Scores of Baja-Bound Sailboats Parade Out of San Diego Bay

Monday, 26 October 2009
Contact: Dale Frost (619) 686-6200

A procession of 180 sailboats paraded out of San DiegoBay on October 26 as they began the 16th annual Baja Ha-Ha Cruiser’s Rally which finishes in Cabo San Lucas.

At 10 a.m. sharp, while aboard a boat positioned near the west end of Shelter Island, Captain Luis Rios Hernandez, the Captain of the Port of Ensenada, fired a shotgun blank into the air, signaling the official start of the race.

In the spirit of the Halloween season, and as is tradition for many light-hearted but long-range cruising rallies, many of the sailors started out in costumes. Of course there were pirates, but also shiny mermaids. There were also skeletons haunting the decks.

Following two weeks of sailing south with stops in Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, the Baja Ha-Ha fleet will reach Cabo San Lucas.

For many of the participants, the event serves as the first step in a new lifestyle of international cruising.

Since its inception in 1994, approximately 6,000 West Coast sailors, originating from home ports as far north as Alaska, have visited San Diego to begin the Baja Ha-Ha rally.

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