This is the 11^th Baja Ha-ha Rally that initially was organized by San Francisco-based ‘Latitude 38’. Although affiliations have changed to protect Latitude 38 from liability, the spirit and organization is the same. Out of the 169 boats signed up this year, 147 started from San Diego on October 25^th with only two boats turning back and 145 boats finishing in Cabo San Lucas on November 4^th. 550 captain and crew participated. This was the largest turnout by over a third.

The first leg from San Diego to Turtle Bay which was 340 miles took Dream Chaser 3-½ days. We quickly learned that we were one of the slower boats in the fleet. 90 percent of the boats had faster hull speeds and moved on past us, presenting a beautiful parade of spinnakers for photo opportunities.

One eventful sailing day shook most of the boats up on the way down with 25 knot winds coming from the southwest. Pounding to weather tests boat and crew. Dream Chaser had a long five hour tack which ended in the lee of Cedros Island just north of Turtle Bay where we anchored for six hours allowing the wind and sea state to quiet down. Having eaten little during the prior 24 hour period, we delighted in having dinner for breakfast. Sue prepared a chicken and rice stir fry that replenished our energy stores.

Entering Turtle Bay, we were impressed by the size of the fleet. Going ashore meant motoring the dinghy to a pier that was in advanced stages of deterioration. Some dinghies were punctured as wave action rubbed them against rusty metal ladders and I-beams. The small town of Turtle Bay survives on fishing. Dirt streets, minimal housing, and few open businesses give a sense of meager living conditions. Street phone booths were out of order from sand jamming the phone keys. An internet café reached out to the rest of the world in an other wise isolated piece of real estate. Also the local medical center helped one sailor who became very dehydrated from sea sickness on the first leg, and eventually was air lifted back to Ensenada and to the US for treatment. Local pangas (fishing boats) offered water taxi service, and some offered diesel fuel to boats at anchor. Some boats had fuel quality issues. But Dream Chaser had no fuel problem.

Steve Holser, a friend from Portland, crewed for us. He was a tremendous help, supportive, always looking for ways to help, good-natured, giving physical, moral and spiritual support. He never baulked at going forward in rough weather to help with reefing the main sail or working with the spinnaker on the foredeck. And what a blessing it was to have three watch standers instead of just two. Three hours on watch, and six hours off, allows everyone to be much more rested, good-natured, and coherent. Steve was able to get in some good card playing, read two books, and as we sailed further south was able to work on his Mexico tan. Did we say that he also started on a beard to surprise Laurie when he flew back to Portland on November 10^th? Arrrrr!

The beach party brought most of the fleet ashore to enjoy a potluck, electronic rock music, volleyball, tug of war (the women almost won until the men cheated), and lots of schmoozing with fellow sailors.

In the first leg of the Rally we sailed 60% of the time, and motor-sailed or motored the rest of the time. We used the Monitor (‘Monty’) wind vane automatic steering in sailing conditions. While in motoring conditions, we used our Ray Marine Auto-pilot (‘Otto’). Having automatic steering reduces a lot of the physical stress of watch standing, allowing you to be a look out for other boats and a monitor of course, speed, wind direction and strength, as well as navigational location.

The longer I am on the boat the more I find that the boat takes on a personality. Probably since there is less outside contact, things on board are given names. Dream Chaser is definitely feminine in my comments towards her. Our dinghy is named ‘Zoom’. You just met ‘Monty’ and ‘Otto’, our two automatic steering systems. ‘Volvy’ is our Volvo diesel engine.

Leaving Turtle Bay on the second leg of the Rally, we were treated by good winds from the northwest. The fleet had their spinnakers launched, and the horizon was ablaze with their colors. The Rally Poobah commented it was one of the most colorful spinnaker runs ever. Be sure to check our Photo Gallery pictures. This 240 mile leg took us 2-½ days to reach Santa Maria Bay. And we sailed 77% of the time.

