Baja Ha-Ha Invades Cabo

After the third leg of the 22nd annual Baja Ha-Ha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, at times one of the roughest in the annals of Ha-Ha sailing, most of the 450+ crew of the 115 boats managed to make it to Cabo in time for the big party at Squid Roe. As beaten up and exhausted as they were, the Ha-Ha folks rallied for an outrageous dance party, throwing their mental ages back 30 to 40 years. Who knows, maybe it was partly in response to the big banner the Squid had put up to welcome the Ha-Ha crowd for the 22nd year in a row.

But there’s no rest for the wicked, with the beach party at Medano Beach this afternoon highlighted by the ‘Here to Eternity’ rolling-in-the-surf kissing contest. All action on the beach stops when the HTE contest gets underway.

This year’s fleet has been terrific, with the smallest boat ever, Tom Carr’s Bluebird, a 19-ft Mirror sloop, and the biggest number of soul sailors — no motoring — in years. One couple stuck out a calm period so long that their dog picked up the ignition key to their engine and mouthed it over to them. They ignored their pooch.

When you do the Ha-Ha, your days and nights are packed with action and activities. No wonder so many people say it seems like months ago that they left San Diego. Some are even having trouble remembering the names of friends and family members. It’s a living-at-Level-11 experience.

Speaking of the last leg, many boats broke personal best speeds in warm, dry winds that gusted to over 30 knots. Tom Wurfl and Helen Downs, for example, got their San Diego-based Lagoon 42 cat up to nearly 17 knots — under main alone, no less — which may be a record for that design.

The biggest Ha-Ha mystery remains who put on the fireworks show at Bahia Santa Maria. It wasn’t Profligate.

Do you know what you’ll be doing in late October 2016? We do: The 2016 Ha-Ha, which will be Profligate’s 20th. We hope you’ll join us.