Who Are the First To Sign Up for Baja Ha-Ha XXXII?
Registration for the 32nd annual Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally to Mexico opened last Friday, January 30. Five paid entries are already on the list — sailors who know what they want and aren’t afraid to commit. Under the captaincy of longtime Ha-Ha vet Chuck Skewes and longtime Ha-Ha Assistant Poobah Patsy Verhoeven, the Ha-Ha is opening its doors early, and adding more informative seminars and other bonuses. If you want a general guide on what to expect from the rally, follow this link to the 2026 Rally Notice. In the meantime, here’s a little rundown on the the first five boats signed up for this year’s Baja Ha-Ha; the excerpts were taken from former Ha-Ha Poobah Richard Spindler’s “Meet the Fleet” bios, which he will continue to write because, he says, “I like doing it.”
Shadowfax, Jeanneau 43 SD — Steve George and Susan Brooks, Long Beach/Huntington Beach.
Steve, 66, from the software world and spouse Susan, retired from the dental world, expect to sail with two crew. Steve has been sailing all his life, primarily on racing boats from Cal 20s to 70-footers, and has owned Shadowfax since 2014. While he’s attempted the Transpac and completed the Pacific Cup with Shadowfax in 2024, he’s also sailed her around the islands and back to the mainland. This will be the couple’s first Ha-Ha, though not their first cruise to Mexico.
Irish Goodbye, Jeanneau 44DS* — Christian McLaughlin, Seattle, WA
Christian, 58, is an active pilot. He anticipates having two crew: Kevin Doggett, 59, and Haken Soderborn, 61, who is retired from the tech world. “I’ve crewed with 59 North from Bermuda to the Azores,” Christian says, “and from Cartagena, Colombia, to Panama and through the Panama Canal.” This same captain and crew brought Irish Goodbye to San Diego on the Coho Ho-Ho rally in 2025. “Everything will kill you,” Christian cheerfully notes, “so choose something fun.”
Lagertha, Sweden 45 — Barry and Maureen Crist, Lopez Island, WA
Barry, 60, is retired from the software world, while Maureen is retired from the tech world. The couple plans to doublehand. Despite calling themselves “sailng newbs,” the couple has cruised the Pacific Northwest, done some racing (Olson 30, J/105, J/70), the 2019 Race to Alaska, Team Dazed and Confused (Barry), and deliveries from Anacortes to San Francisco (Mo). They later spent eight months and roughly 3,000 miles sailing from Virginia to Antigua, with many stops through the Caribbean and Bahamas, returning to the US via Florida. This will be their first Ha-Ha. After that, who knows?
Sassafras, Jeanneau 410 — Matt Carey and Jessica England, San Diego.
Matt, 39, is a major in the United States Air Force Reserves JAG Corps, which means he’s an attorney in the military. Spouse Jessica is a commercial litigator. The couple moved aboard Sassafras full-time in June 2025, just in time to turn their Ha-Ha into the “world’s longest, saltiest honeymoon.” The couple generally enjoy doing their own boat maintenance, although Matt admits that his background as a former space program engineer leads to some overplanning. “That engineering obsession paid off, though,” Matt says. “It’s how we successfully retrofitted a dishwasher onto a 41-ft monohull. While we are ready for adventure, we draw the line at hand-washing dishes.” After the Ha-Ha, the couple plan to spend a few years in Mexico before heading to Panama to “backward” through the Canal to the Caribbean.
Zephyr, Catalina 36 — Tylor Miller, Sausalito/Sacramento (2015)
Taylor, a mere 83, is a retired attorney who did the Ha-Ha in 2015. His crew will be Jeff Bullock, 61, a retired fireman, and Patience Warnick, a retired software engineer. “I’ve been sailing since growing up in another galaxy far, far away,” Taylor says. “Specifically Geist Reservoir near Indianapolis. I started on a Lightning and also raced a Snipe. After moving to Sacramento, I bought a 16-ft Chrysler, which was a slick little boat. Then came a Catalina 22 for 12 years, and my current Catalina 36 that I’ve owned since 2019. I crewed on Greg Himes’ Scout in the 2015 Ha-Ha. It was such a great experience that I can’t resist the opportunity to do it one more time in my own boat — with some of the same crew who were on that year’s Ha-Ha.”
The full bios will appear in this year’s Baja Ha-Ha “Meet the Fleet” booklet that will be published closer to the Ha-Ha launch date. So if you want to know more, get onto the list, add your own sailing bio, and start planning for what will be one of your most fun sailing adventures ever!
For more info and to sign up, go to www.baja-haha.com.