Santa Maria Bay was much more primitive than Turtle Bay. A small fishing village in the mangrove estuary was a small human foothold on an otherwise desert landscape. That did not stop the locals from putting on a lobster meal for the fleet and bringing in a rock band from La Paz four hours away for entertainment. Steve, Sue and I took Zoom into the estuary at high tide for some bird watching. Our sightings included firsts: a tri-colored heron, a white ibis, a reddish egret, a yellow night heron, a frigate bird, and a little blue heron.

Having a watermaker makes all the difference in the world. As we motor, we will turn it on and replenish our tanks. In warmer water temperatures, the watermaker production is reduced. In the Pacific Northwest waters making twelve gallons an hour was standard. In 80F degree water it produces half that.

The final third leg of 180 miles from Santa Maria Bay to Cabo San Lucas was a different world. The air temperature headed up into the high 80Fs, the water temperature hit 87F, and the wind lessened so that we sailed only 34% of the time. Swimsuits, T-shirts and Teva’s were uniform of the day. Sue ‘s mantra was ‘Ah, summer at last!’ We ended our 760 mile Rally on the afternoon of November 4^th, eleven days after we had started.

In Cabo San Lucas  11/04/04

We’re actually here! Choosing to anchor outside the marina, we dinghied into the marina to go ashore, eat Mexican, do laundry, use the ATM, shop, and of course do the paperwork shuffle at our first port of entry in Mexico. The paperwork shuffle is also called the Paperwork Cha-cha. It took most of a day to do it ourselves without buying the services of an agent to do it for us ($100+). First I took my documents to Immigration, waited a couple of hours for my turn, went to make required copies, back to the head of the line at Immigration, then to the bank across the street for payment of tourist visas, then to the Port Captain, found that I needed an area use fee receipt plus if I was also checking out of the area before Monday, I needed to go back to Immigration for check out, then back to the Port Captain with everything. The agents that were doing this for 15-20 boats at a time received priority attention from two of the three clerks at Immigration, so they slowed the process down for individual boat owners. In any event, we learned the process and saved money doing it ourselves.

Communication to the outside world while sailing had been e-mail through our SSB radio. Phone communication was a priority when we arrived in Cabo San Lucas. We bought a Telcel Mexican cell phone which is one of the three major national systems. The instructions for the cell phone were in Spanish only. We are still working on getting our voicemail box set up. Phone card minutes can be purchased and loaded into the cell phone. But we found that these are quickly used up when calling the USA, regardless who initiates the phone call. Talking to other cruisers, many use phone cards from public pay phones. We’re still working on what the most convenient but inexpensive service is.

While in Cabo San Lucas we dinghied over to the well-known natural arch at Land’s End. The clear waters made snorkeling a fish-bowl delightful experience. A moray eel, surgeons, Sargent Majors, parrot fish, puffers and box fish, and beaugregories were among our favorites. Walking over to the south shore, a few local boys impressed us with their boogie boarding in the pounding surf.

The Baja Ha-ha Rally ended with a final awards ceremony where everyone was asked to come forward by racing division. It was a festive end to a wonderful experience and way of making it to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez! We see why numerous boats have done the Rally more than once.

Los Frailes Bay  11/08/04

Leaving Cabo San Lucas, heading north, we stopped in San Jose de Cabo and then Los Frailes Bay for some relaxation and down time. The northerly winds had picked up making it difficult for boats to go north towards La Paz. So we stayed at anchor in the protected waters behind a hill on the cape of the bay.

Snorkeling each day, we spotted a Moorish Idle, some Raccoon fish, trumpet fish, eels, and schools of other fish in the National Marine reserve. The coral that was present was not as colorful as in some tropical areas, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Some was brain coral and other coral had branches. We were rightly scolded by a local that we were anchored to close to some coral, and might damage it if we didn’t move immediately. Also threatening to fine us, we quickly and carefully weighed anchor to another spot.

On November 10, Steve Holser arranged for a local driver to take him to the airport about 45 minutes away. Again we expressed our gratitude for the wonderful support and companionship that Steve gave us.

