The Baja Ha Ha, is an annual rally for people who want to make the big jump into cruising the seas of Mexico. Hundreds of boats take off from San Diego, and head to Cabo San Lucas, where they will then part ways according to their cruising pleasure. This year, the 18th annual Ha Ha, left on Monday morning about 10 am.
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| It was a very foggy day. |
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| 134 boats in the distance, headed for Turtle Bay |
We were scheduled to leave the same day, but due to just a couple of electrical issues, were delayed by a day. Not such a bad thing though, we wanted to be able to take our time, and go at our own pace. So, as planned, we left early Tuesday morning, about 4:00 am and headed for Ensenada, which would be our first stop. We arrived in Ensenada around 4:30 pm Tuesday, so we made pretty good time, traveling about an average of 6-7 knots the whole way. We decided to try another marina, one closer to town, as we usually stay at the Hotel Coral, which is about 6 miles (by land) north of town. This was a great idea! We were able to get to the things we needed much easier, since we had no vehicle.
The first stop we made, was to the marina office, where we met the most amazing, cruiser/passenger liaisons, for the marina. His name was Jonathan, and he was awesome! He took us to the Mexican Immigration and Customs office, personally, to help us check in to the country. Because Jonathan was with us, they really hurried us right along. We were able to get our visa’s, and boat paperwork done all in about 2 hours, (which, I’ve heard, is usually an all day process) The cost for checking in, (all total) was exactly $110.00 (American money) Not as bad as we thought it was going to be. Of course, it depends on the size boat you have as well. Ours is a 36 ft. sailboat, about 11 tons, this will give you at least some kind of gauge as to what you can expect, if you too, are planning to make a trip south.
Once the paperwork was finished, Jonathan even taxi’d us around (no charge) to get some other things done, like getting internet! This was Mui importante!!!! We aren’t going to make it out here if we can’t keep in touch with our families! We also, needed to get diesel for the boat, which, by the way, was only about $3.29 per gallon, in Ensenada, vs. $5.69 in San Diego! So, if you can wait to fill up in Mexico, I would highly recommend it! We then had some lunch at one of our favorite taco stands, YUMMY!
That night we had dinner at this great little Italian pizza joint (thanks to some fellow cruisers, for the recommendation) It was called Alfonzo’s Pizza, and believe it or not….it was REALLY GOOD!
After that, we went back to the boat, so we could Skype with our family. I can’t think of a better way to end the day!
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| chillin' while underway |
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| the open water |
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| This was the view from the Cruisport Marina, in downtown |
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| This little inlet, would completely empty out, when the tide went out! Totally dry land...crazy! |
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