Anita's Baja Ha-Ha '08

My Last Night

2008-11-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

The last night of my trip came way too soon. I was ready to either stay in Cabo or better yet catch a ride on another boat and set sail on a new adventure. I hope this was only the first of many sailing adventures for me.
I can't thank J enough for first, introducing me to sailing (Who knew I would enjoy it so much?) and then for inviting me on the Ha-Ha. Thanks also to Colleen for all she did and being my boat sister. Luv you both! - Neatz

Relaxing in Cabo Marina

2008-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Hour is almost mandatory for cruisers. We did our best not to miss too many.

Isn't she pretty in Cabo...

2008-11-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Cabo Marina is really nice and was full of some spectacular boats. We had a really good spot. Reverence looks great in her slip.

Booze Cruise

2008-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Jason took us out on the dingy for an opportunity to see more of Cabo. We got up really close to "The Arches".

Squid Roe Ha-Ha Party

2008-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

In Cabo, the Ha-Ha throws the "Can't Believe We Cheated Death Again" party at El Squid Roe. It was another great Ha-Ha event, spending more time with friends we met along the way (like Dino, Yuri "The Lovable Russian" and Chad).

Cabo Dinner Out

2008-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

We ate extremely well while on Reverence but it felt good to get dressed up for a nice Cabo dinner.
I returned to this restaurant the next morning when it becomes Mama's and boasts it has "The best breakfast in Cabo, probably.".

The Last Leg - Next Stop Cabo

2008-11-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Here we are on our final leg of the Ha-Ha. We are super anxious to make it to Cabo. This great picture of Reverence is thanks to vessel Scheherezade a member of the Ha-Ha fleet.

Goodbye Bahia Santa Maria

2008-11-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

It was a 7:00 AM start leaving Bahia Santa Maria. This was the most beautiful sight yet as we were closely surrounded by the rest of the fleet.

More Bahia Santa Maria Good Times

2008-11-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

We made our way back to Reverence after the beach party in high spirits. We had a visit from the "Gypsy Boys" (Chad, Eddie, Justin) who brought us a "Vino Muy Expensivo" aka Two Buck Chuck.

Election Day - Beach Party

2008-11-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Prior to leaving for the Ha-Ha the Reverence crew made sure to send in their absentee ballots. I didn't want the day to go unnoticed so I made "I Voted" stickers for us. I left for the Bahia Santa Maria beach party proudly wearing my sticker on my bikini top. At the beach party my stickers became a huge hit. It felt great to give a sticker to a fellow cruiser who just became an American citizen and had voted for the first time.

The beach party was a blast! Some how a rock band arrived and as I found out - cruisers like to dance. There was also a full kitchen serving food and cold beer for sale. We met a lot of Ha-Ha peeps who quickly became great new friends at this party. I also got the opportunity to meet the Grand Poo bah (he heads up the Ha-Ha).

Bahia Santa Maria Hike

2008-11-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

After spending a lazy lay day on Reverence we got out to explore Bahia Santa Maria. Jason took Dave and I to hike the summit. We wanted to make it to the highest peak. I believe we made it to the second highest. It was really lush from a hurricane they had experienced months earlier.

Arriving in Bahia Santa Maria

2008-11-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Bahia Santa Maria before the sun went down. It was a really pretty sight. There was also a nice wind that this boat pictured was taking advantage of. I had read that there was nothing in Bahia Santa Maria - no food, no fuel. I kept thinking that was over exaggerated until we arrived. It was true as there was only a handful of shack like buildings.

Squid Onboard??

2008-11-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

While on watch Jason heard a flop on the deck. He then discovered squid had made its way onboard. We couldn't figure this one out as we were certain that squid did not fly. Thanks to Dave (The Professor) he has provided us with an explanation: Squid are among the fastest invertebrates on earth speeding through the water at up to 40 km/h (24 mph). Very odd when compared to other members of the phylum Mollusca like the snail, slug, oyster, etc. When escaping predators, some squid can even jump 3m (about 12ft) out of the water and glide like a flying fish.