Crossing to Mazatlan  11/12/04

Conversations with other boaters about going north at this time of year revealed steady winds ‘on your nose’ which make it hard to sail, pounding sea states, and cooler temperatures. So rather than heading to La Paz, we decided to go toward the mainland, doing the 165 mile ‘Crossing’ to Mazatlan. We left at 0400 in the dark, buddy-boating with Rob and Linda on ‘Cat’n About’. The winds subsided along with the sea state, and we ended up having an easy motor-sail across to Mazatlan, arriving at day break.

Entering the El Cid/Marina Mazatlan area requires working around the schedule of a dredge that seems to constantly work on the entrance of the harbor. Cat’n About led the way, petitioning us to step on or we wouldn’t make it in past the dredge. With a momentary burst of speed from the Engine Department, we slipped past the barge with a sheepish grin that probably looked very gringo-ish.

Pulling past the beautiful five-star El Cid Hotel and Marina, we went into the more conservative Marina Mazatlan to see our long lost Portland sailing friends.

Currently, we are moored at a water-only dock with a number of Ha-ha boats and others. Sylvia at the Harbor Master’s Office is an amazingly efficient, but amiable lady who has walked us through the paperwork check in, getting a 10-year Importation permit, getting laundry done, propane purchased, diesel purchased, phone cards purchased, and delighted us with her friendliness.

Sue and I have started using the local bus system to familiarize ourselves with the local surroundings. We went into town to the Old Downtown, and saw a fairly dusty one-and-two-story building commercial district with lots and lots of noisy buses going along narrow one-way roads. The people are always helpful, and we are starting to build back a small Spanish vocabulary to make our way around. I find pleasant greetings go along ways. One man told us quite abit about the area, including comments about the local baseball team which we hope to see.

Within the Marina, the VHF radio is left on Channel 72 as a ‘local phone network’. there is a local network in the morning at 0800 when they ask for new arrivals and departures, cover the weather, the tides, needing rides, lost and found, buys and trades, and other general announcements. One of the boats has put together a ‘Welcome Wagon’ packet of all the FAQs that you have when arriving in a new place. The cruisers are very helpful. All you need to do is ask, or keep your ears open to help others.

Meanwhile we have had two thunderstorm nights with torrential downpours. It was so gray that our solar panels were not keeping our batteries charged, so that we had to run our engine alternator for recharging at the dock. But the sun is out today in all its glory and intensity. It’s about 86F outside, and the shade feels good, and fans are running in the cabin to keep it comfortable.

Our stay in Mazatlan acquainted ourselves with the friendliness of the local Mexicans, familiarized ourselves with the town, the services, the public transportation, and the cruising life in a marina.

Sylvia, the assistant to the Marina Mazatlan harbor master, amazed us with her multi-tasking office skills and cheerful disposition. Two weeks later she still remembers small details about Dream Chaser’s stay, in spite of dealing with a hundred other boats! The dozen security personnel have been friendly and helpful as well. A little Spanish spoken goes a long ways.

Public transportation was abundant from the Marina into town. Air conditioned buses into town were 8 pesos each. The unairconditioned buses were 4.5 pesos. The pulmonias which were high powered, open-aired golf carts with roll bars were direct to your destination, but even a haggled fee was five times the bus fare. Once we took a pulmonia with driver and extra for ‘free’ only to find out that they were selling time shares under high pressure. So much for free.

We took in an American movie with Spanish subtitles (Manchurian Candidate), a local AA baseball game, the Aquarium/Zoo, a Youth Orchestra performance, a Talent Show, a Fiesta Mexicana dinner at a local hotel where we saw traditional dancing, and numerous dinners enjoying the local food. Mazatlan is supposedly the shrimp capital of the world. So shrimp was enjoyed in various forms.

Regularly, we would go to town with boat friends from the Marina, enjoying some aspect of the town. One evening dinner was in a sports bar where we watched, of all things, the Oregon vs. OSU civil war football game! Oregon was tromped however.

