The HA HA Race

This Race starts from San Diego

October 18, 2007

We met Sam and Susie of Catch the Wind

Noel, Ashley, Griffin, Will and Cooper of Catch’n Up

Don on Welcome Passage

Bonnie and Curtis on Once upon a Tide

Shirley and John on another Scepter Boat

And talked and chatted with many other boats and people walking the docks. Needless to say we got nothing done.

October 19, 2007

After discovering that it was 2 miles to the laundry and grocery stores people offered us rides. More angels! Mike and I did walk to Red Sails a restaurant about a mile away. We had breakfast there and it was very good, other than the one pigeon that wouldn’t leave us alone.  We walked a little farther and there was a convenience store where we bought milk and creamer. The bad thing is all the boat supply stores are plentiful and somehow we just keep spending money. Hopefully after this we won’t have to buy anything.

October 20, 2007

Susie and Sam took me to Costco, it was good they didn’t need much because my stuff took the whole trunk. We also went to the Baha Fresh for lunch.  That evening they invited Mike and I to go to Pizza Nova for dinner. We had a great time and ended the evening with ice cream at cold stone.

October 21, 2007

Noel took Mike downtown San Diego to get our fishing license. More boat work being done. I spent time trying to find places to stick all the stuff that I bought at Costco.

October 22, 2007

More boat work!

I went to a seminar given by previous Baja people. It was very informative and I won a jacket.

October 23, 2007

More and More boat work!

October 24, 2007

I took the name Cantata off our dinghy so we can put on Airwego. Now my finger nails look disgusting. Ashley took me to do laundry and I mailed Austin’s birthday card early just so I wouldn't have to worry about him not getting it on time from Mexico.

October 25, 2007

We took the dinghy to the fuel dock and left it there while we went to the bank and got our new debit cards and cash for Mexico. We got fishing gear – my gosh with the cost of fishing license and gear we had better catch a lot of fish. We topped our shopping off with ice cream sundaes at McDonalds. Once we were back to the dinghy, it started fine and died shortly after.  So Mike decided to row, he was tired so I tried for awhile, when I was tired we started the engine again and it only ran for a little ways. So…Mike started rowing again, that is until the oar broke in half. So $110 later we have new oars and the engine does not work!

October 26, 2007

Mike got up earlier than normal so he could get started working on the engine. It is not going so well. He climbed the mast and couldn’t reach the top to see what to do. He talked to Alan and that cheered him up, although he said Alan didn’t have any suggestions about it but he will help when he gets here on Sunday. Mike is so excited for him to come!

October 27, 2007

Mike tried everything today to get the dinghy 15 hp engine apart so he could figure out why water cooling system doesn’t work. He tried vinegar, WD40, and someone suggested heating it up and nothing works. I guess we will wait for Alan to come tomorrow.  We had to buy new oars for the bigger dinghy too since the other ones broke while we were rowing, $110 ouch!

Today we have to leave our dock space, so we decided to pump out before we left. Mike put the pump out hose on the deck over the pump out hole, and I was holding it there for him while he turned around to turn the pump on. He turned back around and turned the handle on the hose to the on position and while trying to do so he caught my finger in it. It hurt so bad and I couldn’t get my finger out and in trying to get my finger free I pulled the hose off the pump out hole causing poop to spray everywhere, and yes, all over us. So much for the shower we just took! We washed our hands with the water hose, then went inside and used dish soap and they still smelled bad, so we tried deodorant soap, and still our hands stunk! I guess constant washing and time will have to do.

We moved to the La Playa anchorage in San Diego and I guess it was my day to get hurt, I smashed a finger on my other hand while getting the anchor off the boat! Time for bed.

October 28, 2007

This morning we went to shore so I could wash our poopy clothes from the previous day and so Mike could go to the skippers meeting for the Baja Ha Ha.  Karin and Alan arrived after the meeting! They were ready to go, so we took all their stuff to the boat via the dinghy. They had so much stuff that only the boys could go and Karin and I waited at the dock until they came back. Then we went to the Baja kick off party. First Mike and Alan took the car back to the rental return and they had to walk a couple of miles back.  The lunch was pretty good, chicken or beef burritos. We met a few people, not many.

Once we were back to our boat Alan tried to get the dinghy engine apart and could not do it either. Mike put the boat name “Airwego” on the sides and back of the boat. It looks really nice.

