Checking in with the Baja Ha-Ha in Mexico

We just — and we mean just — got a call from the Grand Poobah in Bahía Santa Maria giving us a little Baja Ha-Ha update. “Right now we have about 121 boats and 461 people; the first leg started sunny and beautiful and then got cold and sprinkle-y, which is unusual this time of year.”

Despite the clouds, the Poobah said that the sailing has been magnificent, especially when compared to last year’s sunny but largely windless Ha-Ha. “Lots of boats sailed 70- or 80% of the first leg — that’s more sailing then almost all of last year,” the Poobah and Latitude’s founder told us. “People have been landing a lot of fish, and we had a huge welcome in Turtle Bay.”

A quick perusing of social media, especially using the hashtag #bajahaha, has yielded the following images from the west coast of Baja California:

During the passage from Turtle Bay to Bahía Santa Maria, the Grand Poobah said that 30- to 40% of the boats sailed the entire way — another apparent rarity. “A few boats got hit by a squall with 30- to 35-knot winds, and there were some spinnaker wraps and a little breakage, but other boats have been helping out. Now it’s sunny and clear, and we have total  Baja weather. Tomorrow we’re going to have a big rock and roll band up on the bluff. We’ll be here another day.”