Bargain-Boat Cruising

Not surprisingly, some of the sailors who seemed to be having the most fun during the recent Baja Ha-Ha rally were ‘young adults’ of 32 years old or younger. As far as we know, none of them were trust-funders with bottomless bank accounts. They simply had a lust for adventure, bought cheap fixer-upper boats, did a few upgrades, and fast-tracked their entry into the cruising life — rather than procrastinating for decades like many in their parents’ generation do.

A few bargain Baja Ha-Ha’ers worth noting were Zachary Lough, 25, of the Ventura-based Catalina 30 Panache, and Marc Abdou, 26, of the Catalina 27 Mer-Sea. Both Lough and 32-year-old Dave Satterwhite of the S.F.-based C&C 39 Camanoe ended up winning their divisions in the Ha-Ha rally, having sailed the entire course.

But let’s expand the topic beyond youth. If you spent less than $10,000 on your boat and are successfully cruising aboard it — or did so in the past — we’d love to hear from you. We think the subject of low-cost entry into the cruising lifestyle is well worth a feature article in Latitude 38. So if you have bargain-boat experiences to share, please email us a few paragraphs and a few of your best photos.