As usual, the day dawned with peach hues. The air is cool until the sun comes up from behind the mountains to the east. Then the temperature rises quickly to 85-90 with 80% humidity. Our friends, Jim and Kay from "Transcendence" invited us to share a morning of thanks giving with them while a Catholic mass was shared by others at the Marina office. After a nice breakfast together on "Transcendence" of French Toast with blackberry syrup from Friday Harbor, fresh fruit and coffee with real cream (not 1/2 and 1/2), we shared our gratitude. Our love and appreciation for family was top of the list for each one. Jim's daughter had recently given birth 2 months early to a 3 pound girl who is already home and doing well. George and I were grateful for a safe and relatively uneventful passage on Dream Chaser all the way from the tip of Vancouver Island to Mexico. We all discussed how grateful we were to have the support and love of our children, and for us, Grandmother and Grandad as well.

As we move away from Mazatlan we are starting to test our Spanish-speaking inabilities. Sue is doing well and is working on vocabulary. I'm working on my charades.

San Blas has fascinated us in many ways. We met Frank (from NYC), the owner of the Coffee House and Social Bar. We had one of the best cups of coffee ever. The coffee bean seller was there, a young man, about 30 years old who had been in San Blas with his family's business for the last twelve years. I foolishly mentioned Starbuck's Coffee, and saw the man's cockles raise up. A fascinating soliloquy ensued. His Mexican coffee is sun-dried and then roasted, a very labor intensive process. The big coffee impresarios use a water process which is much less labor, charge as much or more, put the small, poor worker out of work, and in the process lose most of the natural sugars that make coffee rich and flavorful. They don't advertise. They are a small operation. Tucson is the main market for there coffee. And there is a website to order from. Yum!

Jan Goldie (also from NYC) advertised in the Cruising Guide. So we went to her diminutive home, and were invited in to see her watercolors series that she has done of local indigenous people. I would be proud to have any of her paintings in our home. Her husband, Norm, ran the San Blas Cruisers' Net for many years, and has helped many through the years with his weather predictions. We were told a story where a hurricane was not predicted by local authorities to be an imminent threat, but was predicted to be on a faster track by Norm. The local shrimp boaters followed the local authorities. 800 men died. The government asked Norm how he was the only one that knew, and he pointed to the poor weather training of the local authorities!

The Tovara Springs tour took us to the fresh water headwaters of an artesian well that supplied fresh water to the Spanish ships that came to explore the west coast of North America. In fact, San Blas was where the ships that explored the Pacific Northwest came from. San Blas, at one point, had 30,000 people in support of a shipyard, a fort, and a supply center. We took a panga boat tour to see birds, and to go to the Springs. We were young Jose's only customers that day, and we saw eight new birds that we had never seen before thanks to Jose's knowledge and keen sight! This included spoonbills, wood storks, all the herons in Sibley's Guide, and more. Oh, did I mention the crocodiles in the mangroves. And yes, we did swim in the headwaters, and used the swing to jump in, but never saw a crocodile up close....

El Forto presided over the town with its cannons. With most of the land so flat, we could see for miles from the fort's vantage point. The decaying shell of the church next to the fort had been built in 1788, and was the pride of San Blas at the time. This is where Father Serra launched his missions in California from. In the far distance we could see Dream Chaser anchored all alone in the town's river. A local baseball field was one of few green spots, and obviously the pride of the town. The town lost much of its population in a power struggle with the Dons who built Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. It was left to be a sleepy, historic shrimp and fishing village. Not many cruisers stop here because of the stories about dinghy theft. We paid a local teenager to watch our dinghy for two days and an evening in town for dinner. We did spend two of the three days here with Charlie and Grania from Zester, one of the Baja Haha boats.

Tomorrow, we leave for Chapala, a sleepy town about 21 miles south of here, with a storied anchorage and beaches lined with palm trees.

