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Ha-Ha Weather Looking Sweet

As of today, Commander’s Weather is calling for mild to moderate weather on the way from San Diego to Turtle Bay.

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The weather outook for the first leg of the Baja Ha-Ha, from San Diego, 360 or so miles down to Turtle Bay, is looking pretty sweet — if you’re hoping for a mellow trip.

The forecast for the Ha-Ha Kick-Off and Halloween Costume Party at the West Marine Super Store in San Diego on Sunday is 77 degrees in bright sunshine. You gotta love that. And the temperature for the Monday start is expected to be 75 degrees, again in bright sunshine. So slather on that sunblock.

As for the conditions sailing down the coast, Dave of Commander’s Weather, the official Ha-Ha weather forecasting service, says to expect northwest winds of seven to 13 knots on Monday, which would be ideal for folks wanting to ease into the first leg. But you’ll probably want to have your gennaker/spinnaker at the ready. Tuesday and Wednesday are looking to have a little bit more wind, in the 10- to 17-knot range, once again from aft. So expect to get a lot of experience with the chute up.

At this point there are no fronts coming down from the north that would affect the Ha-Ha fleet, and the tropical zone looks clear. Weather forecasts can always be wrong or change, of course, but right now it appears the Ha-Ha will be blessed with smooth sailing during the first leg.

For the record, the current water temperature just outside is in the 75- to 77-degree range, which is a degree or two higher than the 30 year average. The water temperature in Cabo should be 80 degrees or higher. Can’t wait to jump in, can you?

A lot of folks having been emailing us wanting to know what they can do to get on a boat for the Ha-Ha. At this point in the game, your best bet is to show up at the Kick-Off Party on Sunday, seabag packed, with one copy of your resume attached to your chest and another pinned on your back. During the party we’ll try to group folks still looking for crew and folks wanting to crew. Some years nobody gets a last minute berth, but other years everybody has gotten one. (In fact, one last-minute crew even ended up marrying her skipper!) As this year’s number of paid entries is the second highest ever, it might be worth the trip to San Diego. Good luck to all of you!

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"With the new cruising season upon us, I’d like everyone to know that the Nayarit Riviera Marina has already assigned an area for dinghies to land in the marina, and that there will be no charge to use it," reports marina manager Christian Mancebo.
Lady Washington will sail under the Gate tomorrow, side by side with another Bay regular, Hawaiian Chieftain.