October 29, 2007

Race Day – finally here.  They had check in for 180+ boats via VHF at 7AM. We left the San Diego channel and were followed by an aircraft carrier and a battleship.  It was difficult to stay out of their way. We were also trying to get our sails up, the race had started. We were lagging behind in the start as we were not sure what it would be like. There were 180 boats and the starting line was 2 miles long.  Once the sails were up we were on a beam reach, which was really nice to start. I was glad it was calm as I believe Karin was a little anxious about being on the ocean for the first time. It was really fun seeing so many boats out at sea all at once with their sails up. The wind lightened and many of the boats put up spinnakers, so of course we did too. Shortly after that, Alan walked by the spinnaker halyard and his tether caught on it and it came undone and the spinnaker went into the water. YIKES! It was extremely difficult to get the sail back on the boat, we thought we were going to lose it. The spinnaker sock filled with water and it was unbelievably heavy.  But Thank You Jesus, we got it back. Now lesson learned, Mike takes extra precaution and cleats off the halyard.  Karin got seasick, hopes she gets acclimated soon.  The plan was to sail continuously for 3 days so Alan and Karin had first watch, 8PM to Midnight, Mike and Cindy had Midnight to 4AM and the boys did 4AM until we got up, usually early as there was Baja check in at 7AM. It was really fun to hear where everyone was in the race.

October 30, 2007

The seas were very rolly so I didn’t want to cook. We had boiled water the day before so we made hot chocolate and had granola bars. Then we found the fishing gear, Alan threw out the lines and waited all day and nothing! Bummer! Mike and Karin spotted a gray shark, it came really close to the boat. Alan was bummed he didn’t get to see it!  That’s what happens when you take naps!

Since the seas were kind of rough, Alan threw out a 200’ line to drag, this was a test, it was supposed to make sailing smoother, but we don’t think it did anything.

October 31, 2007

The next day at check in we could see very few boats. It is amazing, all those boats out there, but where were they?  Some boats went way off shore, 50 – 100 miles to get more wind, others stayed close to shore, we were about 15 -20 miles out.  After check in we realized we were about in the middle of the pack in terms of distance from the finish line.  Alan saw a flying fish, and another cruiser reported one landing right in his lap, scared him to death.  Alan caught 2 tuna fish, about 2 feet long, 10 -15 pounds, one right after the other, once he changed the weight on the line. He was so excited, actually we all were. Mike was getting lessons on how to loin, fish. So much blood and it stained the boat. Yuk!  Alan BBQ one and we ate it for dinner, and froze the other one.

We filled the laundry tub with salt water and soap to wash Alan’s clothes, fish scales and smell!

The seas calmed down and Mike put out the spinnaker pole to keep the head sail out. We crossed the finish line for the first leg at 4:22PM, we celebrated! We were excited to be getting close to Turtle Bay, which means we could all sleep!  Mike and Alan anchored in the dark. It gets dark early.

November 1, 2007

Check in was at 7:30AM and 2/3 of the boats were in Turtle Bay.  They reviewed medical emergencies, major boat problems like engine issues, torn sails etc. There were quite a few problems. But other boats all pitched in to help the ones in need. The boys fixed stuff on the boat and the girls sat in the sun and enjoyed reading our books.  There were tons of dolphins in the bay to watch right beside our boat! We watched movies and had Turtle Brownies at Turtle bay before retiring for the evening.

November 2, 2007

We went to town today. We paid 10 pesos (about $1) to a Mexican boy that tied our dinghy up, and we went up a ladder to the pier that was very decrepit, with boards missing etc. You had to be very careful to watch where you were stepping. There were no paved streets once we got off the pier. It was hot and the streets were dusty. Not much was open but we did go to a grocery store and bought yogurt and juice. Later there was a ‘beach party’. We went via ‘panga’ as there was a lot of surf and Mike wasn’t comfortable landing the dinghy with the small engine in a lot of surf.  Once you arrived at the beach you had to jump in the water to get out of the panga and when I did my sandals both broke. Good thing the sand wasn’t too hot since I was now shoeless.  It was a potluck but we opted to buy Taco’s on shore for a dollar each. The tacos were served with cabbage, onion, salsa and cucumber.  Very different compared to the American way with sour cream and guacamole.  We met Noel and Ashley on shore and they introduced us to Oasis, Debbie and Richard, they have 2 boys, and Don and Elsie from Welcome Passage were there too.

The bathrooms on the beach were interesting, a 2 hole, men on one side and women on the other only you could see each other. So you had to find another buddy of the same sex to go with you! You could also see who did number one or two. But any port in a storm! The Baja took pictures of the participants on the beach from up on a cliff; Mike climbed the cliff too and got some great photos.  There was a women against the men tug a war, it was fun. We took the panga back to our boat and discovered they charge more to take you back. They had much difficulty getting the panga off the beach so Alan got out and helped. He should have been free but no. Anyway it was a good experience and fun.

November 3, 2007

We got up early and had cold cereal for breakfast before getting underway for the next leg of the race.  The winds were light, so we put up full sails.  We actually started out in the top 20 boats, it was very fun and beautiful.   The winds lightened and the boys put up the spinnaker again. I don’t know why but we have to have some drama every day.  This time the spinnaker just wouldn’t fly as perfectly as it did the first time. So Mike decided to take it down and some how it got all twisted up and wrapped itself around the sta sail shroud! What a mess.  It took awhile to get it down and in the mean time we lost our great spot in the race. 

Tonight Mike and I took 8 to midnight shift and we think we heard a whale blow right beside our boat. It sounded like you could touch it.  The Hansen’s took midnight to 4AM in hopes that they would have some moon light.

