Who Are Your Baja Ha-Ha Fleet Neighbors?
Preparations for the 28th Baja Ha-Ha are in full swing, and when we checked this morning, 75 boats had already signed up for the approximately 750-mile cruisers’ rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. As part of preparations, the organizing crew is putting together a “Meet the Fleet Guide” that will help sailors doing the Ha-Ha get to know each other. After all, sailing in company is much more fun when you know your fellow crews. However, the Grand Poobah has noticed that some people have been skipping this important part of their registration, and he is asking sailors to go back to the website and fill in the rest of their details.
“Speaking as the Poobah, I’m honored by the large number of people who have registered for the Ha-Ha as soon as it was possible. What I didn’t realize is that there would be a negative side effect. In order to enter as quickly as possible, almost everyone skipped, or at least skimped on, their bio information for the ‘Meet The Fleet Guide’ that I’m putting together.
“This is not good, because the bio information in the guide is one of the lubricants that facilitates participants’ making new friends and having more fun. And I want the guide to be as good as it can be. So if you skipped the bio information questions, I’m encouraging you to remedy that as soon as possible.”
“Please be as specific as you’re comfortable with. For example, if you responded that your career was in ‘finance’, it doesn’t tell other participants whether you were a bank teller or the bagman for the Sinaloa cartel. One would paint you in a much different light than the other.
“Similarly, there are lots of ‘engineers’ in each Ha-Ha. Are you a train engineer, a software engineer, or a civil engineer? Other participants want to know.
“Describing your personal preferences is even more helpful. We suggested things like identifying your favorite quote, sailing hero, destination, and dessert. Don’t have a favorite dessert? Then what’s your favorite vegetable? Favorite movie? Favorite rock band? Anything. It doesn’t even have to be relevant. ‘I like ’55 Chevys’ works, too. Anything to help others to get to know a little bit about you or be a conversation starter.”
“Always remember that the Ha-Ha is an escape from the ‘real world’, so we encourage light-hearted, whimsical, and even silly responses to help set the tone for the event. There are only two things to be serious about in the Ha-Ha: 1. Safety. And 2. Having fun.
“Please email that bio info to [email protected] as soon as possible.
“The Poobah thanks you.”
To give you an idea, take a look at the 2021 “Meet the Fleet Guide.”