Truckin’ to the Cape With the Grateful Dead and the Baja Ha-Ha — Signups Open!
We’re off to a fresh start of a well-loved rally. The upcoming 32nd annual Baja Ha-Ha is keeping the tradition of the magical autumn ride south down the coast of Baja with a fleet of living-the-dream cruisers, while also adding some fresh salt to the rim of the margarita glass. The fresh start begins with nine-year Ha-Ha veteran Chuck Skewes as the new Grand Poobah.
In a serendipitous twist, it turns out that Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart has an interest in sailing and has granted the Baja Ha-Ha the right to use the “Steal Your Face” logo and Grateful Dead art on this year’s Baja Ha-Ha gear. With the launch of the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha, Chuck is offering a FREE Grateful Dead hat to anyone signed up by May 15, in addition to the $50 off the registration that applies to everyone who signs up by June 1.
By signing up now, you can help us ensure we order enough 2026 Grateful Dead Baja Ha-Ha burgees for you to fly next fall when you’re truckin’ south along the Baja coastline.
Another of the always-good reasons to sign up is that it helps focus your “to-do” list and time, so you make sure you can attend the September 10 crew party at Spaulding Marine Center in Sausalito and then arrive in San Diego by the November 1 skippers’ meeting and kick-off party. We’ll be highlighting some of the stories of those who sign up in future ‘Lectronic Latitudes and issues of the magazine. (Send photos to [email protected].)
We’ll be updating the 2026 Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha First Timer’s Guide that will be mailed out along with the 2026 burgee at the end of June to everyone who’s signed up! This year we had a soft opening for signups ahead of the traditional May 9 date, but it’s now time to get serious. The early-bird entry price is $545. That goes up to $595 on June 1. Sign up by May 15 to claim your free Grateful Dead Ha-Ha hat.
What’s included in sailing south with all your yet-to-be-made new friends in the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha? Free entry into the Baja Ha-Ha cruising seminar and crew party in Sausalito; entry into the Baja Ha-Ha skippers’ meeting and kick-off party in San Diego with free drinks and dinner for skipper and first mate; the First Timer’s Guide and 2026 burgee; a Baja Ha-Ha swag bag with T-shirts, hats, tote bag and other souvenirs; and the Monday-morning kick-off parade ahead of the start. This is all followed by a sun-kissed sail south to Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria with the Cruisers vs. Locals Bazeball Game, beach picnics, the annual rock ‘n’ roll party, the world-famous “From Here to Eternity Kissing Contest,” the Awards Presentation, and more listed in the schedule below.
To learn more about the Ha-Ha you can watch the 20-minute video below by Grand Poobah Chuck Skewes, who answers the question, “What is the Baja Ha-Ha?”
To help you visualize what’s ahead when you sign up, we’re publishing the full 2026 Baja Ha-Ha schedule here:
Baja Ha-Ha XXXII — 2026 Baja Ha-Ha Schedule:
January 30, Noon Friday — Entries open for the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha at an early discounted rate.
June 1, Noon Monday — Discounted signup rate ends.
September 2, 5 p.m. Wednesday — Deadline for all entries and information to be received by the Baja Ha-Ha Rally Committee including all bios, photos and payment.
September 10, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday — Latitude 38 Fall Crew List Party and Baja Ha-Ha Reunion at Spaulding Marine Center in Sausalito, starting off with a Mexico cruising seminar. The seminar starts at 4:30 and the Crew Party starts at 6, with a no-host wine and beer bar, door prizes and free snacks. Mexico cruising experts will be on hand. Seminar and Crew Party are free for paid 2026 Baja Ha-Ha skippers and first mates. The location will be the Spaulding Marine Center, Sausalito.
November 1, 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. Sunday — Mandatory skipper check-in at Rally Headquarters outside West Marine. Online skipper and crew waivers will be confirmed, and communication devices will be verified. If everything checks out you will receive your tickets for your bag of swag and your two tickets to the kick-off party dinner and drinks. Additional tickets for the kick-off party dinner and drinks will be available for sale.
November 1, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday — Mandatory skippers’ meeting in the West Marine parking lot. Rally instructions will be handed out and questions answered. The skipper or representative only, please.
November 1, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday — The Annual Ha-Ha Kick-Off Costume Party in the West Marine parking lot, co-hosted by West Marine. Come in costume! Pick up your swag bag, which includes T-shirts, hat, bag and other souvenirs. The skipper and first mate receive two complimentary food and drink tickets. Additional food and beverage tickets will be available to purchase for extra crew. T-shirts and souvenirs will also be for sale.
November 2, 10 a.m. Monday — Baja Ha-Ha Kick-Off Parade:
9 to 9:30 a.m. — South Bay boats pass San Diego to Harbor Island.
9:45 a.m. — All boats gather off America’s Cup Harbor between Harbor Island and Shelter Island.
10 a.m. — Start boat launches the Baja Ha-Ha with a parade off the southwest corner of Shelter Island. View a diagram of the parade route here.
November 2, 11 a.m. Monday — Start of Leg One for all boats off Coronado Roads.
November 5, 2 p.m.-ish Thursday — The epic, world-famous, Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers and Mexicans Bazeball Game at Turtle Bay. Evening: Restaurant hopping, such as it is, in Turtle Bay.
November 6, Noon-ish Friday — Famous Turtle Bay Beach Picnic until sundown. Bring chairs, beach gear, toys, and anything else you need. Hot dogs will be sold for charity. Beer and maybe other food for sale by locals. Take a panga or your dinghy, but be careful landing — you don’t want to be dumped and have your outboard chop you up!
November 7, 9 a.m. Saturday — Start of Leg Two to Bahia Santa Maria.