November 4, 2007

We sailed all day. Karin and I read our books. Alan tried fishing and Mike was just there doing who knows what.  He says he was resting so he would be ready to fix the next problem.  We crossed the finish line at 11:38PM and arrived at 1AM at Santa Maria. We followed another boat in and it looked like a city there were so many boat anchor lights.

November 5, 2007

It is a beautiful sunny morning and Alan, Mike and I went for a swim. Alan and I thought the water was great but Mike thought it should be warmer. There was a fairly strong current so we wore our fins to help us get around. Alan swam over to talk to a neighboring boat. I think they compared fish stories.  He also checked under our boat and said we still have some zinc left. We took showers. We were planning to go ashore but the surf was so bad the pangas were not running. Too bad because we had heard this was one of the better more beautiful beaches.

November 6, 2007

Another beautiful morning but large swells again due to a storm in the South Pacific. The pangas were planning to go ashore and take cruisers at high tide but with the weather only about a hundred people actually went ashore.  As it turned out 72 people spent the night ashore due to the weather they could not safely get back to their boats. Noels cousin was one of them and he said it was cold and miserable. Glad we stayed on our boat. 

November 7, 2007

Another beautiful morning, thank you Jesus for such blessings!  But there was a red sky, do we take warning?

We got up at 5:30 and had breakfast. The race start was delayed an hour due to all the people on shore but we left anyway, we didn’t want to arrive last at Cabo as there is limited anchorage compared to the other anchorages.  Once underway, the boys decide to work on the wind generator and to take down it down to work on it on deck, so we don’t lose parts overboard.  Alan tries to put it in the cockpit through the wheel – oops! It only seemed to be a little dirty so they cleaned it and put it back up.  All this while sailing at 8-10 knots, with 20 knot winds plus Alan is fishing. He caught 2 more fish but one got away with our feather lure – bummer!  How many things can we do at one time? Alan cooked the fish he caught, it was a Bonita, a white fish, and we ate it on crackers for a snack, very good! We saw a whale and school of dolphins that swam around our boat for about an hour! It was really great watching them.  Hanson’s had first watch tonight.

November 8, 2007

We had 2^nd watch and at about 2AM, Alan came up to see what was going on. The sails were really flapping as there was no wind but lots of large waves or rollers. Alan stayed up with me and Mike went to bed, he wasn’t feeling good and slept soundly for 4 hours, I was a little worried about him.  We crossed the finish line at 11:08AM.  Now we find out that half the anchorage is closed in Cabo San Lucas due to an Adam Sandler movie being filmed. What a bummer. We anchored 3 times as people asked us to leave because we were too close to them since they had put out 2-300 feet of chain, not fun.  We finally anchored on the East side and knew we had to leave again in the morning. The boats were in the way of the helicopter being used in the film. We took the boat to the dinghy dock and worked on getting our tourist cards. We followed other Baja folks since we didn’t know what to do and watched how they did it.  We actually went to a place that did it for us for $90. and we just have to go back tomorrow to get the paper work and pay more money to the bank for the actual tourist card.  We walked around a little bit before going back to the boat and we were plagued by vendors selling jewelry etc. It was hot!

November 9, 2007

The Hanson’s took a panga to town to get our tourist cards and we stayed with the boat. We finally found another place to throw a temporary anchor while we waited to be able to go back to the East side.  We took our dinghy to shore to go to the ‘beach party’ where we met the Hanson’s. We got a little wet but not too bad. The guys on shore helped us beach it. We stayed awhile, had a beer and watch a kissing contest on the beach where the couples kiss on the beach and roll in the sand and the waves come in over them, I mean over there heads. I can’t believe so many couples did it!  We got in the dinghy to go back to our boat and did quite well leaving the shore with out getting too wet. Mike did do a face plant into the dinghy while trying to get in.  The rest of us were very coordinated. Once back to the boat, I made dinner, with Alan cooking fish on the BBQ, Karin was sick again.

November 10, 2007

Today the Hanson’s had to return home, I think Karin was really ready.  She dressed in her new outfit and got all packed. Alan called a panga and it came sideways to the boat steps, when they should have come keeping their open bow to our steps, so that you have a place to step into the boat. Anyway with the panga side to our boat side, Karin didn’t have room to keep the boat close enough for her to get on and needless to say she fell in. What a bummer, in her new dress and ready to catch a plane!  It was a hot day so hopefully the wind and sun would dry her off quickly. Not a good ending to a great trip! Sorry Karin!

Mike and I cleaned up the boat and later took a panga, getting on very carefully, to the award ceremony.  We met up with Ketching up and sat by them.  We were in 3^rd place in our division, as were all the boats that did not get first or second place. And to get that you had to sail one or two legs all the way, without using your engine at all.  We used our engine because it was the quickest way to get to our destination, to get to sleep, when there was no wind.  They also had awards for the most worthless chatter, for snoring, sailing naked, youngest, oldest, and the biggest fish!  We took a panga home and it was very difficult to find our boat in the dark!