baja ha-ha profi les, pt. I

BAJA HA-HA XXIV, PT 1

At 10 a.m. on October 29, a longestablished ritual will take place in San Diego Bay. When the offi cial America's Cup shotgun fi res, 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-profi les 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 fl eet will follow the rally's original, time-honored route with two rest stops along the way: The 360-mile fi rst leg to Turtle Bay will be the longest, followed by a 240-miler to wonderfully unspoiled Bahia Santa Maria, then the fi nal 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 fl eet, 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 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 Pacifi c

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 controller, and his 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 doing the Mexi- 'Amistad' can Riviera and then the South Pacifi c. 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 fi rst 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-California 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 fl eet.) 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 Pacifi c. Our plan is to cruise

Mexico through March 2018, and then cross to the South Pacifi c 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

Josh and Tara Stephens of 'Endeavour'.

Pacifi c. We're not coming home," say the couple, "as we'll be cruising full-time."

Celebrate — Taswell 58 Charlie and Cathy Simon Seattle, Washington Charlie, 62, a computer expert, and his wife Cathy, a retired banking executive, will be among the most experienced sailors in the fl eet. A couple of years ago they did a doublehanded circumnavigation in about 13 months, and as we write, have just completed the Northwest Passage. They say they can't wait to start the HaHa and get warm again. Both Charlie and Cathy have been sailing for more than 40 years, and have owned their current boat for six years. After the Ha-Ha, they plan to go down to and through the Panama Canal, and then up to the Caribbean. 2; SSB

'Celebrate'

Chance — Wauquiez Centurion 42 Mark and Deb Lowry Richmond

Mark, 65, a retired physicist, and Deb, a retired telecom manager, will be accompanied by Ted Strand, 65, a physicist, and Jim Bonlie, 63, an optoelectronic engineer, and probably two others. One smart crew! Mark has been sailing most of his life, and has been looking forward to Ha-Ha conditions, which he describes as "downwind in a steady 15 knots, clear skies, 75° temps, and no cross swell. He is under the delusion that such conditions have been guaranteed by the Grand Poobah. "Even if the conditions aren't perfect, we're going to have a damn good time." The couple bought their boat from the Coast Guard Foundation in Connecticut. "She was trashed, so we did pretty much a complete refi t over the last fi ve years. In fact, ours might be the most tricked-out Centurion 42 around," Mark did the 2016 Pacifi c Cup and sailed the boat back to California. The couple are planning on doing the Puddle Jump, but who knows? They might do the Caribbean instead. Or even the 2018 Pacifi c Cup.

Dolce — Island Packet 485 Eric and Gisela Gosch San Diego Eric, 63, a car dealer, and Gisela, who has worked in community politics, will be doing their third Ha-Ha. They've also done a lot of cruising in Mexico, and in 2007 did the Puddle Jump to the South Pacifi c and New Zealand. "This year we're doing the Ha-Ha with our good friends and mountain biking buddies, Brad and Mary Viereck, who have sailed before with us on coastal trips. We plan to leave Dolce in La Paz and 'commuter cruise' the winter season in the Sea of Cortez, something we've done before." 4; SSB

Endeavour — Tatoosh 51 W John Stephens and Tara Travers-Stephens San Francisco

John, 59, a retired fi refi ghter, and his wife Tara, an RN, both did the Ha-Ha in 2014. "We enjoyed it so much that we're doing it again. But this time we're skipping the Bash home and will be staying in Mexico with an eye on doing the Puddle Jump." The couple have already sailed to Hawaii and back. "We're fi nally ready to relax!"

Epifania — Ta Chiao 54 W David and Allison Shuttleworth San Francisco

Epifania might as well be a hospital ship, as David, 49, is an ER tech, his wife Allison is an ER nurse, and they'll have Kyle Siler, 47, a pharmacist, along as crew. The couple have been sailing for fi ve years and bought their big ketch, which they live aboard, last October. Helen Keller's famous quote, "Life is an adventure or nothing at all," is their motto. The Ha-Ha marks the beginning of an adventure that has been the couple's lifelong dream. They plan to make it down the coast to Panama, at which point they'll have to decide whether to turn east or west.

Epifania was originally sailed on Lake Michigan, then in the Caribbean, and did two Transpacs after being brought to the West Coast. SSB

Euphoria — Olson 40 David and Lisa Smyth Waikiki, Hawaii

David, 60, is president of the wellknown Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, while his wife Lisa is an RN and special education aid. They will probably sail with two to four crew. Grown children Jessica, 29, and Warren, 25, are likely candidates, as are Steve and April Brown of Finco Fabrication. The couple only bought the Olson 40, a vet of the 2006 Ha-Ha, in February, but have completely refit her. "We removed everything, repainted everything, replaced almost everything, and rebuilt

BAJA HA-HA XXIV, PT 1

the rest. Euphoria is our new magic carpet, and the Ha-Ha will be the beginning of a long voyage to who knows where and for who knows how long? The Ha-Ha forces us to leave on time, and will assure that we'll have fun from the very 'Glory Days' beginning." David has a lot of sailing experience, as he was the sailing master aboard the St. Francis YC-based Tripp 75 Blackfi n for a trip across the Atlantic, and the same for a crossing on the Swan 65 Jaguar. He's also done three Transpacs. The couple's intention is to be in Panama by Christmas, Belize by February, the Eastern Caribbean islands through May, then Maine for summer 2018.

Glory Days — Fraser 51 Scott and Phyllis Radford Tacoma, Washington

Scott, 60, retired from information technology, and his wife Phyllis, a retired accountant, report that, "Taking off cruising has been a dream of ours for so many years. We think the Ha-

Ha is the perfect way to get our feet wet in long-distance cruising, and we're looking to meet lots of other like-minded people." The center cockpit Glory Days is tall, although her 72-ft bridge clearance won't pose any problems in the South Pacifi c. But her 8'2" draft makes her a potential 'bommie bumper'. SSB

Good Rain — Pearson 365 ketch Robert Moran and Sheila McKinnon Nanaimo, British Columbia Robert, 68, a retired industrial gas fi tter and fl ying instructor, will be heading south with his partner Sheila, a retired nurse. While Robert started sailing more than 40 years ago and has owned more than four boats, the couple has only owned Good Rain for seven months. "New boat, new adventure!" is our motto. "We plan to do the Puddle Jump after Ecuador, so the Ha-Ha will be our 'Baby Jump'." SSB

Green Flash — Beneteau Oceanis 351 Robert Ritner and Joan Chen Long Beach

Robert, 51, an architect, and his wife Joan, an offi ce manager, will be doublehanding the boat they've owned for 12 years. "We're looking to enjoy the company, nature and being disconnected from the wired world." 'Green Flash'

Green Flash has some miles on her, as she's done a Ha-Ha, Baja Bash, Transpac and Puerto Vallarta Race. "After the Ha-Ha we plan to continue on to other ports for a few years." — latitude/richard & tim

BAJA HA-HA XXIV

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The Baja Ha-Ha is a 750mile cruisers’ rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with stops along the way at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria.

Visit www.baja-haha.com to: • See list of current registered participants. • See alumnae list of almost 3,000 participating boats from the past 23 years. • Find entry requirements. • Download the First Timer’s Guide. • Join the crew list to sail South.

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NEXT: THE PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMP?

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