November 9, Monday — “Bahia Santa Maria Day” – a lazy lay day meant for relaxing and exploring the bay.
November 10, Tuesday — Annual Rock ’n’ Roll Beach Party (sponsored by local fisherfolk). A surreal scene on a bluff overlooking the bay, with food and beer for sale by local vendors. Immigration officials will be on site to stamp passports and process documents using the Ha-Ha’s unique Mexico check-in system.
November 11, Wednesday — Hiking, beach walking, surfing and water sports in beautiful Bahia Santa Maria.
November 12, 7 a.m. Thursday — Start of Leg Three from Bahia Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas.
November 13, 8 p.m. Friday — “Can’t Believe We Cheated Death Again” dance and party madness for the young at heart at Squid Roe until the last body falls. Optional.
November 14, 4 p.m. Saturday — Awards Presentations at the Upper Patio at Mango Deck overlooking the fleet. Huge 20% discount on food, wine, beer and margaritas.
November 20, 4 to 7 p.m. Friday — La Paz Beach Party at La Costa Restaurant. Mexican folk dancing, live music, food and drinks, door prizes, and more. Free for the first 50 Baja Ha-Ha 2026 participants; everyone is welcome.
If you haven’t signed up already, now’s the time!
A big thank-you to the Baja Ha-Ha sponsors who have already signed up to support the success of the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha: Baja Sur Tourism, Cabrales Boatyard, Commanders’ Weather, Cruiser Services, Ensenada Cruiseport Village, FlopStopper, Harbor Island West Marina, Hydrovane Self-Steering, Keenan Filters, Marina de La Paz, Marina El Cid, Marina Puerto de la Navidad, Mexico Marina Association, Paradise Village Marina, and Sevenstar Yacht Transport.
Keep up with all the Baja Ha-Ha news on our Heading South page. And, if you’re still out cruising from a prior Ha-Ha, send us an update on where you are now to [email protected].
The Story Behind April’s Caption Contest(!)
This one’s personal.… The photo in last month’s Caption Contest(!) that we shared in the April issue is actually a “family” photo. The photo is of my nephew Nathan sailing with his wife Sarah and his father, my brother Steve. They were racing Nathan and Sarah’s Viper 640 Rattlesnake at 9,000 feet on Lake Dillon in Colorado. As most people noted, Sarah was intending to hike out when she went overboard after missing the hiking straps. She actually grew up as a mountain girl in Colorado and not as a sailor, but after connecting with Nathan at the University of Denver she started sailing. We’ve always said, “She jumped in with both feet.” Sarah has been an avid sailor ever since.
Coincidentally, two people who submitted captions randomly called this mystery person, Sarah — they were right!
We received lots of great captions, but one we liked that didn’t make the final cut in print was Chris Conklin’s suggestion, “Boom Kicker.”
Check out the May Caption Contest(!) in Friday’s ‘Lectronic Latitude.
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West Coast Teams Head East for High School Nationals
Point Loma and San Marcos sailing teams are headed east!
The two Southern California powerhouses qualified for the 2026 ISSA Baker Team Race National Championship after a hard-fought Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA) qualifier on Mission Bay in April, earning the right to represent the West Coast at this year’s national championship on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.
Hosted by Christchurch School from May 15–17, the Baker Trophy is one of the premier events in high-school sailing. It brings together the nation’s top team-racing programs for a weekend that often serves as the only true East Coast vs. West Coast measuring stick of the season.
“The East Coast/West Coast rivalry has gone on forever, and this is one of the only times we meet,” said Christchurch head sailing coach Rob Deane. “We don’t really know where they are, and they don’t know where we are until we face each other on the water.”
Point Loma once again arrives as one of the favorites. The San Diego-based program has consistently been near the top of the national podium in both team and fleet racing, and qualified alongside San Marcos after an impressive day of racing at Mission Bay Yacht Club. Mater Dei, often one of California’s strongest national contenders, narrowly missed qualification this year in what Deane described as “a bit of a shakeup.”
But while the West Coast teams bring pedigree and experience, the venue itself may become one of the defining storylines of the regatta. Last year’s Baker Championship was held at Mission Bay Yacht Club in conditions familiar to Point Loma and Mater Dei. Southern California sailing venues often feature relatively flat water and consistent breeze patterns inside protected harbors. The Rappahannock River offers something very different.
“Here on the Rappahannock, it can blow hard and have big waves,” Deane said. “This will be much more open-water sailing than they are used to. Our waves can get very steep and close together because of the shallow waterways. It can be extremely challenging.” That challenge extends well beyond the California teams.
“It’s probably the same for schools like St. George’s, Tabor, even some of the Florida programs,” Deane added. “You might get one condition in the morning and something completely different in the afternoon.”
Unlike collegiate or Olympic-level programs with extended training blocks, high school teams arriving for nationals have little time to acclimate. “The other schools get about 10 to 15 minutes when they launch to feel out the river,” Deane said. “There’s definitely a home court advantage.”
Still, Deane believes the significance of the event transcends geography or conditions. “At any national level, you have young sailors who have prepared for nine months, or really their whole lives, to get here,” he said. “For many of these sailors, this may be the biggest event they ever compete in.”
That reality is part of what continues to make the Baker Trophy unique within youth sports. Only a small number of high school athletes in any sport compete for true national championships, and the sailors arriving in Virginia represent the highest level of their discipline. “If you become the very best at what you do, no matter what it is, it really says something about you,” Deane said. This year, the proving ground happens to be the Rappahannock River.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of April Sailing
Welcome to this month’s Sailagram. The Bay is hotting up and sailors have been out cruising, racing, and just having a good time on the water. See what’s been going on in April.
For More Great Sailing Stories, Tune In to Good Jibes