We have been staying at this very pleasant village on the sea (no more than a hideaway) for a day and a half, and we're leaving early tomorrow morning for Bandaras Bay, home of Puerto Vallarta. This tourist spot is barely a village. Few people live here except for the port captain a few fishermen, and vendors serving tourists. Open air restaurants shaded by palm roofs line the beach, and there are a few shops behind them on the street. The water in the bay is so nice and clean for a change. I got stung by microscopic creatures or jellyfish when I swam both yesterday and today, so that wasn't much fun, but George scrubbed sea life off the propeller and shaft and all the through-hulls. We've been waiting to do this where the water is clean and clear enough. I called Mom and Dad on the only public phone in town, a little cement building behind a restaurant. It cost 28 pesos (about $2.80) for the message I left on the answering machine. There is no cell service and no pay phones in this area at all, 10 miles from the nearest town.

We've seen some poor towns, dusty and deprived of what we think is important. But the people are warm, friendly people, quick to smile, and help if help is needed. Turtle Bay, Santa Maria Bay, San Blas, Chacala were all towns that challenged the people's existence. Of course, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta are tourist meccas, and have many of the amenities that makes life easier.

Sue and I have taken in a number of birding excursions in the back waters and mangroves of the coastal towns. We've spotted spoonbills, wood storks, herons of all descriptions, egrets, and have spotted 8 new birds that we have never seen before. We have gone to aquariums, baseball games, youth orchestra and talent shows, and have enjoyed getting to see how Mexicans live and entertain themselves. We're amazed how many of the small Mexican music groups have a tuba, a brassy trumpet, and a tenor singer. They almost sound like they have Swiss overtones.

The heat is about as much as I can take. Temperatures are mid to high 80s; humidity is 85-90%. Fans are a must on the boat, and our sun awnings mercifully keep the cabin habitable.

Just around Punta de Mita and into Banderas Bay is La Cruz de Haunaucaxtle on the north shore. We are currently anchored just outside the breakwater in this protected section. The water seems to be teeming with fish. At night the water has a greenish glow as the marine activity churns the phosphorescence around the boat. Pelicans, boobies, frigates are diving and skimming the water surface for meal after meal. The local panga fisherman seem very successful with their catches.

We motored out to Punta de Mita, an attractive anchorage with a breeze, palm trees ashore, and breakers which attract the local surfing community. Mike on Finesterre took to his surf board while anchored there. There is a Four Seasons Resort in this dusty town. Maybe it is the world class golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus that is attracting tourist attention.

While here, our batteries and alternator parted company. Evidently we were not charging the batteries sufficiently. We headed for Puerto Vallarta for electrical assessment and repairs.

The Mexicans celebrate the appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus, here along the west coast a few hundred years ago. There was an apparition in the water one day that made people believe that she had come to visit them. I don't know any more details, unfortunately. The festival is called "The Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe," and she is the patron saint of Mexico. All week there have been mini parades at various times of the day. We only saw one, last Wednesday, when a group of Indians danced, celebrating their Aztec ancestry, dressed in fancy sequined or fake fur costumes and head dresses decorated with pheasant tail feathers. One young man beat a rhythm on a drum. We were so sorry we didn't have our camera with us that day. They were followed by a group of young people in white, marching along in silence. When we went into town again on Friday, we discovered that the parades were scheduled to begin after dark, too late for us.

Today was the culmination of all the earlier little parades. We expected to see every club and organization singing, dancing, pulling some sort of float, or playing musical instruments, just as we had seen in Acapulco 3 winters ago during the Festival of Guadalupe. But today turned out to be quite different indeed from what we expected. We had been told the true festivities would begin with a torch bearer, arriving at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday carrying a torch in a running relay which began in Mexico City several days ago. Then, at 10:00 a.m. the parade would begin on Sunday, lasting throughout the day. We arrived into downtown Puerto Vallarta around 11:00 after an hour-long bus ride from Punta Mita where Dream Chaser was at anchor. We followed young mothers and children obviously heading towards the parade. Many of the women wore white dresses. Some wore white blouses with colorful wool striped skirts. Their children were all in costume. The boys were decked out in cream-colored cotton pants with a matching long-sleeved shirt, a V-shaped vest, a straw hat, and carrying a little bird cage. Very cute. Their faces had side burns and mustaches penciled on. These boys were all under 6 years old, some barely walking. The little girls wore the white blouses and maroon striped skirts, a red and green scarf around their heads, or red, green, and white ribbons in their hair. These girls ranged in age from a few months to 10 years old. Those who were too young to have much hair had fake braids attached to their scarves (very funny).

