And they’re off! On cue, the breeze kicked in just before the 11 a.m. start of last year’s rally off Point Loma. latitude/Andy
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC It always amazes us how many sailors seem to be champing at the bit for May to roll around so they can sign up for the Baja Ha-Ha cruising rally. More »

Latitude 38’s Associate Publisher, John Arndt, performing the fireman’s carry on Crissy Fields while scampering away with a keg of suds at the close of Strictly Sail yesterday. latitude/Doña de Mallorca
©2011 Latitude 38 Media, LLC It’s all over but paying off the credit card bills. More »

Some folks think there isn’t much good sailing on the way from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. It’s true that it can be light but, as you can see from David Berke’s YouTube video of Cliff Shaw’s Emery Cove-based Crowther 10m Rainbow, there is actually great sailing to be had. More »

Luckily there was no tattoo parlor at Bahia Santa Maria, or Jack and Leanne might have opted for permanent tats rather than these temporary ones. latitude/Andy
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Australians Jack and Leanne Hembrow had done several cruising rallies in the South Pacific before signing up for the Baja Ha-Ha, but they tell us none of them came close to being as much fun as our San Diego-to-Cabo San Lucas rally. More »

Bathed in early morning light, the getaway from Bahia Santa Maria was one to remember. latitude/Andy
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Just as the bulk of the Baja Ha-Ha 17 fleet approached the finish line of Leg Three, they were greeted by 25-knot headwinds — a final trial for the 600 sailors in this 155-boat fleet on their 750-mile ‘cruise to the Cape’. More »

The Baja Ha-Ha Grand Poobah, clearly on ‘manaña time’, called in the briefest of reports as Profligate was leaving Bahia Santa Maria this morning: "We had a great party at Santa Maria last night, and we have light winds this morning as we’re heading out. More »

Tachyon ran aground just a few miles north of Bahia Santa Maria, where the bulk of the Ha-Ha fleet was anchored. © 2010 Google Earth At sunrise this morning, as the Ha-Ha fleet was trickling into Bahia Santa Maria, the crew of Profligate was alerted to a beached boat just north of the bay. More »

Six hundred sailors aboard 155 boats set sail Monday, bound for sunnier latitudes. latitude/Andy
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC After enduring the coldest summer in recent memory, the 600+ sailors in the Baja Ha-Ha XVII rally fleet have now achieved a long-anticipated goal: They’ve found sunny skies! More »

The Mothership, Profligate, led 154 boats out of San Diego this morning at the start of the 17th Annual Baja Ha-Ha. latitude/John A.
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC Most members of the 196-boat Baja Ha-Ha fleet have been planning and preparing for years — if not decades — to throw off the docklines and cruise south to the sunny climes of Mexico. More »

Even though the Baja Ha-Ha sign-up sheet has topped out at 196 entries, not everyone who wants to join the fun this year will be able to. "For those of us who won’t be in San Diego for the start of the Ha-Ha but still want to watch the parade," writes Pat and Carole McIntosh of the Alameda-based trawler Peregrine (they did the ’06 and ’08 Ha-Ha’s aboard their Hunter 430 Espiritu), "Google ‘live cam san diego‘ and you’ll get a ton of options, including live cams at Pt. More »