5) 2010 Baja Ha-ha sailing clips

Latitude 38 was gracious to pick up one of my You Tube clips and post it in their on-line newsletter:

Nov 15, 2010

Here is what they wrote:

Bountiful Sailing off Baja

November 15, 2010 – Baja, Mexico

Some folks think there isn't much good sailing on the way from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. It's true that it can be light but, as you can see from David Berke's YouTube video of Cliff Shaw's Emery Cove-based Crowther 10m Rainbow, there is actually great sailing to be had.

S/V Rainbow Crowther 10m 17.6 knots 10.31.10 1130am Baja, CA  (You Tube clip w/Cliff at the wheel, John on the rail)

While the wind didn't fill in for the second leg until about 4 p.m., when it did it was wonderful. We were carrying a full main on Profligate along with a Santa Cruz 70 chute in what we estimated were 17 to 19 knots of true wind, and we were constantly surfing in the low- to high-teens. It was so smooth that if you were inside the salon, you could hardly tell — except for the sound of the water passing the hulls — that the boat was moving. It was some of the best sailing we've ever had. Around about 3 a.m., a bit of a cross swell developed, so it wasn't quite as smooth as before, and thanks to overstanding the layline, we had to go to white sails after gybing. Nonetheless, the Baja coast proved to once again be a cat's playground.

Spinnaker sailing off Baja can be really spectacular.
© 2011 Mark Leonard  

Yes, the sailing was spectacular with high winds and small seas.

(You Tube clip)

Sailing Rainbow off Baja, CA 10.31.10 

Cliff at the wheel and John on the rail.

(You Tube clip)

Blowin' by a mono-hull

We blew right by this mono-hull.  Granted, it could have been a full-keel but in reality this cat is flat and mono-hulls suffer in sloppy seas at a certain heading.  You can see the sails collapse when the boat heels and that effectively puts the brakes on extending the duration of the passage.

Cliff cleaning a fish.

...and the boys caught a tuna. 

I found a quick meal in a bag.

(You Tube clip)

Overtaking that same mono-hull 

(You Tube clip)
...off the bow 

(You Tube clip)
dolphins off the bow 

(You Tube clip) 
Sunset
 

4) 2010 Baja Ha-ha Bahia Tortugas, Baja, CA

Turtle Bay, Baja, CA

...somewhere out there Rainbow swings on the hook.

One of the joys of passage-making is arriving and dropping the hook.  I'm not sure which is greater of dropping the hook, getting a beer or taking a land-based shower.  There is still that pesky broad expanse of water between the anchored boat and the shoreline that must be traversed by dinghy.  But, luckily after  treading across the pier there is an unmistakable sign from above, or, well painted on a wall, directing us to the mythical ice cold beer.

 

It may sound cheesy but this watering hole and its vantage point is one of my all-time favorite places.

Restaurant Enrique's

...the no-hot-water $5 USD shower.

   

 

By far one of the greatest qualities of Turtle Bay is the friendliness of the locals.  Next on that list is the many unique characteristics of the town itself.  It would be a mistake to travel this far and not foot-trek thru the streets.

...the famed Vera Cruz restaurant.

...that's the kitchen window.

And, these are on the hill below the kitchen window.  I think we can all do the math on this one.

John and I taking in some r&r.

 

 And of course the beach party...

Why am I smiling?

(You Tube clip)
Baja Ha-Ha beach party tug-of-war Ha-Ha beach party tug-of-war

Rainbow departing Turtle Bay

3) 2010 Baja Ha-ha Sunrise

John at the helm, me in the yellow hood, Cliff pops up for a second.

                                                           (You Tube clip)
                              Sunrise south of San Diego off Baja, CA 10.26.10

2) 2010 Baja Ha-ha start

...the start.

S/V Rainbow leaving San Diego bay in the Ha-Ha start (You Tube clip)

...that's a large piece of kelp stuck to the port rudder just outside San Diego.


S/V Rainbow leaving San Diego 10.25.10 (You Tube clip) 

  

1) 2010 Baja Ha-ha 17

      
  
The Baja Ha-Ha is a two-week cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which takes place every fall.  More than 2,000 boats have completed previous Ha-Ha rallies.  Latitude 38

S/V Learjet

Learjet featured in a sailing magazine.

S/V Learjet departing San Diego, October 2001

In 2001 I sailed to Cabo in the Baja Ha-Ha for my first time and it was my first long-distance offshore passage.  I crewed S/V Learjet which is a 1989 56' Nelson-Marek and not knowing any better figured that downhill sleds were what it was all about.

S/V Seabreeze departing San Diego, October 2006

In 2006 I did the rally again on S/V Seabreeze which is a 40' 1982 Swallowcraft Swift 40, ketch.  This time I learned that sailboats can be very comfortable.  

S/V Rainbow in Richmond, CA

Rounding out the offshore experience I managed to get on-board S/V Rainbow a Crowther 10m catamaran for the 2010 17th annual making it my 3rd time in the rally but first time offshore in a catamaran.  

Leading up to the Ha-Ha we did some practice sailing in the bay.  In our first sail I realized just how powerful this boat is.  We were heading back to Richmond and within the anchored-out barges a couple miles off the shoreline.  The winds were in the 20s and we were moving along quite well with no waves to slow us down.  Here's a YouTube link:

                                                  Crowther 10m 7.10.10  (You Tube link)

On September 4th, a Saturday, we planned to head offshore for an overnight practice run.  The plan was to find a western heading that worked well with the wind and waves and calculate the turn-around point at about 12 hours out.  

September 4th & 5th GPS track (the track ends when the batteries quit, oops)

 ________________________Crowther 10m 9.4.10 pt 1  (You Tube link)

The furthest west we made it was about 47 miles southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.  At about 9pm on Saturday night we decided to heave-to and eat dinner in a relatively calmer condition than sailing into the 6'+ swells and 20+ knot winds.  The conditions were dramatically slowing us down and we eventually remained in place until the 12 hour mark.  We were trying to time our arrival at the slip at 24 hours later then when we departed.   

                        Crowther 10m 9.4.10 pt2 (You Tube link)

Kick-off party in San Diego the day before the start.