The 30th Annual Baja Ha-Ha — Champagne Sailing

The 30th edition of the Baja Ha-Ha cruising rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas was one of the finest, smoothest two-week runs in its history. On a glassy, calm, sunny Monday, November 4, the fleet gathered at the starting line in San Diego to embark upon an unforgettable experience that would include great fishing, sightings of a SpaceX rocket launch, and smooth seas, all under clear skies and a waxing moon.

Since starting in 1994, the Baja Ha-Ha has launched thousands of cruising dreams in a huge variety of boats. This year’s fleet ranged from 27-ft sloops to a luxurious 70-ft yacht, and included many multihulls and a few powerboats. The Grand Poobah stated, “The boats keep getting better and better, a little bigger, but they are more late-model boats. Plus, there are always some boats from the ’60s and ’70s, like the Cal 46, an Islander 36 and an Ericson 32, so it’s a good event for all kinds of boats.”

Assistant Poobah Patsy Verhoeven gave us some more details on the fleet. Of the 131 boats that signed up, 100 boats started from San Diego and 98 finished; four were powerboats and 14 were multihulls. The average boat length: 43-ft. Eleven were built before 1980, 30 between 1980 and 2000, and 54 in the last 25 years. A total of 398 people on all boats. Of those, 118 were female. The average age of participants (skippers, crew and kids) 53, average skippers’ age 68. There were 27 kids under 16 on 12 boats. She added, “This was an excellent group of people. It takes a good group to adjust to the changes and deal with the uncertainty.”

The fleet is always a mix of experienced sailors who’ve made many trips both north and south, plus first-timers who are looking to become future, experienced “old-timers.” Now that they’ve all made it, they have the experience to share, too. The kids’ boundless enthusiasm added energy to the very family-friendly event. They participated in numerous activities like the “Little Kids Olympics,” diving, flipping, and flopping off the mothership Profligate, and creating memories that will last long past the sting of the last belly flop.

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