Sun, was leaving as we arrived, so we took their spot in the tight inner harbor. We enjoyed Mazatlán together for a few days, then buddy-boated south to Isla Isabela. There, we met back up with Polar Sun, who had scoped out the southern anchorage for us and guided our trio of boats into a great sand patch (one example of the benefits of buddy-boating). After the parade of kids and families had explored this beautiful island, the four of us continued south in company to La Cruz in Banderas Bay.
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