DOWN MEXICO WAY
A Garmin/Delorme Inreach track shows the route from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and back
The Baja Ha-Ha is a high point of the West Coast cruising calendar. Each year, at the end of October, around 150 boats make the 750-mile voyage from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with stops at the small Mexican settlements of Tortuga Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. This popular southbound rally spans two weeks and is a convenient start for cruising the Sea of Cortez. Most boats continue on to La Paz or Puerto Vallarta. A few return against the prevailing winds and currents, fondly known as the “Baja Bash.”
For many West Coast sailors, the Baja Ha-Ha is their most ambitious off shore passage. The Baja peninsula is rugged and remote. You need to prepare for off shore conditions ranging from days of flat calm to 25 knots of wind with gusts to 30. I joined the 2014 Ha-Ha on my Tartan 3500, Intuition, aft er some intense preparation, and have twice crewed on other boats. Here’s what I’ve learned aft er three Baja Ha-Has.
PREPARATION: You could easily spend several months preparing your boat for this adventure, familiarizing yourself with each onboard system and correcting the problems you identify. As you work through your boat, ask yourself,
