Counting Down to the 27th Baja Ha-Ha
With only five weeks to go before the Baja Ha-Ha XXVII Kick-Off party in San Diego, we’re keeping an eye on what’s happening ahead of the rally. The Baja Ha-Ha’s Grand Poobah is sharing updates on the Ha-Ha website, which we can only imagine is fueling the excitement, and it appears there are a few Ha-Ha sailors who are finding it hard to wait for the official start.
The Poobah writes, “Kathy Erwin of the San Luis Obispo-based Brewer 44 Sea Bella reports that there are already seven Ha-Ha boats in Ensenada with more expected soon. ‘The crews of four boats — Sea Bella, Serina, Reverence, and Arkouda — got together for a trip to Playa Agua Caliente, 50 miles south of Ensenada,’ reports Kathy. ‘It has natural hot springs that boil up in the sand at low tide. Dig a hole at low tide and it fills with super-hot water. So hot that you can’t dig too deep or your feet will get scalded — and quickly, too.'”
“‘Our group of four Ha-Ha boats are very quickly becoming a tight group of sailors,’ says Kathy, ‘and looking for more while we wait for the November 1 Ha-Ha start.'”
We’ve also learned that face painting will be available at the party, as 31 kids 16 and under have been signed up for this year’s rally.
“That’s a record,” the Poobah writes. “While sometimes shy in the beginning, kids love clowns and face paint. Which is why the Ha-Ha has contracted for the services of the clown who did the face paint of the three women in the photo below.”
But for all of you adult sailors who are anticipating a party face to complement your party costumes, the Poobah warns that the face painting will only be available for 90 minutes, and it will be “kids first!”
The Grand Poobah also reminds everyone, “An Ensenada Ha-Ha start is perfectly viable, as it makes the first leg 55 miles shorter, and it’s much more likely you can get a berth in Ensenada than in San Diego.”
And to make sure you can still attend the Skippers’ Meeting and Last Cheeseburger in Paradise Kick-Off Costume Party the day before the start, the Poobah has outlined how to get there, overland, from Ensenada. “Take the ABC bus and red trolley up the day before and spend the night in a Shelter Island-area hotel. There are some economical ones. After the Kick-Off Party, hop back on the Red Trolley to Tijuana, then the ABC bus to Ensenada. The Poobah has done this trip many times.”