Flying the Spinnaker

2008-11-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here Colleen and I are raising the spinnaker on Reverence. It was a beautiful sight to see the many spinnakers flying in the Ha-Ha fleet.

Leaving Turtle Bay

2008-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

It was such a pretty sight leaving port with the rest of the Ha-Ha fleet. The crew enjoyed my banana pancakes as we set sail.

Beach Party in Turtle Bay

2008-10-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Shortly after arriving at the beach party I went for a hike with some fellow cruisers. Once we got going I wanted to reach the top peak. I was gone a little to long and worried my crew (Sorry guys!).

Many of the boats in the Ha-Ha have kids aboard. The cutest one of the bunch is pictured here. She is two and a half years old. Her parents informed us she was just recently potty trained. During the Ha-Ha they also managed to boat train her, when she feels sick she knows to ask for a bucket. Adorable!!

Exploring Turtle Bay

2008-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

A hike with Dave to one of the top peaks gave us a great view of the Ha-Ha fleet. I believe that is a skull of a horse that we found along the way.

Turtle Bay

2008-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

We woke-up to many more boats in the bay then when we had arrived. More boats continued to arrive throughout the day. It was great to get on land after almost three days at sea. The people of Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) were extremely welcoming. Not surprising as the Ha-Ha fleet strongly benefits their economy.

We made it to Turtle Bay!

2008-10-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

We arrived at our first port at about 9:00 PM. We wouldn't know what Turtle Bay had in store for us until the sun came up the next day.

Cocktails at Sunset

2008-10-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Having a beer on the stern watching the sunset. It just doesn't get much better.

Sushi!!!

2008-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

You can't get fish much fresher then this. If only we had provisioned wasabi. I was however able to get a sushi rice recipe from someone in the Ha-Ha fleet over the VHF radio.

Dolphin Sighting

2008-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is one one of our many dolphin sightings throughout the Ha-Ha. We also saw numerous flying fish, an unconfirmed turtle and what I believe was a school of pilot whales.

Catch of the Day

2008-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

During the afternoon of our second day out, the boys decided to throw in a line. It was only a matter of moments before Rick got a bite. I took my turn at bringing it in. I lack in finesse but at least I did not lose the fish. Sorry for the graphic pictures. I needed to tell the whole story.

My boat work-out

2008-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

With no where to run - I brought resistance bands to try and get in a few work-outs while underway.

Night Watch

2008-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

My first Ha-Ha night watch shift was the first time I had ever sailed at night. It was really dark that night and surprising cold.

Underway to Mexico

2008-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think what hit me most the first day was just how huge the ocean is. We saw very few other boats during our first day underway.

And we are off......

2008-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

We raised the Ha-Ha flag and left the dock at 10:40 AM for the 11:00 AM start. We dressed in our costumes to earn extra points on the rally. For an added touch, we also played the Giligan's Island theme song. Approx. 145 boats started the rally with us that morning.

The Fearless Crew

2008-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Reverence Ha-Ha Crew: Ginger (Colleen), Dave (The Professor), Skipper (Rick), Mary Ann (Anita) and Giligan (Jason).

It's a Ha-Ha Halloween

2008-10-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Each year the Ha-Ha begins with a Halloween party. It was a great opportunity to start meeting our fellow cruisers. I knew right away I had fun times ahead. I enjoyed being Mary Ann.

Reverence in San Diego

2008-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Ha-Ha began in San Diego. Here is Reverence - ready to go.

Trip Provisions

2008-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Preparing to be at sea for ten days is no simple task. Thank you Jason and Colleen! Here is Reverence getting loaded up for the Ha-Ha.

The "Baja Bon Voyage"

2008-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

A trip of this magnitude seemed to deserve its very own send off party. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Baja Bon Voyage!

What is the Baja Ha-Ha?

2008-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Baja Ha-Ha is a cruisers rally that begins in San Diego, California ending in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – roughly 750 miles via boat. The “Ha-Ha” has been a yearly event since 1994.