BAJA HA-HA XXIV, PT 1 A
t 10 a.m. on October 29, a longestablished ritual will take place in San Diego Bay. When the official America's Cup shotgun fires, 150 boats will parade through the harbor en route to a great adventure: the start of the 24th annual Baja Ha-Ha rally from California's southernmost city to Cabo San Lucas, at the
Eric Oistad of 'Angantyr'.
tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. As you'll read in the mini-profiles that follow, entrants in the two-week, 750mile rally have backgrounds as varied as the boats they sail. While many are veterans of previous Ha-Ha rallies, most are new inductees. And having worked toward this life-changing goal for years, you can bet they are more than a little excited. As in years past, the fleet will follow the rally's original, time-honored route with two rest stops along the way: The 360-mile first leg to Turtle Bay will be the longest, followed by a 240-miler to wonderfully unspoiled Bahia Santa Maria, then the final 180-mile sprint to Cabo. Even after traveling this route year after year, we can hardly wait to get started! With that, let us introduce you to a sampling of the 2017 Baja Ha-Ha fleet, selected randomly. (The letter 'W' after the boat name indicates white sails only. The letters 'SSB' indicate that the boat has a single sideband radio. When a bold number appears at the end of the bio, it indicates a general idea of how many times those on the boat have sailed to Mexico before. There are 'kid boats' in this year's Ha-Ha, but not in the following selections.) Agaséa — Jeanneau SO 43 DS Gene and Susan Scott Point Richmond Gene, 71, a retired health care consultant, and Susan, a genetic scientist and lab executive, will be sailing south Page 94 •
Latitude 38
• October, 2017
with Edward Witts, 62, a 'sailologist', and Michael Malone, a marine equipment executive. Susan and Gene have been sailing since the 1980s, and Gene did an Atlantic crossing. After a "stormy 2016 Pacific Cup," the couple are looking forward to a warm and more mellow downwind sail to Mexico. They suspect that sailing to Mexico "might represent a better value than racing to Hawaii again." We sure hope so. This will be Gene's fourth sailing trip to Mexico, the third with his own boat. "We're lookng forward to revisiting Sea of Cortez favorites, and then bashing home next spring." 4+; SSB Amistad — Hans Christian 38 John and Alix Schulte San Francisco John, 54, an air traffic controll e r, a n d h i s wife Alix have owned their Hans Christian for 25 years. While they have done several coastal cruises, they are looking to expand their horizons. "It's our first time out, so, starting with the Ha-Ha, we'll be 'Amistad' doing the Mexican Riviera and then the South Pacific. We can sleep when we're dead." Angantyr — Abeking & Rasmussen Erik Oistad and Scott Self Marina del Rey Erik, 63, an engineer who has been sailing most of his life, will have longtime friend Scott, 65, a cruise operator, along as crew. Once the boat gets to Mexico, she's expected to play host to many guests, "including friends of friends." Angantyr was built at the legendary A&R yard in Germany in 1964. Her first owner, a very experienced yachtsman, then singlehanded her across the Atlantic. Erik has owned the yacht — which has all the creature comforts, including two air-conditioners, a bathtub, and freshwater electric toilets — for 10 years. A veteran of a Gulf of Mexico-to-Cali-
fornia trip via Jamaica and the Panama Canal, Erik will stay in Mexico for awhile, then bash back to California. 1; SSB Anna — Norseman 447 KC and Jan Stromgren Seattle, Washington KC, 59, is in medical sales, while his wife Jan is an RN. (As you continue reading, you'll note there are lots of nurses in the Ha-Ha fleet.) Their crew will be Terry Brady, 68, a retired airline executive, and Lori Brady, yet another RN. "We bought our boat in La Paz in 2015 and had her shipped to Seattle, only to be sailing her back to La Paz three years later," laugh the Stromgrens. "We think the Ha-Ha is a great opportunity to meet other sailors, and to learn from them and the Ha-Ha crew. "We've sailed from Seattle to Desolation Sound twice, and sailed from Seattle to San Francisco in July. Under prior owners, the boat did the South Pacific. Our plan is to cruise Mexico through March 2018, and then cross to the South Pacific in April." 1; SSB Blackdragon — Catalina 34 Eric and Karoline Carpentier Vancouver, British Columbia Eric, 29, a web developer, and his wife Karoline, a 'virtual assistant', are planning on sailing with a third crewmember. They've owned their boat for one year, although Blackdragon already has a Ha-Ha to her credit. "The Ha-Ha sounds like the best way to start cruising in Mexico, what with all the more experienced sailors to tag along with. After the Ha-Ha we'll hopefully continue south." Blessings — Bavaria 47 William and Pamela Cutter San Diego William, 65, is a retired member of the United Methodist clergy, while his wife Pamela is a dental hygienist. Both have been sailing about 10 years. As we went to press, they were still looking for two crewmembers. "Woo-hoo!" they exclaim. "We've been looking forward to the Ha-Ha with great anticipation for about six years. The Bavaria 47 is a 'go-anywhere boat', and we plan to go lots of places, making sure to stay off the rocks and reefs. We'll start with the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico, then head across to the South