As we got closer to the cathedral, we realized that the parade was really a huge crowd of people in the street, all moving towards the cathedral, some carrying candles, some singing a hymn, but most were silent. There were no groups of people, just a giant throng, peacefully walking, crowded together. At 11:45 the bells began to ring. The huge bells in the bell tower turned over and over, ringing their tones for about 5 minutes, repeating every hour during the procession. Mass continued inside the church all day. As each person entered the church they were sprinkled with holy water. Looking at the masses, we realized that most of the people were not in costume, just dressed appropriately for church with dresses or slacks, blouses or shirts, some with hats. We didn't see more than a few other Americans in with the Mexican people. None of the tourists seemed to be interested in observing this very devout worship. We found it very moving and extremely interesting. At the cathedral, families posed in front of a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe to have their portraits taken. Food was being sold in the street for the faithful.

It was all over by 3:00 in the afternoon. We got groceries at a very busy supermarket and then boarded the bus for Punta Mita, arriving back at the boat by 5:30. On the road, we saw the runner carrying the torch, escorted by a police car! I guess he will arrive tonight, and there will be more celebrations after dark.

Tonight was opening night in Puerto Vallarta for the Bull Fights! So we went to take in this Mexican cultural experience. There were four bulls, and four separate matadors. It started at 1700 with a 15-piece band slightly off key. Announcing the coming of the matadors, all the players came out in colorful, ornate costumes: 4 matadors, about 5 toreadors in the attending cuadrilla with several functions, and two picadors on padded horses. After presenting himself to the Authority, and to the crowd, the matador awaits at the side of the ring for the bull to be released into the ring. The bull charges in and is enticed to run around the ring darting and charging at members of the cuadrilla to warm the bull up, and to give the matador an opportunity to study the bull.

Well, the electrical repairs are taking longer than expected. But that’s cruising: maintaining your boat in exotic places! At least we have land phones to call family. We have other cruisers lending moral support. And we have vendors that have solutions.

As we listen to the evening music, it is interspersed with Christmas music. As we walk the promenade of shops in Marina Vallarta, we see snow sprayed on the windows, along with snowmen, reindeer, and Christmas trees. The nativity scene is ubiquitous. Although it is 85F here with 85% humidity, we can see it is winter in the States, when we watch the Green Bay Packers playing football with their breath visibly steaming in the cold weather.

We send our warmest, sincerest holiday greetings to everyone, and hope your dream comes true for 2005 whatever it may be.

While in Puerto Vallarta, Dream Chaser had developed an electrical condition where the alternator was not charging the batteries. In the subsequent two weeks, we took the following steps:

1. Charged up the batteries with AC power from the dock.

2. Equalized the batteries for the first time, taking eight hours with AC power to step through the process of shaking off the sulphates on the battery plates. The batteries came up, and held their charge nicely.

3. Determined the blue field wire on the multi-stage regulator was not showing any voltage. After calling Balmar, they suggested installing a temporary single phase regulator that would serve a Ford truck. Installed the Ford regulator, and saw voltage finally at all the right places.

4. Tried both the existing alternator and a spare alternator finding neither would generate amperage. Took the alternator to a battery shop that did repairs. They said the alternator was fine. That it must be the batteries. I doubted that, however, since the batteries had only cycled 71 times, and should have a life of 600-700 cycles. Also the average cycle was only 89 Ah on a 490 Ah system.

5. The bolt that held the alternator to the engine block had sheered requiring a replacement to be turned at a local machine shop.

6. Finally, enlisted an electrician to determine what wiring issues I might have. After not finding anything, he said it must be the alternator. He took the alternator to his source, and found the alternator had a short. And the spare alternator had a bad diode.

With the Ford regulator, and the repaired alternator, we are generating amps for the batteries. Dream Chaser is happy, and we are now headed south to Tenacatita near Manzanillo.