A Surprise or Two Uncovered In the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha Bios

In the course of putting together a bio for this fall’s Baja Ha-Ha, I came across this line from one of the entrants: “When doing boat trips, I always give a sigh of relief when we get back to within 20 miles of shore because I know if worst came to worst I could swim ashore.”

“Oh sure,” I thought, chuckling to myself. But then I read further: “I’m an open-water swimmer, having completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, which is the Catalina Channel, around Manhattan, and the English Channel. I’ve also swum around Key West [and] the Anacapa Channel, escaped Alcatraz, [and swum] the Salt River in Arizona, across Lake Tahoe, and various smaller lakes in the Sierras.” Whoa, I take my skepticism back! Way back.

Just so everyone is clear, I, Richard Spindler, founder of the Baja Ha-Ha and the Grand Poobah for all 31 years, have indeed retired and sold the company. I absolutely love the event, but I’m 78, and sadly it was time. I’m confident Chuck Skewes, the new owner and vet of many Ha-Ha’s, will do a great job along with the help of longtime Assistant Poobah Patsy Verhoeven, who has done about 20 of them. My only role is that I’m editing the bios on a contract basis.

It’s a heck of a lot of fun because there are so many interesting people who will be doing the Ha-Ha. For example, another entry’s previous longest passage was a circumnavigation aboard his humble Morgan 38! But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a circumnavigator or a world-class swimmer to join the Ha-Ha. For complete information on the Ha-Ha, which starts on November 2, and to sign up, visit www.baja-haha.com.

Check out this clip of Chuck Skewes in conversation with Ed Lecco, who did the 2022 Baja Ha-Ha aboard his Hylas 54 Voyager:

Start your Ha-Ha at our Fall Crew List Party.